As the final weeks of 2023 come to a close and as we hope to see some more drama and excitement occur into the new year, there is still have some business to get sorted as we wrap up another weekend of the best action across Europe.

On Sunday, Girona sank Barcelona 4-2 in an enthralling game at Olympic Stadium to show that Míchel & Co. are very much in the title race from here, while Manchester City had to fight from behind to get a win at lowly Luton Town. Elsewhere, Arsenal Women downed Chelsea Women in a gripping clash to keep the WSL title race interesting, and how about Everton, eh? Another win for Sean Dyche’s side — this time over Chelsea — keeps them surging up the table in defiance of their 10-point penalty.

On Saturday, Liverpool took top spot in the Premier League, Jude Bellingham scored again as Real Madrid salvaged a point vs. Real Betis, and Eintracht Frankfurt put five past a stunned Bayern Munich.

Here is your look back at all the fun from the weekend.

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SUNDAY REVIEW

The Sunday lead: Girona stun Barcelona, LaLiga with historic win

Girona coach Míchel said his team would move into another dimension if they beat Barcelona on Sunday. Well, they just moved into another dimension. LaLiga’s surprise package went to the Olympic Stadium and won a thrilling game 4-2, jumping ahead of Real Madrid and topping the table by two points after 16 games. It will be hard for Míchel and his players to play down the fact they are very much in the picture for the Spanish title now.

Girona fans made the trip an hour south to fill the away allocation and take up hundreds more seats in the home end, and they were rewarded when Artem Dovbyk gave them an early lead in this Catalan derby. Out-of-sorts forward Robert Lewandowski equalised for Barça in a lively opening spell, but that did not dampen Girona’s spirits. The away side continued to play in the manner that has characterised their rise to the top of the table, keeping the ball well, passing with intent and playing on the front foot. They got their reward when left-back Miguel Gutiérrez fired them into the lead, just minutes after he had fired a warning shot wide of Iñaki Peña’s goal.

Barça tried to rally after the break but most of their shots were straight at Paulo Gazzaniga, and when Raphinha was played through by Frenkie de Jong for a particularly clear-cut chance, he stumbled. Girona remained dangerous with the ball and two of Michel’s substitutes, Cristhian Stuani and Valery, combined to give them a two-goal cushion. Sávio could have added another before Ilkay Gündogan pulled one back for Barça in stoppage time, teeing up an enthralling final few minutes. Lewandowski missed a header he would score nine times out of 10 and then, on the break, Stuani turned home at the far post to seal the points.

Girona’s substitutes tore down the touchline as Stuani jumped the advertising hoardings and sprinted across the running track to celebrate in front of the travelling support. The 37-year-old club legend scored the two goals as they came from behind to beat Valencia last week. This one may even have been even sweeter for all that it meant: a first-ever win over Barça in a Catalan derby, but more importantly, confirmation that Girona are very much in this title race. — Sam Marsden

Sunday talking points around the leagues

Alarm bells are ringing for Manchester City

Man City looked a little different at Kenilworth Road, and not just because they were without Manchester City.

The margins could be argued as fine but it was another case of wondering what had happened to the team from last season who seemed to be knocking on the door of the top four or were at least, on the same street. This season, Villa have consistently struggled to find their best in each third of the pitch, a less than steadfast defence routinely under fire as the midfield is far too easily bypassed allowing less time on the ball for the attack to shine.

Yet, the attack still has plenty of value and not only did the visitors take the lead early in the game but carried an air of danger when they countered in the second half, the biggest problem for Ward’s team is staying in games and not just dropping into a defensive shape which invites the pressure that has inevitably been their downfall all season. Last January, the Villainesses were palpably boosted by Ward’s smart signings during the transfer window, if Villa are to pull themselves out of their current funk, the manager has no option but to strengthen during the winter window. — Sophie Lawson

Americans abroad: Balogun shines in win for Monaco

Atalanta and to pass Weston McKennie’s seven in 2020-21 for the most goal contributions by an American in Serie A in a single season. However, it was not enough for the Rossoneri as they fell to a last-minute Luis Muriel goal to lose 3-2 and were unable to close the gap to McKennie’s Juventus after their 1-0 win over Napoli on Friday.

And finally, in Germany, Union Berlin picked up an important win against Borussia Monchengladbach winning 3-1 on the day with Brendan Aaronson playing the last 16 minutes. With that win, Nenad Bjelica’s men go out of the relegation zone in the Bundesliga for the time being as they move up to 15th place with 10 points and earn their first win since August when they started the season with wins over Mainz and Darmstadt only to fail to get three points for the next four months. — Roberto Rojas

News of the day

  • Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag slammed his squad’s performance labeling them “not good enough to be consistent” after their 3-0 loss to Bournemouth at Old Trafford. “I think, as a squad, we are not good enough to be consistent and we have to work as a squad to improve that,” said Ten Hag. “As a group, we have to improve, we have to get tougher, be ready for the game, from the start. I said it can’t be in this league if you are not playing on the highest levels, because you get killed.”

  • Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez says that Girona can win LaLiga this season ahead of their big clash on Sunday. “They have surprised many by being so high in the standings, but for us they are not a surprise,” Xavi said. “They are a dynamic team with a great coach in Míchel. Their system is similar to ours, they want the ball and they want to press you.”

And finally, on Saturday …

We are right into the Christmas season which also means it is a time to give presents to loved ones. In Spain, Real Betis maintains an appreciative tradition that allows them to give back to their community every year.

At halftime during their 1-1 draw against Real Madrid, Betis fans threw stuffed toys onto the pitch of the Estadio Benito Villamarín resulting in an avalanche of thousands of adorable plush bears, bunnies, and numerous other different stuffed toys. Club staff would then pick it up and donate it to numerous disadvantaged children across the Seville area so that they would be ensured of a gift during the Christmas season.

It has since been something that has always gone viral every year when the Christmas season starts to creep up and just last year, Betis announced that 14,000 soft toys had been donated with the club’s foundation. A wonderful story and great thing to see a big European club giving back to its community in such a memorable kind of way. — Rojas