GOAL’s Weekend Winner And Losers: Arsenal Silence Doubters, Bayern Munich Look Shaky

After all the drama provided by the Champions League in midweek, domestic action returned over the weekend, and it did not disappoint. Title races and battles to earn European spots are heating up around the continent, with there plenty of twists and turns still to come over the next three-and-a-half months. The pace-setters remain the same in Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues, but while the lead at the top was stretched in England, it was surprisingly cut again in Germany, and one of the main contenders fell by the wayside in France. But who were the biggest winners and losers from the last three days of action? GOAL picks out five of each… WINNER: Arsenal Arsenal headed into the weekend with questions over their title credentials ringing in their ears. A run of three Premier League games without a win had seen the gap at the top reduced to just four points, and a tricky-looking trip to Elland Road to face Leeds United shaped up as having real banana skin potential. However, the Gunners silenced any talk of them ‘bottling’ their best opportunity to win the title in a generation with a dominant 4-0 win in West Yorkshire. Noni Madueke led the way despite only being promoted to the starting line up minutes before kick-off after Bukayo Saka suffered an injury in the warm-up, while Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus again both got on the scoresheet as the battle to start up front for Mikel Arteta’s side continues to go back and forth between the pair. Arsenal’s win on Saturday was notable for its performance, but few onlookers went into Sunday’s fixtures believing that it would allow the Gunners to stretch their lead at the top. However, after Aston Villa slipped to a shock home defeat to 10-man Brentford, Manchester City then followed that by somehow throwing away a two-goal lead at Tottenham despite the hosts having produced one of the most insipid first-half showings of any team all season. All that means that Arsenal now hold a six-point advantage over second-placed City, and while the race isn’t over yet, it feels as if Arteta’s side have cleared another notable hurdle on their way to lifting the trophy for the first time since 2004. WINNER: Liverpool’s new boys Arsenal are edging towards the title, but the team whose crown they are set on taking, Liverpool, have merely got their sights set on securing Champions League football for next season. Last-gasp wins for Manchester United and Chelsea ensured that they remained ahead of the Reds in the table, but Arne Slot’s side were able to take solace in one of their best displays of the season in beating Newcastle 4-1. Despite falling behind to Anthony Gordon’s first-half strike, Liverpool bounced back, with summer signings Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz taking most of the plaudits for another game where the duo showcased their burgeoning on-field relationship. Wirtz assisted Ekitike to net the Reds’ equaliser before the France forward made it 2-1 on the stroke of half-time, with Wirtz then able to find the net himself to make the points safe after the break. “Their combination gets better and better and better,” Slot said of the duo to TNT Sports post-match. “His [Ekitike’s] second goal, I don’t know if he knows who he is, but Romario, who played in Holland and Brazil, scored a lot of goals like this. It looked like a Romario goal, I have to say.” On Wirtz, he added: “When he had these moments earlier in the season, they did not lead to goals and assists, but now his numbers are much better… We could all see from the start he was this special player, but we are seeing it more now, because of the goals and assists.” LOSER: Bayern Munich If Arsenal missing out on the title would be an ‘epic bottle-job’, what term could we use for Bayern Munich potentially chucking away the most dominant position within Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues should their recent form continue? Coming off the back of losing to Augsburg last week in a result that ended Bayern’s hopes of an unbeaten league campaign, Vincent Kompany’s side were held to a 2-2 draw by Hamburg on Saturday. The Bavarians fell behind to a Fabio Vieira penalty, only to turn the game on its head with goals either side of half-time from Harry Kane and Luis Diaz. However, an equaliser from Tottenham loanee Luka Vuskovic ensured that Bayern would again drop points, with their lead now down to six, with games against third-placed Hoffenheim and second-placed Borussia Dortmund to come in February. “There are no easy games,” Kompany said post-match. “We knew it was going to be a difficult away game because there are no easy opponents… My guys fought well, and I won’t let anyone take that away from us. We’ve now played seven games in 20 days. In the end, this was a draw and not a defeat. Now, we’re going to do what we always do. We’ll show a reaction on the pitch.” WINNER: Lamine Yamal Over in Spain, Barcelona remain on top of La Liga after coming through a difficult clash against Elche with a 3-1 win that was inspired by Lamine Yamal. After a tough start to the season due in part to some minor injury problems, Yamal looks to be getting back to his best in 2026 after opening the scoring on Saturday to make it four goals in his last five games across all competitions. Despite his 19th birthday not being until July, Yamal entered the season as the favourite to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, but his less-than-eye-catching first few months of the campaign have allowed the likes of Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to steal a march on him in the battle for the Golden Ball. However, with the Champions League knockouts around the corner, a tight Liga title race to win and the World Cup still to come, Yamal finding form now could catapult him back to the front of the race for the most prestigious individual award in the game. “For everyone, it’s good when he plays on the top level,” said Hansi Flick of Barca’s brilliant teenager, before revealing something that should have their rivals worried. “He’s young enough to improve, to have potential, to reach another level. I think it happens.” LOSER: Jude Bellingham Barca remain just a point above Real Madrid atop La Liga after Los Blancos scraped a barely-deserved 2-1 win over Rayo Vallecano on Sunday. Kylian Mbappe’s penalty in the 10th minute of stoppage time proved to the winner, but much of the focus at the Bernabeu was on Jude Bellingham after he was forced off with a concerning hamstring injury in the first half. Chasing a ball over the top in the right-hand channel, the England midfielder pulled up clutching the back of his left leg before collapsing in a heap on the by-line. After receiving some treatment, Bellingham was able to limp off under his own power to be replaced by Brahim Diaz, but Madrid’s No.5 was clearly distressed by the injury as he visibly held back tears. Madrid are yet to release any details as to the severity of the injury, but with the World Cup just four months away, there is a chance that Bellingham may now find himself in a race against time to prove himself ready for the summer tournament in North America. LOSER: Nico Paz Next season, Bellingham will likely be competing with Nico Paz for a place in the Madrid line up. The Argentina international has spent the past season-and-a-half starring for Como in Serie A, and it’s widely expected that Los Blancos will exercise their buy-back option this summer. The 21-year-old has contributed eight goals and six assists to Como’s cause in Serie A this term, with that form helping put Cesc Fabregas’ side in the hunt for a top-four finish less than two years after they were promoted to the top-flight. They would have been confident of improving their standing on Sunday, too, as Atalanta went down to 10 men in just the eighth minute of their encounter when teenage defender Honest Ahanor was sent off. However, Como could not find a way through, only to be handed a lifeline deep into stoppage time when they were awarded a penalty. Paz stepped up, but had his 98th-minute spot-kick saved by Marco Carnesecchi, leaving the midfielder clearly distraught at having blown the opportunity to earn all three points. “I don’t want to kill a young player over a penalty. I am not like that,” Fabregas said post-match. “I missed penalties, so did Leo Messi, so did John Terry.” “We are all with Nico, we are with the young players who have the courage to make a difference. A great champion must always lift his head back up when he hasn’t done well.” LOSER: Marseille’s title hopes It’s been a tumultuous week for Marseille. Last weekend, a 3-1 win over Ligue 1 leaders Lens gave Roberto De Zerbi’s side hope of rekindling their own title hopes. However, they were then brought back down to earth in midweek when a 3-0 loss at Club Brugge, coupled with Anatoliy Trubin’s dramatic stoppage-time goal for Benfica, knocked the French side out of the Champions League. That result led to reports that both the club and De Zerbi himself were considering parting ways, and the mood wasn’t helped on Saturday as, not for the first time this season, OM threw away points in a needless fashion. Marseille were 2-0 with eight minutes left against newly-promoted Paris FC, only to concede two late goals that forced them to settle for a point. That result leaves them nine points adrift of Paris Saint-Germain at the top of the table, and with their hopes of a first championship since 2010 now having evaporated, Marseille must now be careful not to give up their place in the top three that guarantees Champions League football for next season, as in-form Lyon have moved level on points with them after winning 10 successive games across all competitions. WINNER: Paris Saint-Germain As mentioned, PSG remain on top of Ligue 1 as they battled through adversity to secure a vital 2-1 win over Strasbourg on Sunday. Their hosts had won each of their first three matches under new manager Gary O’Neil, and after missing an early penalty, showed great heart to equalise Senny Mayulu’s opener during the first half. Despite dominating possession, PSG were unable to create many more chances than Strasbourg, and things looked to be going against them with 15 minutes left as Achraf Hakimi was shown a red card. However, his opposite full-back was able to bail him out, as Nuno Mendes popped up at the back post six minutes later to head in the winner and keep the reigning champions two points ahead of second-placed Lens. “Of course, I think our team gave everything,” said Luis Enrique at full-time. “Our first half was very poor. We controlled the game, but a long way from the opposition goal. It was difficult, but towards the end of the second half, we managed to have possession in their half. We created more chances. “It was still quite complicated for us, but I think this is a very important win, for the confidence, and to maintain our position in the table. It was also important to help prepare for next week’s game against Marseille.” LOSER: Jose Mourinho Benfica will have bounced into Sunday’s clash with Tondela following Trubin’s heroics against Real Madrid in midweek, but Jose Mourinho and Co. came back down to earth with a bump as they were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by their relegation-threatened hosts. Mourinho’s side are playing catch up in Liga Portugal as they aim to put pressure on unbeaten leaders Porto, but dropping two points against a team that has only managed three wins all season means any hope of a late-season title push are all-but over for ‘The Special One’ as he begins to plot for two more games against Madrid in the Champions League play-off round. “We weren’t effective,” Mourinho said. “Even with the difficult pitch conditions, the team tried to create chances and play until the end. The Tondela goalkeeper made some very valuable saves. “What I feared was an emotional hangover from Wednesday’s game and a lack of concentration or an arrogant attitude. But it was precisely the opposite. The team respected the game, played to win, did everything to win, deserved to win, but didn’t win.” WINNER: Peter Bosz Unlike Benfica, PSV were left to lick their wounds in midweek as defeat to Bayern Munich eliminated the Dutch champions from Europe for another season. However, Peter Bosz and his side were able to bounce back quickly on what proved to be a memorable Sunday for the manager, in particular. Bosz first watched as his side raced into a 3-0 lead inside 17 minutes against Feyenoord, and though they were unable to add any further goals thereafter, the win leaves the Eindhoven outfit a massive 17 points clear at the top of the Eredivisie as they cruise towards a third successive title. A few hours later, the club announced that Bosz had signed a two-year contract extension to put an end to speculation regarding his future and keep him at the Philips Stadium until 2028. As Sundays go, this wasn’t a bad one for Bosz!