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Top five surprising defeats in Europe’s top five leagues so far

An underdog punching above its weight is always a sight to savor in any sport and football thus far has produced many such encounters this season. Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the delayed finish of the Champions League left many top clubs with little time to prepare for a new season. This has proved to be an advantage for the smaller clubs since they had a proper pre-season and most of their players are free from International duty. In this article, we will look at five defeats in Europe’s top five leagues which completely surprised everyone,

5. Manchester City 2-5 Leicester City, 27/09/20

Leicester City is slowly cementing their place as the team that is primed to topple one of Premier League’s “Big Six” and they further enhanced their reputation with a sparkling display against Manchester City. Many would have expected Leicester City to give a tough fight but very few could have predicted the outcome. It was an odd game where three penalties were given to the away team and Manchester City struggled defensively with Vardy giving their central defenders a torrid time. Vardy finished with a hat-trick and Maddison scored a beautiful curler in a memorable day for Leicester City.

4. Valencia 4-1 Real Madrid, 09/11/20

Real Madrid had the best defensive record in Europe last season but with Zidane opting to try out different formations, their backline has been exposed more this season. With Casemiro testing positive for COVID-19, Zidane had to field a team without a recognized defensive midfielder and it cost him dearly. Ramos, Marcelo and Vazquez who was filling in for Carvajal conceded penalties while Varane scored an unceremonious own goal. This crushing defeat meant that the Los Blancos are now placed fourth in the La Liga points table.

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3. Manchester United 1-6 Tottenham Hotspur, 04/10/20

Both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur had not hit top form while coming into this contest and a boring game was predicted by experts and fans alike, They could not have been more wrong as Spurs thrashed United at Old Trafford in a phenomenal way that will be remembered for years to come. Martial’s red card was a hammer blow for the Red Devils as Kane and Son’s brace resulted in an embarrassing defeat.

2. Hoffenheim 4-1 Bayern Munich, 27/09/20

Before this game, Bayern Munich were undefeated in all competitions since re-start and the only question on everyone’s mind was “how many goals Bayern will score this time?”. But Hoffenheim completely outplayed the European Champions in this contest as they broke Bayern Munich’s high line repeatedly. Hoffenheim’s pace was simply too good for the Bavarians and they struggled to finish their chances with Lewandowski on the bench. The result showed that Bayern Munich’s defense can be exposed with properly planned counter-attacks.

1. Aston Villa 7-2 Liverpool, 04/10/2020

A scoreline that still defies logic as Liverpool went down in a remarkable manner at Villa park despite playing an almost full-strength side. Grealish, Barkley and Watkins were in top form as they dismantled Liverpool in style. Van Dijk and Gomez were left breathless due to Villa’s energy and pressing while Adrian produced yet another horror show in front of goal. Liverpool became the first reigning champions to concede seven goals in the Premier League while Villa scored seven in the Premier League for only the second time in their history.

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