The Milan derby and Lionel Messi's performance at Betis raised overall what was a relatively humdrum weekend. It may be just an impression, but derbies tend to either be defined by fear and tension, or they break out into end-to-end brawls.

The 223rd Derby Della Madonnina was the latter, and if you missed it, you missed a classic.

Ahead of the game, it looked as if Sunday's meeting would mark the start of Inter's implosion: from the Mauro Icardi affair -- he was watching at home, a five minute...

As kick-off approached in the Derby della Madonnina, Milan's Ultras unfurled a tifo depicting Hell Boy bringing his fist down on a pile of skulls through which an Inter scarf was laced. "Send them to hell," was the request made by the Curva Sud to Milan's players. Looking at the banner, Inter probably thought it can't get worse that this.

It's been a tumultuous month for them in which the flames ignited by dressing room strife, the stand-off provoked by the decision to strip Mauro Icardi of the...

So much has changed since the last Derby della Madonnina. Back in October ahead of their first meeting of the Serie A season, Inter were deserving victors, with Mauro Icardi the hero and his team improbably top of their Champions League group. Milan on the other hand witnessed Gonzalo Higuain descend into a funk and were mired in a crippling injury crisis.

The roles are now reversed. Milan are on the march and have overtaken an Inter side that's on the slide. There has been a remarkable nine-point...

While Liverpool kept pace with Manchester City, Arsenal beat Manchester United to keep the top four race alive. In La Liga, Barcelona continued their dominance, while Kareem Benzema helped Real Madrid get back to winning ways after their humiliating Champions League defeat. Elsewhere, Juventus remained unbeaten in the league, while Bayern Munich scored six against Wolfsburg to leapfrog Dortmund to the top of the Bundesliga. Here are the best numbers from the weekend's action.

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Juventus are still...

Last Friday afternoon, Gennaro Gattuso walked into his pre-match news conference and did what he always does. He walked down the aisle to his desk, exchanging a few words and shaking some hands only to notice that a couple of the reporters were not in their usual places. To great curiosity and no little amusement, Gattuso politely asked if they would move. Sitting to his left wouldn't do. Not when the recent uptick in Milan's results has coincided with this particular pair of journalists questioning...

When you score four goals in three games since joining your new club, you're bound to attract attention -- and top our Player Power Rankings. Our global editors pick their top 10 performers from the weekend.

Also receiving votes: Dusan Tadic (Ajax), Sardor Rashidov (Nacional).

Let us know what you think of the countdown by commenting on Twitter using #ESPNFCrankings.