City lost 1-0 to Swansea to end their five month spell at the top of the table after being comprehensively outplayed. Tottenham lost 1-0 to Everton and are just four points clear of Arsenal in fourth having played a game more. Chelsea got back to winning ways with a 1-0 win over Stoke. Liverpool lost 1-0 at Sunderland.
In Italy there was also a potentially crucial turn of results as AC Milan beat Lecce 2-0, whilst second placed Juventus could only draw 0-0 at Genoa. That means Milan are four points clear of the Bianconeri, whilst Udinese’s title hopes slipped further after losing 1-0 at lowly Novara. Lazio’s Champions League hopes were hit by a surprise 3-1 defeat to Bologna at home, and Roma’s 1-0 win at Palermo. Inter won 2-0 at Chievo whilst Napoli crushed Cagliari 6-3.
In France PSG won 2-1 at Dijon to continue their march to the French title, but Montpellier are matching them stride for stride after a 3-0 win over Caen. Lille lost 2-1 at Lyon and have little chance of retaining their crown. Marseille were shocked 1-0 at Ajaccio, whilst St Etienne’s Champions League hopes are alive after beating Valenciennes 2-1. Rennes could only draw at home to Auxerre 1-1, whilst Toulouse drew by the same score at home to Lorient. Sochaux picked up after sacking their coach in the week after beating Evian 3-2.
Real Madrid continue their march to the title after a 3-2 win at Real Betis, thanks to two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo. A double from Leo Messi kept Barcelona ten points behind their arch rivals in La Liga. Valencia could only draw with Mallorca, whilst Athletic Bilbao could not repeat their Europa League heroics as they went down 2-1 at fellow Champions League contenders Osasuna. Malaga are in fourth after beating Levante 1-0, whilst Sevilla went down 1-0 at Sporting Gijon. Two other Champions League contenders, Atletico Madrid and Espanyol, beat Granada and Rayo Vallecano 2-0 and 5-1 respectively.
Borussia Dortmund’s title defence suffered a surprise blow when held 0-0 by Augsburg, whilst Bayern Munich thrashed Hoffenheim 7-1 to get back to form. Borussia Moenchengladbach drew 0-0 with Freiburg, whilst Schalke won 3-1 against Hamburg. Werder Bremen beat Hannover 3-0.
Independiente beat Boca Juniors 5-4 in the Argentine Clausura, a shock as Boca, the Champions, had not conceded until yesterday in the league. Independiente are bottom, whilst Boca lost top spot after Tigre replaced them following a 2-0 win at Banfield.
In Portugal Porto drew 1-1 at home to Academica Coimbra, allowing Benfica to close the gap at the top of the league with a 2-1 win at Pacos de Ferreira. Sporting crushed Vitoria Guimaraes.
AZ won 2-0 at De Graafshap in Holland to stay top, whilst Twente’s 3-1 defeat at NEC meant Ajax overtook them in second with a 3-0 win over Waalwijk. Feyenoord drew 1-1 at home to Utrecht, PSV lost 3-1 at NAC Breda whilst Heerenveen beat Excelsior 4-2.
In the USA Major League Soccer kicked off with champions LA Galaxy suffering a shock 3-1 home defeat by Real Salt Lake. New York Red Bulls lost 2-1 at Dallas.
