BAYERN OVERPOWER LEVERKUSEN WITH CLINICAL 3–0 WIN IN BUNDESLIGA CLASH
Bayern Munich crushed Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 at the Allianz Arena, extending their winning streak to 15 games. Serge Gnabry, Nicolas Jackson, and a Loic Bade own goal sealed a dominant victory for the Bavarians.
Bayern Munich 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen - Photo Credit: Getty Images
At the Allianz Arena on Saturday afternoon, Bayern Munich put on an incredible display to defeat Bayer Leverkusen 3-0, extending their winning streak to 15 games.
The first goal for the home team came from Serge Gnabry, who made his 250th appearance in the Bundesliga.
Before Loic Bade turned into his own net, Nicolas Jackson scored his first Bundesliga goal of the season, giving Bayern a 3-0 advantage at halftime. The 37-game winning streak for Bayer Leverkusen away from home ended with this loss.
Match report for Bayern Munich vs. Bayer Leverkusen
Bayern's innate flair was unaffected by Vincent Kompany's seven changes to the team, as they controlled from the start.
Mark Flakken stopped Karl's curling attempt at the goal. After a fantastic play, the young player shot from the edge of the box, narrowly missing, demonstrating his growing interest in the game.
Karl was involved once more two minutes later. He swung a wonderful cross into the box this time, and Leon Goretzka got up to meet it but was unable to keep his shot on goal.
Serge Gnabry, who scored his fourth goal in the Bundesliga, gave Bayern the lead in the 24th minute. Gnabry was let through on goal by Tom Bischof's wonderful pass; the German winger used his speed to slip past Flakken.
Another superb cross from Karl found its way into the area, but Nicolas Jackson was unable to reach the ball's toe. Shortly after, Jackson headed in a fantastic cross from Konrad Laimer to score his first Bundesliga goal of the year.
The on-loan Chelsea striker believed he had scored his second goal of the day, but it was correctly disallowed for offside. Karl came quite close to scoring when he attempted a left-footed effort from the box's edge, but it missed the mark.
Bayern scored its third goal shortly before halftime. Attempting to clear the danger, Loic Bade diverted a low cross from Raphael Guerreiro's left into his own net.
Jackson had a chance to score Bayern's second goal of the evening in the second half, but he headed it over the crossbar.
Leverkusen attempted to re-enter the game after enjoying a lot of midfield control, but Bayern was not in the mood to let them generate opportunities.
Guerreiro was given a fantastic pass by Karl, but his attempt missed the mark.
Kompany added Diaz, Kane, and Olise off the bench at 3-0, highlighting the squad's strength and depth.
Sacha Boey was unable to keep his shot on aim, so Olise tees him off by cutting inside from the right.
The Bavarian powerhouses made sure they got all three points by keeping possession.
ENZO MARESCA LAVISHES PRAISE ON REECE JAMES FOLLOWING STELLAR MIDFIELD SHOWING
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca praised captain Reece James after his dominant midfield display in the 1-0 derby win over Tottenham. James provided crucial physicality alongside Moises Caicedo.
Manager Maresca Applauds Reece James - Photo Credit: Getty Images
After playing a crucial part in our derby triumph away at Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea captain Reece James was showered with praise from Enzo Maresca.
Throughout Maresca's tenure as Blues head coach, our captain has switched between his established position at right-back and a new midfield one. On Saturday, he played in the latter at Tottenham.
With yet another outstanding display, Moises Caicedo stole the show and set up Joao Pedro to score the game's lone goal after winning possession. But perhaps even more crucial to the win was his midfield partner for the day.
Our head coach noted that James' presence there was considered vital since Caicedo and James controlled the centre of the field, even though Spurs tried to crowd out the midfield by giving them a numerical advantage there with their team selection.
It somewhat relies on the strategy. Maresca said, "I believe we needed a little bit more physicality in the centre yesterday."
It was anticipated that they would play alongside [Pape Mater] Sarr, [Rodrigo] Bentancur, and [Joao] Palhinha. They had four midfielders, which surprised us because [Lucas] Bergvall also played.
"There should have been a little more physicality in the middle, but it really relies on the strategy."
James did not appear out of place in our midfield once more. Maresca is now in the fortunate position of knowing that he can count on his captain to give his best effort as a midfielder, defender, and—possibly most importantly—a leader.
Enzo continued, "I think Reece is doing wonderful when he is playing as a midfielder, he is doing fantastic when he is playing full-back, and as far as leadership with the players inside the changing room goes."
REAL MADRID STAR ÁLVARO CARRERAS CELEBRATES EMOTIONAL FIRST CAREER GOAL
Real Madrid crushes Valencia 4-0 with Álvaro Carreras scoring a stunning first goal for the club. The victory extends their La Liga lead to seven points under manager Xabi Alonso.
Álvaro Carreras scored his first goal for Real Madrid - IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire
Real Madrid easily defeated Valencia in another La Liga victory under Xabi Alonso. Kylian Mbappe scored two goals in the league leaders' 4-0 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The third and fourth goals were the two best of the match. Jude Bellingham started the first half with a strong drive from the area's boundary. But the Englishman's goal was overtaken by left-back Álvaro Carreras, who hit a fantastic shot from a sharp angle into the top corner.
After joining the team this past summer from Benfica, it was the Spaniard's first goal. Carreras discussed the strike after the game, suggesting it might be the first of many to come.
Proud of His First Goal in a Real Madrid Shirt, Álvaro Carreras
The 22-year-old has been playing at his peak lately and was one of four players that Xabi Alonso brought in this summer. Although ecstatic about his goal, Carreras never felt pressured to score since he knew that his main responsibilities were elsewhere.
It concluded Real Madrid's outstanding performance, in which they dominated a weak Valencia team from beginning to end. With a victory over Elche, rivals Barcelona may reduce their lead to five points. The victory increased their lead at the top to seven points over Villarreal and eight over Barcelona.
Carreras would have been pleased with another clean sheet for himself and his Los Blancos defence, so the goal was a bonus. They now lead the league with five in 11 games. At the end of the season, he and his defenders will be evaluated based on that.
This defence will be put to the test once more when they play Liverpool at Anfield in the Champions League. Even though the Premier League winners are not playing at their best, Carreras and his players will have to contend with the intense atmosphere on the pitch.