ENGLAND
Bryan Mbeumo was on target as Manchester United defeated Liverpool 2-1 to claim their first win at the ground since 2016.
Just 62 seconds into the pulsating encounter, the Cameroon international fired home from Amad Diallo’s pass after a collision between Alexis Mac Allister and Virgil van Dijk left the Argentine midfielder down injured, sparking fury among the hosts who felt play should have been stopped. Despite the controversy, VAR could not intervene as no foul occurred.
Liverpool pressed relentlessly, with Cody Gakpo eventually levelling from Federico Chiesa’s low cross after earlier hitting the post three times. However, Harry Maguire’s thumping 84th-minute header from Bruno Fernandes’s cross sealed a dramatic victory and deepened the reigning English champions’ recent woes.
While Mbeumo was in action from start to finish for Manchester United, Mohamed Salah played for 85 minutes before making way for Jeremie Frimpong.
ITALY
Abdoulaye Ndiaye’s first-half red card and Maxwell Cornet’s missed stoppage-time penalty summed up a frustrating night as Genoa were held to a 0-0 draw by 10-man Parma at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
Senegal international Ndiaye was dismissed after two reckless fouls within five minutes, leaving Parma to play over an hour with 10 men.
Despite their numerical advantage, the hosts failed to capitalise, with Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki putting in a heroic performance. He made several fine saves, including a superb reaction stop to deny Vitinha’s header and another to keep out Ruslan Malinovskyi’s curling free-kick.
Genoa’s dominance grew after the break, but Suzuki continually frustrated them. The best chance came deep into stoppage time when substitute Jeff Ekhator was fouled in the box, gifting Patrick Vieira’s Red and Blues a golden opportunity.
Cote d’Ivoire international Cornet stepped up, only to see his effort brilliantly saved by Suzuki. The result extended Genoa’s winless home run to seven matches and their goalless streak to five.
Elsewhere, Ange-Yoan Bonny was the difference-maker as his early strike secured Inter Milan a narrow 1-0 victory over AS Roma.
The Ivorian forward latched onto Nicolo Barella’s incisive pass in the sixth minute before finishing coolly into the near corner.
Bonny’s movement and pace troubled Roma’s defence throughout, setting the tone for Inter’s confident display.
Roma pushed for an equaliser after the break, with Artem Dovbyk heading over their best chance, but Inter held firm. The decisive goal ultimately sealed a vital win in the race for the Scudetto.
GERMANY
Bazoumana Toure inspired Hoffenheim to a dominant 3-0 victory over St. Pauli at the Millerntor-Stadion.
The 19-year-old Ivorian was central to everything positive for the visitors, first creating danger down the left flank before finally breaking the deadlock in the 54th minute with a calm finish for his first goal for the club.
Toure’s energetic display sparked Hoffenheim into life after a quiet first half in which St. Pauli missed their best chance through Martijn Kaars.
Andrej Kramaric doubled the lead five minutes later, continuing his remarkable record of scoring against nearly every Bundesliga club he has faced.
Substitute Grischa Promel sealed the result late on after being set up by Wouter Burger. Hoffenheim’s victory marked their most complete away performance of the campaign, while St. Pauli’s winless run at home continued.
In another fixture, Christian Kofane was among the standout performers as Bayer Leverkusen extended their unbeaten away run with a thrilling 4-3 victory at Mainz.
The midfielder doubled Leverkusen’s lead in the 24th minute, finishing off a slick passing move after Alejandro Grimaldo’s early penalty.
Mainz hit back through Jae-sung Lee before Grimaldo struck again on the stroke of half-time to restore the visitors’ two-goal cushion.
Cameroon teenager Kofane could have added to his tally after the break, but missed chances allowed Mainz to stay in contention.
Nadiem Amiri converted a penalty to make it 3-2, before Martin Terrier, returning from a long injury, made it 4-2 late on. Armindo Sieb’s stoppage-time goal set up a tense finale, but Leverkusen held on for another dramatic win.
FRANCE
Hamza Igamane came off the bench to seal Lille’s much-needed 2-0 victory over Nantes, ending their three-match winless run in Ligue 1.
The Moroccan forward pounced on a loose ball to fire home and secure all three points for Les Dogues. Earlier, Hakon Haraldsson had opened the scoring in the eighth minute after defensive errors from Chidozie Awaziem and Dehmaine Tabibou.
Despite dominating throughout, Lille were frustrated by Anthony Lopes’ saves and the woodwork as Fernandez-Prado and Haraldsson both went close.
Nantes offered brief resistance through Matthis Abline, who twice hit the bar, but Igamane’s composed finish ensured Lille climbed to sixth, reigniting their European ambitions.
In another game, African stars shone brightly as Lorient and Brest played out a thrilling 3-3 draw in Ligue 1.
Abdoulaye Faye came close to doubling Lorient’s early lead with a powerful header, while Arsene Kouassi brought the hosts level shortly after the break with a well-placed header from Theo Le Bris’ cross.
Despite their efforts, Lorient fell behind late on when Bamo Meite conceded a penalty that Romain Del Castillo converted.
However, the final word belonged to Sambou Soumano, who struck in stoppage time to rescue a valuable point for Les Merlus.
