European review

Barca and Real secured comfortable home wins while just one point separates the top eight clubs in Italy's Serie A.

Barca and Real romp home while things are very tight in Italy

Barcelona and Real Madrid secured comfortable home wins while just one point separates the top eight clubs in Italy's Serie A. Champions Borussia Dortmund recovered some form in the Bundesliga as Paris St Germain got the better of previous Ligue 1 leaders Montpellier. Rangers maintained their winning run in the SPL while AZ Alkmaar claimed a dramatic late win over Feyenoord in the Eredivisie.

Primera Liga

On Saturday, Spain's big guns Barcelona and Real Madrid romped to home wins over Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano respectively. Lionel Messi was at his brilliant best as Barca brushed aside Atletico 5-0 at Camp Nou while Jose Mourinho's Real were equally impressive as they overcame Angel di Maria's dismissal to run out convincing 6-2 winners with Cristiano Ronaldo netting a treble. However, Real Betis, who tackle Getafe on Monday night, continue to lead the way in Spain's top flight following their 100 per cent start to the campaign. On Sunday, Levante's dream start to the new season continued with a 3-1 success over Espanyol with Ruben Suarez grabbing a brace for the home side. Sporting Gijon are bottom of the table with just one point to their name after drawing with Racing Santander.

Serie A

Things could barely be tighter at the top of the Serie A table as just one point separates the top eight sides in Italy's top flight. Juventus moved into top spot on Sunday despite only claiming a 1-1 draw at Catania as Milos Krasic snared a point for the visitors. Genoa had been the surprise early pacesetters but they suffered their first loss of the season following a 2-1 defeat to Chievo. Struggling Inter Milan got their campaign up and running under new manager Claudio Ranieri on Saturday with a late 3-1 win at Bologna. Substitute Diego Milito was the match-winner for the Nerazzurri with a successful late penalty before Lucio made sure of the points. Also on Saturday, AC Milan got the better of Cesena while Napoli and Fiorentina played out a goalless draw.

Bundesliga

Schalke returned to winning ways as they got the better of Freiburg 4-2 at the Veltins-Arena in the Bundesliga while defending champions Borussia Dortmund recovered some form as they garnered maximum points from their match at Mainz. On Sunday, Werder Bremen moved up to second place in the Bundesliga after edging past nine-man Hertha Berlin. Lukas Podolski scored one goal and set up another as Cologne, who have surged into tenth spot in the standings, beat Hoffenheim 2-0.

Ligue 1

Montpellier have surrendered top spot in France's top-flight after losing 3-0 to PSG, who are level at the top of the table along with Toulouse and Lyon. Big-spending PSG got the better of Montpellier thanks in part to a brace from summer signing Javier Pastore. Also on Saturday, Umut Bulut bagged the only goal of the game as Toulouse edged out Nancy. Lyon ensured they have 17 points from their opening eight games courtesy of a 3-1 success over Bordeaux. On Sunday, Auxerre put Sochaux to the sword with a comfortable 4-1 home win. Dennis Oliech took the plaudits following the full-time whistle for netting a second-half hat-trick inside just 15 minutes. Strugglers Brest and Ajaccio remain in the drop zone after playing out a 1-1 draw with Richard Scorier cancelling out Nolan Roux's opener.

Eredivisie

A late Brett Holman goal sent AZ Alkmaar to the top of the Eredivisie on Sunday in a dramatic 2-1 win against 10-man Feyenoord, while Groningen scored two stoppage-time goals to secure a thrilling 3-2 win over De Graafschap and RKC Waalwijk won at home thanks to a 2-0 success over NEC. On Saturday, Dutch champions Ajax failed to win yet again as they conceded a late equaliser to FC Twente to settle for a 1-1 draw, while rivals PSV Eindhoven destroyed Roda JC 7-1 at home.

SPL

Rangers maintained their four-point advantage at the top of the table with an emphatic victory over Dunfermline, as Celtic overcame Inverness. Steven Naismith was Gers' match-winner as he bagged a brace in their 4-0 win at Dunfermline. Celtic responded by securing a 2-0 win over bottom club Inverness. On Sunday, Cillian Sheridan helped himself to a brace as St Johnstone secured their first home victory of the new campaign with a 2-0 success over Hearts. The Irishman scored in each half to move Saints level on 12 points with opponents Hearts in the top six, with both teams sharing an identical goal difference.

Best of the rest

In Greece, PAOK Salonika moved ahead of the inactive Panathinaikos into top spot following a 3-0 home win over AEK Athens. There are three teams level at the top of the Portuguese Liga Sagres standings with Benfica, Braga and Porto all on 14 points. Porto and Benfica drew 2-2 on Friday meaning Braga's win over Nacional on Saturday moved them level with the leading pack. Club Brugge remain a point clear of Anderlecht in Belgium's top flight after getting the better of Mons while their rivals edged out Beerschot AC 3-2 on Sunday.

Ranking	Player	Team	Competition	Rating (10)	Key stats
1	Lionel Messi	Barcelona	La Liga	10	Attempted 7 shots, scored his 11th hat-trick for Barcelona
2	Dennis Oliech	Auxerre	Ligue 1	10	Scored his first Ligue 1 hat-trick
3	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid	La Liga	10	Scored his 9th La Liga hat-trick for Real Madrid
4	Robin van Persie	Arsenal	Premier League	10	Attempted 10 shots, scored a brace
5	Demba Ba	Newcastle United	Premier League	10	Scored hist first Premier League hat-trick
6	Francesco Totti	Roma	Serie A	9	Completed 74 of his 82 passes vs Parma
7	Xavi	Barcelona	La Liga	9	Completed 136 passes and assisted Villa's opener vs Atletico Madrid
8	Claudio Pizarro	Werder Bremen	Bundesliga	9	Attempted 4 shots, scored a brace vs Hertha Berlin
9	Salvatore Sirigu	Paris Saint Germain	Ligue 1	8	Made 7 saves, kapt a clean sheet
10	Javier Pastore	Paris Saint Germain	Ligue 1	8	Scored his first Ligue 1 brace