Wins for PSG and Man City, RB Leipzig goes down

RB Leipzig could not knit an extension to its win against Club Brugge in the Champions League. It went down 1-3 on its own field against Leverkusen. PSG and Man City, on the other hand, were able to win.

Saint-Etienne - PSG 1-3

A move to Saint-Etienne, that was the debut for Sergio Ramos at les Parisiens. For a long time it looked as if Paris-Saint-Germain would lose points, but in the closing quarter Marquinhos and Di Maria still ensured the win.

An excellent Saint-Etienne played a good first period, although it got some help from VAR who disallowed a goal by Neymar after six minutes. After about 20 minutes, the home side even took the lead through Bouanga. Just before halftime, however, Kolodziejczak received a red card, allowing PSG to play a full half with one man more.

Just before halftime, Marquinhos failed to convert a pass from Messi. After the break, however, things did not go much smoother for the visitors. Saint-Etienne did not have too much trouble with PSG's limited attacking intentions. Until Messi unleashed his devils with 15 minutes left on the clock. First with an assist for Di Maria, then with his third assist of the afternoon for Marquinhos again. At the end of the game, Neymar had to go to the side injured after a duel with Macon. (KV)

Paris Saint-Germain: Donnarumma, Hakimi, Marquinhos, Ramos, Bernat, Pereira, Gueye (75' Paredes), Di Maria, Messi, Neymar (88' Ebimbe), Mbappé.
Goals: 23' Bouanga (1-0), 47' Marquinhos (1-1), 79' Di Maria (1-2), 91' Marquinhos (1-3).

Manchester City - West Ham United 2-1

Manchester City jumped over Liverpool again in the Premier League after a win against a stiff West Ham United, fourth in the standings. City put pressure on the visitors from the beginning of the match. Mahrez thought to have opened the scoring just after the quarter-hour mark, but his goal was disallowed for offside. A quarter of an hour later, the 1-0 did go on the ropes: in the middle of a snow shower, Gündogan kicked a Mahrez cross into the goal.

During halftime, many hands were needed to clear the field of snow, but the second half could still be played. City continued to press. Sterling and Gabriel Jesus missed chances that kept things exciting. In the absolute final moments of the game, substitute Fernandinho scored the 2-0. West Ham saved the best for last: in the last minute of extra time, Lanzini smashed a volley beautifully through the post. Because of leader Chelsea's draw against Manchester United, City approaches Chelsea to within one point in the standings. (EV)

Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Ruben Dias, Laporte, Joao Cancelo, Gündogan, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus, Mahrez, Sterling (87' Fernandinho).
Goals: 33' Gündogan (1-0), 90' Fernandinho (2-0), 94' Lanzini (2-1).

RB Leipzig - Bayer Leverkusen 1-3

RB Leipzig went down 1-3 on their own pitch against higher-ranked Bayer Leverkusen. In an empty Red Bull Arena, Leipzig started the match with the same team that won against Club Brugge. Yet it was the visitors who started the match best and took advantage of the space given by the home team. Leipzig got its first warning after eight minutes when Diaby scored. But the goal was disallowed for offside. Not much later, the visitors opened the scoring anyway through Florian Wirtz. A second goal soon followed when Moussa Diaby beat goalkeeper Martinez without a chance. A justifiable 0-2 score halfway through, illustrating the picture of play was that striker Brobbey was substituted before halftime.

After the break, Leipzig got into the game better and that led to the tying goal from Andre Silva on a pass from Nkunku. But the Rote Bullen's hopes were immediately dashed by a goal from Jeremie Frimpong. After a handball in the box, Leipzig was awarded a penalty kick in the final minutes of the match, but Dominik Szoboszlai's eleven-meter effort hit the post. There was no more scoring, Leipzig remains in eighth place in the standings. (KN)

RB Leipzig: Josep Martinez - Angelino, Josko Gvardiol, Lukas Klostermann (84' Solomon Bonnah), Nordi Mukiele - Konrad Laimer (73' Benjamin Henrichs), Kevin Kampl (73' Tyler Adams), Emil Forsberg (84' Amadou Haidera) - Christopher Nkunku - Andre Silva, Brian Brobbey (43' Dominik Szoboszlai).
Goals: 21' Wirtz (0-1), 34' Diaby (0-2), 62' Silva (1-2), 64' Fimpong (1-3).