Roma lose Juventus clash, Lyon show their claws
Monday, December 19, 2016
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Roma fell seven points behind Juventus after losing to their Serie A rivals on a weekend when Lyon defeated Monaco and English duo Tottenham and Manchester United both won.
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Roma lost the top-of-the-table showdown in Italy on a weekend of domestic tests that ended better for fellow UEFA Europa League hopefuls Lyon, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.
Victory away to Juventus on Saturday would have lifted Roma within a point of the leaders ahead of their final Serie A fixture of the year, but Gonzalo Higuaín scored the only goal of the game to leave the Giallorossi seven points off the pace. In eighth, meanwhile, Fiorentina also tasted defeat, going down 3-1 at Lazio.
French contenders Lyon fared more favourably as they triumphed 3-1 away to ten-man Monaco. Bruno Génésio's men have won six of their last seven Ligue 1 contests and lie five points behind fourth-placed Paris Saint-Germain with a game in hand. As for Saint-Étienne, they succumbed 2-1 at Lorient.
Premier League duo Tottenham and Manchester United both prevailed to bolster their prospects, with Spurs fighting back to down Burnley 2-1 and Zlatan Ibrahimović hitting a double as the Red Devils ran out 2-0 victors at West Bromwich Albion. Elsewhere, fourth-placed Villarreal triumphed in Spain and Beşiktaş slipped three points off the Turkish summit following a 2-1 defeat at Kasımpaşa.
MONDAY
Gaz Metan Mediaş 0-1 Astra Giurgiu
West Bromwich Albion 0-2 Manchester United
Augsburg 1-0 Borussia Mönchengladbach
No game
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