Highlights of European Football Matches This Week: Man City 1-0 Chelsea, Barcelona 1-0 Atletico Madrid & Davide Astori’s Sudden Demise Dominate the News

Past Sunday saw some of the top European clubs battle it out in crucial matches played across their respective premier divisions. With a host of football icons on display, fans had an expected Super Sunday indeed. From the physically enduring English Premier League to the technical marvels of the Spanish La Liga or quite simply the vociferous German Bundesliga, there was not a moment to catch a breath as the drama unfolded from one league to another. However, as Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid and Manchester City vs Chelsea created buzz with match results, it was the shocking death of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori that not only called off Inter Milan vs AC Milan, Italian League match but also sent shockwaves in the footballing world. Here is our quick review of the top matches that were major highlights this weekend.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

BRIGHTON 1 - 0 ARSENAL

It is very rare for a goalkeeper to issue an apology after a match but that is what Gunners No 1 Petr Cech came up with. A disastrous performance between the sticks meant Arsenal lost its fourth straight match in all competition for the first time since 2002. Manager Arsene Wenger who has surprised footballing gods by continuing to remain at the helm of Arsenal’s affairs conceded his side’s Champions League qualification hopes are all but over via the automatic route. Brighton raced to a 2-0 lead in the match with goals from Lewis Dunk and Glenn Murray while P Aubameyang’s effort two minutes from half-time could only prove to be a consolation.

Cech parried a corner shot straight to Dunk for the opener and also let in Murray’s header creep into the goal under his body. Arsenal looked disjointed and comical at the back which has been a characteristic of their play throughout the season. Brighton’s win is invaluable as it keeps them seven points clear of the dreaded relegation zone. Coach Chris Houghton has delivered an absolute master class by taking his side on the verge of ensuring Premier League football next season, an incredible feat with frugal resources. While for Arsenal, they are 13 points adrift off the top 4 places and on a downward spiral that does not seem to reverse. The defeat has pushed Arsene Wenger to the brink and the crucial Europa League fixture against AC Milan may not have the presence of Gunner’s iconic manager.

MANCHESTER CITY 1 - 0 CHELSEA

This game was a chilling reminder of how Chelsea have waned under Antonio Conte and are a shadow of the team that secured the winners' medal last term. If the defeat at Old Trafford was jeopardizing the morale of the EPL champions, the knockout punch seems to be delivered by Pep Guardiola’s men on the blue side of Manchester. In a boring turgid game where both side had little creativity in most parts of the game, the opener came in moments after the second half got underway. Bernardo Silva, who has repaid the faith shown in him by his manager since making it to the starting eleven in the last few matches fired home the winning goal. City dominated so much of the possession that it almost felt like scoring goal was not on the top of their to-do list. Eden Hazard who was deployed in false no 9 roles cut a frustrated figure throughout the match bemoaning the lack of service to him. He certainly did not look like a player eager to sign a new contract at the club and may soon find greener pastures, come to the end of the season. The race for the top 4 positions is slowly started to drift away for Chelsea and it is now part of the chasing pack while being in the Champions League places for most of the season.

SPANISH LA LIGA

BARCELONA 1 - 0 ATLETICO MADRID

A moment of magic from Lionel Messi was enough to send Barcelona eight points clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid. In crucial encounters like these, an exhilarating or attacking kind of football is not seen much and Barcelona did come under criticism from some quarters for lack of fluid football. Although they created eight chances in the game and restricted the Madrid side to just one shot at goal, it needed a Lionel Messi free-kick to separate the sides at the final whistle. Time stood still in the 26th minute as Messi stood over the ball after a needless foul from Thomas and the Argentine skipper curled his effort over the wall and into Jan Oblak’s net as the keeper dived in despair.

Barcelona were also handed a blow with Andres Iniesta out with a suspected hamstring pull. The Spanish legend will be out for four weeks and will miss crucial Champions League fixture against Chelsea. The win for the Catalan giants also shuts shop on any hopes of Atletico catching Barcelona in the La Liga. It is now a matter of when rather than who will be the Champions of Spain named.

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA

BAYERN MUNICH 4 - 0 SC FREIBURG

If there is one league amongst the top 5 European leagues that did not have an iota of doubt about who the winner would be since as early as the winter break, it is the German League. Throughout the campaign, Bayern Munich have steamrolled opponents as if it is a walk in the park. Coach Jupp Hyynckes tweaked his lineup to accommodate players like Sandro Wagner and Corentin Tolisso who have not had much opportunities leaving out the likes of Arjen Robben, Franck Ribéry and Robert Lewandowski from the starting eleven. Both the players were on the scoresheet for Bayern as well as Thomas Muller who also had his effort ruled credited to an own goal by Alexander Schwolow.

The match started on a sluggish note for Bayern Munich as the much-changed side took its time to get going. But the determination and work rate of Thomas Muller had an inspiring effect on the league leaders. Muller was at the heart of much of the good things Bayern did in Freiburg. The win means Bayern are a massive 20 points clear of Schalke at the top of the table and an incredible treble of trophies is well and truly on for the Bavarian giants.

ITALIAN LEAGUE

AC MILAN VS INTER MILAN called off due to the shocking death of Davide Astori! The oldest rivalry in Italian football had to be cancelled due to the tragic death of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori aged 31. The match will be rescheduled to some other day as the Footballing world mourns the loss of a talented young player.

The Sunday wrap-up of games leaves us with interesting questions like what is in store for Arsene Wenger and Antonio Conte. Will they last the campaign or be shown the door? It is also interesting to note that Manchester City have the chance to win the EPL in the pulsating fixture called the Manchester Derby, an ultimate moment for a city fan. While Barcelona and Bayern Munich should now start planning for Europe after the league is wrapped up more or less.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 05, 2018 02:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).