Chelsea were declared the "autumn champions" by coach Jose Mourinho as they maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 2-1 win at Anfield on Saturday that kept them four points clear of Southampton at the top of the Premier League.
Barcelona continued their rampant run of domestic form to beat Osasuna 2-0 away from home on Saturday and move to within two points of La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid, with Lionel Messi setting up goals scored by Jordi Alba and teenager Ilaix Moriba.
'It's just a big job to do. We wanted to go as far as possible so it was clear at one stage we would face the best teams in the world. City are a special team, one of the best, if not the best team in Europe and they are deserved champions of the Premier League. But it's not about yesterday, it's about tomorrow'
Arsenal delivered a brutal lesson in fast-paced Premier League football to beat Liverpool 4-1 on Saturday, maintaining their faint title aspirations and almost certainly dashing their opponents' hopes of a top-four finish.
Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick as Barcelona clinched a 25th La Liga title on Sunday after winning 4-2 at Deportivo La Coruna despite throwing away a two-goal lead in a thrilling game which also confirmed Depor's relegation.
Juventus raced into a 2-0 halftime lead after Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret was sent off in the 25th minute. The visitors then had Pjanic dismissed and Napoli's Jose Callejon pulled one back before Insigne let the Turin side off the hook.
Real Madrid are on the verge of reaching the King's Cup quarter-finals after winning 3-0 at Numancia on Thursday while holders Barcelona still have work to do after being held to a 1-1 draw at Celta Vigo.
Liverpool suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, handing manager Juergen Klopp a third home defeat in a row.
The host nation's bulging euphoria over France's Euro 2016 semi-final qualification is added motivation for Germany as they prepare to face them on Thursday, coach Joachim Loew said on Monday. The Germans, who will need to shuffle their lineup due to injuries to Sami Khedira and Mario Gomez and the suspension of defender Mats Hummels, are preparing to face a team brimming with confidence. "Such games are just great," Loew, who led Germany to the 2014 World Cup title in Brazil, told reporters.
Germany must come out firing from the first minute when they meet Northern Ireland on Tuesday or they could risk giving the underdogs the confidence to spring a surprise in their final Euro 2016 group game, centre back Mats Hummels said.
Chelsea need to improve a lot before they could be considered Premier League title contenders, manager Antonio Conte has said after his resurgent side beat Southampton 2-0 on Sunday.
Juergen Klopp returns to the scene of one his Liverpool side's most controversial victories of last season this Saturday with the man who fashioned it lining up against him.
Liverpool were on the end of the biggest sensation of the English Premier League season when bottom club Swansea City repelled a dramatic comeback from Juergen Klopp's title chasers to earn their first-ever league win at Anfield.
These and many more stunning photographs are encapsulated in this weekly, striking photo feature put together by Rediiff.com.
France are favourites in the Euro 2016 semi-final against injury-hit Germany but the world champions' absences will not affect their game, with a string of youngsters ready to step up, team manager Oliver Bierhoff said on Tuesday.
Christian Benteke condemned struggling Sunderland to a 1-0 defeat and sent Liverpool level on points with sixth-placed Manchester United in the last Premier League game of the year on Wednesday.
Italy striker Mario Balotelli has joined Liverpool from AC Milan on a "long-term" deal, the Premier League club said on Monday.
Germany coach Joachim Loew has named four talented youngsters, including three uncapped players, in his preliminary 27-man squad for Euro 2016.
IMAGES from football matches played in the Spain, Germany and Portugal on Wednesday.
Germany overcame an early red card to Emre Can and eventually eased to a 3-0 victory away to Estonia on Sunday in a Euro 2020 qualifier to go joint-top of Group C.
After falling 2-0 down on the night, substitute Marcos Llorente struck twice in extra-time and Alvaro Morata added a late third to ensure a famous victory for Diego Simeone's side against a Liverpool team unbeaten in their last 25 home games in European competition.
Liverpool were beaten 1-0 away to Atletico Madrid in their last-16 first leg on Tuesday.
Germany coach Joachim Loew has been forced to make changes to his team for Thursday's semi-final against hosts France at Euro 2016 because of injuries and a suspension, including replacing key goalscorer Mario Gomez.
The result also means second-placed Real Sociedad can reclaim top spot if they beat Eibar on Sunday.
Mohamed Salah was inevitably on the scoresheet as Liverpool took full advantage of the inactivity of their top-four rivals to thrash West Ham United 4-1 at Anfield and provisionally move into second in the Premier League.
Liverpool scored three goals in 12 dramatic first-half minutes, two of them from Emre Can, on their way to a hugely entertaining 4-2 win over Hoffenheim which took them back to the Champions League group stage after a two-season absence on Wednesday.
Arsenal scored twice in the opening seven minutes and ended the match as a contest with a third in the 19th as they crushed Manchester United 3-0 to move above them into second place in the Premier League at the Emirates on Sunday.
'We were looking at making a positive change -- so Coutinho was going to come off and we were going to put Danny Ings on. I'm glad I kept him on'
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 750th goal of his remarkable career in a 3-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday
One of the most eagerly-awaited clashes of the Premier League season turned into a major letdown as Liverpool and Manchester United nullified each other in a largely undistinguished goalless draw at Anfield on Monday.
A game that had been meandering along amid much mediocrity came to life on the stroke of halftime when Can's extraordinary overhead scissors kick from Lucas's chipped through ball rocketed into the top corner.
Liverpool's half-baked pre-season transfer dealings have come back to bite them with Brendan Rodgers admitting his side have lacked the quality to finish in the Premier League's top four.
Liverpool's half-baked pre-season transfer dealings have come back to bite them with Brendan Rodgers admitting his side have lacked the quality to finish in the Premier League's top four.
Manchester City's all-conquering season reached new peaks as Sergio Aguero became the club's all-time top scorer with a decisive goal in a thrilling 4-2 victory at Napoli that put them into the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday.
Juergen Klopp's reign as Liverpool manager began with a few points made but only one gained from an exciting, end-to-end 0-0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on Saturday.
Danny Welbeck, making his first appearance of the season as a late substitute, headed a stoppage-time winner to give Arsenal a 2-1 home win over league leaders Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday.
Liverpool ended their topsy-turvy 2014 on a high after two goals from Adam Lallana, one excellent and one freakish, helped inspire their 4-1 trouncing of Swansea on Monday in the last Premier League game of the year.
Portugal rested Cristiano Ronaldo and still overcame new-look Italy 1-0 in their opening Nations League match on Monday, giving visiting coach Roberto Mancini plenty to think about. Forward Andre Silva scored three minutes after halftime in the League A Group 3 game to give the Portuguese their first win over Italy in a competitive match since 1957.
Liverpool ran riot to reach the League Cup semi-finals with a 6-1 thrashing of Southampton on Wednesday in which Divock Origi grabbed a hat-trick and Daniel Sturridge scored twice as the Juergen Klopp juggernaut rolled on.
La Liga leaders Barcelona handed Real Madrid more hope in the title race as they drew 0-0 at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, only avoiding defeat thanks to some outstanding saves by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
