Game Recaps

Atletico Madrid stayed firmly on course to secure Champions League football next season after two goals by Alvaro Morata and a late strike from Koke gave them a 3-0 home win over struggling Mallorca in LaLiga on Friday.

The result left Atletico third on 62 points from 34 games, five ahead of fourth-placed Sevilla and eight in front of fifth-placed Villarreal who both have a game in hand.

Mallorca have a only slim chance of avoiding relegation as they remained third-bottom on 29 points from 34 games, five behind 17th-placed Celta Vigo who have played a game less.

MADRID — Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos kept his nerve to score a late penalty and secure a hard-fought 1-0 home win over Getafe on Thursday for a sixth consecutive La Liga victory to take his side one step closer to winning the title.

Ramos coolly passed the ball into the net to break the deadlock in the 79th minute after Dani Carvajal was felled by the trailing leg of Getafe's Mathias Olivera, who was earlier denied a penalty after being knocked over by Carvajal.

MANCHESTER — Manchester City generously applauded new champions Liverpool onto the field before their Premier League match on Thursday -- and promptly showed no mercy by thrashing them 4-0 at the Etihad stadium.

With the title secured a week ago, there was little at stake for Juergen Klopp's Liverpool side who showed far from their usual levels of intensity but the loss, just their second of the league campaign, was an emphatic reminder that City will be desperate to regain their crown next season.

Christian Pulisic and Chelsea had been dynamite since the restart of the Premier League — three straight wins with the American being the Blues’ best player by far. The dream return came to a screeching halt in London with 17th-place West Ham punishing dreadful defending in a 3-2 Chelsea defeat. 

I’m not sure what looked worse to be honest, the Chelsea defense or the new uniforms.

Chelsea have unveiled their new home kit for next season pic.twitter.com/hwXeNHrU50

MILAN — Alexis Sanchez produced an imposing performance to inspire Inter Milan to a 6-0 win over Serie A strugglers Brescia at San Siro on Wednesday.

Sanchez scored for Inter for only the second time but helped set up other goals as they consolidated third place in Serie A and moved closer to a berth in next season’s Champions League.

Brescia slipped to the bottom of the table and will need a dramatic turnaround in fortunes in their remaining nine games if they are to avoid an immediate return to Serie B.

BARCELONA — Barcelona gave up more ground to Real Madrid in LaLiga's title race on Tuesday after being held to a 2-2 draw at home to Atletico Madrid as a late penalty from Saul Niguez canceled out Lionel Messi's 700th career goal.

The draw meant the Catalans stayed second in the standings on 70 points and leaders Real Madrid, who have 71, will go four points clear at the top with five games left if they beat Getafe at home on Thursday.

GENOA, Italy — Juventus secured a 3-1 win at lowly Genoa on Tuesday to stay four points clear at the top of Serie A thanks to a solo goal by Paulo Dybala, a long-range rocket from Cristiano Ronaldo and an exquisite curling shot by Douglas Costa.

Genoa held out defiantly until halftime with goalkeeper Mattia Perin saving everything his former club could throw at him but they had no answer to Juve's individual brilliance in the second period.

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema produced an audacious back-heeled assist for Casemiro to score as they beat Espanyol 1-0 away on Sunday to capitalize on Barcelona's slip-up a day earlier and move two points clear at the top of LaLiga.

Brazilian midfielder Casemiro slid to the ground to guide the ball home on the stroke of halftime after being played in by a stroke of genius from Benzema, who dragged the ball through the legs of the defender marking him to find his team mate.

Southampton striker Danny Ings hit his second brace of the season on Sunday to help the Saints to a 3-1 victory away to Watford. 

Ings has been in sparkling form all season for Southampton and is enjoying his most productive Premier League campaign to date. Having missed substantial game time in recent years due to injury, Ings is fit and firing for the Saints. 

His first goal of the day came in the 16th minute, when he dribbled past Watford defenders to rifle a low shot into the corner of the net from just outside the box. 

Newcastle United’s FA Cup quarterfinal plan of defending resolutely and hoping for one clear chance against Manchester City actually played out perfectly for Steve Bruce’s side at St James’ Park on Sunday, but the compact rearguard action was undone by a boneheaded play from Fabian Schär and the incredible goalscoring opportunity was wasted by Dwight Gayle.