FEATURES

Barcelona re-established their healthy lead at the top of La Liga on Sunday afternoon, beating Sevilla 5-2 to move back four points clear of Real Madrid. It was another fruitful outing for Raphinha, who bagged a hat-trick in the win. Two of his strikes came from the penalty spot, with his third a looping deflection that put the game to bed early in the second half.

The Ivorian is Juventus’ best signing: he cost next to nothing, unlike others. A lesson that brings the past to mind

Lauren James' brilliance took centre stage as Chelsea retained the Women's League Cup on Sunday, the England international once again coming back to haunt Manchester United as her goal was backed up by Aggie Beever-Jones' opportunistic finish to give the Blues a 2-0 win and the first piece of silverware of the season. In a tight game of few chances, James' clinical touch looked set to prove decisive before Beever-Jones made sure of the win in the latter stages, rounding off a remarkable effort from a Chelsea side plagued by injuries.

Manchester United came up short in Sunday's Women's League Cup final, losing 2-0 to Chelsea after a catastrophic Dominique Janssen error gifted Lauren James the opening goal. Marc Skinner's side did have plenty of the play in Bristol across the course of the 90 minutes, but their hopes of a fightback were extinguished by substitute Aggie Beever-Jones in the second half.

Bruno Fernandes made history by inspiring Manchester United to a 3-1 win over Aston Villa as they homed in on a return to the Champions League. The Red Devils captain recorded his 15th and 16th assists of the season as United saw off fellow top-four contenders Villa and tightened their grip on third place, opening up a three-point gap with Unai Emery's side.

Olivia Smith and Stina Blackstenius got the goals as Arsenal beat London City Lionesses 2-0 on Sunday, a result which allowed the Gunners to move within one point of the Women's Super League's European places. With Chelsea playing in the League Cup final on Sunday, Arsenal knew the short journey across the capital presented an opportunity to close the gap and put some pressure on the third-placed Blues, and they took it, winning their seventh game in a row in comfortable fashion.

Manchester City's march towards the Women's Super League title was stalled somewhat on Sunday as the runaway leaders were held to a 0-0 draw by Aston Villa. Andree Jeglertz's side struggled to create chances against the most porous defence in the division, and if not for some excellent Khiara Keating saves, they may well have fallen to just a third defeat of the campaign.

Jobe Bellingham had a difficult start at Borussia Dortmund and struggled to adapt to the higher standard of play. That never worried manager Niko Kovac. The 20-year-old has since made remarkable progress at BVB.

Despite the absence of multiple big stars, Javier Mascherano's side held firm in a scoreless draw

Real Madrid cruised to a 4-1 win over struggling Elche to put the pressure back on La Liga leaders Barcelona. Los Blancos built on their thrashing of Manchester City in the Champions League, with Federico Valverde among the goal scorers again in the Spanish capital. Although it was substitute Arda Guler who stole the show with a stunning strike from his own half in the dying stages.

Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by West Ham at the London Stadium on Saturday evening as the Premier League trophy appeared to slip through the fingers of Pep Guardiola's side. Bernardo Silva scored for City but they were almost immediately pegged back by Konstantinos Mavropanos, with Arsenal taking full control of the title race.

A review following Juventus' victory over Udinese.

Chelsea lost crucial ground in the race for the Champions League as Anthony Gordon's goal earnt Newcastle United a 1-0 Premier League win at Stamford Bridge. The Blues huffed and puffed but looked far from their best as Joao Pedro offered little threat in attack while substitute Liam Delap missed a huge chance to equalise. For the Magpies' first-half winner, a severe lapse in judgement by both Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana allowed Joe Willock in behind, while Gordon tapped in unchallenged.

Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 thanks to a late, late show on Saturday, and an incredible impact from 16-year-old Max Dowman. The teenager came off the bench to whip in the cross for Viktor Gyokeres' opener, and then he scored the second himself in truly incredible scenes in north London.

Sandro Sabatini's analysis of the Inter v Atalanta match.

It was meant to be the appointment that saved Tottenham Hotspur's season. The outside world only treated fans' fears of relegation with a pinch of salt at the time Igor Tudor stepped in to replace Thomas Frank until the end of 2025-26. One month and four games later, it seems almost inevitable that Spurs will lose their Premier League status unless they take drastic action again.

Christian Pulisic looks to get back in the groove, Yunus Musah hunts for minutes and Malik Tillman has something to prove in a big weekend for USMNT hopefuls