Julian Alvarez scores twice as Atletico came from behind to inflict a first defeat of the season on city rivals Real.
Published On 27 Sep 202527 Sep 2025
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Julian Alvarez scored twice as Atletico Madrid came from behind to thrash city rivals Real Madrid 5-2 in a pulsating derby that handed the La Liga leaders their first loss after a perfect start to the season.
The thrilling encounter at a raucous Metropolitano stadium saw Atletico fight back from 2-1 down to claim a memorable victory that lifted them to fourth place with 12 points.
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Real Madrid remain top of La Liga on 18 points, two ahead of Barcelona, who have a game in hand.
Atletico’s aggressive start paid off when Robin Le Normand opened the scoring with a header in the 14th minute.
However, Kylian Mbappe burst through to level with an unstoppable strike from close range in a quick counter in the 25th minute, with Arda Guller netting a volley from a Vinicius Jr cross 11 minutes later to put the visitors in front.
Alexander Sorloth’s header in added time before the break gave Atletico a boost and they regained the lead five minutes into the second half when Alvarez converted a penalty after Guler’s high boot clipped rival Nico Gonzalez on the face inside the box.
After Alvarez extended their lead in the 64th minute with a sublime free kick into the top corner, substitute Antoine Griezmann sealed the win in a quick counter in added time.
Alvarez’s performance was sweet redemption after his controversial double-kick penalty contributed to Atletico losing to Madrid in last season’s Champions League.
Diego Simeone’s Atletico dealt Xabi Alonso his first loss of the season after Madrid had won all six La Liga games and its Champions League opener. Alonso’s only other loss since taking over as Madrid’s coach in the summer was against Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup semifinals in July.
Barcelona can overtake leader Madrid with a win at Real Sociedad on Sunday.
Real Madrid coach Alonso admitted that his side deserved to lose the game.
“We were bad at everything. We couldn’t string passes together, we couldn’t win duels, we couldn’t create chances,” he said.
“We need to analyse what happened and get better, and we will.”
The Madrid coach tried to find positives from this painful defeat as he looked ahead to the rest of the season.
“This is a process,” he said. “We’re in a phase where we’re building an identity. We will get better, for sure.”
Ryan Gravenberch’s 10th-minute stunner set Liverpool on their way to a 2-1 win against Everton in the Merseyside derby.
Published On 20 Sep 202520 Sep 2025
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Liverpool stretched their perfect Premier League start to maintain their stranglehold of the Merseyside derby with a 2-1 win over Everton and open up a six-point lead at the top of the table.
Goals from Ryan Gravenberch and Hugo Ekitike were the defending champions’ reward for a dominant first half on Saturday and enough for a fifth consecutive Premier League win.
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But Liverpool ran out of steam after the break and were left hanging on after Idrissa Gana Gueye fired Everton back into the contest.
Arne Slot’s men had needed late goals to win all of their previous four Premier League games and Champions League opener against Atletico Madrid in midweek.
This time the Reds did the bulk of their good work inside the first 30 minutes to leave Everton still without a win at Anfield in front of a crowd in the 21st century.
Slot left both his 100 million pounds ($135m) plus signings Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak on the bench, but Liverpool were all the better balanced for the return of Alexis MacAllister alongside Dominik Szoboszlai and the impressive Gravenberch in midfield.
The Dutch midfielder broke the deadlock just nine minutes in with a deft finish on the half-volley from Mohamed Salah’s cross.
Salah came close to a second moments later with a powerfully struck effort on his trusty left foot that flew just wide.
Everton had been on a four-game unbeaten run thanks in large part to the form of the resurgent Jack Grealish.
The Manchester City loanee was unsurprisingly at the heart of their best first-half move with a pass through to Kieran Dewsbury-Hall, who fired wide from a narrow angle.
Liverpool’s Ryan Gravenberch scores their first goal past Everton’s Jordan Pickford [David Klein/Reuters]
Liverpool responded in style to a fine team move culminated in Ekitike rolling Gravenberch’s pass through the legs of Jordan Pickford for his third goal in five Premier League games since his move from Eintracht Frankfurt.
But the second half was a completely different story as Liverpool almost saw another two-goal lead disappear after being pegged by Bournemouth, Newcastle and Atletico already this season.
Fatigue this time seemed to play a part with kickoff just more than 60 hours after Virgil van Dijk’s stoppage-time winner against Atletico on Wednesday.
Everton had a lifeline just before the hour mark when Grealish’s deep cross was turned back into the path of Gueye, who blasted his past Alisson Becker.
Slot turned to Wirtz and Isak off the bench to try and wrestle back control to little effect.
Liverpool, though, did manage to see out a nervy finale to inflict an unwanted record on Everton boss David Moyes.
The Scot has now failed to win in 23 trips to Anfield as a visiting coach, the most any Premier League manager has played at a stadium without victory.
Since the turn of the century the two sides have only played each other on 10 occasions, and during the entire 1990s they only met once in the FA Cup.
There were only three derbies during the 1980s and in the 1970s they played four times – and in total the two clubs have only met 72 times in 125 years.
“The last derby was in 2019, and that was a long time for the grudge to be held,” added Farmery.
“There’s a lot of build-up over a long period of time and because that boil doesn’t get the chance to be lanced often enough, that contributes to the ferociousness of the rivalry.”
Southampton club historian Duncan Holley believes the fact that Saints have traditionally finished higher in the football pyramid has also fuelled the rivalry.
“In the past 64 seasons, Saints have only been below Portsmouth in finishing terms on seven occasions,” he said.
Holley said that relative success annoyed Portsmouth fans and “by the time the 1960s ended there was a lot of animosity coming from Portsmouth to Southampton”.
He added: “Saints fans then retaliated and decided to match the feeling, and that’s how it all became.
“There is always rivalry between any neighbouring town, and this was initially a friendly competitiveness, but that really petered out. It’s become a bit of a cult and I see it as one of the strongest derbies around.”
CHELSEA travel up the road where they will face rivals Brentford in what is already their fourth London derby of the season – and SunSport can point fans in the right direction of where to tune in.
Joao Pedro’s header and Enzo Fernandez’s penalty helped the Blues overcome a furious Fulham side before the international break.
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Joao Pedro scored a controversial headerCredit: AP
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Brentford threw away three points against SunderlandCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
And Pedro’s opening strike was a major talking point with it coming in the NINTH minute of stoppage time despite only eight minutes being added.
Elsewhere, Brentford had drama of their own as they most recently lost to newly-promoted Sunderland courtesy of a 90+6 stoppage time Wilson Isidor penalty after leading the game up until the 77th minute.
So they’ll be itching to get back on track with a win and hand one of the only remaining undefeated sides a loss at the Gtech.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca initially thought his £30million transfer from Ipswich would miss six to eight weeks.
But it is now clear he will miss significantly more than that.
The Athletic report Delap will not return to training until November.
Dario Essugo, Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile are all set to the miss the London derby.
As for Blues talisman Cole Palmer, it is still unclear whether he’ll return after missing both the clash against West Ham and Fulham as well as pulling out of the England side.
Joao Pedro scored his second goal in the Premier LeagueCredit: AFP
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Trevoh Chalobah was too soft in the backlineCredit: AFP
Summer signing Pedro gave the hosts the lead with a header in the dying seconds of the first half.
The Blues‘ afternoon was made more comfortable as Enzo Fernandez converted from the spot in the 56th minute.
Fulham did have chances as defender Trevoh Chalobah seemed like a weak spot in the backline.
Here’s how SunSport reporter Jack Rosserrated the Chelsea players…
Robert Sanchez – 6
Sanchez will have been relieved that Josh King’s opening goal was ruled out, given he was made to look rather silly with the near post finish.
Other than that, however, the Spaniard had a very, very quiet afternoon with little to do after the first half scare.
Malo Gusto – 6
A couple of fine, flying challenges to stop Fulham on the counter while also supporting the winger in flying forwards whenever he can.
Given how good he can be, it feels like Reece James may take the right-back spot from Gusto soon but the Frenchman is putting forwards a good case at the moment.
A very difficult first half for the Blues defender.
Chalobah was lucky that VAR intervened in the build-up to Fulham’s disallowed goal after he was easily rolled by Rodrigo Muniz.
Christopher Nkunku seals transfer to AC Milan just two years after Chelsea move
He was also easily beaten by Josh King not too long after that. Picked up in the second half.
Tosin Adarabioyo – 6
A tough battle with former Fulham teammates Muniz and Raul Jimenez a times but led the Blues back four well.
Came close to opening the scoring but could not react to get an effort on target after a corner deflected his way off of Kenny Tete.
Marc Cucurella – 6
The Spaniard was fairly untroubled throughout, keeping the danger down his side to a minimum – especially impressive after Adama Traore was thrown on to try and get Fulham back in.
As always, a ball of energy looking to cause trouble going forwards, but little joy on that front this weekend.
Moises Caicedo – 8
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Moises Caicedo impressed in the midfieldCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
Despite having trained just once this week since the West Ham game, Caicedo put in another stellar display.
Dominant against a hefty Fulham midfield, the Ecuador international held everything together for the Blues.
And even when the control slipped, Caicedo was there to save the day – making a superb last-ditch challenge to deny Timothy Castange what looked a certain goal minutes before the Blues opened the scoring.
Enzo Fernandez – 6
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Enzo Fernandez converted from the spotCredit: AFP
A bizarre afternoon for the Chelsea captain, who shushed his own fans and raged at the fitness coach at halftime.
Some sloppy play first half but stepped up and helped Chelsea gain a little more control after the break, before pulling rank and keeping his cool to convert the penalty and double the lead.
Estevao – 6
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Estevao put in another bright displayCredit: Getty
Another encouraging afternoon for the teenage winger.
Estevao showed his strength and power with a barge on Ryan Sessengnon in the first half, winning the ball before skipping away and past Calvin Bassey.
End product could do with some work still but plenty to be excited about.
Joao Pedro – 7
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Pedro opened the scoringCredit: Getty
Another week and another goal for Pedro.
The Brazilian found space well and confidently nodded home his second Premier League goal of the season to get things rolling.
Pedro even kept his mouth shut when Enzo Fernandez wanted to claim the penalty and open his account for the campaign, giving his captain a hug for support before the spot kick.
Pedro Neto – 5
A lot of hard work for little reward.
With Alejandro Garnacho watching on and Jamie Gittens already providing competition from the bench – Neto will have to show more if he is to keep his place in the side.
Liam Delap – n/a
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Liam Delap went off injuredCredit: Getty
The striker suffered a huge blow as he went off injured early in the first half.
Substitutes
Tyrique George (Delap, 13′) – 5
Thrown in much earlier than expected after Delap’s early injury and asked to lead the line – not his usual position.
It was a surprise George was even turned to given talks progressing over a move to Roma.
his was not a performance that will add any more to the transfer fee as George struggled to make an impact.
Jamie Gittens (Estevao, 67′) – 6
Offered precious little from the bench, although Chelsea were more seeing out the game rather than pushing desperately for a third goal once Gittens was sent on.
Winning the Derby in 1971 was the crowning moment in one of the finest seasons ever seen in the saddle.
With Mill Reef he captured the Derby, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris – victories that remain etched in the sport’s history.
He also claimed the Oaks, the Coronation Cup, the Ascot Gold Cup and the Lockinge, making him virtually unbeatable that year.
Although his family moved to London when he was a boy, Lewis’ roots in Wales were never forgotten.
His journey into racing began at the Waldorf Hotel, where he worked as a page boy before jump jockey Tim Molony spotted his build and suggested he try racing.
Apprenticed to Ron Smyth at Epsom, he quickly rose through the ranks, riding his first winner in 1953.
By 1957 he was first jockey at Kingsclere, enjoying big-race victories for Sir Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth II.
But it was Mill Reef who defined him, the little colt who carried a Welshman to racing immortality.
Lewis went on to partner 1,880 winners in Britain, twice finishing runner-up in the jockeys’ championship and winning five Classics.
After retiring as a jockey, Lewis turned his hand to training and found success once more.
Based in Epsom, his stable included champion sprinter Lake Coniston, who stormed to glory in the 1995 July Cup.
In November 2024, Lewis’ lifelong contribution to Welsh sport was celebrated when he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Welsh Horse Racing Awards in Cardiff.
Too ill to attend in person, his daughter Mary and grandchildren Luci and Alex collected the award on his behalf.
The award was a fitting reminder of his place in Welsh sporting history.
ATLANTA — Seattle’s Cal Raleigh won his first Home Run Derby after leading the big leagues in long balls going into the break, defeating Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero 18-15 in the final round Monday night.
The Mariners’ breakout slugger nicknamed “Big Dumper” advanced from the first round on a tiebreaker by less than an inch over the Athletics’ Brent Rooker, then won his semifinal 19-13 over Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz, whose 513-foot first-round drive over Truist Park’s right-center field seats was the longest of the night.
Hitting second in the final round, the 22-year-old Caminero closed within three dingers, took three pitches and hit a liner to left field.
Becoming the first switch-hitter and first catcher to win the title, Raleigh had reached the All-Star break with a major league-leading 38 home runs. He became the second Mariners player to take the title after three-time winner Ken Griffey Jr.
“Usually the guy that’s leading the league in homers doesn’t win the whole thing,” Raleigh said. “That’s as surprising to me as anybody else.”
Raleigh was pitched to by his father, Todd, former coach of Tennessee and Western Carolina. His younger brother, Todd Raleigh Jr., did the catching.
“Just to do it with my family was awesome,” Raleigh said.
Just the second Derby switch-hitter after Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman in 2023, Raleigh hit his first eight left-handed, took a timeout, then hit seven right-handed. Going back to lefty, he then hit two more in the bonus round and stayed lefty for the semifinals and the final.
Caminero beat Minnesota’s Byron Buxton 8-7 in the other semifinal.
Atlanta’s Matt Olson, Washington’s James Wood, the New York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Rooker were eliminated in the first round of the annual power show.
Cruz and Caminero each hit 21 long balls and Buxton had 20 in the opening round. Raleigh and Rooker had 17 apiece, but Raleigh advanced on the tiebreaker of their longest homer, 470.61 feet to 470.53.
“One little tweak in the system and I’m not even in the next round, so that’s crazy,” Raleigh said.
Cruz’s long drive was the hardest-hit at 118 mph.
The longest derby homer since Statcast started tracking in 2016 was 520 feet by Juan Soto in the mile-high air of Denver’s Coors Field in 2021. Last year, the longest drive at Arlington, Texas, was 473 feet by Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna.
Wood hit 16 homers, including a 486-foot shot and one that landed on the roof of the Chop House behind the right-field wall. Olson, disappointing his hometown fans, did not go deep on his first nine swings and finished with 15, He also was eliminated in the first round in 2021.
Chisholm hit just three homers, the fewest since the timer format started in 2015.
A home run contest without baseball’s two most famous home-run hitters?
What’s the point?
Ohtani pointed to the contest’s physical demands as to why he didn’t compete. Judge said he would only consider participating if the event was staged in New York.
How unfortunate for baseball, which has the perfect stage to showcase its two most popular players but can’t persuade them to perform on it.
Here’s one potential remedy: Let Ohtani and Judge write the rules.
That might not change Judge’s position, but it could change Ohtani’s. Ohtani has certainly pondered modifications that could be made to the Derby to make him more inclined to participate, some of which he shared at All-Star media day.
“That’s not for me to decide,” Ohtani said in Japanese. “However, personally, I think there could be limits on the number of pitches, the number of swings, and a focus on flight distance.”
The commissioner’s office should listen.
As profitable as baseball is, its cultural relevance in this country is diminishing. The most popular athletes in the United States are football and basketball players. Outside of Ohtani, and maybe Judge, no baseball player transcends his sport.
In Ohtani, baseball finally has its long-awaited face of the game, and the sport would be negligent to not maximize his stardom, both domestically and abroad.
Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners might be the major league leader in home runs, but he’s a nobody as far as the general public is concerned. The same is true of everyone else in the eight-player Derby field — Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braves, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Brent Rooker of the Wandering Athletics.
Shohei Ohtani runs the bases after hitting his 30th homer of the season against the Chicago White Sox on July 1.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
By participating in the Derby, Ohtani wouldn’t just draw attention to the event. He would also elevate his competitors, giving them chances to introduce themselves to audiences that would otherwise remain ignorant of their existences.
If baseball has to reduce the number of swings taken by Derby participants to gain that kind of exposure for its players, it should reduce the number of swings taken by Derby participants.
For that matter, if Ohtani says he would participate only if he’s allowed to hit soccer balls, let him hit soccer balls.
Why not?
What would be compromised, the integrity of a barely-watchable made-for-television event?
Ohtani’s reticence is based on history. When Ohtani made his only Derby appearance in 2021, the format was similar to what it is now. In the first round, Ohtani had three minutes to hit as many homers as possible, as would be the case today. The Derby has since added a 40-pitch limit.
Ohtani was eliminated by Juan Soto in the opening round, after which he said with a simile, “It was more tiring than the regular season.”
Ohtani went on to win his first most valuable player award that year, but the Derby marked a turning point in his season. In 84 games before the All-Star break, Ohtani batted .279 with 33 homers and 70 runs batted in. In his 71 games after, he hit just .229 with 13 homers and 30 RBIs.
He implied that experience was why he was unlikely to return any time soon.
“With the current rules, it’s pretty difficult,” Ohtani said last month, “so for now, I don’t think there’s much of a chance.”
For baseball, that translates to limited viewership.
Viewership for the Derby was at its highest in the first decade of the 2000s. Of the five most-viewed Derbys, only one was staged in the last 15 years: The 2017 Derby, which Judge won as a rookie. Judge has not competed since.
The Derby doesn’t make the players. The players make the Derby. And if the sport’s only superstar is open to taking part, the league should facilitate it.
