Napoli win again, United they draw and early Ligue 1 title drama
Kick your Monday off with all the news from this past weekend
Good morning and happy start to a new week!
The first weekend of October was highlighted by big wins for Napoli (Serie A), Liverpool (Premier League), AS Monaco (Ligue 1) and Barcelona (La Liga). All four of currently top their respective domestic leagues.
The other big story are the teams that are struggling at the moment. That includes, above all, Manchester United. The team — currently 14th in the Premier League — has a real chance of having one of its worse seasons ever.
For a more in-depth look ahead of the October international break, here’s a look at this weekend’s biggest storylines:
Serie A: Unstoppable Napoli extends lead at the top
Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay scored after just 25 seconds and Romelu Lukaku scored a goal and assisted on another on Friday to squeeze out a 3-1 win against Como.
Napoli wasted no time pulling ahead when McTominay grabbed his second goal in three games. Como climbed back into the game with Gabriel Strefezza’s equalizer two minutes before halftime.
Lukaku put Napoli ahead with a penalty kick eight minutes into the second half and then his defense-splitting pass allowed super-sub David Neres to score with four minutes to play to the delight of the home crowd.
In other games, Inter Milan edged Torino 3-2 on Saturday, while Fiorentina defeated AC Milan 2-1 the following day. In other Sunday games, Juventus could only draw Cagliari 1-1. The results allowed Napoli to reach 16 points, two more than second-place Inter.
Premier League: Manchester United can’t get more than a draw
Struggling Manchester United heads into the international break with a five-match winless run in all competitions and languishing in the league’s bottom half. They have won won just two of its opening seven games this season.
Given the team’s poor start, the talk is that manager Erik ten Hag’s days at Manchester are numbered.
“We are all on board, together, on one page,” the Manchester United manager said of his relationship with the club’s leadership after a 0-0 draw on Sunday at Aston Villa.
He added: “We know what we are working toward — it is a long-term project and we have to keep improving the process.”
At the top of the table, meanwhile, Liverpool are now at 18 points following a 1-0 win at Crystal Palace. A point behind them is Man City, 3-2 winners over Fulham. Tied for second place is Arsenal. The Gunners managed a 3-1 victory against Southampton to keep pace with its rivals.
Ligue 1: 4-team title race emerges early
Deep-pocketed Paris Saint-Germain has dominated the French league. That could change this season.
With Kylian Mbappe no longer in the lineup after leaving for Real Madrid earlier this year, PSG’s race to another title could be hampered by AS Monaco and Olympique Marseilles. Even Reims looks like an early contender for the title.
Unbeaten AS Monaco are in first place with 19 points following a 2-1 win against Rennes. Second-place PSG have 17 points — but could go no further than a 1-1 draw against Nice on Sunday (and that’s despite the return of Ousmane Dembele in the starting lineup).
“We were not really into it during the first half,” PSG striker Bradley Barcola said. “We woke up in the second half, it’s a shame we could not take our chances.”
In third, Marseilles are at 14 points. They could only draw against 10-man Angers 1-1. That allowed Reims to catch up with them, also reaching 14 points after putting together a 4-2 victory against Montpellier.
In other news: Paul Pogba had his four-year ban for doping reduced to 18 months after appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The ruling means the France World Cup winner will be free to resume his career in March 2025. CAS did not elaborate on the decision. … A player has been suspended for eight matches and fined $20,000 after biting an opponent during a match between Preston and Blackburn in England’s second division. Preston’s Milutin Osmajic admitted to an act of violent conduct when biting Blackburn defender Owen Beck late in the game on Sept. 22. … The Bosnian FA has postponed all matches in its affiliated competitions after floods and landslides killed at least 16 people in the country. The decision was taken during an emergency meeting, as heavy rain and landslides destroyed homes, roads and bridges, with search operations ongoing for missing people.