Top Stories

Wednesday European Rewind: Chelsea tops Man City, Juventus beats Napoli and more

Several of Europe’s heavy-hitters took the field on Wednesday, providing plenty of action across the top leagues.

In the must-watch match of the day, Chelsea defeated Manchester City, 2-1, at Stamford Bridge. Following their home defeat to Crystal Palace last Saturday, Chelsea got back on track against fourth-place Manchester City.

Eden Hazard’s 10th minute finish gave the hosts a 1-0 lead after the forward’s shot deflected off Vincent Kompany and in. Sergio Aguero’s 26th minute tap in leveled the score at 1-1 for Manchester City after a mistake from Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois handed the visitors the opportunity. However, Chelsea answered back in the 35th minute as Hazard netted his second of the day, this time putting in a rebound from his original penalty kick. Willy Caballero saved the shot in the bottom-right corner, but Hazard pounced on the rebound.

Manchester City missed a handful of late chances for an equalizer as Aguero and defender John Stones both missed close-range efforts. At the final whistle, Chelsea held on for a crucial three points at the top. Courtois made six saves in the win, while Manchester City remain in fourth place.

Elsewhere, Juventus booked their place to the Coppa Italia final after holding off Napoli at the Sao Paolo. Borussia Monchengladbach handed Hertha Berlin their third consecutive Bundesliga defeat, while RB Leipzig held on for a win at Mainz. Barcelona rolled past Sevilla at the Camp Nou thanks to a brace from Leo Messi, while Real Madrid faced Leganes on the road. Lyon defeated Metz in the only Ligue 1 fixture of the day.

Here is a rundown of Wednesday’s European action:

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

Tottenham Hotspur fought back for a 3-1 road win at Swansea City on Wednesday to keep their title hopes alive. A 94th minute goal from Christian Eriksen capped off a late comeback by Mauricio Pochettino’s side, who were down for the most of the match. Wayne Routledge’s 11th-minute tap in had the Swans ahead 1-0 which was a lead they held until the final moments. Dele Alli leveled the score at 1-1 for Spurs in the 88th minute before Son-Heung Min’s winner came three minutes later. Eriksen added his insurance strike from Alli’s assist. Tottenham’s sixth straight win in all competitions sees them remain in second, while Swansea drops into the relegation zone.

Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 home win at the Emirates on Wednesday against visiting West Ham United. After a scoreless first half, Mesut Ozil opened the scoring in the 58th minute from a long-range left-footed effort. Theo Walcott’s second goal in as many matches made it 2-0 in the 68th, before substitute Olivier Giroud added an insurance goal in the 83rd. West Ham have now lost five in a row in league play which sees them drop to 15th. Arsenal moves back up to fifth place, level on points with Manchester United.

Here are all of Wednesday’s Premier League results:

Arsenal 3 – West Ham United 0

Hull City 4 – Middlesbrough 2

Swansea City 1 – Tottenham Hotspur 3

Southampton 3 – Crystal Palace 1

Chelsea 2 – Manchester City 1

Liverpool 2 – A.F.C. Bournemouth 2

SPANISH LA LIGA

Barcelona made it three consecutive victories with a 3-0 home success over Sevilla at the Camp Nou. Luis Enrique’s side used a three goal first half to spark them over the visitors. Luis Suarez opened the scoring after 25 minutes from close range to make it 1-0. Lionel Messi doubled the hosts lead just three minutes later, finishing off Suarez’s assist. The Argentine made it 3-0 in the 33rd minute as his left-footed effort found the bottom-right corner. Sevilla’s bad day got even worse in second-half stoppage time as Vitolo saw a second yellow card for a foul on Neymar. Marc-Andre ter Stegen made three saves in the home clean sheet, which keeps Barcelona in second-place. Sevilla drop their third match in their last four overall, while dropping to fourth-place.

League leaders Real Madrid received a hat-trick from striker Alvaro Morata to defeat Leganes, 4-2, at the Butarque Stadium. Los Blancos were ahead, 3-0, after 23 minutes thanks to James Rodriguez’s 15th minute effort before Morata added two goals himself. Gabriel Pires’ cut the lead to 3-1 for Leganes before Luciano Neves made it 3-2 three minutes later. Morata completed his hat-trick in the 48th-minute as he headed home Rodriguez’s cross into the center of the goal. Zinedine Zidane’s side re-extended their lead to two points at the top of the La Liga summit, and now prepare for a Madrid Derby versus Atletico Madrid this coming Saturday. Leganes remain five points clear of the relegation zone.

Here are all of Wednesday’s La Liga results:

Barcelona 3 – Sevilla 0

Alaves 0 – Osasuna 1

Sporting Gijon 0 – Malaga 1

Deportivo 0 – Granada 0

Leganes 2 – Real Madrid 4

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA

Borussia Monchengladbach got a 16th minute winner from Laszio Benes to defeat Hertha Berlin 1-0 at Borussia-Park. Salomon Kalou’s 45th-minute free kick struck the bar which was the visitors best offensive chance in the opening half. A pair of Jonas Hofmann second-half efforts struck the post, which would’ve given the hosts some insurance. Berlin only created two shots on goal, while Gladbach had seven. The hosts move up to ninth place, while Berlin drop to sixth after losing their third league match in a row.

Second-place RB Leipzig held on for a 3-2 road victory at Mainz on Wednesday. Following a scoreless first half, Leipzig got a pair of headed goals from Marcel Sabitzer and Timo Werner respectively to lead, 2-0, early in the second half. Jairo Sampeiro’s 69th-minute penalty kick brought Mainz to within one after Giulio Donati drew the foul. However, Naby Keita’s 81st minute goal gave Leipzig a 3-1 lead late. The hosts were reduced to 10-men in the 89th-minute as Jean-Philippe Gbamin saw a straight red for a foul on Fabian Frei. Muto’s 91st-minute header made things interesting late, pulling Mainz to within one again, but the final score stood at 3-2 to Leipzig. The visitors sit 10 points behind leaders Bayern Munich, while Mainz sit in 15th after four straight losses.

Bayer Leverkusen snapped a seven match winless run by defeating Darmstadt, 2-0, on the road. Julian Brandt’s third league goal of the season gave the visitors a 1-0 lead after 15 minutes. Kevin Volland’s 56th-minute strike extended Leverkusen’s lead to 2-0, which ultimately would be the final score. Last-place Darmstadt only created two offensive chances on goal, and now sit 14 points from Bundesliga safety. Bayer Leverkusen move up to 10th place after earning an important win.

Here are all of Wednesday’s Bundesliga results:

Borussia Monchengladbach 1 – Hertha Berlin 0

FSV Mainz 2 – RB Leipzig 3

VfL Wolfsburg 0 – SC Freiburg 1

F.C. Augsburg 2 – Ingolstadt 3

SV Darmstadt 0 – Bayer Leverkusen 2

ITALIAN COPPA ITALIA

Serie A leaders Juventus booked their place to the Coppa Italia final with a 5-4 aggregate win over Napoli at the Sao Paolo. Former Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain opened the scoring for the visitors after 32 minutes which made it 1-0 going into halftime. Marek Hamsik leveled the score at 1-1 in the 53rd, before Higuain netted his second of the match just five minutes later. Dries Mertens’ right-footed finish in the 61st made it 2-2 before Lorenzo Insigne finished Jose Callejon’s assist for a 3-2 advantage. However, that was the closest Maurizio Sarri’s side got as Juventus held on for a 5-4 aggregate victory. Massimiliano Allegri’s side will now face Lazio in the Coppa Italia final on June 2 in Rome looking to win their third straight trophy.

Napoli 3 – Juventus 2 (Juventus advance on 5-4 aggregate)

FRENCH LIGUE 1

In the only Ligue 1 fixture midweek, Lyon cruised past Metz, 3-0, at the Stade Saint-Symphorien on Wednesday. Following a scoreless first half, Alexandre Lacazette’s 59th minute opener proved to be the winner for the visitors. Jordan Ferri finished off Corentin Tolisso’s assist in the 87th minute for a 2-0 lead before Tolisso’s left-footed finish in stoppage time stamped the final score at 3-0. Lyon remains in fourth place with a seven point lead over Marseille. Metz drops to 14th after suffering their first defeat since Feb 26.

Metz 0 – OL Lyon 3

Comments

Leave a Comment