Weekend review: Europa League hopes keeping Ange in Spurs job

Another weekend, another defeat for Tottenham Hotspur. How much longer will Ange Postecoglou remain in charge of the north London club?

The title race in LaLiga isn't quite over yet, as Real Madrid showcased some grit to eke out a narrow win on Sunday.

And in the Bundesliga, Saturday marked the 137th league edition of Der Klassiker, but it wasn't an occasion that either Bayern Munich nor Borussia Dortmund will remember particularly fondly.

All that and more in this edition of Weekend Review as Julien Laurens, Alex Kirkland and Constantin Eckner look across Europe for the big takeaways and highlights from the weekend.

Premier League

Top takeaway: Europa League hope keeping Ange in Spurs job

Of course, there is still the UEFA Europa League quarterfinal second leg at Eintracht Frankfurt to come on, but Postecoglou's second season in charge of Tottenham is turning into an absolute nightmare. He and his players embarrassed themselves and humiliated the club and their fans in their 17th league defeat of the season, falling 4-2 at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday. It was a pathetic display marred by individual mistakes, clueless management and unacceptable attitudes.

Since April 13, 2024, one calendar year ago, Spurs have lost 22 Premier League games -- more than anyone else among the teams present in these two seasons.

While there's no doubt that the north London club endured an injury crisis earlier in the campaign, Postecoglou can't even blame his side's malaise on that anymore as all his players are now fit. He's continually messing up his teams and his substitutions, getting his game plans wrong. The players have lost faith in him, the fans too, and the club is already looking for who will come next.

Only the Europa League is keeping him in the job, but that could change as soon as Thursday.

Best match: Man City 5-2 Crystal Palace

Manchester City are not what they used to be and neither is Kevin De Bruyne, but there is still a bit of life and genius in the old Premier League champions and in their soon-to-be former playmaker. From 2-0 down at home, City rallied to a superb 5-2 victory featuring five different goal scorers, with De Bruyne at the heart of everything. It was just like the good ol' days.

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Would a Champions League spot and FA Cup win 'save' Man City's season?

Janusz Michalik takes a closer look at Manchester City's run-in and discusses whether or not we will see them playing in the Champions League next season.

Best goal: Jadon Sancho vs. Ipswich Town

Despite an encouraging start to his loan spell at Chelsea, Sancho is not having a good season. Before Sunday, the last time he scored himself was Dec. 8 -- a drought that lasted 21 games. His wonderful curler into the top corner was worth the wait, salvaging a draw and a vital point for Chelsea in their desperate and precarious quest to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League.

MVP (and LVP) of the weekend: Joao Pedro, Brighton & Hove Albion (Marco Asensio, Aston Villa)

For this week, and this week only, let's adjust this category slightly and name our MVP and our LVP (least valuable player) as they are linked. Pedro scored two penalties in Brighton's 2-2 draw with Leicester City, one to his right and one to his left, while Asensio missed two in Villa's 3-0 win over Southampton, hitting them both to his right and into the clutches of Aaron Ramsdale. -- Laurens

LaLiga

Top takeaway: Madrid overcome Mbappé red to stay in title race

Kylian Mbappé's red card against Alavés was inexplicable. The forward's challenge on midfielder Antonio Blanco was wild, reckless -- jumping into the tackle, studs first, and connecting well up Blanco's shin -- and was only ever going to result in a sending off. Blanco was lucky to avoid serious injury. Coach Davide Ancelotti, standing in for his suspended father Carlo, blamed "all the little fouls" Mbappé had suffered until that 38th-minute dismissal, but there was no excusing the unforgivable.

Fortunately for Mbappé, Madrid were already 1-0 up, thanks to a gorgeous long-range strike from Eduardo Camavinga. Then, midway through the second half, Alavés' Manu Sánchez was sent off to level the playing field. Madrid got the 1-0 win, ensuring they remain four points behind leaders Barcelona, who had beaten Leganés by the same scoreline on Saturday. The only question now is how many games Mbappé will miss through suspension.

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Burley slams Mbappe for 'disgraceful' red card challenge

Craig Burley expects Kylian Mbappe to face severe punishment for the challenge that earned him a red card in Real Madrid's win vs. Alaves.

The referee's report stated that his challenge came "while disputing the ball." That means a ban of between one and three games, according to RFEF regulations. The punishment would only apply to competitions other than LaLiga -- for example, Madrid's Copa del Rey final against Barcelona on April 26 -- if it extended to four matches or more, so Mbappé's involvement in the cup final shouldn't be in doubt.

Nonetheless, it's a blow to Madrid's title aspirations to be without their star forward for upcoming league games against two awkward opponents, Athletic Club and Getafe.

Best match: Betis 1-2 Villarreal

Real Betis vs. Villarreal pitted two teams battling for fifth place against each other and, with a fifth-placed finish now almost guaranteed to mean Champions League qualification, that made for high stakes. Visitors Villarreal came out on top, thanks to a stunning winner from Ayoze Pérez, a Betis player until last season. Villarreal signed him for just €4 million, and his goals -- now 13 in LaLiga -- look likely to fire them into Europe's top competition.

Best goal: Oli McBurnie at Getafe

All three of Las Palmas' goals in their 3-1 win at Getafe were special -- either of Fábio Silva's strikes could have been a goal-of-the-weekend contender -- but McBurnie's third, in the 61st minute, was pick of the bunch, the 28-year-old former Scotland international applying the finishing touch to a flowing, passing move.

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Oliver McBurnie gets on the scoresheet for Las Palmas

Oliver McBurnie gets on the scoresheet for Las Palmas

MVP of the weekend: Javi Guerra, Valencia

Friday night's Valencia vs. Sevilla fixture was a clash of two great clubs, fallen on hard times. Valencia's 1-0 win took them one step closer to survival -- they're now eight points above the relegation zone -- and confirmed the fate of Sevilla coach Francisco Javier Garcia Pimienta, who was later fired. The key man for Valencia: all-action midfielder Guerra, who starred throughout, and scored the game's only goal with a cool, difficult finish seconds before half-time. -- Kirkland

Bundesliga

Top takeaway: Klassiker eases Champions League heartache

Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund met for the 137th time on Saturday, and even though the two powerhouses of German football are worlds apart in the standings, the game still created plenty of excitement.

Fans wanted to see how both would bounce back from their respective losses in the Champions League quarterfinals a few days earlier, and it was initially Bayern who looked motivated by the midweek defeat as Dortmund settled in a defensive role just as they did at Barcelona on Wednesday. This time, though, they seemed willing to be the reactive side.

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Moreno: Dortmund exposed Bayern's defensive vulnerabilities

Alejandro Moreno breaks down Bayern Munich's defensive weaknesses as Dortmund come from behind to earn 2-2 draw.

For a while it looked like Bayern could dispose of their arch-rivals quite easily, but Vincent Kompany's side was wasteful with their chances and thus invited Dortmund to strike first shortly after the interval. Raphaël Guerreiro and Serge Gnabry turned the scoreline with two goals, yet Bayern were not able to avoid another setback, as Waldemar Anton scored following a corner kick and an artistic move by Serhou Guirassy.

After Bayer Leverkusen could only manage a draw with Union Berlin earlier on Saturday, Bayern had the chance to pull away in the standings and essentially seal their 34th German championship win. After the Klassiker ended in a 2-2 draw, the gap between the top two teams in the Bundesliga remains six points, which leaves the door a tad open for Leverkusen to keep the title race alive until the end of the season.

As for Dortmund, they have to look at the result as a small success, yet their chances of qualifying for next year's Champions League become slimmer and slimmer. It's not unusual that they have one of their better showings of a season against Bayern, but the fact that this Klassiker was not part of a championship battle between the two teams is particularly damning for BVB.

Best match: VfL Wolfsburg 2-3 RB Leipzig

These two opened the matchday on Friday, with Leipzig's attack running roughshod over Wolfsburg in the first 50 or so minutes. It looked like a comfortable win for interim manager Zsolt Lőw, only for Wolfsburg to get back into the game with two goals, but eventually the Volkswagen-backed club suffered their fourth consecutive loss.

Best goal: Waldemar Anton at Bayern Munich

Yes, Anton scored the goal, but what made it so spectacular was Guirassy's ability to defend the ball from Eric Dier following a corner kick. He shielded the ball with his back to Dier and the goal, before then launching a shot that goalkeeper Jonas Urbig managed to repel, only for Anton to sweep in the rebound.

MVP of the weekend: Xavi Simons, RB Leipzig

Not only did the Netherlands midfielder score twice against Wolfsburg, but he also creaated a lot of chances for his team. "He has taken a huge step; his performance was absolutely perfect today," Lőw said. The only thing Simons should have avoided was getting booked for complaining, which means he is suspended for Leipzig's next game. -- Eckner

What else you missed this weekend

Championship promotion races takes another unexpected turn

Only a week ago, it looked like Leeds United would lose out on the two top spots that grant automatic promotion to the Premier League, as they were held to their third consecutive draw. With two wins over Middlesbrough and Preston North End in the span of five days, though, Leeds are suddenly back on top of the Championship. They beat Preston 2-1 at home on Saturday in a one-sided game in which all three goals were scored within the opening quarter of an hour. It has helped Leeds that manager Daniel Farke recently decided to replace error-prone goalkeeper Illan Meslier with Wales international Karl Darlow.

Meanwhile, Sheffield United, previously top of the table, have lost three in a row, including a 2-1 loss at Plymouth Argyle, the last-placed team, on Saturday. Only a few weeks ago, Chris Wilder's team seemed a safe bet for one of the two promotion spots, but after all, it might actually be Leeds and Burnley getting directly promoted and Sheffield, who were deducted two points due to defaulted payments to other clubs two years ago, having to play the promotion playoffs. -- Eckner