What a weekend! Barcelona and Real Madrid made big, but different, statements in LaLiga, Man City spotted Crystal Palace a two-goal lead before Erling Haaland’s hat trick saved the day, Arsenal remain perfect in the Premier League and Liverpool responded to last week’s loss at Man United with a record-equalling win over Bournemouth. Oh, and Bayern Munich ran into a goalkeeper in form and Neymar showed the good, bad and ugly in Paris Saint-Germain’s draw with AS Monaco.
– Weekend Review: Haaland’s hat-trick, Firmino’s renaissance
– ESPN+ viewers guide: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, FA Cup, more
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more (U.S.)
It’s Monday, and Gab Marcotti reacts to the biggest moments in the world of football.
Jump to: Barca’s party | Haaland powers City | Benzema delivers | Liverpool score nine | Sommer stops Bayern | Man United win again | Neymar flare-up | Arsenal’s maturity shows through | De Ketelaere stars for Milan | Tuchel, Chelsea’s ‘lucky’ win | Juve, Roma draw | Dortmund win | Spurs keep pace with Arsenal
Barcelona show how it’s supposed to work vs. Real Valladolid
If generating hype and entertainment — along with, obviously, results — was the big justification behind Joan Laporta’s massive “lever gamble” this summer, Sunday afternoon felt like a vindication. Barcelona demolished Valladolid 4-0, with Robert Lewandowski, Ousmane Dembele and Gavi cementing their reputations as dispensers of goals, assists and magic, respectively. Few places in the world can match the Camp Nou for glitz and sense of occasion, and Barcelona delivered this in spades.
Of course, there are still question marks. Jules Kounde, finally registered with LaLiga since moving from Sevilla, slotted in at right back and while you can imagine him playing there permanently — in what, with Alex Balde or Jordi…
Source : espn
