Weekend round-up: Fermín sinks Atlético as Carrick's United scramble a 4-4 draw
Fermín López's double at the Metropolitano put Barcelona three points clear, Man United came from 4-2 down in stoppage time to draw with Aston Villa, and Forest's win over Man City left Arsenal five points clear at the top.
By the PrediSportsHQ editor · Round-up, Thursday, 12 November 2026
The talking points
Fermín López turns the title race Barcelona's way
Atlético had the chance to go top on Sunday night and for most of the first half they looked like taking it. Giuliano Simeone scored early, finishing Julián Álvarez's low cross from close range, and Barcelona were poor.
The game turned either side of half-time. Fermín López equalised in first-half stoppage time, and Hansi Flick then sent on Frenkie de Jong at the break. Barcelona had far more control after that, and on 66 minutes Lamine Yamal slipped Fermín through for a first-time finish. Atlético pushed late but could not find an equaliser.
Barcelona go into the international break on 33 points, three clear of Real Madrid and five ahead of Atlético, who drop to third. Real Madrid kept up the chase on Saturday with a 3-0 win at Valencia, where Fede Valverde, Arda Güler and Kylian Mbappé scored and Valencia captain José Gayà was sent off.
Eight goals at Old Trafford and Carrick still standing
Man United were two goals down inside four minutes against Aston Villa. Alysson beat Senne Lammens from an angle inside the first minute, and Lammens then spilled another Alysson shot for Nicolas Jackson to tap in. Bruno Fernandes's penalty and a Youri Tielemans goal before half-time had United level, and that should have been the platform.
Instead Villa scored twice more within eight minutes of the restart. Diogo Dalot fouled Alysson for John McGinn's penalty, and Leon Goretzka forced in the fourth after a mix-up involving Leny Yoro, Lammens and the post. United were 4-2 down going into stoppage time. Joshua Zirkzee and Patrick Dorgu then scored in stoppage time to rescue a point.
Michael Carrick called them "totally avoidable goals", and the evidence was on his side: three of Villa's four came from United mistakes. Unai Emery said he was "angry, of course", though not with his players. Carrick, asked whether he could lose his job during the break, replied: "It's not going to happen, no." The point leaves United 18th on eight points, one behind Coventry, and eight league games without a win.
Forest beat City and Arsenal pull clear
Oliver Glasner's Forest had won once in nine league games before Saturday. They were ahead after six minutes at the City Ground, when Jair Cunha took the ball off Josko Gvardiol and scored, and Liam Delap made it 2-0 twelve minutes later after Xaver Schlager won possession in midfield. Rayan Cherki pulled one back early in the second half, but Delap curled in a third from an angle on 73 minutes.
City's problem was energy as much as quality, and Enzo Maresca admitted his side "didn't match the intensity" the game needed. It was City's third league defeat in a row, after Aston Villa and Brighton, and they drop to third. Glasner refused to get carried away, saying "one swallow does not make a summer".
Arsenal made the most of it, though they had to wait. Martin Ødegaard scored the only goal against Hull on 72 minutes, following up after Konstantinos Tzolakis saved from Noni Madueke. Mikel Arteta's side had been denied a first-half penalty when VAR ruled Kai Havertz offside before his shirt was pulled, and Arteta said there was still no "clarity" about the decision. Arsenal have now gone 444 minutes without conceding in the league and lead by five points from Brighton, who beat Brentford 2-0, and six from City.
Sunderland frustrate Alonso's Chelsea
Sunderland lost their captain Granit Xhaka after three minutes and still beat Chelsea. Brian Brobbey muscled past Levi Colwill in the box and was brought down, and Enzo Le Fée scored the penalty on 36 minutes.
Chelsea had most of the ball and little to show for it, and Sunderland might have won by more: Mike Penders had to save from Wilson Isidor when he was through late on. Xabi Alonso said his side were "not bullied" but admitted he was unhappy with how they defended the penalty. Regis Le Bris spoke about a "perfect" connection with the home crowd.
The result lifts Sunderland off the bottom and drops Chelsea out of the top four to fifth. Liverpool took their place by winning 3-1 at Crystal Palace, ending a run of two defeats. Alexis Mac Allister headed in Dominik Szoboszlai's free-kick five minutes before half-time, Florian Wirtz added a second on the counter, and Alexander Isak a third before Eddie Nketiah's late penalty. Andoni Iraola called it "an important win" before the break, and Alisson's six saves did a lot to make it possible.
Lazio held as Inter close in
Lazio's six-game winning run in Serie A ended at the Maradona, where Napoli, still with a long injury list, held the leaders 1-1. Davide Frattesi put Lazio ahead in the first half and an Alfonso Pedraza own goal early in the second gave Napoli the point. Lazio also lost Josip Šutalo and Nuno Tavares to injury.
Gennaro Gattuso said the dressing room afterwards was "like a morgue" and that he liked his players being disappointed, a sign of what this unbeaten side now expects. Lazio stay top on 29 points after 11 games.
Inter are a point behind after beating Como 2-0. Pio Esposito scored after 12 minutes, Inter added a second seven minutes later, and Como's best moment was Nico Paz hitting the bar late on. Juventus came from behind twice to draw 2-2 at Fiorentina, with Bremer scoring the second equaliser, and Luciano Spalletti's side remain well off the top four.
Player of the weekend
Fermín López. Barcelona were second best for most of the first half at the Metropolitano and his two goals, one either side of Flick's half-time change, turned a deficit into a five-point lead over Atlético.
Under pressure
Pierre Sage. Crystal Palace are bottom of the Premier League on seven points after four straight league defeats, three of them without scoring. They conceded from a set piece again on Sunday, when Quinten Timber lost Mac Allister at a free-kick. Sage said "we don't have the results expected" and left questions about his future to the board. Jamie Carragher said on Sky that he expects the club to make a change.
All the results
Premier League
LaLiga
Serie A
Bundesliga
Ligue 1
Where the tables stand
- Premier League: Arsenal 27, Brighton 22, Man City 21, Liverpool 18. Brighton climb to second and Liverpool replace Chelsea in the top four.
- LaLiga: Barcelona 33, Real Madrid 30, Atlético 28, Real Betis 26. Real Madrid move up to second after Atlético's defeat.
- Serie A: Lazio 29, Inter 28, Roma 27, Milan 24. Milan's 2-1 win at Genoa takes them past Como into the top four.
- Bundesliga: Bayern 21, Dortmund 21, Freiburg 19, RB Leipzig 18. Both leaders won, Bayern at Mainz with two assists from Harry Kane and Dortmund through two second-half goals from Felix Nmecha, and Bayern stay top on goal difference.
- Ligue 1: PSG 23, Lille 21, Paris FC 20, Marseille 18. Marseille win at Lens to climb into the top four.
The AI's corner
The AI called 48 league games this weekend. It got one bullseye, Villarreal 2-0 Getafe, and had the right result in 26 more, so 27 of 48 in all, with 21 wrong.
Its best call was in Madrid: it had Barcelona winning at the Metropolitano when a home win would have put Atlético top. Its worst miss was the City Ground, where it had Man City winning 3-1 and the score finished 3-1 the other way. It also had Chelsea winning 3-0 at Sunderland and Aston Villa winning 3-1 at Old Trafford.
Sources
Drafted with AI from published match reports and our football data, and checked against both before it went out. How Talking Points is written