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Winners and Losers: Kluivert family among the goals, Liverpool continue to falter

Liverpool have lost three matches in a row
Liverpool have lost three matches in a rowLi Ying / Xinhua News / Profimedia / Flashscore

It was a busy weekend of football ahead of the October international break, with several interesting storylines catching the eye. As usual, here are our Winners and Losers from the past few days.

Winner: The Kluivert family

Football families are nothing out of the ordinary in the world's most popular sport. Surnames like the Maldinis, Schmeichels and Thurams have been around for generations.

Another family that are developing quite the reputation are the Kluiverts, with the three sons of legendary striker Patrick Kluivert all making a positive impression over the past few days.

The goalscoring genes certainly run in the family, as his sons scored goals for three different clubs on three consecutive days.

The streak was started by the youngest - 18-year-old winger Shane, who curled a shot into the net from outside the box in Wednesday's UEFA Youth Champions League match and contributed to Barcelona's 2-1 win over PSG.

24-year-old Ruben, who plays as a defender for Lyon, also scored a day later. His header sealed a 2-0 win over Salzburg in the Europa League. Justin, two years older, completed the family hat-trick with a beautiful shot from distance to help Bournemouth to a 3-1 win over Fulham in the Premier League on Friday.

"Proud dad," Patrick commented on Instagram on his sons' admirable feat. The former Oranje international is currently serving as Indonesia's national coach.

Loser: Hellas Verona

The historic city of Verona is experiencing a tough period in the footballing world, with Chievo languishing in the fourth tier after going bankrupt, while Hellas are on course to spend the Serie A season fighting to stay among the elite.

Friday's loss to Sassuolo should be a huge warning to those in charge, as they occupy 18th position with three points from three draws.

They have yet to win a league game this season and are plagued by a particularly toothless attack. In six matches, Hellas players have only managed to find the net twice. 

Winner: Valentin Mihaila

In the eighth round of the Turkish top flight, Rizespor's Mihaila made his presence known by shooting from the centre circle and his attempt sailed into the Antalyaspor net. The striker came onto the pitch in the second half and managed to pull off such a feat in stoppage time, sealing the final result and his team's 5-2 victory.

Julian Cuesta, the goalkeeper of the home team, will not want to watch it back. The 34-year-old Spaniard underestimated the situation and let the ball run into the net comfortably. Mihaila celebrated his first-ever goal in a Turkish team's jersey after his summer transfer from Parma in a really unconventional way.

Loser: Liverpool

The English champions are in a bit of a crisis, something they certainly haven't been used to in recent years, after all, three losses in a row says it all.

Last week's defeat to Crystal Palace kicked everything off, then Arne Slot's men couldn't keep up with Galatasaray in the Champions League, and Saturday's Premier League showpiece at Chelsea didn't go well for them either.

Liverpool are currently suffering mainly from the fact that key players from last season like Mohamed Salah are not in the best form.

Furthermore, expensive reinforcements Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Milos Kerkez have not yet settled into the new team and will still need time to acclimatise. The Reds have now been overtaken by Arsenal, who are one point ahead.

Top of the Premier League table
Top of the Premier League tableFlashscore

Winner: Manchester United

Ranking the Red Devils among the winners has seemed incredibly rare in recent times, but much-criticised coach Ruben Amorim and his charges recorded a hugely important victory at Old Trafford on Saturday. 

Although they were facing a newly promoted side, Sunderland are tricky opponents, and before their encounter, they sat fifth in the Premier League table.

United recorded their third win of the season, the first with a clean sheet, and it is this result that can give Amorim's squad a kickstart. Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens had a successful debut, while Mason Mount, the scorer of the first goal, could also regain his confidence, scoring for the first time since April.

Big-money signing Benjamin Sesko also scored for the second match in a row.

Loser: Barcelona

The Catalan giants are experiencing something similar to Liverpool, losing two games in a row. While the defeat to star-studded PSG in the Champions League didn't stir up that much criticism, the 4-1 drubbing at Sevilla in Sunday's LaLiga clash did.

The experienced Alexis Sanchez opened the scoring from the spot and Romero increased his team's lead in the 36th minute. Barcelona managed to reduce the deficit at the end of the first half thanks to a goal by Rashford.

The Englishman has been involved in seven goals in 10 games for the Catalans in all competitions (three goals and four assists), more than any other player for the club this season.

The visitors could have equalised in the 76th minute, but forward Robert Lewandowski missed the chance from the penalty spot.

The Pole has now missed three of the 10 penalties he has taken in LaLiga - only Iago Aspas and Vedat Muriqi (four) have failed to convert more in the competition since the 2022/23 season.

Sevilla secured the three points late on after goals from Carmona and Adams. The Blaugranas have lost two games in a row for only the second time under coach Hansi Flick, the last time in December 2024. This leaves them two points behind leaders Real Madrid in the table.