Madrid pair turn up heat, City and Bayern stroll
Sunday, April 17, 2016
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Atlético trail Barcelona on head-to-head record alone after they and fellow semi-finalists Real Madrid cranked up the pressure in Spain, while Manchester City and Bayern also thrived.
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Chelsea 0-3 Manchester City (Agüero 33 54 80pen)
Sergio Agüero struck his seventh hat-trick for City but had to share the plaudits with architect-in-chief Kevin De Bruyne after what Yaya Touré reckoned to be one of the club's best displays of the season. De Bruyne played a part in Agüero's first two goals and then, when Thibaut Courtois brought down Fernandinho (receiving a red card for his troubles), the Argentinian completed his haul. It moved City up to third, with Arsenal only able to draw with Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Getafe 1-5 Real Madrid (Sarabia 83; Benzema 29, Isco 40, Bale 50, James 88, Ronaldo 90+2)
Real Madrid increased the pressure on Barcelona thanks to a comfortable win at lowly Getafe. Karim Benzema hit his 22nd Liga goal of the season and Gareth Bale his 16th (both personal bests) either side of Isco's strike. Pablo Sarabia pulled one back, but late strikes from James Rodríguez and Cristiano Ronaldo wrapped things up in a victory which closed the gap to Barcelona to a solitary point after the leaders lost at home to Valencia.
Bayern München 3-0 Schalke (Lewandowski 54 65, Vidal 73)
Robert Lewandowski ended a run of six games without a goal for club and country with two in 12 second-half minutes as Bayern moved within touching distance of a fourth successive title. Showing six changes to the side that saw off Benfica on Wednesday, the Bavarians initially struggled to break through a well-marshalled defence, but Lewandowski's salvo after the restart broke their resolve before Arturo Vidal wrapped things up.
Atlético Madrid 3-0 Grenada (Koke 15, Torres 59, Correa 83)
Koke, the top provider in the Liga with 13 assists, scored one and made another as Atlético secured a third win in nine days. The No6 scored the opener from close range before he sent Fernando Torres clear to lift the ball over Andrés Fernández. Subsitute Ángel Correa latched onto Saúl Ñíguez's flick to seal the victory seven minutes from time as Diego Simeone's men moved level on points with leaders Barcelona – now trailing on head-to-head record alone.