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Winner: Luis Diaz
Diaz enjoyed a Saturday to remember with Bayern Munich. In Saturday’s 6-1 win over RB Leipzig, the Colombian scored three goals and set up another. He was directly involved in four of Bayern’s six goals and emerged as the outstanding player in the Bundesliga’s top clash.
After recent draws against FC Augsburg and Viking, the record champions needed a positive result. The 29-year-old was also under pressure after a mediocre start to the season. Diaz answered his critics with an outstanding performance. Bayern were already 3-0 up at half-time and extended their lead after the break. The emphatic victory was also a statement in the title race.
Losers: Nacional da Madeira
The crisis at Nacional da Madeira is deepening. On Saturday, the Portuguese top-flight club suffered a seventh consecutive defeat, losing 1-0 at AD Sanjoanense. Particularly painful was the fact that the opponents play in Portugal’s fourth tier. Maxwell Sani scored the decisive goal in the 81st minute, sealing the favourite’s surprise exit in the third round of the Portuguese Cup.
The team’s decline had already led to consequences in the dugout. Joao Giao was dismissed after just four league games, having recorded one win, one draw and two defeats. But there has been no sign of a turnaround under his successor, Alexandre Santos, either. The new coach is still waiting for his first win. Last weekend, Nacional lost 3-2 at Rio Ave in the league, despite the hosts playing with 10 men from the 54th minute after a red card.
Winners: Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton made a real statement in the M23 derby against Crystal Palace. Fabian Hurzeler’s side won 5-0 on Sunday, scoring three times in the opening 10 minutes. Alongside an own goal from Jaydee Canvot, Diego Gomez was the main talking point. The midfielder scored from more than 50 metres, catching out the Palace goalkeeper, who was standing well off his line.
After the break, Charalampos Kostoulas and Jack Hinshelwood completed the rout. Brighton impressed with their intensity and attacking flair, while Crystal Palace endured an afternoon to forget. With a fourth consecutive league win - and a sixth victory across all competitions - Brighton remain third in the Premier League.
Losers: Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund are struggling to find their rhythm in the Bundesliga. The BVB dropped points again in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Union Berlin, capping a dismal week with three games without a win. After drawing with Werder Bremen the previous week and losing 1-0 to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League during the week, Dortmund also lacked a cutting edge in Berlin.
Dortmund had more possession and increased the pressure after the break, but clear-cut chances remained scarce. The attack struggled to find a way through Berlin’s compact defence. The dropped points also allowed arch-rivals Bayern Munich to overtake them in the table.
Winner: Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe was once again the standout name as Real Madrid beat Sevilla 4-1. The French forward underlined his importance to Los Blancos’ attack and showed his clinical finishing at key moments.
Mbappe scored the second goal in the 37th minute, added another from the penalty spot after the break and earned a Flashscore rating of 8.9. He had already scored against Roma in Real Madrid’s 4-3 Champions League win on Wednesday.
Losers: Napoli
The crisis at Napoli is worsening. The Italian champions lost 1-0 at Venezia on Saturday, suffering a second consecutive defeat. After Napoli had already lost 3-1 at Villarreal in the Champions League during the week, they suffered another damaging setback in the league. Massimiliano Allegri’s side missed a major chance to equalise when Kevin De Bruyne saw his second-half penalty saved by Venezia goalkeeper Filip Stankovic.
The developments of recent weeks are particularly alarming. Napoli have already suffered five defeats in their first nine competitive matches of the season - a record this poor had not been seen for 25 years. While Venezia celebrated their first win of the season after changing coaches, Allegri is coming under increasing pressure. Last season’s runners-up have slipped to ninth in Serie A following the weekend’s result.
Winners: Barcelona
Barcelona continue their impressive start to the season. Hansi Flick’s side recorded their ninth win in nine league games with a 5-2 victory over Real Betis on Saturday. The Catalans had also impressed in the Champions League earlier, winning 4-1 at Galatasaray.
The league leaders’ attacking quality is particularly impressive at present. Lamine Yamal and his teammates created a host of dangerous opportunities in Seville. However, Barca also showed defensive weaknesses despite the convincing win and conceded twice. Their form is still a major statement ahead of the upcoming Clasico against Real Madrid.
Loser: Yegor Yarmolyuk
Brentford were leading Liverpool at half-time on Saturday, but Yarmolyuk’s costly lapse put his team in trouble. The Ukrainian was sent off just before the interval after confronting Jeremy Jacquet head-on. Brentford therefore had to play the second half with 10 men and eventually lost 2-1.
The closing stages were even more painful for the Bees. Vitaly Janelt also had to leave the pitch early, meaning Brentford were temporarily down to nine players. Liverpool took advantage of their numerical superiority and turned the game around. Yarmolyuk was punished with a damning rating of 4.3 for his red card.
Winner: Esteban Lepaul
Lepaul was one of the weekend’s standout individual performers despite his team’s defeat. The Stade Rennes striker scored all three of his side’s goals in the spectacular 4-3 defeat to Paris FC - and all three came from penalties.
Lepaul repeatedly brought Rennes back into the game. But the Parisians always had an answer and scored the decisive goal in stoppage time. Lepaul was left with an extraordinary individual performance that offered little consolation in defeat.
Losers: Freiburg
Freiburg not only suffered their first defeat of the season on Sunday, but also lost top spot in the Bundesliga. In a 2-1 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen, Derry Scherhant initially put Freiburg ahead. Ibrahim Maza levelled shortly afterwards, before Patrik Schick scored the winner in the 76th minute. Freiburg’s committed display ultimately yielded no points.
Particularly painful was the fact that Freiburg had moved top of the Bundesliga for the fifth time in the club’s history after collecting a club-record 13 points from their first five league games. They have now failed to defend that position on the following matchday on all five occasions.