Arsenal sees red, AC Milan wins derby and Barca remains perfect
Kick your Monday off with all the news from this past weekend
Good morning and happy Monday!
Europe’s top leagues saw some major clashes between clubs who could contend for league titles. While still early, some outcomes appear to have established what could be a trend.
Here’s a look at the top storylines from this past weekend:
10-man Arsenal give up late goal to Man City
Arsenal striker Leandro Trossard was shown a red card before halftime at Manchester City with a second yellow card after kicking the ball away. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta looked furious on the sideline as Trossard was ejected.
“I’m expecting 100 Premier League games this season to play 10 against 11 or 10 against 10 or nine against 10, let’s see,” Arteta said after Sunday’s 2-2 draw.
The incident came after Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice was shown a second yellow card in Arsenal’s 1-1 draw with Brighton on Aug. 31.
Trossard had already been booked for a foul on Savinho and was sent off in the eighth minute of first-half stoppage time for delaying the restart after barging Bernardo Silva to the ground.
This game had it all and John Stones’ equalizer in the 98th minute brought the game to an end. Despite the draw, the game was proof that the Gunners can put in an amazing defensive display, get points on the road and compete with Man City for the title this season.
Man City remain in first with 13 points, followed by Liverpool and Aston Villa at 12. Arsenal are fourth with 11 points.
AC Milan beats rivals Inter, Napoli and Juve draw
Christian Pulisic’s 10th-minute strike was canceled out by Federico Dimarco, but Matteo Gabbia netted two minutes from time as the Rossoneri won the derby against Inter Milan 2-1 on Sunday for the first time since 2022.
The Rossoneri also prevented Inter from claiming what would have been a record seventh straight derby victory.
“It’s certainly one of the best days of my life but I’m really happy for the team because we were in a period where we weren’t happy with what we had done,” Gabbia told reporters.
Inter and Milan are now tied for sixth place in the Serie A table with eight points.
On Saturday, Juventus and Napoli played to a scoreless draw at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. The draw allowed Napoli to remain in second place with 10 points, one behind surprise leaders Torino. Juve are in fourth with nine points.
Barca wins again, but loses goalkeeper
Barcelona extended its perfect start to the La Liga league season on Sunday — but lost goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to a serious knee injury in the process.
Barca routed host Villarreal 5-1 to record its sixth straight win, but ter Stegen was forced to leave the game on a stretcher just before halftime after his right knee buckled after trying to intercept a ball.
The team said the injury appeared to be a torn ligament, but more tests would be conducted.
“This injury makes us sad. I think the injury will be huge but we have to wait for more information,” Barcelona manager Hansi Flick said. “We have to accept it. It’s not easy. It was an accident. It’s very tough.”
Barcelona currently has 18 points, while rivals Real Madrid — 4-1 winners on Saturday against Espanyol — are in second with 14.
In other news: Thousands turned up for the funeral of World Cup hero Salvatore “Totò” Schillaci on Friday. The Italian striker died on Wednesday at age 59 following a battle with colon cancer. He was top scorer at the 1990 World Cup with six goals. The funeral took place at the main cathedral in Palermo. Schillaci never played for the Sicilian club, but was born and raised in the city, where he also set up a soccer youth academy after retiring. … Victor Boniface’s added-time goal lifted Bayer Leverkusen to a 4-3 comeback win over Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday as the German champion produced another of its trademark late breakthroughs ahead of facing Bayern Munich next week. … Marseille overcame an early sending off and rallied from a goal down to win 3-2 at Lyon amid a chaotic finale on Sunday, a result which moved it level on points at the top of the French league with leader Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco. Lyon midfielder Rayan Cherki equalized in the third minute of stoppage time, only for summer signing Jonathan Rowe to win the game for Marseille two minutes later. The top three are on 13 points and unbeaten after five games, with PSG ahead of Marseille and third-place Monaco on goal difference.