Saturday evening witnessed a dramatic twist in European football as some of the elite clubs suffered heavy defeats at the hands of league opponents often regarded as underdogs, in a goal-filled weekend across both the English Premier League and La Liga.
In the early kickoff, Brentford handed Ruben Amorim’s side yet another humiliating loss, hitting three past the Old Trafford outfit in a 3-1 victory. The result placed Amorim’s job at Manchester United in serious doubt, with the club now sinking deeper into the bottom half of the table. It also marked the worst start to a season in United’s history. Analysts have been quick to criticise Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation, which has failed to deliver, leaving the Ineos-owned club facing growing pressure to reconsider its coaching setup.
Things were no better for Liverpool. Crystal Palace inflicted the Reds’ first defeat of the season with two late goals, including Eddie Nketiah’s rifled strike in stoppage time. The 2-1 loss at Anfield dented Arne Slot’s winning momentum and knocked Liverpool off the top of the table, though they still hold a healthy lead of 15 points after six games.
Chelsea’s troubles deepened as well. After going a man down last weekend at Old Trafford, they again found themselves reduced to ten men when Trevoh Chalobah was sent off. Brighton capitalised on the advantage to seal a 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge. The defeat means Chelsea have now gone three matches in all competitions without a point, and remain with a mere a single point in the league, out of a possible 9.
Across the borders in Spain, the drama continued as Real Madrid were thumped in the Madrid derby. Atlético Madrid tore through the Bernabéu side with a resounding 5-2 victory. The result marked Xabi Alonso’s first defeat in charge of Real and highlighted serious vulnerabilities in their defence.
It was a weekend that reminded football fans once again that in today’s game, no giant is safe from a hungry underdog.
