It was another weekend of headlines, golazos and unpredictable finishes across Europe's biggest leagues. From Manchester United's first trophy since 2017 to clutch LaLiga matches involving Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid to Lionel Messi reaching more milestones, there is plenty to catch up on.
ESPN correspondents Luis Miguel Echegaray, Julien Laurens, Sam Marsden, James Tyler, and James Olley break down the most interesting and important stuff you need to know about the weekend.
Let's begin with league leaders Arsenal, who did not have the easiest of days against Leicester City, but still managed the victory. This, however, is how you win a title. By winning games that are sticky, uncomfortable and devoid of rhythm. For Arteta, whose strategy prides itself on fluidity, and whose team with an average age of 24.7, these are the games you have to deliver. The win was won from the back, meaning that they allowed their resiliency to lead everything that was being done creatively.
After trailing Aston Villa twice last weekend and conceding two goals, plus no clean sheets in the last six matches prior to Saturday, Arteta wanted to tighten things up at the back and that's exactly what happened. Arsenal's backline only allowed one attempt from the hosts and none on target, and this became their main recipe for success. But it was also about simplicity.
"It was coming back to some details and basics that get games away from us that we made much more. The last two games -- especially on Saturday -- we have done it much more," said Arteta after the game.
Arsenal now have an opportunity to gain more momentum with matches against Everton and Fulham before a trip to Sporting CP in the Round of 16 of the Europa League. The Gunners know that every game counts, especially as a trip to the Etihad awaits in April.
For City and Pep Guardiola, the weekend task was much easier as they seamlessly disposed of 19th-placed AFC Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium. A 4-1 win was exactly what the doctor ordered after the defending champions had drawn the last two games in all competitions. Guardiola, the master, sees his former student above him in the table and knows that in order to surpass him, the pressure must continue, especially as Arsenal's two-point lead is complimented by an extra game.
Something tells me there are more twists and turns in the title race, and much of it will be solved on April 26 when they both meet again.
-- Luis Miguel Echegaray
Messi-Mbappe masterclass for PSG in Classique win
After some struggles and a lot of tension in recent weeks, a lot of downs and many doubts and a huge crisis, if there was one way for Paris Saint-Germain to almost put everything right, it was to defeat their archrivals Marseille at the Velodrome, who are just five points behind them in the table.
That's exactly what the Parisians did. They suddenly started playing like a team, despite a slow start. They found some cohesion. They ran, fought, moved the ball well in their 3-5-2 formation. And they relied on the wonderful talent up front of Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi. The two superstars had one these nights where they produced a masterclass. Two assists and a goal for the Argentine (who reached 700 career league goals) while Mbappe's two goals equalled Edinson Cavani as the club's all-time scorer with 200.
This huge victory in Marseille is the perfect rehearsal and template for the Champions League Round of 16 second leg at Bayern Munich. With Neymar injured, manager Christophe Galtier, who bought himself a bit of peace after the storm of the last few weeks, will likely start a very similar XI against the German champions in 10 days. When the Double M is in this kind of form, no one can stop them. They will be Paris' main hope once again. -- Julien Laurens
Bayern show why they're still in pole position
Recent wobbles by Bayern Munich have had the rest of the Bundesliga licking their chops at the prospect of a new champion for the first time in a decade, but Sunday's 3-0 romp over third-place Union Berlin was a reminder of just why Bayern have had such a grip at the top. Julian Nagelsmann's side didn't have to strain too much to tame this season's Cinderella team, either, simply pouncing on errors and punishing them accordingly. But it went deeper than that: Bayern were dominant without really trying.
