Having just booked their place in the UEFA Champions League final, Manchester United and FC Barcelona rounded off a triumphant week with league successes that have taken them to within a point of their respective domestic titles. In Italy and Ukraine, meanwhile, the destination of the championship has already been decided, with AC Milan ending their long Scudetto wait and Shakhtar Donetsk, like the Rossoneri, completing the first half of a possible domestic double.
England
Manchester United moved to within a point of a record 19th English title with a 2-1 victory against defending champions Chelsea. Man United can now seal the crown with a point against Blackburn Rovers FC on Saturday. In the battle to beat the drop, Wolves took full advantage of draws for West Ham, Wigan and Blackpool by beating West Brom 3-1 to move up to 17th, one point above the relegation zone.
Germany
Bayern Munich sealed a Champions League spot with an emphatic 8-1 victory against basement side St Pauli which included a sixth hat-trick of the season for Mario Gomez and also sealed the hosts’ relegation. Already crowned champions, Borussia Dortmund went down 2-0 against Werder Bremen, while relegation-threatened Borussia Mönchengladbach picked up a crucial home win against Freiburg which, combined with defeats for Eintracht Frankfurt and VfL Wolfsburg, means one point separates the three teams above St Pauli.
Italy
AC Milan scratched their seven-year itch by winning the Scudetto for the first time since 2003/04 thanks to a goalless draw at Roma on Saturday night. Though Inter Milan went on to win 3-1 against Fiorentina the following day, the nine-point gap was enough to take the title across town thanks to Milan’s superior head-to-head record. It was also a great weekend for Udinese, who are back in the top four at the expense of Lazio, whom they defeated 2-1.
Spain
Barcelona took a giant stride towards their 21st Liga title with a 2-0 derby victory against Espanyol and can seal a third successive championship with a point against Levante on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo scored four as Real Madrid kept the suspense going a little longer with a resounding 6-2 win at Sevilla. Elsewhere, Getafe and Málaga picked up important wins against Almería and Atlético Madrid respectively in the tussle for survival.
France
Lille stretched their lead at the top of Ligue 1 thanks to a 1-0 victory at Nancy-Lorraine, who remain 18th, one point from safety with four games remaining. Lille’s closest rivals Olympique de Marseille slumped to a 3-2 loss at Olympique Lyonnais. That result also propelled the victors up into third and the last Champions League qualifying spot ahead of Paris Saint-Germain.
