In Saturday's big matchup with Manchester City, Chelsea went into battle without two major players. One of Diego Costa, who leads the team in scoring but was suspended for a violent act in a previous match. The second was arguably the more important of the two - Spain's Cesc Fabregas.
Chelsea maintains their lead in the English Premier League (EPL) after 1-1 draw against fourth-place Southampton while second-place Manchester City and third-place Manchester United fail to make up ground in the standings. Arsenal managed to creep into the top five with a key victory on the road against West Ham United.
Manchester City, playing without Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany and English Premier League (EPL) leading scorer Sergio Aguero, managed to defy the odds, defeating Series A club AS Roma to advance to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. Luis Suarez helped Barcelona beat PSG with an assist to Lionel Messi -- scoring his 75th career Champions League, three ahead of Cristiano Ronald on the all-time scorers list -- and scoring his first goal with the Catalan club since his transfer from Liverpool.
After scoring a hat-trick to break Spain's La Liga all-time scoring record against Sevilla over the weekend, Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick on Wednesday against Cyrus champion APOEL FC on Tuesday to surpass Raul's all-time scorers record in UEFA Champions League history.
Manchester United defeated Arsenal 2-1 despite only two shots-on-target, Crystal Palace moves out of the relegation zone at the expense of Liverpool, and defending champions Manchester City tries to keep pace with league leader Chelsea -- who rolled over West Bromwich Albion.
Also, Southampton continues their surprising run defeating Hull City while Chelsea maintains their lead in the standings with a win over QPR despite Blues coach Jose Mourinho's disappointment in their play.
Robin van Persies late goal in stoppage time helped Manchester United salvage a point at Old Trafford to eke out a 1-1 draw against English Premier League table leader Chelsea, playing without their lead scorer Diego Costa.
Chelsea keeps their five point lead over defending English Premier League (EPL) defending champions Manchester City despite Diego Costa sitting the game with an injury while Arsenal needed Danny Welback's heroics to pull off a draw against Hull City.
There is probably no fiercer rivalry in world soccer than the one between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The two Spanish sides are not only renowned for their respective greatness but also for their tremendous spending habits during transfer windows.
For years, Messi has been the goal-scoring machine that Barcelona has relied upon but the arrival of Luis Suarez could undoubtedly spell trouble for the club and their "Mes que un club" (more than a club) philosophy with the addition the mercurial Uruguayan star known for his off-the-field antics as well as his feats on the pitch.
The English Premier League transfer window has been tremendously busy over the last few weeks with Manchester United looking to bounce back under new manager Louis Van Gaal, Chelsea chasing an EPL title, and Arsenal looking to make making an impression after barely missing out UEFA Champions League by three points.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been given the green light to spend again this summer, which could lead to a reunion with Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas.
