There was a game in the Dutch Eredivisie and another in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
We had a full round of fixtures in the English Premier League.
In Spain, there were league and cup matches—two La Liga games involving Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as the second round of the Copa del Rey.
There was also a round of cup football in Germany and Italy, featuring the Round of 16 of the DFB-Pokal and half of the Round of 16 of the Coppa Italia.
🇩🇪 DFB Pokal (Round of 16)
Bayern Munich hosting Bayer Leverkusen was the marquee fixture on the opening day of the DFB-Pokal Round of 16, and the visitors got the victory to advance.
RB Leipzig hosting Eintracht Frankfurt headlines the action on the second day, and the host got the comfortable win to advance.
INTO THE QUARTER FINALS: Augsburg, Bayer Leverkusen, FC Köln, Freiburg, RB Leipzig, Stuttgart, Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg are the last eight of the DFB-Pokal.
December 3, 2024
Arminia Bielefeld ( 3 ) – ( 1 ) Freiburg
Jahn Regensburg ( 0 ) – ( 3 ) Stuttgart
Bayern Munich ( 0 ) – ( 1 ) Bayer Leverkusen
Werder Bremen ( 1 ) – ( 0 ) Darmstadt
Werder Bremen was the only home side to triumph in the DFB Pokal, defeating second-division Darmstadt 1-0.
Freiburg suffered elimination in a 3-1 away loss to Arminia Bielefeld, while Stuttgart advanced with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Jahn Regensburg.
Bayern Munich’s campaign ended with a 1-0 defeat to defending champions Bayer Leverkusen. Nathan Tella scored the decisive goal in the 69th minute, keeping Leverkusen’s title defense alive.
December 4, 2024
FC Köln ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) Hertha Berlin
Wolfsburg ( 3 ) – ( 0 ) Hoffenheim
RB Leipzig ( 3 ) – ( 0 ) Eintracht Frankfurt
Karlsruher SC ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) Augsburg *
Augsburg needed a penalty shootouts to eliminated Karlsruher SC from the DFB Pokal after a 2-2 draw. RB Leipzig and Wolfsburg advanced with 3-0 home wins, defeating Eintracht Frankfurt and Hoffenheim, respectively. Lois Openda scored twice in RB Leipzig’s win. FC Köln netted a decisive goal in the dying minutes of extra time, following a 1-1 stalemate for most of the match.
🇪🇸 Spanish La Liga
Real Madrid’s defeat against Athletic Club allowed Barcelona to gain re-gain a wider lead with their victory in Mallorca.
December 3, 2024
Mallorca ( 1 ) – ( 5 ) Barcelona
Raphinha scored twice, including the game-winning goal, as Barcelona ended a run of three league games without a win (two defeats) with a resounding 5-1 victory away against Mallorca.
December 4, 2024
Athletic Club ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) Real Madrid
Real Madrid suffered defeat, losing the advantage they had in the title race with their game in hand. A 2-1 loss against Athletic Club stripped Real Madrid of the mathematical advantage their game in hand offered. As things stand, Barcelona has a two-point lead, even if Real Madrid secures a win from their game in hand.
Kylian Mbappé failed to convert a penalty in the 68th minute, which would’ve leveled the score at 1-1 for Real Madrid, canceling out Álex Berenguer’s goal for Athletic Club. Jude Bellingham eventually scored Real Madrid’s equalizing goal 10 minutes later, only for them to fall behind again when Gorka Guruzeta netted the game-winning goal for Athletic Club, securing a 2-1 victory.
🇳🇱 Dutch Eredivisie
December 4, 2024
Ajax ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) Utrecht
Ajax came from a goal down to take a 2-1 lead into halftime, but an own goal in the 79th minute allowed Utrecht to equalize and leave Amsterdam with a point. Ajax remains a point and position ahead of Utrecht in the standings, but top-placed PSV Eindhoven was the real winner of the day.
🏴 English Premier League
Liverpool’s attempt to maintain their nine-point lead in the Premier League fell short after conceding a late goal, resulting in a 3-3 draw with Newcastle United.
Arsenal and Chelsea remain the closest challengers to Liverpool in the title race after 13 rounds. Chelsea had a favorable matchup away against bottom-placed Southampton and won convincingly, while Arsenal hosted and beat a resurgent Manchester United side aiming to regain their form.
December 3, 2024
Ipswich Town ( 0 ) – ( 1 ) Crystal Palace
Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the game’s only goal as Crystal Palace secured three points on the road at Ipswich Town’s expense. It marked Palace’s first win in five league games, while Ipswich Town suffered their second consecutive defeat, extending their winless streak to three matches since claiming their first league win of the season (away at Tottenham).
Leicester City ( 3 ) – ( 1 ) West Ham United
Jamie Vardy opened the scoring in the second minute, setting Leicester City on their way to a 3-1 home victory over West Ham United. The win snapped Leicester’s five-game winless run (including three defeats). Meanwhile, West Ham endured back-to-back league defeats.
December 4, 2024
Everton ( 4) – ( 0 ) Wolverhampton Wanderers
Everton claimed their first win in six league games with a 4-0 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers. They scored two goals in each half, with the pair of goals in the second half being own goals.
Manchester City ( 3 ) – ( 0 ) Nottingham Forest
After suffering six defeats in their previous seven outings, they ended that poor run with a 3-0 home win against Nottingham Forest, handing them a first win from their last eight
game across all competitions.
Newcastle United ( 3 ) – ( 3 ) Liverpool
Mohamed Salah scored twice as Liverpool came from behind on two occasions to take the lead in the 83rd minute. However, they ended up dropping points when Fabian Schär scored in the 90th minute, earning Newcastle United a point at home.
Southampton ( 1 ) – ( 5 ) Chelsea
Chelsea delivered as expected, securing a convincing victory against bottom-placed Southampton. Five separate goalscorers contributed to Chelsea’s 5-1 away win against Southampton.
Arsenal ( 2 ) – ( 0 ) Manchester United
Jurrien Timber and William Saliba scored in the second half as Arsenal secured three points against Manchester United.
Aston Villa ( 3 ) – ( 1 ) Brentford
Aston Villa took a 3-0 lead into the halftime break and went on to win 3-1 against Brentford. It marked Brentford’s first defeat in four games, while Aston Villa recorded their first win in six matches.
December 5, 2024
Fulham ( 3 ) – ( 1 ) Brighton & Hove Albion
Bournemouth ( 1 ) – ( 0 ) Tottenham Hotspur
It was a good day for the home sides in the Premier League. Tottenham’s inconsistent form continued as they fell to a 1-0 defeat away to Bournemouth, while Fulham beat Brighton to narrow the gap between the two teams in the standings to just a point.
🇪🇸 Copa del Rey (Second Round)
All 16 top-division clubs played away from home, with none facing opponents higher than the third division. However, four La Liga sides—Espanyol, Girona, Villarreal, and Alavés—failed to progress to this stage of the competition.
December 3, 2024
Ávila ( 2 ) – ( 4 ) Valladolid
Yeclano ( 0 ) – ( 1 ) Elche
Barbastro ( 2 ) – ( 0 ) Espanyol
Salamanca ( 0 ) – ( 7 ) Celta Vigo
Zaragoza ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) Granada (Granada won on penalties)*
Europa ( 1 ) – ( 2 ) Las Palmas
The Copa del Rey featured dramatic outcomes:
Espanyol was knocked out by fourth-division Barbastro.
Celta Vigo dominated their fourth-division opponents, winning 7-0.
Las Palmas secured a narrow victory against fourth-division Europa.
Granada edged Zaragoza on penalties after a 2-2 draw in regulation.
December 4, 2024
Sant Andreu ( 1 ) – ( 3 ) Real Betis
Unionistas ( 2 ) – ( 3 ) Rayo Vallecano
Gimnàstic ( 0 ) – ( 1 ) Huesca
Ourense CF ( 1 ) – ( 0 ) Deportivo La Coruña
Cultural Leonesa ( 1 ) – ( 2 ) Almería
Cádiz ( 0 ) – ( 1 ) Eldense
Racing Santander ( 1 ) – ( 0 ) Sporting Gijón
Zamora ( 0 ) – ( 0 ) Tenerife*
UD Logroñés* ( 0 ) – ( 0 ) Girona
Pontevedra ( 1 ) – ( 0 ) Villarreal
Estepona ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) Leganés*
Ejea ( 1 ) – ( 3 ) Valencia
Six teams from the first division played in the Copa del Rey on the day, with four advancing to the next round. Girona and Villarreal were knocked out by fourth-division sides. Leganés needed penalties to advance, Rayo Vallecano progressed with a narrow one-goal margin, Real Betis progres twi a 2-goal margin win.
December 5, 2024
Cacereño ( 1 ) – ( 3 ) Atlético Madrid
Ceuta ( 2 ) – ( 3 ) Osasuna
Orihuela ( 0 ) – ( 0 ) Getafe*
Barakaldo ( 1 ) – ( 2 ) Racing Ferrol
Andorra ( 0 ) – ( 1 ) Cartagena
Marbella ( 1 ) – ( 0 ) Burgos
Ponferradina* (1 ) – ( 1 ) Castellón
Olot ( 1 ) – ( 3 ) Sevilla
Conquense ( 0 ) – ( 1 ) Real Sociedad
Minera* ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) Alavés
Alavés was the only top-flight team to lose on the day in the Copa del Rey, getting eliminated in a penalty shootout by fourth-division side Minera after a 2-2 draw. The rest of the top-division teams secured wins to advance. Getafe moved forward via penalty shootout following a goalless draw with fourth-division side Orihuela.
Osasuna and Real Sociedad edged their games by narrow margins, with Osasuna defeating Ceuta 3-2, while Real Sociedad earned a 1-0 victory against Conquense. Atlético Madrid and Sevilla both recorded 3-1 wins, Atlético beating Cacereño, and Sevilla overcoming Olot.
🇮🇹 Coppa Italia (Round of 16)
Half of the Coppa Italia Round of 16 games will be played this week, with the other half set for the following week. The standout fixture was between Lazio and Napoli, which Lazio came out on top. Lazio advances to the next round with AC Milan, Bologna, and Empoli.
December 3, 2024
Bologna ( 4 ) – ( 0 ) Monza
AC Milan ( 6 ) – ( 1 ) Sassuolo
Convincing home wins in the Coppa Italia saw AC Milan thrash Sassuolo 6-1, while Bologna cruised to a 4-0 victory over Monza.
December 4, 2024
Fiorentina ( 2 ) – ( 2 ) Empoli*
Empoli bested Fiorentina in a penalty shootout, advancing with a 4-3 win after a 2-2 draw.
December 5, 2024
Lazio ( 3 ) – ( 1 ) Napoli
Tijjani Noslin scored all of Lazio’s goals in their 3-1 victory over Napoli, securing a spot in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals. The two sides are set to face each other again this weekend in Serie A, with the fixture flipped to Napoli hosting Lazio.
🇵🇹 Portuguese Primeira Liga
December 5, 2024
Moreirense ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) Sporting CP
Viktor Gyökeres opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 12th minute, giving Sporting CP an early lead. However, Moreirense responded strongly, overturning the deficit to secure a 2-1 victory that held until the final whistle.
This marks back-to-back league defeats for Sporting CP, who had maintained a perfect winning record since the start of the Primeira Liga season. A home loss to Santa Clara, followed by this defeat to Moreirense, now puts Sporting CP’s position at the top of the standings in jeopardy.
