The return of European club football means another weekend of thrilling finishes, surprises, and scores of goals. There were intriguing games in the Bundesliga, Serie A, LaLiga, Premier League, and LaLiga.
Let’s start with Friday, when Romelu Lukaku’s Roma debut was ruined in a 2-1 loss to AC Milan after Borussia Dortmund blew a 2-0 lead. Jude Bellingham once again stole the show on Saturday for Real Madrid, and in England, a revamped Manchester City easily defeated Fulham.
Therefore, let’s begin. Here are your talking points, great goals, and all the headlines from a fantastic weekend in the major European leagues, complete with a full schedule of games.
THE SUNDAY REVIEW
The Saturday headline: Similar outcomes with Man City’s new look
This is a new Manchester City with four summer additions to the squad, starting with Mateo Kovacic and Jérémy Doku with Josko Gvardiol and Matheus Nunes on the bench. However, certain things have not changed. City defeated Fulham for the fifteenth time in a row, setting a club record with their 18th straight victory at the Etihad Stadium. Erling Haaland added to the feeling of certainty by scoring another hat-trick for Etihad in a convincing 5-1 victory to bring his season total to six goals.
City has won four straight games in the Premier League, which is their best start since Pep Guardiola took over as manager in 2016–17. Guardiola, 52, wasn’t even needed for this game because he was recovering at home in Barcelona from back surgery. After the international break, he will return.
The fact that City defeated Marco Silva’s team despite playing without Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish against Fulham should scare the rest of the league. Although Fulham earned a respectable draw against Arsenal last week, you always had the impression that City would pick up the pace even after they tied the game here at 1-1. They did, too.
While Julián lvarez supplied a goal and an assist before winning the penalty that led to Haaland’s second goal, Phil Foden’s touch and movement were simply too outstanding. Whether anyone could stop City going into the new season was a question that has yet to be resolved. Haaland continues to score, and the winning streak continues. Robert Dawson.
