Madrid, Nov.2,2019
Real Madrid passed up the chance to go clear at the top of La Liga after slip-ups from title rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, when they could only draw 0-0 at home to struggling Real Betis on a difficult Saturday for Spain’s top three sides.
Real were full of confidence after hammering Leganes 5-0 in mid-week for their biggest win of a stop-start season and appeared to get off to a great start when Eden Hazard struck early but the goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.
Madrid’s clearest opening came in the second half when French left back Ferland Mendy surged forward towards goal but despite having plenty of time to shoot he missed the target, prompting howls of frustration from the fans behind the goal.
Real are second in the standings on 22 points after 11 games, level with leaders Barcelona who slid to a shock 3-1 loss at Levante earlier in the day.
Atletico Madrid, who have played one game more, are third on 21 points after drawing 1-1 at Sevilla, who are fourth with the same number of points. Betis are 14th with 13.
Karim Benzema saw a shot well saved in a bright opening spell while Toni Kroos came close to scoring from a free kick but Betis, who were victorious on their last two visits to the Santiago Bernabeu, were not shy down the other end.
French midfielder Nabil Fekir flashed a shot just wide in the first half and Loren Moron tried in vain to lob Thibaut Courtois, who had to make a smart save to deny Fekir late in the game.
Madrid had a penalty appeal for handball turned down in the closing stages while Vinicius Jr. and Dani Carvajal were both thwarted in stoppage time by Betis goalkeeper Joel Robles.
Meanwhile, Manchester City survived a scare at home to Southampton as late goals from Sergio Aguero and Kyle Walker earned them a 2-1 victory in the Premier League on Saturday.
Southampton, thrashed 9-0 by Leicester City last week and beaten 3-1 by City in the League Cup in midweek, took a shock lead when James Ward-Prowse scored in the 13th minute.
City spent the rest of the game battering at Southampton’s defence to little effect but finally equalised in the 70th minute when Aguero turned in Walker’s cross.
Southampton dug deep trying to hang on for an unlikely point but were breached again when Walker slid the ball home in the 87th minute.
In another development, Striker Tammy Abraham scored one goal and created another as Chelsea beat Watford 2-1 at Vicarage Road in the Premier League on Saturday.
Goalkeeper Ben Foster put on a superb display between the posts for the home side despite the defeat.
Abraham latched on to a brilliant defence-splitting pass by Jorginho and lifted the ball past Foster in the fifth minute to join Leicester’s Jamie Vardy and Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero as top scorers with nine goals each so far this season.
Foster bounced back from the concession of that early goal to pull off a string of superb first-half saves from Abraham, Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount to keep his side in the game.
He made another great stop from Mount early in the second half, but there was little he could do in the 55th minute when Abraham pulled the ball back across the box for Pulisic to slam home from close range to double Chelsea’s advantage.
“I want to make an impact for the team and I am enjoying it a lot. I want to prove every week that I deserve to be in the starting line-up,” Pulisic said after the game.
Watford nearly snatched an unlikely point as Gerard Deulofeu scored a late penalty and Foster almost headed home a late free kick as the Hornets threw everybody forward.
But his opposite number Kepa clawed the ball away as the final whistle went.
“That’s the closest I have ever come to scoring. I can’t believe he saved it but that’s why they spend so much money on a goalkeeper like Kepa,” the 36-year-old Foster told reporters, adding that he thought his side had deserved a draw.
Chelsea’s fifth consecutive league win lifts them to third place in the table on 23 points, eight behind leaders Liverpool and two behind second-placed Manchester City.
Winless Watford remain bottom on five points after 11 games.
