A title race is heating up in LaLiga. With Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid both dropping points on the weekend, can Barcelona take advantage to go top of the table in Spain?
In the Premier League, Mikel Merino was the unexpected hero for an Arsenal side continuing to deal with injuries in the attack. Will it be enough for Mikel Arteta's team to continue in a title race?
Meanwhile, in the Bundesliga, Xabi Alonso continues his personal unbeaten streak against Bayern Munich as Bayer Leverkusen's manager. However, the draw means Leverkusen failed to make a dent in the title race as the Bavarian side is now eight points ahead of the defending champions.
Sam Tighe, Alex Kirkland and Constantin Eckner make observations from across Europe to bring you up to speed on what you might have missed this weekend.
English Premier League
Top takeaway: It turns out Arsenal do have another striker
When Arsenal's front three was unveiled ahead of kick-off against Leicester City -- Raheem Sterling on the left, Ethan Nwaneri on the right and Leandro Trossard through the middle -- it truly hammered home the cost of the injuries they've suffered this season. This was, quite literally, the B team.
No Bukayo Saka, no Gabriel Martinelli and no Kai Havertz. The result? A stunted, weak attacking effort that one of the Premier League's worst defensive units held at bay with ease. Except for Nwaneri, it fell flat in every way; the Gunners managed just one shot on target in the first half.
With the scoreline still locked at 0-0 entering the 70th minute, Mikel Arteta tried something: he chucked midfielder Mikel Merino up front and asked him to cause some chaos -- and chaos he did cause. Suddenly, Arsenal had someone to cross to, so Nwaneri's next Saka-esque cross found Merino's head, and the Spaniard's glancing nod found the back of the net.
Janusz Michallik questions whether Mikel Merino can solve Arsenal's striker problem after scoring twice as a substitute vs. Leicester.
Not long after, he grabbed a second, finishing off a counterattacking move that saw Trossard escape down his preferred left flank and flash a low cross to the far post before Merino tidied up to hand Arsenal a 2-0 win.
Merino's postmatch interview suggested he considered his afternoon's work a bit of a one-off, but he was so effective as the No. 9 that Arsenal might have no choice but to play him there again next week.
Best match: Tottenham 1-0 Manchester United
This was teed up as a bit of a crisis derby -- Spurs hadn't won at home in the league for over 100 days, while United had never been as low as 14th in the table at this stage of the season -- and it certainly delivered.
It was 90 minutes of end-to-end attacking football, uncertain defending and desperate goalkeeping. Only one goal was produced, but the two teams shared 38 shots and what seemed like about 15 "nearly" moments as the managers looked on in angst.
Best goal: Kaoru Mitoma vs. Chelsea
This goal was so good, Brighton & Hove Albion put out a video showcasing it from every conceivable angle. It's over four minutes long and worth every second of your time.
The Japanese winger runs in behind Chelsea's defence and pulls a long kick from the goalkeeper out of the sky with a perfect touch, then cuts inside the defender and buries a finish from 20 yards. It's art.
Unbelievable control from Kaoru before a fantastic finish... 🤩💫 @MonsterEnergy ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/go2RSNZge3
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) February 15, 2025
MVP of the weekend: Omar Marmoush, Manchester City
Among stiff competition from Arsenal's Merino and Ipswich Town's Premier League debutant Alex Palmer, Man City's new Egyptian signing takes the prize following his irresistible first-half hat trick against Newcastle United.
His first goal was the pick of the bunch, timing a run in behind the defence and then instinctively lobbing the onrushing goalkeeper. He was then somehow able to find a remarkable amount of space in among one of the league's best midfield trios to score a couple more. -- Tighe
Pep Guardiola says he knew Omar Marmoush would come good after his hat trick vs. Newcastle.
LaLiga
Top takeaway: More dropped points for Madrid, Atlético to give Barça hope
Three games without a win for Real Madrid. One win in five for Atlético Madrid. Saturday's latest draws for LaLiga's top two -- Real held 1-1 at Osasuna, Atlético finishing 1-1 with Celta Vigo -- suggested once again that there's plenty of life left in the title race, with third-placed Barcelona hosting Rayo Vallecano on Monday.
Real Madrid began well at El Sadar, going up 1-0 through Kylian Mbappé, but that good start was derailed by Jude Bellingham getting sent off in the 39th minute. The midfielder blamed a "miscommunication" with referee José Munuera Montero. "I'm talking to you with respect," Bellingham told the official, before expressing his frustration as he turned away saying, "F--k off." Munuera's report said that Bellingham had said "F--k you" and that a red card was shown for the insult.
"It's clear that [Munuera] made a mistake," Bellingham told the media, doing his best to ensure an ensuing ban is as brief as possible. "The video doesn't match the [referee's] report. I hope the footage will be reviewed."
In the short term, Bellingham's absence saw Madrid drop two precious points, Osasuna's Ante Budimir equalizing with a penalty. But in the very next game, Atlético weren't able to capitalize. Hampered by Pablo Barrios' early red card, they went behind to Iago Aspas' penalty and needed super-sub Alexander Sørloth -- who had been on the pitch for only two minutes -- to level.
The result: Real Madrid top on 51 points; Atlético second on 50; and Barça on 48, with a game in hand.
Best match: Leganés 3-3 Alavés
Saturday's game between relegation-battling Leganés and Alavés didn't look like an instant classic. But it more than delivered with six goals -- including three penalties -- a stunner from Joan Jordán, and an 88th-minute equalizer from Munir El Haddadi, who was then sent off in added time. Alavés stay in the bottom three, with Leganés going two points clear.
Best goal: Pape Gueye vs. Valencia
Saturday's derby between Villarreal and Valencia was illuminated by Gueye's fabulous opening goal, a team move that began with Nicolas Pépé and Pau Navarro exchanging passes on the right, before Pépé gave the ball to Gueye just outside the box. A one-two with Yeremy Pino followed, before Gueye, on the run, thrashed an unstoppable shot past goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
MVP of the weekend: Juanlu, Sevilla
Sevilla's previous two games were a dull 0-0 draw at Getafe and a 4-1 defeat to Barcelona. So they badly needed Sunday's 4-0 win at Real Valladolid, a result that was inspired by 21-year-old academy product Juanlu Sánchez and that leaves Sevilla eyeing the European places. Juanlu scored early, hit the post, played a part in Isaac Romero's second goal, and then added a lovely third. "He's incredible," coach Garcia Pimienta said. -- Kirkland
Bundesliga
Top takeaway: Bayern celebrate their 125th birthday with a comfortable lead
Bayern Munich will turn 125 on Feb. 27. The anniversary of the club's inception will be celebrated with all the bells and whistles one can imagine. Following the goalless draw with Bayer Leverkusen -- Bayern's only serious competitor this season -- it is already clear that Vincent Kompany's side will lead the Bundesliga standings at the time of the festivities, as they are eight points clear of the Werkself.
Going into Saturday's top-of-the-table game, Leverkusen had been on a record five-game unbeaten run against Bayern. The draw means that Bayern have yet to beat Xabi Alonso's Leverkusen, and given that that Alonso might leave after the season, the 43-year-old could escape unscathed from duels with the record German champions. Obviously, the Spaniard would have preferred to defend their Bundesliga title, but chances of a remarkable comeback in the second half of the season have decreased significantly after Saturday's draw.
Fascinatingly, Leverkusen dominated after an evenly matched first 10 minutes, suffocating Bayern completely at times. We hadn't seen anything like it since Bayern's 4-1 loss to Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League earlier this season. And even in the game against one of LaLiga's top sides, Bayern were occasionally able to push back. Leverkusen, however, controlled the ball and the pace of the air, creating 16 shots.
Alonso's idea of using the two attacking midfielders, Florian Wirtz and Nathan Tella, up front worked perfectly because both pulled defenders away from the offside line by dropping back or towards the wing, thereby destabilising Bayern's defensive structure. Meanwhile, Kompany's team created only two attempts, worth 0.14 xG (expected goals), according to Bundesliga.com. Bayern got away, but it was close.
Best match: Union Berlin 1-2 Borussia Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach have been on the rise lately, with their win at Alte Försterei getting them closer to the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League spots. That the Foals would establish themselves in the upper half of the table couldn't have been predicted only a few months ago.
Berlin-born Lukas Ullrich opened the scoring against Union Berlin, and German international Tim Kleindienst made it 2-0 before the interval. Union Berlin pushed hard to get back into the game following the break, but they were able to score only once from the penalty spot.
Best goal: Nick Woltemade vs. Wolfsburg
It took Stuttgart over 70 minutes to break the deadlock against Wolfsburg. A few moments after Woltemade came on for Deniz Undav, the surprisingly technical tall striker scored the goal of the weekend.
The 23-year-old made a brilliant run towards the penalty area, where he weaved his way past multiple Wolfsburg defenders and then found the bottom corner with a precise strike. It was not enough for Stuttgart, though, because Sebastian Hoeneß's side conceded two goals in the aftermath.
Nick Woltemade scores a stunning solo goal within a minute of coming on as a substitute for Stuttgart vs. Wolfsburg.
MVP of the weekend: Georgios Masouras, Bochum
Some might say, "Who?" when hearing of Masouras, and that is completely understandable considering the former Olympiacos winger has yet to full establish himself in European football. Before going on loan to Bochum at the end of the January transfer window, Masouras had played his entire career in his native Greece, including 5½ years for Olympiacos.
At 31, he wanted to try something else and help Bochum to avoid relegation. He certainly did his part in Bochum's stunning 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund, as Masouras scored both goals within two minutes in the first half. -- Eckner
What else you missed this weekend
Santiago Giménez's hot start at Milan
Giménez has enjoyed a fantastic start to life in Serie A following his €32 million move from Feyenoord to AC Milan on January's transfer deadline day. He has netted two in two, easing the pressure such a big move creates, and leading his team to six points against Empoli and Hellas Verona.
His goal on Saturday was genuinely wonderful, finishing off a flowing team move with a poacher's finish from close range. In the buildup, Rafael Leão produced an acrobatic, flicked assist, and there's no doubt manager Sérgio Conceição will be thrilled with how his star winger and his new striker are already pairing up.
Milan face an uphill task to qualify for the Champions League again in 2025 -- the gap to fourth is five points -- but if Giménez continues in this vein of form, a late surge up the table could be on. -- Tighe
Ajax extend their lead in the Eredivisie
Going into Matchday 23, PSV Eindhoven were on quite a downslide, having won only one out of their past five league games. It put the club from Eindhoven and Ajax on par in terms of points, though Ajax had one more game remaining and were back atop the Eredivisie standings for the first time since November 2022.
PSV failed to keep pace with Ajax with a win on Saturday, as Peter Bosz's side managed only a 2-2 draw with Utrecht at home. The Boeren secured a point thanks to a stoppage-time goal by 19-year-old Isaac Babadi, but the trend seems to continue. This allowed Ajax -- a club that had been in disarray last season -- to retake the lead on Sunday by beating 15th-placed Heracles. And Francesco Farioli's players delivered as expected, winning 4-0 at Johan Cruyff Arena.
The dry spell for the history-rich club from Amsterdam has ended. It had been the fourth-longest period without being on top of the league during which Ajax saw five coaches leading the team before former Nice boss Farioli, the first Italian to manage Ajax and first foreign manager since 1999, finally brought back success. -- Eckner