European football roundup: Salah scores on return, Man City held, Lewandowski snatches late Barca win

Mohamed Salah returned with a goal as Premier League leaders Liverpool routed Brentford 4-1 despite a rash of injuries, while Manchester City’s title defence was damaged by a 1-1 draw against Chelsea on Saturday.

Arsenal demolished Burnley 5-0 to keep the pressure on Liverpool, who are two points above the second-placed Gunners and four-ahead of third placed City.

Salah came off the bench to replace the injured Diogo Jota in his first Liverpool appearance since their win over Newcastle on New Year’s Day.

Having returned from the hamstring injury he sustained on Egypt duty at the Africa Cup of Nations, Salah made up for lost time with his first goal for the Reds since the Newcastle game.

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The 31-year-old’s 19th goal in all competitions this term put Liverpool on course for a sixth win in their last seven league games.

The much-maligned Darwin Nunez had given Jurgen Klopp’s side the lead with a sublime chip late in the first half at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Alexis Mac Allister doubled Liverpool’s advantage after the interval with just his second goal this season.

Ivan Toney got one back for Brentford, but Cody Gakpo netted in the closing stages.

While the victory was valuable for Klopp, it came with a downside as first-half injuries to Nunez, Jota and Curtis Jones added to Liverpool’s increasingly packed treatment room.

“Mo played the first game for weeks. He could have had a hat-trick. The goal he scored was absolutely outstanding,” Klopp said.

“It would be helpful if we had a bit more than one player for each position. But that’s the situation and we cannot change it.”

Manchester City’s attempt to win an unprecedented fourth successive title is under threat after a disappointing result at the Etihad Stadium.

Chelsea took the lead in the 41st minute as former City winger Raheem Sterling took Nicolas Jackson’s pass and curled his shot into the far corner from 12 yards.

City laid siege to the Chelsea goal and finally drew level in the 83rd minute when Rodri’s shot deflected in off Trevoh Chalobah.

Pep Guardiola’s men, who have a game in hand on Liverpool, preserved their long unbeaten home league run, but failing to win for the first time in 12 games in all competitions was a significant setback.

Frustrated by Erling Haaland’s miscues, Guardiola said: “I played 11 years and scored 11 goals so I can’t give too much advice to Erling. The next one he will score.

“In the first half we didn’t perform well and that’s what we have to improve.”

Rampant Arsenal

At Turf Moor, Arsenal made it five consecutive wins with another display of their goal power.

Mikel Arteta’s side have beaten Liverpool and won 6-0 at West Ham in their most notable results since a revitalising warm-weather training camp in Dubai.

And they were too hot for second-bottom Burnley to handle from the fourth minute when Martin Odegaard drilled home from Gabriel Martinelli’s pass.

Bukayo Saka netted with a 41st-minute penalty awarded for Lorenz Assignon’s foul on Leandro Trossard.

Saka struck again two minutes after half-time, rifling into the top corner from Odegaard’s pass as the England winger made it six goals in his last four games.

Trossard got the fourth from close range in the 66th minute and Kai Havertz converted Jakub Kiwior’s pass with 12 minutes left.

“We are generating competition within the squad. They are a joy to work with. They want more, that’s the good thing,” Arteta said.

Tottenham’s top four bid suffered a blow as Joao Gomes struck twice in Wolves’ surprise 2-1 win in north London.

Aston Villa took advantage of Tottenham’s stumble to climb back into fourth place with a 2-1 win at Fulham thanks to Ollie Watkins’ brace.

Nottingham Forest beat West Ham 2-0 at the City Ground in a major boost to their survival hopes.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe avoided defeat against his former club Bournemouth in a 2-2 draw at St James’ Park.

La Liga: Lewandowski snatches Barca win at Celta, Atletico run riot

Robert Lewandowski snatched champions Barcelona an unconvincing 2-1 win over lowly Celta Vigo with a brace to leave them third in La Liga on Saturday.

Xavi Hernandez’s side trail leaders Real Madrid by seven points before Los Blancos visit Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

Atletico Madrid, fourth, thrashed Las Palmas 5-0 earlier on and trail Barcelona by three points.

The Catalans needed a stoppage-time penalty converted by Lewandowski at the second attempt to find a way past a Celta Vigo side battling relegation, down in 17th place.

Lewandowski slammed the visitors ahead at Balaidos before half-time but Iago Aspas levelled for Rafa Benitez’s Celta early in the second half.

Barcelona tamely struggled to find a way through before being gifted a late spot-kick for a clumsy foul on Lamine Yamal, which Lewandowski dispatched for his 12th goal of the season.

Lewandowski’s first penalty attempt was saved by Vicente Guaita but as the goalkeeper was off his line, the striker was given another chance and he converted.

“On the second penalty I scored and that’s the important thing,” Lewandowski told DAZN.

The Catalans are unbeaten in four matches since Xavi said he would depart at the end of the season.

They face Napoli on Wednesday in the Champions League last 16, with Europe the club’s last realistic chance of silverware this season.

“I felt we played well until we got into the final third … we lacked the final ball,” Xavi told DAZN.

“I think the team had effort, attitude, commitment, the decision I made (to leave) was to get that, and it’s going well – 10 points from 12.”

Xavi handed Brazilian forward Vitor Roque his first start for the club on the left of the attack, alongside Lewandowski and 16-year-old sensation Yamal.

The latter was Barcelona’s brightest player once again, with the Catalans dependent on his skill and speed on the right flank to create danger.

‘Plugged in’

Barca broke the deadlock in the 45th minute when Yamal fed Lewandowski, who lashed home superbly from just inside the area.

The lead did not last long, with Aspas pouncing two minutes into the second half to level.

A slick move from Celta was finished by the veteran forward with the help of a deflection.

Barcelona hunted for the winner without success, until Yamal won a penalty in stoppage time.

Celta’s Fran Beltran accidentally kicked the winger when trying to clear the ball and Lewandowski converted from the spot to steal Barcelona three points.

Guaita saved Lewandowski’s first penalty but the veteran Polish striker stroked home clinically after being given a reprieve when the goalkeeper was shown to have moved off his line too quickly.

“Robert is ‘plugged in’, it makes me emotional to see the unity in the team,” added Xavi.

“I am happy for Robert’s goals but also for his hard work.”

Xavi said Barcelona’s performance summed up their campaign.

“This season we have to suffer and we seem destined to get agonising victories, we don’t dominate games and errors cost us points, it’s a bit of a summary of the season,” he explained.

Celta sit three points above the relegation zone after Cadiz, 18th, lost 2-0 at Osasuna earlier on.

Valencia, eighth, dominated Sevilla but could not find the breakthrough in a 0-0 draw.

Girona, second, visit fifth-place Athletic Bilbao on Monday.

Earlier Atletico Madrid hammered Las Palmas despite resting key forward Antoine Griezmann.

Marcos Llorente and Angel Correa struck twice each and Memphis Depay was also on target as Diego Simeone’s side strolled to victory.

Now 10 points behind Madrid despite the victory, Simeone decided to keep the French forward fresh for Tuesday’s Champions League last 16 visit to face Inter Milan.

Without the injured Alvaro Morata, Atletico lined up with Correa and Llorente up front and it worked perfectly against promoted side Las Palmas, ninth.

“I’m sure (Griezmann) will be annoyed because he didn’t play,” said Simeone.

“We need a great Griezmann and we need him fresh.”

Bundesliga: Leverkusen beat Heidenheim, go eight points clear

Goals from Jeremie Frimpong and Amine Adli earned Leverkusen a 2-1 win at Heidenheim on Saturday, sending Xabi Alonso’s Bundesliga leaders eight points clear of Bayern Munich in second.

Leverkusen’s win extended their unbeaten run to 32 games in all competitions this season, equalling the record set by Hansi Flick’s Bayern across the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.

Frustrated by the resolute hosts early, Leverkusen eventually broke through right before half-time when Frimpong’s deflected shot found the net.

Midfield maestro Florian Wirtz hit the crossbar late but helped seal the result shortly after, laying on a perfect pass for Adli to round the goalkeeper and score.

Heidenheim’s Tim Kleindienst headed in a goal with three minutes remaining, the first time Leverkusen had conceded in six hours in the league.

“Altogether we did it very smartly, other than the late goal we conceded,” Leverkusen’s Granit Xhaka told Sky.

“The team is ripe. We showed again how dominant we can be.”

Second-placed Bayern, thumped 3-0 by Leverkusen last week, can narrow the gap when they play on Sunday at Bochum.

Leipzig gain on Dortmund

Elsewhere, RB Leipzig’s won 2-0 at home against Borussia Moenchengladbach in a match overshadowed by the death of a spectator who fell ill in the stands.

Leipzig tweeted during the game that medical staff had “tried to resuscitate” the individual but were unsuccessful.

Once the news was announced, the stadium fell silent for the remainder of the match.

Leipzig boss Marco Rose said “I thought the fans reacted well. You realise that other things are much more important than football, like your health.”

Leipzig midfielder Xavi Simons gave his team the lead with a brilliant goal, bouncing a Dani Olmo pass off his thigh before unleashing a rocket from the edge of the box.

Lois Openda doubled Leipzig’s lead after 57 minutes, chipping over the goalkeeper’s head and into the goal.

Openda, who arrived from Ligue 1 side Lens in the summer, has 16 league goals this season and has scored in each of his past five games.

Leipzig’s win took them one point behind fourth-placed Borussia Dortmund, who drew 1-1 at struggling Wolfsburg, with home midfielder Yannick Gerhardt’s second-half header cancelling out an early Niclas Fuellkrug goal.

Having absorbed some early pressure from the hosts, Dortmund scored after eight minutes, Fuellkrug kneeing in a rebound from a Marco Reus shot on the counter.

Gerhardt equalised after a long interruption due to fan protests against an investor deal for the Bundesliga, heading in from close range after a deflected clearance from the Dortmund defence.

“We didn’t have enough chances on the whole,” said Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. “We are not satisfied with the point.”

Serhou Guirassy scored his first goal of the calendar year as 10-man Stuttgart won 2-1 at Darmstadt to go five clear of Dortmund in third.

Guirassy headed in from close range 15 minutes in for his 18th league goal of the season.

Both sides scored in second-half injury time as Stuttgart held on despite being reduced to 10 men late in the first half.

Union Berlin secured a crucial victory in their bid to avoid the drop, American midfielder Brenden Aaronson scoring late for a 1-0 win at Hoffenheim.

Both sides played the second half with 10 men after Hoffenheim’s Stanley Nsoki and Union’s Kevin Volland picked up second yellow cards just before half-time.

Union’s win took them eight points clear of the relegation spots in an increasingly crowded lower half of the table.

Mainz won just their second match of the season 1-0 at home over Augsburg, with Liverpool loanee Sepp van den Berg’s first-half strike enough despite Nadiem Amiri missing a penalty.

Serie A: Juventus hand Inter nine-point lead as Napoli crisis deepens

Juventus trail Serie A leaders Inter Milan by nine points after a 2-2 at relegation-threatened Verona, while a 1-1 draw with Genoa left champions Napoli deep in crisis.

Massimiliano Allegri’s side had their league title hopes further damaged following an entertaining encounter in which Adrien Rabiot saved Juve from losing a third consecutive match.

France midfielder Rabiot rifled home second-placed Juve’s leveller nine minutes after the break, moments after Tijjani Noslin had put hosts Verona ahead for the second time in the match.

Michael Folorunsho, whose touch led to Noslin’s goal, had smashed Marco Baroni’s team into the lead early on with a stunning volley only for Dusan Vlahovic to equalise from the penalty spot in the 28th minute.

“We should have done more, we’ve dropped points along the way recently. But we started playing too late and it’s those details which make the difference,” said Rabiot.

“We need to get back on track, regain trust in ourselves and starting winning again.”

The draw didn’t do a huge amount for Verona as they stay just inside the relegation zone, level on points with 17th-placed Sassuolo who were beaten 3-0 by Atalanta but have a game in hand.

However it was a strong performance for a club that let a raft of players go in January, and it also extended Juve’s winless run to four matches.

That poor form means that Juve are not only watching Inter charge off into the distance, they are now also looking over their shoulders at AC Milan.

A win at Monza on Sunday night would allow Milan, two points behind Juve in third, to snatch second spot from their rivals.

“We need to be realistic,” added Rabiot. “Inter are going their own way and we need to fight to keep hold of second place.”

Napoli booed off

Napoli’s draw was another heavy blow for the ailing Serie A champions ahead of the visit of Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Cyril Ngonge saved a home point for Napoli in the final minute after Morten Frendrup had given Genoa the lead with a powerful first-time finish just after half-time.

Napoli ran away with the league title last season but are now 27 points behind Inter in ninth spot meaning their chances of a place in next season’s revamped Champions League are increasingly slim.

Nine points separate Napoli from fourth-placed Atalanta who ensured that they will stay in the top four for at least another week with a fifth win in as many games.

“The players do what they can but things just don’t go our way,” said Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri, whose position is under serious threat after collecting just 15 points from 12 matches since taking over in November.

“The few errors we make we always have to correct because we end up conceding. We try everything but we struggle to score goals. It’s hard to explain.”

Ngonge’s low finish meant Napoli avoided a ninth defeat in all competitions since Mazzarri replaced Rudi Garcia, but being booed off the pitch was awful preparation for their last 16 tie with Barca.

Neither Napoli nor Barca are having stellar seasons but it would have been impossible to imagine how far Napoli would fall so soon after last season’s historic third league title.

Mazzarri said that he “hopes” to have star striker Victor Osimhen back for Wednesday’s first leg in Naples after sitting out Saturday’s defeat.

But Napoli’s goal problems run deeper than Osimhen having been at the Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria and they created very little against 12th-placed Genoa, making a result against Barca look like a huge task.

Ligue 1: Mbappe scores as sub to help PSG see off Nantes

Kylian Mbappe came off the bench and scored a penalty as Paris Saint-Germain beat Nantes 2-0 on Saturday after the France captain informed the club this week he plans to leave at the end of the season.

Lucas Hernandez’s deflected strike broke the deadlock on the hour at the Stade de la Beaujoire before Mbappe made sure of the points after he was fouled inside the area.

PSG stretched their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to 14 points with a record-extending 12th title surely now a formality after Nice suffered a fifth loss in nine games Friday.

The main talking point in Paris though will be the future of Mbappe, who is seemingly entering the final months of a seven-year stint with the French champions.

The 25-year-old has told club officials he intends to depart on a free transfer when his contract expires, and has been widely tipped to move to Real Madrid.

It is understood that Mbappe’s exit will be formally announced in a few months’ time.

“It’s all going very well with Mbappe, there’s no problem,” PSG coach Luis Enrique told Canal Plus after the game.

PSG toiled for an hour without the league’s top scorer as Mbappe, who struck in the 2-0 win over Real Sociedad in the Champions League in midweek, started on the bench in Nantes.

“It’s very easy yet difficult to explain,” Luis Enrique said of the decision to leave Mbappe out of the line-up.

“After our Champions League match two days ago I thought we needed energy to play well and that it was necessary to give minutes to those who didn’t play (on Wednesday).

“We have ambitious goals and we need all the players.”

Nantes had the clearer chances in the first half, Mostafa Mohamed denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma’s foot and Nicolas Cozza thwarted by a desperate Marquinhos block.

Nicolas Pallois’ volley was ruled out for offside just before the break, with his dipping long-range drive tipped over by Donnarumma early in the second half.

PSG benefited from a considerable degree of good fortune to go in front as Hernandez’s shot hit Moussa Sissoko and left Nantes goalkeeper Remy Descamps stranded.

Mbappe, introduced straight after along with Ousmane Dembele and Achraf Hakimi, needed little time to make his mark.

He drew a foul from Douglas Augusto and converted from the spot for his 21st league goal in 20 games this season, extending PSG’s unbeaten away run to 18 matches.

Elsewhere, Jonathan David bagged a hat-trick as Lille swept Le Havre aside 3-0 to move into third place, one point behind Nice.

After a slow start to the campaign, the Canada international now has 11 goals – striking nine times in his past 10 games.

Monaco could climb to second on Sunday when they play Toulouse, while Brest take on Gennaro Gattuso’s reeling Marseille who are without a win in five games.