Bellingham Steals El Clásico Show as Premier League Giants Battle for Supremacy

This weekend in football saw some tight Premier League battles and a fiery El Clásico. In England, the race for the top four intensified as clubs fought tooth and nail to gain crucial points before the November run-in.

But all eyes turned to Spain, where the world’s biggest rivalry unfolded under the lights of the Santiago Bernabéu. Real Madrid and Barcelona clashed in a match brimming with quality, controversy, and individual brilliance.

Here’s what went down:

Arsenal 1–0 Crystal Palace – Eze’s Big Moment

Arsenal stretched their lead at the top of the Premier League with a narrow 1–0 win over Crystal Palace, thanks to Eberechi Eze, and in the kind of moment Mikel Arteta called “magic.”

In the 39th minute, Declan Rice curled in a free-kick. Gabriel Magalhães nodded it down, and Eze met the bouncing ball on the volley to rifle it into the corner. The finish came against his old club, so Eze kept his celebration muted, paying respect to Palace fans.

That strike was his first Premier League goal for Arsenal, and it underlines how much Arsenal have leaned on set-pieces this season. In fact, it was Arsenal’s 11th league goal from a dead ball this campaign — more than anyone else.

Defensively, Arsenal were solid. They limited Palace to a few clear chances and held on for the win, even after losing William Saliba to injury at halftime. The result gives them a four-point cushion at the top.

Aston Villa 1–0 Manchester City – Cash Strikes, City Stumble

In another big result, Aston Villa beat Manchester City 1–0 at Villa Park. The winner came from Matty Cash in the 19th minute. From a corner routine, Cash fired in a left-footed finish into the bottom corner.

City struggled to break through. They managed just a couple of shots in the first half, and after halftime, their attacking threat fell away. Near the end, Erling Haaland thought he had earned a point, but his effort was ruled offside.

Villa’s win moves them closer to the top, while City will be concerned about the six-point gap opening up to Arsenal.

Bournemouth 2–0 Nottingham Forest – Dyche’s Mixed Day

In a tougher moment for Nottingham Forest, their new manager Sean Dyche lost his first Premier League game in charge. Bournemouth beat them 2–0.

Marcus Tavernier opened the scoring with a direct corner. Forest’s defense and goalkeeper failed to deal with it. Then, just before halftime, Eli Junior Kroupi scored his fourth goal in three matches.

Dyche was furious at what he saw as a wrongly awarded corner. He questioned the refereeing and suggested his team lacked a fair shake.

Wolves 2–3 Burnley – Last-Gasp Hurt for the Home Side

Burnley grabbed a dramatic 3–2 away win over Wolves, thanks to Lyle Foster’s 95th-minute strike.

Wolves had mounted a strong fightback: they turned around a two-goal deficit through a penalty from Jørgen Strand Larsen and a header by Marshall Munetsi just before halftime. But Foster’s late finish broke their hearts.

The tension boiled over after the final whistle, with clashes between Wolves players and their fans. Wolves remain the only team without a win in England’s top four divisions, and pressure is mounting.

Bellingham and Mbappé Light Up the Bernabéu in a Fiery El Clásico

In other news, Real Madrid triumphed 2–1 over Barcelona in a fiery El Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu, with Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé once again at the heart of the action.

Mbappé opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after a superb defence-splitting pass from Bellingham, giving Madrid an early advantage. Barcelona hit back in the 38th minute when Fermin Lopez capitalised on a defensive error to level the score, briefly silencing the home crowd.

Madrid regained control just before halftime, with Bellingham finishing off a flowing move created by Vinícius Jr. to make it 2–1. That goal also etched his name into the record books as the youngest Englishman in the 21st century to both score and assist in an El Clásico, according to Opta Analyst.

The match wasn’t short of drama. Real had one penalty overturned by VAR before earning another for handball, only for Mbappé’s effort to be brilliantly saved by Wojciech Szczęsny. Barcelona’s frustration boiled over late in the game when Pedri received a second yellow card, sparking heated confrontations on the touchline.

The win keeps Madrid firmly in the La Liga title race, and once again, Bellingham’s brilliance proved decisive on one of football’s grandest stages.

Read Al;so: English Premier League Round-Up: Weekend Review