Weekend Highlights: Eze Shines in NLD; Liverpool Faces Challenges

Victors: Villarreal

Villarreal, known as the Yellow Submarine, claimed a 2-1 victory over Mallorca at La Ceramica. This win keeps them firmly in third place in LaLiga, closely following Barcelona and Real Madrid. Under the guidance of Marcelino, the team has amassed 29 points from their first 13 matches, marking the best start to a season in the club’s history.

Goals from Gerard Moreno and Tani Oluwaseyi pushed Villarreal past the 28-point mark they had during the initial 13 games of the 2007/08 season when Manuel Pellegrini was the manager. The victory against Mallorca also marked their fourth consecutive win in the league.

Defeated: Liverpool

Liverpool faced a disheartening 3-0 defeat at Anfield against Nottingham Forest, resulting in three losses in their last four Premier League outings. This comes on the heels of a similar defeat to Manchester City prior to the international break. The Reds have now suffered eight losses out of their last 11 matches.

Additionally, the club experienced an exit from the League Cup at the end of October after a 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace. Currently sitting 11th in the Premier League with 18 points, manager Arne Slot’s job may now be in jeopardy.

Victor: David Neres

David Neres played a crucial role in Napoli’s impressive 3-1 victory over Atalanta, scoring twice. This win was significant for Napoli, who had gone three matches without a goal or a win across both Serie A and the Champions League. Neres broke that streak in a span of just 21 minutes, netting between the 17th and 38th minutes.

The former Benfica star matched his entire goal tally from the previous season within those 21 minutes. His last goal prior to this match was on January 4th, when he scored in Napoli’s 3-0 triumph over Fiorentina.

Defeated: Nathan Jones

Nathan Jones, now the manager of Charlton, faced a challenging match against his former team Southampton at The Valley. The Championship game turned disastrous for the London side, as they lost 5-1 to their former players, who sought revenge.

Charlton suffered back-to-back losses, with Southampton racing to a 4-0 lead by the 22nd minute thanks to goals from Manning, Armstrong, Jander, and Azaz, who scored twice.

Victor: Paul Pogba

Paul Pogba returned to the pitch after an 811-day absence due to a doping ban, making him a “winner” for his comeback. His last official match before Saturday was on September 3, 2023, during a 2-0 defeat against Empoli.

However, Pogba’s return was marred by a heavy 4-1 loss for Monaco against Rennes. The midfielder took to the field in the 85th minute, replacing Mamadou Coulibaly, at a time when his team was already behind 4-0, meaning he had little to do with the outcome.

Defeated: Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday is currently positioned at the bottom of the Championship with a -4 points total, having been penalized with a 12-point deduction due to insolvency and entering administration.

This past Sunday, they faced off against city rivals Sheffield United in a highly anticipated derby match, where they were defeated 3-0. Goals from Tyrese Campbell, who netted twice, and Thomas Cannon sealed the fate of the game. Their city rivals moved up to 22nd place, competing in the effort to avoid relegation with a total of 13 points.

Victor: Eberechi Eze

Eberechi Eze shone brightly in the Premier League on Sunday, leading Arsenal to a 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby with a hat-trick. This accomplishment marks the first hat-trick in this fixture since 1978.

Prior to this match, Eze had scored only once in the league (against Crystal Palace) and once in the League Cup (against Port Vale), along with two goals for the England national team (against Latvia and Serbia). With this victory, Arsenal solidified their lead in the league with 29 points — six ahead of Chelsea in second and seven clear of Manchester City in third.

Defeated: Ajax

Ajax suffered an unprecedented home defeat against newly promoted Excelsior, losing 2-1 despite a late goal from Kasper Dolberg. This match was significant as it marked the first time Ajax has lost to Excelsior at home.

Under interim manager Fred Grim, Ajax entered the match after two weeks of training with nearly the full squad. The team has already dropped 19 points this season, a drastic decline compared to last year’s performance, which did not see this level of point loss until matchday 32. They currently sit in sixth with 20 points, falling 14 points behind league leaders PSV Eindhoven.