AC Milan drew 1-1 with Juventus to remain a point clear of the Bianconeri, though Juve have a game in hand.
Below them Udinese won 3-1 at Bologna and Lazio beat Fiorentina 1-0 despite a tumultuous week in which their manager Edy Reja walked out. Inter Milan’s appalling run continued with a 1-0 loss at Napoli, whilst Roma’s impressive recent form came to an end as Atalanta beat them 4-1. Palermo also lost 4-1, at Siena, and Chievo beat Cesena 1-0.
France served up probably the most exciting game of the weekend at the Stade Gerland, where Lyon and PSG drew 4-4. Lyon had been leading 4-2 with 15 minutes left and seemed set for all three points, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side staged a stirring fightback and Guillaume Hoarou scored with one of the last kicks of the game.
Montpellier now lead in France after beating Bordeaux 1-0, and they are now one point clear of PSG. Lille’s slim title hopes took another hit with a late equaliser conceded at Rennes for a 1-1 draw. Marseille lost 1-0 at Brest, and St Etienne are still fourth despite a 0-0 draw at Auxerre. Toulouse beat bottom of the table Sochaux 2-0.
In England there was a thrilling North London derby as Tottenham raced into a 2-0 lead at the Emirates Stadium before a stirring Arsenal comeback saw them win 5-2. Arsenal are now fourth, ahead of Chelsea on goals scored after Andre Villas Boas’ side beat Bolton 3-0. Manchester United had a 90th minute goal from Ryan Giggs in his 900th club appearance to thank for their 2-1 win at Norwich, which kept them in touch with Man City, who had beaten Blackburn 3-0. Newcastle drew 2-2 at home to Wolves and Liverpool won the Carling Cup after a 2-2 draw after normal time, 3-2 on penalties.
In Spain Barcelona conceded the title despite a 2-1 win at Atletico Madrid. Leo Messi got a late winner but Cristiano Ronaldo had earlier in the day scored a backheeled winner for Real Madrid at Rayo Vallecano. Valencia lost 2-1 at home to Sevilla, whilst Levante are still in fourth after a 2-1 win against Espanyol in Barcelona. Athletic Bilbao drew 2-2 at Villarreal to stay fifth, with Osasuna beating Granada 2-1 and Malaga thrashed Zaragoza 5-1 to stay in the Champions League hunt.
In Germany Borussia Dortmund are still top after a 3-1 win over Hannover whilst Borussia Moenchengladbach drew 1-1 with Hamburg to lose pace at the top. Bayern Munich beat fellow title rivals Schalke 2-0 at home. Mainz beat Kaiserslautern 4-0, Stuttgart won 4-1 against Freiburg and Bayer Leverkusen beat Koln 2-0. Werder Bremen suffered a surprise 1-0 home loss against Nurnberg.
Porto beat CD Feirense 2-0 in Portugal whilst Benfica drew 0-0 at Academica Coimbra. Sporting Lisbon beat Rio Ave 1-0.
Leaders Galatasaray won the Istanbul derby 3-2 against Besiktas in Turkey, whilst champions Fenerbahce lost 2-1 at Eskisehirspor. In Holland PSV beat Feyernood 3-2 and remain top. AZ are second still after drawing 3-3 with Heerenveen. Twente beat Utrecht 1-0 and champions Ajax beat Excelsior 4-1.
Clausura champions Boca Juniors beat Newell’s Old Boys 2-0 in Argentina, whilst Velez Sarsfield remain top after beating Arsenal de Sarandi 3-2. Tigre are second after beating Godoy Cruz 2-0.
Universidad de Chile, the Copa Sudamericana champions, suffered a surprise 3-0 loss at O’Higgins in Chile, whilst Cobreloa beat Rangers 3-0. Union Espanola and Universidad Catolica drew 2-2. Colo Colo lost 3-1 at home to Universidad de Concepcion, whilst Santiago Wanderers lost 3-1 to Deportes La Serena and Deportivo Iquique beat Huachipato 1-0.
In Uruguay the normal order has been resumed after Nacional drew 2-2 at Defensor to remain clear of Penarol, who won 2-0 at El Tanque Sisley, and Danubio, who drew 1-1 at home to Rentistas.
