Top league leaders all win

Lyon enjoy the healthiest advantage after a win over last season’s runners-up Girondins Bordeaux gave them a seven-point cushion in France while Chelsea and Bayer Leverkusen retained slender goal difference leads in England and Germany.

ENGLAND

Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United all collected impressive victories but Arsenal’s struggles continued with another home defeat - 2-0 at the hands of Aston Villa.

Chelsea won 3-0 at bottom club West Bromwich Albion with two goals for the league’s leading scorer Nicolas Anelka and one for Jose Bosingwa, while Liverpool won 2-0 at Bolton Wanderers via Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard.

Both clubs have 32 points, with Chelsea top on goal difference. Manchester United are third on 24 with a game in hand after thrashing Stoke City 5-0, helped by two for Cristiano Ronaldo.

Arsenal and Villa both have 23 after a Gael Clichy own goal and a Gabriel Agbonlahor shot gave Martin O’Neill’s team the points.

SPAIN

It was a good weekend for Barcelona after none of the Primera Liga leaders’ rivals in the top four won allowing the Catalans to open a three-point lead at the top of the table with a 2-0 victory at struggling Recreativo Huelva.

Real Madrid and Valencia both missed opportunities to take provisional top spot on Saturday after losses and Villarreal twice surrendered the lead to draw 2-2 at Malaga on Sunday.

The victory at Recreativo extends Barcelona’s winning streak in the league to nine and the Catalans have 28 points from 11 matches ahead of unbeaten Villarreal in second on 25.

Valencia, Real and Sevilla all have 23 points, with the Andalusians in fifth, Real in fourth and Valencia in third, and Atletico are one place behind Sevilla on 17.

ITALY

Serie A leaders Inter Milan, who host Juventus next Saturday, ended the weekend a point clear after Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s stunning brace secured a 2-0 win at Palermo.

AC Milan lie second after beating bottom side Chievo 1-0 at home thanks to Kaka’s fortunate penalty.

Juve, who beat Genoa 4-1 on Thursday, are third with Lazio failing to overtake them after having the better chances but going down 1-0 to AS Roma in a feisty Rome derby.

FRANCE

Ligue 1 top scorer Karim Benzema notched his ninth goal of the season to help Olympique Lyon move seven points clear at the top of the table with a 2-1 home win over Girondins Bordeaux.

Lyon lead the standings on 33 points from 14 games despite being dominated throughout a tense match while second-placed Olympique Marseille wasted a two-goal lead when they slumped to a 3-2 home defeat by Lorient on Saturday.

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