Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha struck twice each as La Liga leaders Barcelona romped to a 5-1 win at Villarreal on Sunday but were left fearing a “huge” knee injury to goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Atletico Madrid, fourth, were held to a 1-1 draw at city rivals Rayo Vallecano as Conor Gallagher netted his second goal for the Rojiblancos.

Barcelona’s sixth league triumph in six games was marred by Ter Stegen being taken off on a stretcher after falling awkwardly having collected a cross, with early reports suggesting he could miss the rest of the season.

“I think it will be a huge injury, when he laid down on the field… you can see it directly,” Barcelona coach Hansi Flick told DAZN.

Lewandowski netted Barcelona’s first two goals and later missed a penalty in a thoroughly entertaining battle on Spain’s east coast at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Ceramica.

Ayoze Perez pulled his team back into the game shortly before half-time and the previously unbeaten hosts had two goals disallowed, with Pablo Torre and Raphinha’s strikes cementing Barcelona’s victory.

After second-placed Real Madrid thrashed Espanyol 4-1 on Saturday the Catalans were able to restore a four-point lead on the champions.

“It’s very important for us that we played a game away from home, we scored five goals and in the end we have three points,” said Lewandowski.

“In the end it doesn’t matter how, as long as we win that’s perfect.”

Flick gave Eric Garcia another start in defensive midfield despite his early red card against Monaco in the Champions League midweek defeat.

The German coach also started reserve team players Gerard Martin and Sergi Dominguez, as well as playmaker Torre in place of the injured Dani Olmo.

Teenage star Lamine Yamal hit the post early on before Lewandowski slotted home in the 20th minute after Torre slipped him in.

Villarreal goalkeeper Diego Conde did well to keep out a bundled effort from the Polish striker but Lewandowski pounced after 35 minutes for his second.

Conde saved Garcia’s header well but the former Bayern Munich hitman converted the rebound with an acrobatic finish from close range.

It was his sixth La Liga goal of the season, taking him two clear of Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe in Spain’s golden boot race.

‘Special person’

🔵🔴⚠️ Marc André ter Stegen leaving the stadium for tests after his bad injury. pic.twitter.com/bj8q1dc8QA

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 22, 2024

Villarreal were frequently threatening on the counter and Perez gave them a lifeline after the electric Nicolas Pepe set him up.

Ter Stegen thwarted Pepe with a sensational save one-on-one before half-time but the German Barca captain was soon stricken as he fell badly after catching a corner before the break and was replaced by Inaki Pena.

Pepe finished brilliantly early in the second half but his effort was disallowed for a marginal offside call, and Yeremy Pino hit the bar with a header as Marcelino Garcia Toral’s side drove Barcelona back.

Torre extended Barca’s lead with a deflected strike from the edge of the box, a killer blow given Villarreal’s momentum.

Lewandowski hit the post from the spot after Eric Bailly scythed down Yamal and Villarreal’s Thierno Barry had a goal ruled out for offside.

Raphinha ended any hopes of a home comeback, first with a deflected shot and then finishing after a superb Yamal pass left him with just Conde to beat.

“(Ter Stegen) is a very special and important person in the dressing room, this victory is 100 percent for him,” Raphinha told DAZN.

🔵🔴⚠️ Marc André ter Stegen leaving the stadium for tests after his bad injury. pic.twitter.com/bj8q1dc8QA

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 22, 2024

Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois wrote Ter Stegen a message on social media platform X.

“It hurt me a lot to see you leave the pitch like that,” wrote the Belgian stopper.

“I hope you can recover soon and we see you again in goal.”

FINAL #RayoAtleti 1-1

🟰✨ ¡Reparto de puntos entre @RayoVallecano y @Atleti para cerrar la jornada de domingo en #LALIGAEASPORTS! pic.twitter.com/X5bOdZ00DI

— LALIGA (@LaLiga) September 22, 2024

In a Madrid derby clash Diego Simeone’s unbeaten Atletico could not find a way past Rayo Vallecano.

Rayo’s Isi Palazon slammed home from close range after 35 minutes and the goal was eventually given after initially being ruled offside.

However Gallagher finished neatly from the edge of the box early in the second half when Alexander Sorloth fed the England international.

“(At half-time Simeone) told us we all had to run, these days anyone who is not running here cannot play,” Atletico captain Koke told Movistar.

“We had chances to get the winner but it wasn’t to be.”

Athletic Bilbao overtook Atletico to move into third with a 3-1 win against Celta Vigo.

Gabbia snaps AC Milan’s derby losing pain with late winner against Inter

Matteo Gabbia fired AC Milan to a stunning late derby win over Inter Milan on Sunday with a bullet header which earned his team a 2-1 win and local bragging rights, while Roma thumped Udinese 3-0 as fans protested the shock sacking of Daniele De Rossi.

Defender Gabbia rose highest to thump home Tijjani Reijnders’ free-kick in the 89th minute and give Milan a Serie A win which pulls them out of a miserable early season slump.

Paulo Fonseca’s side join Inter on eight points in seventh place thanks to Gabbia’s late winner, which came after Federico Dimarco had levelled Christian Pulisic’s brilliant 10th-minute individual effort just before the half-hour mark.

“They played with a lot of courage today and I think we deserved to win, I can’t remember another team that have created so many problems for Inter like we did today,” said Fonseca to DAZN.

Milan’s win snapped Inter’s run of consecutive derby victories at six and stopped their rivals from taking top spot in Serie A on goal difference ahead of surprise early league leaders Torino.

They will have renewed belief after a difficult start to the campaign, with the pressure relieved on new coach Fonseca whose team were worthy winners.

“They were the better team tonight, we didn’t play as a team and that’s not something you can usually say about us,” said Inzaghi.

Milan end derby hoodoo

Milan were booed off the field after being thumped by Liverpool on Tuesday but fans were fully back on their side after a strong display as the nominal away side at a pulsating San Siro.

They deserved to win after creating the best chances to win the match in the second half and were nearly denied the three points by a fine performance from Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer.

The Swiss pulled off a sensational save to stop Rafael Leao heading Milan ahead seconds after the restart before diving low to keep out Reijnders 20 minutes later.

Leao again cursed his luck in the 75th minute when at the end of a rapid counter-attack Sommer kept out his close range finish, and seconds later Tammy Abraham flashed a great chance just wide.

But Gabbia sparked a wild party among the Milan fans who could finally celebrate ending their derby hoodoo in the most dramatic fashion.

“It was pretty difficult when things weren’t going well, but this win will really help push us forward,” said Milan youth product Gabbia to DAZN.

“There are always tough moments in life, all we can do is not have regrets at the final whistle and that’s what happened today.”

Roma protests

“Whoever loves Roma comes in the stadium 30 minutes late”

Roma fans are NOT happy about the club sacking De Rossi

📸 @LAROMA24 pic.twitter.com/Mru61l3ioo

— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) September 22, 2024

Goals from Artem Dovbyk, Paulo Dybala and Tommaso Baldanzi gave Roma their first win of the season against Udinese who had been surprise leaders before this weekend but drop down to third, a point behind Torino.

But the match was a sideshow due to the vociferous protests at De Rossi’s dismissal on Wednesday which will continue unless new coach Ivan Juric can ensure continue with the sort of display which moved Roma up to 10th on six points.

“The boys were very sad about Daniele being fired, they were very honest about it and I appreciated that,” said Juric after the match.

Supporters hurled abuse at the team from the stands while the entire Curva Sud section of the Olimpico, where the hardcore supporters stand, was empty for the first half an hour of the match.

‼️ | At the 30′ mark, the Curva Sud enter the Olimpico

A change for De Rossi and “We only support the shirt” #Roma

pic.twitter.com/yCotbSbgxD

— Italian Football News 🇮🇹 (@footitalia1) September 22, 2024

By the time those fans started pouring into the stadium Roma were ahead thanks to Dovbyk’s goal, but that didn’t stop loud chants of De Rossi’s name ringing around the stadium.

The anger at De Rossi being fired has been such that CEO Lina Souloukou, who resigned on Saturday morning, had been placed under police protection after online threats made against her and family.

Earlier, Albert Gudmundsson netted a brace of penalties on his Fiorentina debut to fire his new team to their first win of the campaign, 2-1 against Lazio.

Bundesliga: Last-gasp Boniface gives Leverkusen victory, Stuttgart outclass Dortmund

This guy right here? HE. SCORES. GOALS!🇳🇬🦅#B04WOB @boniface_jrn pic.twitter.com/bUJKF8dOyW

— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) September 22, 2024

Victor Boniface struck a stoppage-time winner to give Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen a thrilling 4-3 win over Wolfsburg on Sunday, while Borussia Dortmund were outclassed in a 5-1 hammering at Stuttgart.

In a seesaw encounter, Leverkusen and Wolfsburg were locked at 3-3 from the 48th minute.

Wolfsburg were then reduced to 10 men in the dying stages when Yannick Gerhardt sunk his studs into Jeremie Frimpong’s calf.

Boniface, who came on with 22 minutes remaining, collected a pass before pivoting on the spot and shooting home to snatch the German champions another late victory, providing a perfect boost ahead of next week’s trip to Bayern Munich.

Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka was far from pleased with the win, calling the result “a giant wake-up call — none of us can be satisfied with the game today.

“We can’t keep going with performances like that. We can’t defend so naively. Sure, we scored four but we can’t do that every weekend.”

Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso had named a heavily changed line-up from the side which thrashed Feyenoord 4-0 in the Champions League on Thursday, giving Nordi Mukiele his starting debut.

However, Mukiele, signed on loan from French champions PSG, endured a nightmare start when he allowed the ball to bounce in off his thigh for a fifth-minute own goal.

Florian Wirtz, who scored a brace on his Champions League debut on Thursday, drew Leverkusen level with a superb effort from outside the box shortly after.

Jonathan Tah headed the hosts ahead from a corner after 32 minutes but Leverkusen’s joy was short-lived, with Wolfsburg’s Sebastiaan Bornauw equalising five minutes later, jumping above Mukiele to head in from close range.

Mattias Svanberg scored from the edge of the box on the counter for Wolfsburg before Leverkusen levelled again on 48 minutes through Piero Hincapie.

In breaking through for their debut Bundesliga title last season without losing a match Leverkusen dropped just 12 points but they appeared on course for a second setback after losing to RB Leipzig in their last home game.

Boniface had other ideas and sliced the ball home in the third minute of injury time to keep Leverkusen three points behind league leaders Bayern, ahead of next week’s clash in Munich.

In Sunday’s late game, RB Leipzig were held to a 0-0 stalemate at promoted St Pauli, their second straight scoreless draw.

St Pauli had the better of the opening period with several good chances but Leipzig ‘keeper Peter Gulacsi kept them at bay.

Leipzig improved in the second half, but the hosts held on to claim their first point of the season.

Stuttgart soar, Dortmund disappoint

This is Dortmund‘s biggest Bundesliga defeat since…

…losing 5-1 to Stuttgart in December 2020. Nemesis. #VfBBVB pic.twitter.com/Lxo2LPMrHc

— Victor Catalina (@vcatalina96) September 22, 2024

Days after going down 3-1 at Real Madrid in the Champions League, Stuttgart dominated a disappointing Dortmund at home thanks to a brace from Deniz Undav and goals from Ermedin Demirovic, Enzo Millot and El Bilal Toure.

Dortmund had raided last season’s surprise runners-up Stuttgart in the summer, signing captain Waldemar Anton and striker Serhou Guirassy who had scored 28 goals in 28 league games.

Champions League finalists in June, Dortmund came into the match yet to lose this season but were 2-0 down in 21 minutes.

Undav cut in on the break just four minutes in and Demirovic – Guirassy’s replacement up front – headed in a second on the 21-minute mark.

Millot, who like Undav upgraded his loan deal to a permanent move in the summer, tapped in after a corner to put Stuttgart in control.

Guirassy pulled a goal back with 15 minutes remaining, but Stuttgart scored twice in the closing stages through Bilal Toure and Undav to top off a dominant victory.

“We showed a reaction to the Real Madrid game and I’m happy,” Undav told DAZN.

Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin, handed the first defeat of his short reign, said Stuttgart’s win was “absolutely deserved from the first until the last minute,” adding “I’m certain we’ll play differently on Friday (at home against Bochum) because I can’t accept that (performance)”.

Ligue 1: Marseille stun Lyon with 95th-minute winner

🇫🇷 Stunning scenes in France! Jonathan Rowe comes off the bench to score a 95th minute winner for Marseille and secure victory over fierce rivals Lyon!

What a way for the forward on loan from Norwich City to get his first Ligue 1 goal, a brilliant strike too!#ncfc #OLOM pic.twitter.com/x5cAFYZEgQ

— English Players Abroad (@EnglishAbroad1) September 22, 2024

Marseille came from behind to beat Lyon 3-2 away from home after being reduced to 10 men early in the match on Sunday courtesy of a 95th-minute winner by Jonathan Rowe.

The result sent Roberto De Zerbi’s resurgent side second in Ligue 1, level on 13 points with Paris Saint-Germain but with an inferior goal difference.

Ex-Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car opened the scoring for Lyon in a chaotic ‘Olympico’ derby, marked by late goals and an early red card.

Pol Lirola levelled for Marseille, before Ulisses Garcia sent them ahead with under 10 minutes remaining.

Rayan Cherki looked to have claimed a point for Lyon in the third minute of added time only for Rowe to piledrive a winner for Marseille from the edge of the box two minutes later.

The match lived up to its feisty billing as one of France’s most intense rivalries with Marseille’s Leonardo Balerdi picking up a yellow card inside 30 seconds for a heavy challenge on Corentin Tolisso.

The Marseille captain then got his marching orders inside five minutes for a second bookable offence when he hauled down Alexandre Lacazette.

“He made a mistake and he knows it,” said De Zerbi. “But we dedicate this victory to him and he remains our captain.

“In this squad, when someone is in difficulty, we don’t abandon him.”

A man to the good, Lyon dominated but failed to translate this onto the scoresheet.

First-half controversy then continued when deep in added time, Lyon were awarded a penalty for handball after a lengthy VAR review.

Lacazette’s effort from 12 yards was repelled by Geronimo Rulli and the Lyon captain, under intense pressure from the following-in defence, could only blaze the rebound well over the crossbar.

Caleta-Car powered in a 53-minute header following excellent work by Clinton Mata to win the ball and put in a pinpoint cross on the right flank.

But Marseille, despite having subbed off attackers Amine Harit and Elye Wahi, hit back through substitute defender Lirola in the 69th minute when he calmly lifted a one-on-one finish over Lucas Perri.

The shock turnaround continued in the 82nd minute when another replacement defender in Garcia strode onto Lirola’s cross and bounced a first-time finish over the goalkeeper and into the far corner.

The drama was not finished, however, as Cherki bundled in a cross at the near post to seemingly ensure Pierre Sage’s side would share the spoils.

Rowe then stole the show for Marseille as he drove forward from the left wing, beat two defenders and thrashed the ball across Perri and inside the far post.

Monaco keep pace

Monaco saw off a battling Le Havre 3-1 to preserve their unbeaten record.

The Principality side backed up their impressive midweek victory in the Champions League against Barcelona by winning their fourth game in five league outings this term.

Strikes in quick succession midway through the second half by Eliesse Ben Seghir and Folarin Balogun ensured Monaco claimed all three points, after Le Havre’s Daler Kuzyaev had cancelled out Jordan Teze’s early opener.

“I’m very pleased with the win, even if it wasn’t the best game of the season,” said Monaco coach Adi Huetter.

Dutch right-back Teze gave the home side the lead inside 10 minutes, before Kuzyaev got the equaliser with an outside-of-the-foot finish that crept into the far corner.

Rested after his exploits midweek, rising star Ben Seghir restored Monaco’s lead with a moment of individual inspiration in the 66th minute.

Receiving the ball 25 yards from goal, he advanced on the packed defence and shaped the ball beyond the goalkeeper with his right foot from 25 yards.

Balogun wrapped up the points four minutes later when he swept home from George Ilenikhena’s pass.