Nasri to the rescue

EPL: Samir Nasri put in a whirlwind of a performance with two assists and a goal to lead Manchester City to a 4-0 win over Blackburn. The blue half of Manchester ended a turbulent week with a comfortable win as the goals flowed from Adam Johnson, Mario Balotelli, Samir Nasri and Stefan Savic. Goals from Anderson and Danny Welbeck helped Manchester United record a nervy 2-0 win over wasteful Norwich City.

Liverpool made their numerical advantage count in the Merseyside derby as they blanked Everton 2-0. Strike partners Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez helped the Reds to capitalise on the Jack Rodwell’s controversial dismissal 23 minutes into the game.

In the North London derby, Tottenham Hotspurs twice capitalised on defensive lapses to record a 2-1 win over Arsenal. Rafael Van Der Vaart and promising wing back Kyle Walker provided the goals for Spurs, while Aaron Ramsey scored the consolation for the Gunners.

Frank Lampard silenced all critics with a hat-trick as Chelsea crushed Bolton Wanderers 5-1 while Andy Johnson became the first player to score a league hat-trick for Fulham as they brushed aside the promoted Queen’s Park Rangers 6-0.

Stunning, absolutely stunning

La Liga: A brilliant overhead kick from Julio Baptista assured Malaga three points in an absorbing encounter with Getafe. After a goalless first half, the game exploded into a five-goal thriller where Getafe took the lead twice before losing out to Baptista’s amazing strike. Sergio Canales’ third-minute strike gave Valencia all three points in a 1-0 win over Granada while Villareal came from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw with Real Zaragoza.

A Gonzalo Higuain hat-trick led Real Madrid to a comfortable 4-0 away win over Espanyol while a first half Adriano strike guided Barcelona to a 1-0 away win over Sporting Gijon.

A brace from Fernando Llorente guided Athletic Bilbao to a 2-1 away win over Real Sociedad. Racing Santander remain winless after being held to a 1-1 draw at home by Rayo Vallecano. An entertaining encounter between Osasuna and Real Mallorca ended in a 2-2 draw.

Napoli crushes Inter

Serie A: Claudio Ranieri’s first game in charge on home soil as Inter manager as his side was humbled 3-0 and he was banished to the stands to watch his 10-man team struggle. Goals from Hugo Campagnaro, Maggio and Marek Hamsik saw the former champion’s lukewarm season continue. Roma picked up second consecutive league win with a 3-1 victory over the previously unbeaten Atalanta. A brace from Sebestian Giovinco powered Parma to a 3-1 win over Genoa.

Antonio Di Natale took his league tally to four goals as he helped Udinese to a 2-0 win over Bologna while Palermo and Cagliari recorded similar wins over Siena and Lecce respectively. Goals from Hernanes and Miroslav Klose helped Lazio to a come-from-behind win over Fiorentina for whom Alex Cerci opened the scoring in the eight-minute. Novara and Catanis played out a highly competitive 3-3 draw.

Bayern Stutter

Bundesliga: Bayern Munich played out a scoreless draw with Hoffenheim. The result ended a 10-game winning streak in all competitions for Bayern who eased pass Manchester City 2-0 in the Champions League, but extended their run to 11 matches without conceding a goal.

Borussia Dortmund, however, had the better of the luck thumping FC Augsburg 4-0. Robert Lewandowski led the reigning Bundesliga champions with a hat trick and Mario Gotze grabbed the other. A brace from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar helped Schalke to a 2-1 away win over Hamburg SV, while Mohammed Abdelloue scored a hat-trick for Hannover 96 as they edged Werder Bremen 3-2.

Bayer Leverkusen made light work of Wolfsburg beating them 3-1, while Nurnberg and Mainz drew 3-3 in a thrilling encounter as Tomas Pehkart scored a late equliaser for the home side. Freiburg pulled off a surprise 1-0 victory at home to Monchengladbach while Hertha Berlin produced an impressive first-half display to secure a 3-0 home win over Cologne.