Shakhtar Donetsk 3-4 Real Madrid

Shakhtar Donetsk 3-4 Real Madrid: Los Blancos survive late comeback to edge seven-goal thriller

  

Real Madrid clinched top spot in Champions League Group A thanks to an enthralling, Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired 4-3 win over Shakhtar Donetsk.

Ronaldo opened the scoring after 18 minutes, turning Gareth Bale's lob across goal over the line, before teeing up Luka Modric to smash home a second just after half-time.

Shakhtar needed a win and a favour from Malmo against Paris Saint-Germain in order to keep their chances of reaching the knockout rounds alive but a fine third goal from Dani Carvajal appeared to end any hopes of a comeback.

Ronaldo steered in his second and Madrid's fourth after some more good work from Bale to cap an impressive display, though Alex Teixeira got a goal back from the penalty spot, before Dentinho's header and Teixeira's clever finish gave Shakhtar hope.






Madrid saw out a victory to help banish memories of their Clasico thrashing by Barcelona, although the loss of Raphael Varane to injury will come as a blow in what was otherwise a largely encouraging 90 minutes for the under-fire Rafael Benitez.

Subdued in the Clasico, Ronaldo looked determined to make amends and fired over the crossbar as early as the second minute to signal his intentions.

Madrid were comfortably on top and took advantage with 18 minutes played. 

Bale raced onto Modric's pass and lofted a square ball over the onrushing Andriy Pyatov to the far post, where Ronaldo arrived to nod the ball over the line despite Yaroslav Rakitskiy's best efforts.

Pyatov reacted well to spurn Ronaldo before the break but Benitez's side looked comfortable with their one-goal lead.

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Manchester City 1-4 Liverpool

Manchester City 1-4 Liverpool: Coutinho, Firmino keep Pellegrini's side off summi 

Liverpool produced an incisive attacking display to make the most of some dreadful defending from Manchester City and pick up a 4-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium.
Jurgen Klopp's side was clinical on the counterattack, racing into a three-goal lead that brought an end to a run of six Premier League matches at City without a win.
Eliaquim Mangala – brought into the center of defense along with Martin Demichelis as two of Manuel Pellegrini's four changes – opened the scoring with an own goal early on, setting the tone for a dismal defensive display.
Philippe Coutinho scored his fourth goal in five top-flight appearances against City to double Liverpool's advantage, with Roberto Firmino – in for Christian Benteke as one of Klopp's three changes – adding the third in sensational fashion.
Making his return after a seven-week absence, Sergio Aguero brilliantly pulled one back for City shortly before the interval, but the home side was unable to push on in the second half.
City's misery was compounded nine minutes from time when Martin Skrtel blasted past Joe Hart from the edge of the box, meaning City now sits third behind rival Manchester United and shock leader Leicester City.
Mangala got off to a poor start in his return to the starting lineup, putting the ball into the back of his own net off a cutback from Firmino, though Bacary Sagna was partly culpable having lost possession beforehand.
Liverpool grabbed its second when a mix-up between Mangala and Aleksandar Kolarov was capitalized upon by Firmino, racing through and picking out Coutinho with a sublime pass which he slid between Hart's legs.
In contrast, Liverpool's defense was proving extremely resilient and the Reds' counterattacking play continued to trouble Pellegrini's side.
Another break led to a third shortly after the half-hour mark, when Emre Can's back-heel set Coutinho in behind the defense and he squared for Firmino to round off an exquisite move with the simplest of finishes.
The former Hoffenheim forward came close to adding to his tally twice in quick succession soon after, first being denied by a good save from Hart before firing narrowly wide nine minutes before the break.
Aguero gave City a lifeline two minutes before the interval when he curled home an exceptional finish from 25 yards, becoming the highest-scoring South American in Premier League history with his 85th goal.
Pellegrini replaced Yaya Toure and Jesus Navas with Fernandinho and Fabian Delph for the second half in a bid to add more solidity to his team.
But it compromised City's creativity and the home side was carved open once again on the hour mark, but Hart made a vital save to deny Firmino.
Klopp's side suffered a wobble moments later, with Simon Mignolet forced into a diving save to keep Aguero at bay before Fernandinho skied an effort from 6 yards out off a set-piece delivery.
Skrtel fired home a powerful fourth from just inside the box and City's day was summed up when Raheem Sterling – facing his former employer – failed to make contact with the goal at his mercy as Liverpool moved up to ninth.

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Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona

Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona: Suarez scores twice in Clasico battering 

Barcelona romped to a dominant Clasico triumph on Saturday, as two goals from Luis Suarez inspired his club to a 4-0 thrashing of Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Rafael Benitez had vowed to attack the Liga leaders and he named Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez in his starting lineup, but it was Barca which took the lead when Suarez fired beyond Keylor Navas, with the returning Lionel Messi watching from the bench.
Neymar made it 2-0 shortly before the break and a stunning goal from Andres Iniesta put the champions firmly in charge early in the second period, before Suarez's delicate finish made it four after Messi – who came on in the 55th minute – had fed Jordi Alba.
Madrid's players never looked comfortable in Benitez's deep-lying setup and the front three were isolated throughout, though Claudio Bravo denied Cristiano Ronaldo superbly late on.
The result means Barca is now six points clear of Madrid at the top of the table and piles further pressure on Benitez ahead of a crucial few weeks before the winter break.
After a slow opening it was Neymar who missed the first good chance, blasting over the bar from the edge of the area after Suarez had teed him up following Alba's cross.
Barca was in front with 11 minutes on the clock. Sergi Roberto burst through the heart of midfield and, as Sergio Ramos pushed up to close him down, he slipped the ball through to Suarez who bent a low shot past Navas and into the bottom corner.
Neymar brought a good save from Navas with a free kick before Bravo denied James Rodriguez low to his left after Luka Modric set him up 20 yards out, but Barca doubled its advantage just six minutes before the break.
Iniesta was granted far too much time and space in the final third and a delicate chipped pass allowed Neymar to spring the offside trap and squeeze the ball under Navas at the near post.
Barca almost made it three just before halftime. Marcelo recovered superbly to head the ball off the line after Neymar had combined brilliantly with Suarez.
Madrid came flying out of the traps in the second half and Marcelo should have done much better when he fired into the side-netting after running clean through down the left.
Bravo turned a James shot around the post but Madrid was cut apart again on 53 minutes as Barcelona bagged a third. Iniesta, once more given the freedom of the final third, passed in to Neymar and, after the Brazilian backheeled into his path, fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner.
Benitez threw on Dani Carvajal and Isco and the fullback came close to a goal as he scuffed a shot narrowly wide, before Raphael Varane headed straight at Bravo from close range.
Gareth Bale bent a fine pass to Ronaldo on the break but Navas stood up well to deny the Portugal captain's lofted effort, and Barca had a fourth just six minutes later. Alba touched Messi's pass on to Suarez, who clipped a finish beyond Navas and into the far corner without a Madrid defender in sight.
Bravo saved superbly to keep out Ronaldo's header and Madrid's evening went from bad to worse when substitute Isco was sent off for kicking Alba as he ran clear in the closing minutes, allowing Barca to ease to an emphatic victory.

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France 2-0 Germany

France 2-0 Germany: Giroud & Gignac on target to down world champions 

Olivier Giroud and Andre-Pierre Gignac were on target but it was Anthony Martial who stole the show as France beat Germany 2-0 on Friday.

The Euro 2016 hosts welcomed Germany to Paris having won their last four games on the spin and extended the run to five thanks to Giroud and Gignac, although the match was heavily overshadowed by reports of shootings and bomb blasts elsewhere in the French capital.

The security threat prompted French president Francois Hollande to leave the stadium midway through the game.

Martial beat three defenders on a slaloming run down the left byline before teeing up Giroud for the opener in first-half injury time and Gignac - who came on for Giroud in the second half - headed home a second four minutes from the end as Didier Deschamps' men gained a measure of revenge for their 1-0 defeat to the world champions in the World Cup quarter-finals last year.

France were without Karim Benzema and Mathieu Valbuena due to the much-publicised legal case surrounding a sex tape and the pair's absence was felt as the hosts struggled to break Germany down.

Both teams found chances difficult to come by in the opening half hour and it was not until the 35th minute, shortly after Germany defender Jonas Hector had limped off to be replaced by Emre Can, that Thomas Muller spurned the game's first real opportunity by firing a half-volley narrowly over at the near post.

Mario Gomez then shot into the side-netting as Germany began to take control and the recalled Fiorentina striker should have given Joachim Low's men the lead when he lashed over from 10 yards out after being played through by Muller.

Germany were punished for Gomez's profligacy thanks to a sparkling piece of play from Martial on the stroke of half-time.

Martial picked up the ball on the left and cleverly jinked his way past the challenges of Antonio Rudiger and Matthias Ginter before sliding the ball under the legs of Jerome Boateng and into the path of Giroud to slot the ball beyond Manuel Neuer.

Giroud was presented with an excellent chance to double his tally in the 57th minute from Antoine Griezmann's wonderful right-wing cross but could only direct his diving header well wide of the target.

Paul Pogba then stung the palms of Neuer, who was forced to turn over from the Juventus midfielder's vicious long-range effort.

Muller beat France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris with a drive from distance only to see his shot rebound off the left-hand post, with Gignac then settling matters as he powered Blaise Matuidi's left-wing delivery into the net.

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Manchester United 2-0 West Brom

Manchester United 2-0 West Brom: Lingard strikes in comfortable win 

Jesse Lingard's first goal for Manchester United and a late Juan Mata penalty secured a 2-0 Premier League win over West Brom at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Louis van Gaal's side snatched a late goal in midweek against CSKA Moscow and the match looked to be following a similar pattern as West Brom's defensive approach kept them at arm's length.

But Lingard broke the deadlock with a fine finish shortly after half-time as United finally made their dominance count.

Saido Berahino, surprisingly left on the bench, headed a wonderful chance over the crossbar in the closing stages as West Brom looked for an equaliser, but United extended their lead in injury-time as Anthony Martial was fouled by Gareth McAuley - an offence which earned the Northern Ireland international a red card - and Mata netted from the spot.

United began with typical control of possession, but it took 15 minutes for the first real chance to be created, as Mata curled a shot just wide of goalkeeper Boaz Myhill's right-hand post after Wayne Rooney had found him in space in the area.

Van Gaal's men enjoyed 76 per cent possession in the opening 35 minutes but found it difficult to break through West Brom’s defensive lines, though it took a superb sliding block from Jonny Evans to deny Lingard as he broke into the area.







Myhill remained unchallenged until just before the break, when Martial turned superbly on the edge of the area before firing a shot straight at the 32-year-old.

United's pressure finally told seven minutes into the second half. Martial's cross from the left was headed away only as far as Lingard, who took a touch before placing a side-footed finish into the far corner from 20 yards out.

The game began to open up as West Brom sought an unlikely equaliser and Pulis opted to throw on Berahino in hope of a repeat of his Old Trafford strike from two seasons ago.

And the 22-year-old wasted a glorious chance within minutes of his introduction, heading Craig Dawson's cross over when totally unmarked inside the six-yard box.

Evans was fortunate to escape a handball on the edge of the area from a Mata flick as United, who handed a senior debut to Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, chased a crucial second goal to alleviate the tension inside Old Trafford.

Lingard's penalty appeals were waved away after a soft push by McAuley but United clinched the victory in stoppage time, with the defender again at fault. Martial was brought down by a desperate challenge from the centre-back, allowing Mata to clip a penalty straight down the middle of Myhill's goal.

McAuley was dismissed and United saw out the remaining three minutes in comfortable fashion as they ended a run of three straight draws in domestic competition.

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Stoke City 1-0 Chelsea

Stoke City 1-0 Chelsea: Mourinho absent as Arnautovic condemns Blues to defeat 

Marko Arnautovic's second-half goal gave Stoke City a 1-0 victory over Chelsea to pile yet more pressure on the absent Jose Mourinho.

Chelsea boss Mourinho was not at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday as he served a one-match stadium ban following his sending off against West Ham, and there was little to cheer the Portuguese - reportedly watching on television from the team's hotel - as his side fell to a result that marked his worst league run as a manager.

Defeat was the seventh in their first 12 Premier League matches for the Blues - the first time any defending champions have struggled so badly, as well as a personal unwanted record number of defeats in a league season for Mourinho.

The last time Chelsea lost so many games so early in the campaign, 1978-79, they ended up being relegated - and although they will surely not suffer that same fate this term, they are now 16th in the table, just three points clear of the bottom three.

Arnautovic's acrobatic goal ultimately proved the difference, as the Austrian forward scored with an excellent finish after 53 minutes.

Pedro shot against the post as Chelsea pushed for a leveller late on, but that was the closest they went to finding an equaliser.

The absent Mourinho made two changes to his starting line-up, bringing in Eden Hazard and Pedro for Cesc Fabregas and Oscar, who both dropped to the bench.







Stoke were unchanged, with Jon Walters starting in attack following the news earlier on Saturday that he had signed a new contract with the club until 2018.

The hosts made a bright start, as Xherdan Shaqiri shot off-target, before Glen Johnson collected a pass from Bojan, turned on to his left foot and sent a placed shot towards the corner to force Asmir Begovic into a diving one-handed save against his former club.

It was then home goalkeeper Jack Butland's turn to impress when he got up well to push a dipping long-range effort from Ramires over the crossbar.

Walters headed onto the roof of the net after good work from Shaqiri down the right, while Diego Costa’s shot was saved by Butland with his legs prior to half-time, and Stoke then opened the scoring eight minutes after the break.

A superb slide-rule pass from Shaqiri found Johnson in space on the right and the former Liverpool defender's cross was helped on by Walters before bouncing to Arnautovic. The Austrian netted with an excellent scissor kick – his first home goal in the Premier League for 18 months.

The visiting fans responded immediately with chants in support of their under-pressure manager, and Matic shot straight at Butland as Chelsea sought a response before Hazard lashed a shot off target.

They thought they had levelled soon afterwards when Willian found Pedro and the former Barcelona forward unleashed a left-footed attempt from the edge of the area, but the ball struck the foot of the post and bounced to safety.

Rui Faria and Steve Holland - taking charge of the champions in Mourinho's absence - brought on Fabregas, Oscar and Loic Remy in the closing stages as they attempted to turn the game around and Hazard shot just wide after a neat passing move with 10 minutes to go.

Walters missed the target with a presentable opportunity to put the game beyond doubt at the other end after being found by substitute Mame Biram Diouf, before Remy - off-balance after being clipped as he attempted to round Butland - passed up the last big opportunity to save Chelsea as their terrible start to the season continued.

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Aston Villa 0-0 Manchester City

Aston Villa 0-0 Manchester City: Pellegrini’s men frustrated at Villa Park 

Rock-bottom Aston Villa held Premier League leaders Manchester City to a 0-0 draw in manager Remi Garde's first game in charge.

The home side did not offer much of an attacking threat at Villa Park, failing to register a shot on target, but produced a brave defensive display for their new boss to halt a dreadful run of seven consecutive league defeats.

Aleksandar Kolarov hit the post in the first half and Raheem Sterling felt he should have been awarded a penalty after being felled by Ciaran Clark.

Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne missed good chances after the break and Fernando struck the crossbar in injury time on a frustrating Sunday for City, who failed to score for the second away league game running following last month's draw at rivals Manchester United.






Ex-Lyon coach Garde made an immediate mark with six changes to the Villa team, while Manuel Pellegrini had just one alteration to his starting XI as De Bruyne came back in at the expense of Jesus Navas. Fabian Delph and Gael Clichy returned from injuries to claim places on the substitutes' bench.

After a slow start to the game, Kolarov's effort was shovelled onto the post by an unconvincing Brad Guzan save after the left-back had been played in by Sterling. Fernando lashed a good chance way off target after the resulting corner fell into his path.

City suffered a blow midway through the first half when Wilfried Bony was forced off injured, meaning Navas was brought on with De Bruyne moving into a central role in attack.

Sterling was unhappy not to be awarded a penalty by referee Craig Pawson as half-time approached. Yaya Toure sent the England international through on goal and he was clipped by a challenge from Clark as he attempted to cut back on to his right foot, but nothing was given.

Sterling came so close to finding the opener early in the second half. Navas sent in a perfect floated cross and the former Liverpool attacker beat the offside trap, but saw his header from inside the six-yard box kept out by a point-blank Guzan save.

Another chance went begging after Navas showed great pace down the right and flashed a threatening delivery across the face of goal but De Bruyne could not sort his feet out in time and the close-range chance went begging.

City brought on Delph against his former club and Kelechi Iheanacho in the closing stages and the latter provided the cross that saw Fernando rattle the woodwork with a close-range header in stoppage time as Villa held on for a point.

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