European football roundup: Manchester City squander lead, Barcelona held by Valencia

Luton captain Tom Lockyer suffered a cardiac arrest that forced the abandonment of his team’s Premier League match at Bournemouth on Saturday as Manchester City threw away a 2-0 lead against Crystal Palace. Luton’s game on the south coast was halted midway through the second half with the score at 1-1 as defender Lockyer received medical treatment before he was carried off to applause. The Premier League confirmed the match had been abandoned and Luton later said the Wales international was in a stable condition in hospital. “Our medical staff have confirmed that the Hatters captain suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch, but was responsive by the time he was taken off on the stretcher,” the club said in a statement.

“He received further treatment inside the stadium, for which we once again thank the medical teams from both sides. Tom was transferred to hospital, where we can reassure supporters that he is stable and currently undergoing further tests, with his family at his bedside.” The 29-year-old had heart surgery after collapsing during Luton’s Championship play-off final win against Coventry in late May. He returned to action for the start of the new season and had made 15 appearances so far in all competitions before Saturday’s match. The Wales national team posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Our thoughts are with Tom Lockyer.” City squander lead [caption id=“attachment_13512152” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Crystal Palace came from two goals down to hold Manchester City to a draw in the Premier League. AP[/caption] The incident in Bournemouth overshadowed a dramatic game at the Etihad, where champions City were cruising towards victory before conceding two late goals. Palace have been something of a bogey team for City boss Pep Guardiola since he arrived in England in 2016 – they are one of only three teams to have won at the Etihad more than once, along with Manchester United and Chelsea. City, without injured top-scorer Erling Haaland, enjoyed nearly three-quarters of possession in the first half but had only Jack Grealish’s goal to show for their dominance. They seemed destined to move to within one point of Premier League leaders Liverpool, who face Manchester United on Sunday, when Rico Lewis thumped the ball into the bottom left corner in the 54th minute. But Palace scored against the run of play to give themselves hope in the 76th minute when Jeffrey Schlupp shrugged off the attentions of the City defence and crossed for Jean-Philippe Mateta to poke home. And the home fans watched in horror when referee Paul Tierney pointed to the penalty spot after Phil Foden fouled Mateta. Michael Olise made no mistake, slotting home in the 95th minute to make it 2-2 and boos rang around the Etihad at the final whistle. City, who now head to the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia, have won just one of their past six Premier League games and risk falling off the pace. “We gave away two points,” Guardiola told the BBC. “We had a good performance. We controlled the transitions really well and made a lot of set pieces but Crystal Palace’s second goal cannot happen at this level. “We took bad decisions in the 18-yard box and we were punished.” Hodgson said patience was the key for his side, who have not won in the Premier League since early November. “They’re going to have the ball a lot more than you and if you start trying to take chances and attack them too early, then they’re going to cut through you,” he said. “As it happens, we got to 2-1 which gave us some hope I suppose and we then thought, we’ll take a few chances now and we will have a go at it and luckily it paid off for us.” Michael Keane and Amadou Onana scored as Everton won their fourth straight league game, beating struggling Burnley 2-0 to lift themselves seven points clear of the relegation zone – just a month after they were docked 10 points for breaking financial rules. Chelsea beat bottom club Sheffield United 2-0 to register just their third home league win of the season, thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson. Newcastle claimed all three points against 10-man Fulham at their St James’ Park stronghold, with 17-year-old Lewis Miley among the scorers in a 3-0 win. LaLiga: Barcelona ‘give away’ points at Valencia, Atletico Madrid stumble [caption id=“attachment_13512172” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Valencia came from behind to hold Barcelona to a 1-1 draw in LaLiga. AP[/caption] Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said his team “gave away two points” to Valencia in a tense 1-1 draw on Sunday in La Liga. The champions moved third, a point clear of Atletico Madrid, but trail Real Madrid by four and surprise leaders Girona by six, having played one game more than all three sides. Atletico fell 2-0 at Athletic Bilbao earlier Saturday but the Catalans could not take full advantage in an entertaining clash on the east coast. Joao Felix sent Barcelona ahead in the second half after a slick team move, but Hugo Guillamon’s fine strike pegged them back. “We have to be much stronger in the opponent’s box, the chances are so clear (and) we didn’t win the game,” Xavi told Movistar. “I think we gave away two points, because the team had a very good game… we take away a point that leaves us very unsatisfied.” Barcelona have won just one of their last four league matches, including being ripped apart by a rampant Girona last weekend at home. They were further shaken by a midweek Champions League defeat by Belgian side Royal Antwerp, which created further questions over Xavi’s management even though the Catalans were already through to the last 16. In the subsequent days, club figures, including president Joan Laporta, showed him support, ahead of what Spanish media billed a ‘final’ at Valencia’s rowdy Mestalla stadium. “Anything that wasn’t three points was a tough blow for us,” Barca midfielder Pedri told Movistar. “We did a lot of things right but we didn’t get the goal – I think our play was a lot better than in the Girona game, where we weren’t good.” The Spain international said the team were backing Xavi. “We’re with the coach, these aren’t good moments for any of us… we have to be united to turn it around.” As in Barca’s defeat by Girona, the game flowed from end-to-end. Both goalkeepers were called into action before Felix sent Barca ahead early in the second half. Frenkie de Jong played in Raphinha with a delightful pass and the Brazilian teed the ball up for the Portuguese forward to tap home. Guillamon equalised in the 70th minute after Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo allowed a ball to bounce instead of clearing his lines. The Spain midfielder found the top corner from the edge of the box to put Ruben Baraja’s team level. Ferran Torres and Raphinha missed big chances in the final stages as Barca searched for a winner. The draw takes Valencia 10th, with Baraja’s side significantly more solid than last season when they battled relegation. Leaders Girona host Alaves on Monday, after Real Madrid welcome Villarreal on Sunday. Lions roar

Athletic Bilbao powered to a convincing 2-0 victory over a flat Atletico Madrid on Saturday in La Liga to close the gap on the top four. Gorka Guruzeta and Nico Williams struck second-half goals to deservedly secure the points for Los Leones, who dominated at a jubilant San Mames. Atletico have lost four games in La Liga this season, each away from home, while winning all eight matches they have played at their Metropolitano stadium. “We cannot play like this, one way at home, another away, you can’t win titles like this, you can’t win leagues,” Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak told Movistar. Ernesto Valverde’s Athletic tested Oblak frequently, with brothers Inaki and Nico Williams both striking the woodwork, while Oihan Sancet skied a penalty. Inaki Williams, making his 400th appearance for Athletic, helped create the opener, finished by Guruzeta from Ander Herrera’s cross. Nico Williams added a stunning second when he bent a shot over Oblak into the far top corner with his weaker left foot. Despite defeat and his team’s drab display, Atletico coach Simeone maintained a positive attitude. “Today is the day I am calmest,” he told reporters. “I know the boys are giving me (everything) and I am with them to the death.” Struggling Sevilla, 16th, fell to a humiliating 3-0 home defeat by Getafe and then sacked coach Diego Alonso. The Uruguayan failed to win a single match from 12 in either La Liga or the Champions League since being appointed in October. Serie A: Napoli fire past Cagliari and into top-four

Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia combined to give Napoli a 2-1 win over struggling Cagliari on Saturday and send their side into Serie A’s Champions League places. The inspiration behind last season’s stunning league title triumph, Napoli’s attacking stars struck a goal each as the reigning champions moved up to fourth. Kvaratskhelia swept home the decisive strike in the 75th minute, six minutes after Osimhen’s headed opener and shortly after Leonardo Pavoletti had equalised for the away side. Walter Mazzarri’s side are two points ahead of fifth-placed Roma and Bologna, who face off on Sunday, following their third home win of what has been a troubled league season to date. And Matteo Politano insisted that Napoli’s title defence is not over even though they are 11 points behind Inter Milan ahead of the league leaders’ match at Lazio on Sunday night. “We’re slowly recovering some ground,” the forward told DAZN. “We’ll keep taking it one game at a time but we want to fight for the Scudetto. There’s still a long way to go.” Claudio Ranieri’s Cagliari stay 16th on 13 points, one point above the relegation zone and Empoli who lost 1-0 at Torino in Saturday’s late match. Napoli won a match whose kick-off was delayed by 30 minutes after strong winds in Naples led to concerns over stadium safety. Turnstiles at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona were left closed longer than usual while inspections to the ground’s roof were carried out. No major damage was found, and once the match got underway Napoli pushed forward but struggled to break down resilient Cagliari. After a series of wasted half chances Amir Rrahmani headed onto the base of the post just before the half hour, but Cagliari were in the game and dangerous on their forays forward. Osimhen opened the scoring in the 69th minute when he powered a header through the hands of Cagliari’s despairing goalkeeper Simone Scuffet. It was Osimhen’s second in as many games in all competitions as he looks to have fully recovered from his hamstring injury. Napoli fans will be hoping that reports of Osimhen reaching an agreement to extend his contract to 2026 are accurate, as the 24-year-old is nearing a new deal which takes his salary to 10 million euros a year and has a release clause set at around 130 million euros. Pavoletti, who shot Cagliari out of the relegation zone last weekend, bundled in his fourth goal of the campaign three minutes later. But the home crowd was soon back on their feet for Kvaratskhelia’s winner, which came after superb hold-up play from Osimhen led to the Nigerian drilling over a low cross which his Georgian strike partner crashed in off the post. That was Kvaratskhelia’s first home goal since late September and gave Napoli their second straight win in Naples after beating Braga midweek to reach the Champions League knockouts. Bundesliga: Dortmund’s poor run continues with draw at Augsburg, Leipzig win Borussia Dortmund’s league struggles continued on Saturday as the visitors were held to a 1-1 draw at Augsburg. The draw, combined with RB Leipzig’s 3-1 home win over Hoffenheim later on Saturday, means Dortmund are now five points off fourth spot with 15 games played. Despite topping a Champions League group which included Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle, Dortmund have won just one of seven league games since October. Dortmund coach Edin Terzic lamented his side’s poor finishing, saying “we were close today, but we weren’t successful and that’s very unsatisfying”. Ermedin Demirovic opened the hosts’ account after 23 minutes, pushing off a challenge from Nico Schlotterbeck before slotting home. The Dortmund offender appealed for a foul, but the referee allowed the goal after a VAR review. “I don’t want to comment on refereeing decisions, but all I’ll say is we had a different opinion,” said Terzic. Donyell Malen scored for Dortmund shortly after, Niclas Fuellkrug finding the Dutchman with a clever backheeled pass to nutmeg the Augsburg defender. Dortmund midfielder Julian Brandt had a late chance to claim all three points, but he blasted his injury-time shot straight at Augsburg goalie Finn Dahmen. Augsburg boss Jess Thorup, who has lost just once in eight matches since taking over in October, said “today was the best chance for us to see where we stand against the better teams… we’ve done well.” Leipzig farewell Forsberg RB Leipzig said goodbye to stalwart Emil Forsberg in style, the Sweden midfielder scoring late in a 3-1 win over Hoffenheim. Forsberg came off the bench with the scores locked at 1-1, after former Liverpool defender Ozan Kabak’s smart header had cancelled out home defender Lukas Klostermann’s goal. Just four minutes later, the Swede collected a Lois Openda cross and unleashed a rocket to give the home side the lead. Forsberg then set up Leipzig’s third, his fierce shot rebounding off Hoffenheim goalie Oliver Baumann and into the path of Mohamed Simakan, who blasted home. “To score a goal in my last game at home, it feels great,” Forsberg told Sky Germany. Forsberg joined the then second-division Leipzig in 2015 but is set to move to sister club New York Red Bulls in January and was playing in front of the home fans for the last time. Union Berlin, whose inaugural Champions League journey ended at the hands of Real Madrid in the German capital on Tuesday, lost 3-0 at Bochum. Goals from Takuma Asano, Goncalo Paciencia and a late penalty from Kevin Stoeger earned a comfortable win, extending the gap to the relegation places to six points. Ten-man Wolfsburg fought to a 1-0 win away at promoted Darmstadt, Croatia midfielder Lovro Majer scoring the only goal. Wolfsburg fell to ten men midway through the first-half, centre-back Maxence Lacroix seeing red for a last-man foul. The French defender now been red carded five times in less than 100 games for Wolfsburg – and has more red cards than any other Wolfsburg player. Elsewhere, promoted Heidenheim won 1-0 at Mainz thanks to an early goal from Marvin Pieringer, leaving the floundering hosts stuck in the bottom two. The remainder of the top four are in action on Sunday, with second-placed Bayern Munich hosting fourth-placed Stuttgart, while leaders Leverkusen are at home to Frankfurt. Ligue 1: Nice beaten again as Sabbi strikes twice for Le Havre Early season pacesetters Nice were beaten 3-1 at Le Havre on Saturday for a second straight Ligue 1 defeat after a 14-match unbeaten run. Paris Saint-Germain top the table on 36 points, four ahead of Nice in second, six ahead of Monaco, who lost to Lyon on Friday, and nine ahead of Lille, who they play Sunday. This new Nice defeat means PSG go into the winter break top of the league and, given Le Havre had failed to win in their last nine outings, is also a worry for challengers Nice. The Riviera outfit had only conceded six goals in 15 games before Saturday, but Le Havre’s American striker Emmanuel Sabbi scored twice and Mohamed Bayo added a third before Raoul Louche notched a Nice consolation goal in time added on. Later, seventh welcomed eighth as Lens hosted Reims in a close-fought encounter at Stade Bollaert-Delelis. Following Tuesday’s last-gasp victory in Europe against Sevilla, which secured Lens’ place in the Europa League knockout play-offs, Franck Haise’s side capped off a memorable week with a 2-0 win. Goals either side of the break from Wesley Said and Oscar Cortes were enough to move Lens up to fifth place, provisionally. The visiting side dominated the first half, with Mohammed Daramy’s strike ruled out for offside and Emmanuel Agbadou heading onto the post, but it was Reims who broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute. A calamitous defensive mix-up resulted in Joseph Okumu glancing a long ball over the advancing ‘keeper Yehvann Diouf and into the path of Said, who finished into the empty net from a tight angle with his left foot. Cortes then doubled the lead with 15 minutes remaining, his first goal for Lens being validated after a lengthy VAR check to ensure he was onside when Ruben Aguilar lifted in his cross. PSG are the pick of the six games on Sunday, when they will travel north to take on fourth-placed Lille.