Daily Weekend: Liverpool's first Premier League loss since September, scandal at AFCON

The past weekend was marked by the closure of some exciting matches that added suspense to the league standings. Dailysports suggests revisiting what the past weekend offered us.

Liverpool lost in the Premier League for the first time since September

15 matches, four months, and five days – that's exactly how long Liverpool's unbeaten streak in the English Premier League lasted. On September 30, 2023, in a match with two red cards, they lost to Tottenham with a score of 1:2, marking Jürgen Klopp's team's first defeat at home this season.

Following that, for the second time in the season, Liverpool (ironically) lost to their arch-rivals, Arsenal. However, this happened on February 4, 2024. Liverpool ended the match with one player less, but by then, the score was already 2:1 in favor of the Gunners. In a numerical disadvantage, Jurgen Klopp's team conceded a third, sealing the final result – 3:1 in favor of Arsenal.

Chelsea suffered their first-ever defeat to Wolverhampton in the Premier League era

On February 4, 2024, we also witnessed a historic event. Chelsea, for the first time in the Premier League era, suffered a defeat to Wolverhampton at Stamford Bridge. Mauricio Pochettino's team managed to score two goals against the Wolves, but it proved insufficient even for a draw.

Wolverhampton, propelled by Mateus Cunha's hat-trick, secured a 4-2 victory, surpassing Chelsea in the league standings. The Wolves now have 32 points, placing them in tenth position, while Chelsea, with one point less, sits below them.

Real Madrid couldn't capitalize on Girona's slip-up

A notable spectacle on February 4, 2024, unfolded in the Spanish championship, where the central match of the 23rd round featured the Madrid derby between Real Madrid and Atletico. For almost 70 minutes of gameplay, Real Madrid was in the lead, but Marcos Llorente's goal in the 90+3 minute allowed Atletico to snatch a draw.

Interestingly, the teams met for the third time in 2024, and in all three matches, different results were recorded: a victory for Real Madrid, a victory for Atletico, and a draw. All these outcomes were decided in extra time.

This drawn match could work in favor of Girona, considering that the Catalans failed to defeat Real Sociedad the day before, playing to a goalless draw with the Basque team. Consequently, the gap between Real Madrid and Girona continues to be two points.

Real Madrid and Girona will settle their differences in a head-to-head match on February 10. If Real Madrid wins, the gap from Michel's team will be five points. A draw will maintain the status quo, while Girona's victory will propel them to the top with a one-point lead over Real Madrid.

Inter is pulling away from Juventus

Similarly, last weekend, we witnessed the central match of the round in the Italian championship. At the "Giuseppe Meazza" stadium, the first-placed Inter hosted the second-placed Juventus. The gap between the teams was only one point, and in the event of a victory, the "Old Lady" could have taken the lead in the league table.

However, through the efforts of Federico Gatti, Juventus scored an own goal, which turned out to be the only goal of the match. Consequently, Inter won at home with a score of 1-0 and increased their lead over Juventus to four points.

Bayer is heading towards Bayern's record

After Bayer's victory over Darmstadt with a score of 2-0, their undefeated streak in the current season extends to 29 matches. The team from Leverkusen is closing in on Bayern Munich's record.

To surpass the achievement of the "record-holding" Bayern, Bayer needs to avoid defeat in the next three matches. According to the schedule, the upcoming opponents for Habib Alonso's team are Stuttgart on February 6, Heidenheim on February 17, and then a crucial match against Bayern Munich on February 10.

Defeat with a touch of scandal in the African Cup of Nations

The African Cup of Nations is reaching its climax. The quarterfinal matches have already been played, and in one of these encounters, the refereeing left an unpleasant feeling for one of the teams.

We're talking about the Mali national team, which, despite having a numerical advantage, couldn't defeat the Ivory Coast national team and was eliminated from the tournament. As soon as the referee blew the final whistle, Mali's players aggressively appealed to the Egyptian referee Mohamed Adel - he even had to use physical force against the players of the losing team.

By the way, the semifinal pairings for the AFCON have been determined over the weekend: Nigeria vs South Africa and Ivory Coast vs DR Congo. Bookmakers believe that Nigeria has the highest chances of winning the tournament. According to analysts, the final should see the "Super Eagles" facing the hosts of the tournament, Ivory Coast. Will it play out that way? We'll find out in a week.