A 3-1 derby win over fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday gave fellow North London club Arsenal a big three points, propelling Arsene Wenger's side into the top spot in the English Premier League. Emmanuel Adebayor found the net twice to lead the Gunners to a come-from-behind victory.
Teen sensation Gareth Bale had given the home side the lead after a quarter-hour, swerving a delectable left-footed free kick around the wall and into the net. Arsenal held the lead until the intermission, but the pair of strikes from Adebayor, plus one from Francesc Fabregas, saw the visitors extend their unbeaten streak against Spurs to 17 games.
With 13 points from five games, Arsenal is perched atop the EPL standings, one point above Manchester City. The trio of powerhouse clubs follows, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea all two points back.
City beat Aston Villa 1-0 Sunday, while their Manchester rivals Arsenal defeated Everton by the same score Saturday afternoon. Chelsea's offensive struggles continued, as they were held to a scoreless draw by Blackburn Rovers, with American goalkeeper Brad Friedel making several great saves in the match.
Also of note in the Premier League, former New England Revolution attacker Clint Dempsey scored his third goal of the young season Saturday, netting a point for Fulham FC in a 1-1 draw with Wigan Athletic.
Further north in Scotland, U.S. national team veteran DaMarcus Beasley, who got his professional start with the Chicago Fire, also found the net, though his Glasgow Rangers suffered a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Hearts. Reigning champions and 2007 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star participants Celtic FC lead the Scottish Premier League with 16 points from six games, with Rangers just one point back.
Things are not as tight in Spain, where Real Madrid have a three-point cushion on Sevilla, Valencia and Villareal following a 3-1 win over Almeria Saturday. Barcelona, without strikers Samuel Eto'o and Leonel Messi, couldn't find a breakthrough Sunday and played to a scoreless draw with Osasuna.
In Italy, Juventus fell to fourth place after a 1-0 loss to Udinese. Roma took full advantage, as goals by Juan and Francesco Totti provided a 2-0 win against Reggina to take the capital city side to the top of the table. Inter Milan won by the same score to claim second place, just two points behind the leaders, while surprise story Napoli held on to third by beating Sampdoria. AC Milan are in fifth place thanks to a disappointing 1-1 draw with Siena Saturday.
The Italian greats will have a chance to redeem themselves Tuesday as the UEFA Champions League group stage kicks off. Last season's European champions have one of the more interesting matchups of the day, taking on Freddy Adu's Benfica. Other intriguing battles include Porto vs. Liverpool and Madrid vs. Werder Bremen.
A crucial Women's World Cup tilt is also set for Tuesday as the U.S. team will face Nigeria in the group stage finale. The Americans are looking for a big win and possibly some help from Sweden in an effort to avoid a quarterfinal clash with defending champions Germany.
In Mexico, Tigres, which is propping up Group 3 with just five points from eight games, held America to a 1-1 draw this weekend. That result leaves America eight points behind Santos in Group B as that club drew 1-1 with Monterrey Saturday. In Group A, Tolouca leads Pachuca by one point.
Jonathan Nierman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
