Lead:
Chelsea defeated Manchester United 2-0 on Saturday in the ninth round of the English Premier League, with goals from Morgan Rogers (50th minute) and Cole Palmer from penalty (63rd minute). The loss extends United's run without a win to nine matches—the club's longest such streak since 1988—while manager Michael Carrick expressed frustration over the team's inability to maintain first-half momentum.
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Atletico Madrid 2-0 Levante — Atletico Madrid claimed temporary leadership of the Spanish La Liga with a seventh consecutive victory. Alex Grimaldo scored in the 36th minute and Juliano Simeone added a second goal in the 62nd minute, lifting Atletico to 28 points from 11 matches, one point above Barcelona and Real Madrid.Real Madrid 1-0 Barcelona — Real Madrid defeated Barcelona in the Clasico, reducing the gap to Barcelona to three points in La Liga and renewing hopes of competing for the title. The victory provided a significant morale boost to Jose Mourinho's squad after a period of inconsistent form.AC Milan 3-1 Inter Milan — Milan claimed the Madonnina Derby, handing Inter their first league defeat of the season and displacing them from top spot. Diego Moreno, recently signed from Strasbourg for 58 million euros, delivered two assists and scored directly from a free kick, while Christian Pulisic headed in the opener.Bayern Munich 2-2 Borussia Dortmund — Dortmund snatched a dramatic draw at Bayern Munich when Fabio Silva equalized one minute before full-time in round eight of the Bundesliga. Harry Kane made his debut for Bayern following his Ballon d'Or win but squandered a penalty, while Konrad Laimer and Dayot Upamecano scored for the hosts.Stuttgart 4-2 Bayer Leverkusen — Stuttgart secured victory over Leverkusen in the eighth Bundesliga round with Bilal Al-Khanous scoring the third goal in the 51st minute. Stuttgart moved to 10th place with nine points while Leverkusen remained on 13 points.CAF Reverses Decision on Africa Cup of Nations Format — The Confederation of African Football announced Thursday that the Africa Cup of Nations will return to a biennial schedule, reversing a December decision to move to a four-year cycle. The executive committee voted unanimously to restore the tournament to its traditional two-year format.What to Watch:
Real Madrid faces Racing Santander on Sunday in La Liga Round 11 as Jose Mourinho seeks to build momentum from the Clasico victory. Barcelona hosts Deportivo Alaves on Saturday at Camp Nou in Round 11 of La Liga.