Dani Carvajal’s 78th-minute header rescued a point for Real Madrid at Sevilla and ensured they will travel to Barcelona next weekend as LaLiga leaders.
Madrid prepared for the first ‘El Clasico’ of the season with a battling 1-1 draw at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan where Carlo Ancelotti’s side were on course for a second loss of the campaign when David Alaba put through his own net.
Carvajal levelled with a pinpoint header from Toni Kroos’ free-kick before ex-Madrid captain Sergio Ramos squandered an excellent chance in stoppage time to earn new Sevilla head coach Diego Alonso victory in his maiden match in charge.
The 1-1 draw moves Madrid onto 25 points ahead of Girona and Barcelona playing their respective fixtures on Sunday, but both of their nearest challengers are unable to move above the Bernabeu outfit ahead of next weekend’s clash at the Olympic Stadium in Catalonia.
Madrid were left frustrated, though, after they had two early goals disallowed, with in-form Jude Bellingham denied after referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea halted play to check on Sevilla’s Lucas Ocampos, who had a back injury, while the visitors were on a counter-attack.
Atletico Madrid temporarily moved up to second in the table after Antoine Griezmann hit a hat-trick at Celta Vigo.
Home goalkeeper Ivan Villar was sent off after 25 minutes for giving away a penalty but former Crystal Palace stopper Vicente Guaita was unable to thwart Griezmann from 12 yards.
Griezmann would go on to score twice more in the second half to complete his treble and pile the pressure on Celta boss Rafael Benitez.
Real Sociedad edged out visiting Mallorca after Brais Mendez grabbed the only goal of the game in the 64th minute at Reale Arena.
The points were shared at Estadio Coliseum after Marc Roca’s first-minute opener for Real Betis was cancelled out by Borja Mayoral’s header for hosts Getafe.
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In Serie A, Lautaro Martinez struck his 12th goal of the season to send Inter Milan back to the summit with a 3-0 win at Torino.
After a goalless first half, Marcus Thuram broke the deadlock in the 59th minute before Martinez and Hakan Calhanoglu, via the penalty spot, added further goals for Simone Inzaghi’s side.
Napoli secured a 3-1 victory on the road at Verona thanks to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s double to ease the pressure on Rudi Garcia.
Meanwhile, first-half efforts by Felipe Anderson and Luis Alberto earned Lazio all three points with a 2-0 triumph away to Sassuolo.
In France, Kylian Mbappe’s early penalty sent Paris St Germain on their way to a 3-0 win over Strasbourg.
A 10th-minute spot-kick from Mbappe got the ball rolling for PSG before Carlos Soler and Fabian Ruiz also netted in a routine success that saw them leapfrog Monaco at the top of Ligue 1.
Evann Guessand’s 79th-minute header secured Nice a 1-0 win and bragging rights over Marseille.
Harry Kane continued his excellent form with another goal in Bayern Munich’s 3-1 victory at Mainz, but Bayer Leverkusen remain Bundesliga leaders following a hard-fought triumph over Wolfsburg.
Kingsley Coman and Kane netted in the opening 16 minutes at MEWA Arena before Anthony Caci reduced the deficit before half-time for Mainz.
Leon Goretzka wrapped up the points before the hour mark to help Thomas Tuchel’s men extend their unbeaten start to eight matches.
Leverkusen top the table after they took their points tally to 22 out of a possible 24 thanks to Alex Grimaldo’s 62nd-minute strike in a 2-1 win at Wolfsburg.
Stuttgart are second after an impressive 3-0 victory at Union Berlin while RB Leipzig are fifth after Lois Openda’s brace inspired a 3-1 triumph over Darmstadt.
Elsewhere, Freiburg beat Bochum 2-1 and Frankfurt clinched a 3-1 win at Hoffenheim.
Atletico and Sociedad reach agreement over Le Normand transfer
Atletico Madrid have "reached an agreement" with Real Sociedad over the signing of Robin Le Normand.
The Spain defender, who was part of the side that won Euro 2024, will finalise his move to Atleti "in the coming days" for a fee believed to be in the region of €34.5million.
French-born Le Normand started his career with Brest before spending eight years with Txuri-Urdin, for whom he made 221 senior appearances across all competitions, while winning the 2019-20 Copa del Rey.
The 27-year-old is fresh from international success in Germany, where he played in six of Spain's seven matches, while he also helped La Roja win the Nations League last year.
A statement on Atletico's official website read: "Atletico and Sociedad have reached an agreement for the transfer of Le Normand. The deal will be finalised in the coming days when the player returns from his holiday.
Meanwhile, Sociedad wrote on X: "We'll always remember his dedication and gratitude to the colours that have shaped him into the player he is today. Good luck."
Guardiola 'cannot imagine' Man City's Premier League success without Ederson
Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City's Premier League dominance in recent seasons would not have been possible without Ederson.
The Brazil goalkeeper's future at the Etihad Stadium is uncertain, amid speculation linking him with a move to Saudi Arabia.
Ederson has been an integral figure for City since his arrival from Benfica in 2017, with 112 clean sheets in 250 Premier League appearances under Guardiola, while recording a save percentage of 68.17.
The 30-year-old conceded just 26 goals last season as the Citizens won an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title - and their sixth since he joined the club.
Ederson's distribution has also been crucial to City's success, notably completing 942 of his 1,097 passes last term (85.87%).
"I wish from the bottom of my heart Eddie will continue with us," Guardiola said. "I would love him to stay.
"I cannot imagine our processes succeeding these last seasons without him. He is an important figure in the locker room."
Ederson could feature for City on Saturday when they continue their pre-season tour of the United States against Paulo Fonseca's Milan at the Yankee Stadium.
Ten Hag targets further transfers as Man Utd prioritise squad depth
Erik ten Hag wants more transfer activity ahead of his third season in charge of Manchester United, saying the Red Devils must work to replicate their rivals' strength in depth.
Ten Hag signed a new contract after overseeing United's FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in May, having previously been expected to depart.
Ahead of their first full season under the Jim Ratcliffe regime, United have spent an estimated £88million to acquire forward Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna and centre-back Leny Yoro from Lille.
But after United suffered more injuries causing a player to miss at least one match (45) than any other Premier League team last term, Ten Hag believes more is required.
"I want the squad as strong as possible," Ten Hag told reporters at a press conference ahead of Saturday's friendly versus Arsenal.
"We already made two very good buys, so when everyone is fit we have a team that can beat everyone.
"But also in squad depth, we have to catch up. We know that because when we had injuries, we were vulnerable, and we have to avoid this.
"First, by picking up fewer injuries. And second, our squad has to be that good in depth.
"Of course, we have the quality, but in the depth we have to catch up even more, because this will be a season that is survival of the fittest.
"We proved we can beat the best team. Not just once, we did it twice. Our challenge is to do it consistently, that's what we have to work for."
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