Chelsea leads EPL, Atletico stays 1st in Spain
Chelsea’s Fernando Torres, center, has his shot on goal saved by Stoke City’s Asmir Begovic, right, during their English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Stoke City at Stamford Bridge stadium in London, Saturday, April, 5, 2014. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
LONDON — Chelsea reclaimed the lead in England — at least for a day — and Atletico Madrid remained in front in Spain on Saturday. Whether they’ll end the season with the trophy is still too early to determine.
Chelsea provisionally dislodged Liverpool from top spot by cruising to a 3-0 victory over Stoke, while title rival Manchester City routed Southampton 4-1.
Atletico found it tougher, only overcoming Villarreal 1-0, while closest rivals Barcelona beat Real Betis 3-1 and Real Madrid routed Real Sociedad 4-0.
Here’s a look at the action from the leading leagues in Europe:
England
Mohamed Salah marked his first Chelsea start with his second goal for the club and also helped creat goals for Frank Lampard and Willian. Liverpool can ensure Chelsea’s stay at the top is short-lived with a victory at West Ham on Sunday.
For third-place Man City, Yaya Toure scored from the penalty spot in the third minute before Southampton striker Rickie Lambert leveled. City produced a rapid response to the equalizer, with Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko both scoring in first-half stoppage time, and Stevan Jovetic added a late fourth.
Manchester United has struggled at home all season but maintained its good away form, with David Moyes’ sixth-place side claiming a league-leading 10th road win by beating Newcastle 4-0 with Juan Mata scoring twice.
Fulham climbed off the bottom with a 2-1 win at Aston Villa to 18th place, five points from Norwich, which lost 1-0 at West Bromwich Albion.
Crystal Palace’s recovery continued with a 3-0 win at Cardiff that moved the London club seven points clear of danger above Swansea, which lost 1-0 at Hull.
Spain
With leading scorer Diego Costa out for Atletico Madrid, it was left for Raul Garcia to score and see off Villarreal. Gareth Bale’s long-range goal also ensured Real Madrid didn’t miss star Cristiano Ronaldo as it cruised to a 4-0 victory at Real Sociedad, staying within three points of the pacesetters in third place.
Lionel Messi converted an early penalty and then slotted in the rebound after a second spot kick was blocked by goalkeeper Adan Garrido to seal Barcelona’s victory late on against Real Betis. Barcelona unfurled a banner in the Camp Nou stands before the match that read “Hands Off La Masia,” referring to FIFA’s one-year transfer ban after football’s governing body found the Catalan club guilty of breaching regulations in signing youth players for its renowned training academy.
France
Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc rested key players and still saw his team take a step closer to a second straight French title after coasting to a 3-0 win against Reims. Edinson Cavani made the most of a rare start in his favored center forward position, scoring his 15th league goal of the season as PSG moved provisionally 16 points clear of second-placed Monaco, which hosts Nantes on Sunday.
Germany
Bayern Munich’s record 53-game unbeaten run in the Bundesliga ended with a 1-0 loss to Augsburg, as coach Pep Guardiola fielded a weakened lineup having seen his team already clinch the title last month.
Sascha Moelders scored the goal that handed Bayern its first league loss since a 2-1 defeat at home to Bayer Leverkusen on Oct. 28, 2012.
“That’s football, that’s sport,” Guardiola said. “You can’t always win. There was going to be a loss sooner or later.”
Guardiola’s priority is the second leg of the Champions league quarterfinals against Manchester United, having drawn 1-1 at Old Trafford.
Italy
Inter Milan twice squandered the lead and missed a penalty as its Europa League hopes were dented by a 2-2 draw at home to relegation-threatened Bologna in Serie A.
Inter, which was booed off the pitch at halftime and full time, remained fifth but Atalanta can close the gap to one point with a win over Sassuolo on Sunday.
