Liverpool's bravery, Real Madrid clinch LaLiga, Milan and Inter keep Serie A title race going, more

There was joy for Real Madrid, title-clinching tension in the Premier League, and plenty of entertainment in the Bundesliga as the weekend unfolded.

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Some long-awaited praise for Son Heung-Min was one of the talking points around Barcelona, as well as some other points.

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Real's title win, Foden's star is rising, Milan still lead, bravery pays off, Barcelona's giant step, and more.

Real Madrid make it 35 league titles, and Ancelotti shows nice guys don't need to always finish last...

With four games to spare, Real Madrid won their 35th title with a comfortable victory over Espanyol. At the start of the campaign, it was not a foregone conclusion, but by that stage, it was a foregone conclusion. Even though Barcelona was facing financial implosion and the trauma of the Lionel Messi era, defending champion Atleti Madrid had reloaded. Sevilla looked good early on, before Real Sociedad. You have to bring it home.

Real Madrid won the title by beating Espanyol.

Since leaving Milan, that has been the story of Carlo Ancelotti. He is the first manager in history to win each of Europe&s Big Five Leagues at least once. Until six years ago, he had won more European titles than domestic ones, but his Grand Slam of European leagues should have put that to rest. He won with big clubs, but there was a reason each of them called on him.

He is seen as a pragmatist and a man in an age when the best managers are praised for their philosophy. For the first 10 years of his coaching career, Carlo Ancelotti was a self-confessed dogmatist who ran Gianfranco Zola out of town because he wouldn't play as a wing in a 4-.

He has been on a journey and learned that sometimes it is best to listen to your players. At the start of the season, he wanted to press high, but then realized the strain it was putting on his teammates. He wanted to keep his veteran stars fresh, but he realized his more important players wanted to play more often, and he listened.

You never know how much credit should go to a manager, and how much should go to players and circumstances, like Barcelona. The best seasons of Benzema and Vinicius Jr. were when they were with Madrid. Is it just them or does the credit go to the coach? The way his players celebrated with him might suggest that they want him to share in the spoils.

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Real Madrid secured their 35th LaLiga title with a win against Espanyol.

This was supposed to be a transition year for Madrid and that Carlo Ancelotti was the fourth choice replacement on Florentino Perez's list. The side had not added a legitimate player like David Alaba and Ferland Mendy, and Raphael Varane andSergio Ramos had left the club. The club was supposed to have a big rebuild this summer, with many prize free agents coming on the market and the wage bill freed up by the departures of Bale, Isco and Marcelo.

They won the title and are in the semifinals. They squeezed as much out of their veteran core as they could.

Maybe another guy could have done it, but it was the one who was called to do it, that's all. There is a reason for that.

Phil Foden shines as Man City stay top ... what's his ceiling?

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Steve Nicol thinks Gabriel Jesus is hitting his best form ever.

It was almost a write-off game since Manchester City are the best in the world, but Jesse Marsch didn't send a message like that before. It was the sort of game with City facing a huge semifinal return leg against Real Madrid in the European competition and leaving the likes of Ryoko, Silva and De Bruyne out of the starting lineup.

Phil Foden powered City in the second half after they scored early. It is hard to disagree with the fact that he is third in the list of European talents aged 21 or younger, behind Erling Haaland and Pedri. His decision-making and confidence set him apart.

He doesn't get much attention because he's at City, where the collective comes first and where there are plenty of stars.

Rafael Leao keeps Milan top of Serie A ... but beware Verona...

There were chances for both sides in the game against Milan on Sunday. It was his 13th goal of the season, which was a good return for a winger, and one who is 22, who doesn't take penalties and is still seen as raw and maturing. You can expect his importance to grow in the coming years, as he is one of the club's prized players.

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Milan are two points clear of Inter and have the edge in the head-to-head race with three games to go. Their next match, away to Verona, is the sort of match that fills you with dread if you are a superstitious person.

Milan lost the title to Juventus on the final day of the season in 1973. Milan were on their way to winning their second straight European Cup, but stumbled in the last week of the season, leaving the title to Diego Maradona's Napoli.

Milan fans are jittery because of a little history.

Klopp is a brave man, and that pays off against Newcastle

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Steve Nicol reflected on the current status of the team as they continued their excellent form with a win.

Maybe it was the fact that he had just signed a contract extension. He could still bring the cavalry off the bench if things went wrong. Maybe he knows something we don't. I thought it was a bold decision to leave Fabinho, Thiago, Mohamed, and Trent on the bench for a side that had won four games in a row.

They are one point behind in the title race, but they are 2-0 up from the first leg and have a big game against Villarreal coming up.

The faith of the squad keeps the quadruple alive.

At least in terms of the final result, the faith in his side was vindicated. In part, they were on top because of the fact that they didn't have the usual energy, but also because of the fact that they dropped off badly relative to recent results. The gamble paid off as Naby Keita scored three points in the bag and some of his stars got some rest.

Ansu returns, Memphis shines as Barcelona take giant step towards clinching a top-four finish

It would take the most dramatic of collapses for Barcelona to miss out on the European Championship next season after their win over Mallorca. The club's bank accounts are very important to them. The win snapped a streak of three straight home defeats. Their performance reminded us how far this team has to go.

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Against an opponent still trying to avoid the drop, Barcelona was not perfect. Memphis Depay was started for the second time in a league match by Xavi. He was the top performer after scoring a great goal.

Depay might not be a natural fit for Xavi's vision of football, but he is the most gifted player not named Pedri, Ansu Fati or Ousmane Dembele. Sometimes it is a question of getting your best ballers out there.

Bayern's summer holiday starts early with defeat at Mainz ... and Lewandowski the victim

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Juls slams the players who traveled to Ibiza after the loss to Mainz.

Talk about mailing it in.

A week after winning the title, it would be excused a bit of a lapse, but what you wouldn't have expected is the sort of timid, disinterested performance we saw against Mainz. The starting lineup was not one of those late season XIs where we see all the kids with weird, high shirt numbers. It was pretty much the best available XI, with Eric Maxim Choupo-Mouting and Marcel Sabitzer getting a run out.

The players on the Ibiza trip were scrutinized.

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter, except for one thing: Robert Lewandowski's quest for the goal record. With just two games to go, he is not going to match the mark he set last year, even though he did score one. It also means that with his future at the club in doubt beyond next season, the career mark of Muller is less secure than that of Lewandowski. You would have thought that the players would rally around him a little more, given what he has done for the club over the years.

Chelsea's stumble at Everton leaves a mess of questions and uncertainty

This is not the way they wanted to end their league campaign, and they still have an FA Cup final to look forward to. They have lost three times in the past six league outings. They are still third, with a five-point margin over fifth-place Spurs, and have a better goal difference, so it is not really about the top-four finish.

It can't all be explained away by uncertainty over the sale of the club, and that leaves more questions than answers. The club leaking goals, defenders making individual errors and looking like a bundle of nerves was complained about by Thomas Tuchel. When two of the back three will be free agents at the end of June, what do you expect?

Azpilicueta's costly error leads to the defeat.

The insistence on the Kai Havertz / Timo Werner combo is a bit befuddling further up the pitch. Havertz is an unquestioned talent, but does he need to start three games in a week, especially in the cauldron at Goodison Park, with opponents winding him up? Does he need to stay out there for 90 minutes at the expense of Romelu Lukaku, who looked good when he came on against West Ham? The less said, the better.

Tuchel is not in a good place right now. The club will remain jittery and dicey until there is a resolution over who owns the club.

Atletico Madrid's implosion continues, putting top-four hopes at risk (and that has consequences)

The 2-0 defeat away to Athletic Bilbao was another turgid performance by Atleti Madrid. They are still fourth in LaLiga, with a four-point lead over fifth placed Betis, but that gap could shrink to just a single point on Monday night. The run-in looks brutal: Real Madrid in the derby are next, followed by a trip to Elche, Sevilla at home and Real Sociedad away on the last day of the season. The newly crowned champion in a derby, Elche with nothing to play for and two hugely motivated sides in the hunt for top four.

According to reports, a number of players have already been told that if they fail to make the playoffs, they won't be back next year. The club have a big squad and look financially stretched already. You wonder if Diego Simeone will be patient for another rebuild.

Arsenal's 'ugly win' keeps them in top-four hunt ...

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As Mikel Arteta's men continue to lead the race for fourth, Hislop admits he underestimated their spirit.

Mikel Arteta called the win "ugly" but praised his team's character. It makes sense that managers do that. It would be silly to note how poor they looked against an opponent who rested a number of regulars.

The fact is that this was agut it out situation and that's what happened in the derby. This is the time for results and not pretty. This is the best they can do without a center-forward who will be here next season.

Inter Milan are still lurking ... it's all they can do while waiting for the slip

It was not a given that Inter would bounce back from the shock defeat at Bologna that cost them first place. They beat Udinese in a game that was more one-sided than the score suggests.

When you no longer control your own destiny, you have a certain freedom. Simone Inzaghi needs to channel that between now and the end of the season, rather than thinking about how they might have thrown away the title. This team lost their manager and two of their best players less than a year ago. The campaign is a success even without a title.

Haaland gets his hat trick, Dortmund humiliated at home: it's the story of their season

Haaland scoring goals at one end and atrocious defending at the other, was how Marco Rose's BVB seemed determined to sum up their entire season in 90 minutes. The sequence of events made this clear. Haaland put them up against the run of play, and then they fought back to win 4-3.

Haaland scores three, and the team still loses.

The Westfalen crowd deserves better. inertia is the main reason for second place in the Bundesliga. The only bright spot? Jamie Bynoe-Gittens made his first league start and looked sharp. Their season cannot end soon enough.

Juventus qualify for the Champions League: here's the worst thing they could do next

I understand that part of the narrative for most of recent history has been about results and titles. There will be some who will point to this season as a success, especially if they beat Inter in the Coppa Italia final.

You hope that the leadership doesn't fall into that trap.

This was not a good year, mainly because there was little or no improvement and some of the old, outdated thinking is still there. Sunday was an example. Two-one up at home with 11 minutes to go against a Venezia team that have just changed managers, and what does Allegri do? Giorgio Chiellini was sent on to protect the lead after Dusan Vlahovic was taken off.

It is a gut punch to a guy like Vlahovic, who is the club's future, but it also sends a message of fear and insecurity. It is the wrong move. The best way to win a game when you have a one-goal lead is to try to add to it and not try to stop the other team from scoring.

You say needs must. It's fine. This is the low point. Next season, rise higher.

A word from the Son Heung-Min appreciation society

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Son Heung-Min's performance gave a tough question to answer.

Son Heung-Min scored twice and provided the assist for Harry Kane in a victory that keeps Spurs in the hunt for a European spot.

Son gets overshadowed because he plays with Harry Kane and because his manager, Antonio Conte, can be outspoken and entertaining. Son has 19 goals from open play this season, more than anyone else in the league. He is second in scoring contributions per 90 minutes, behind Kevin De Bruyne. That is a good company to keep.

With Son in this kind of form, where might this club be if we hadn't wasted the start of the season with Nuno Espirito Santo and if Kane hadn't spent the first half of the season in a rut?

Napoli at a crossroads as they secure Champions League spot and fans boo the club president

The 6-1 trouncing of Sassuolo should have been cause for celebration as it meant they would return to the European Championship after a two-year absence. There is a sense of real regret among the fans when you consider that the club were in the title race for much of the season. Their annoyance is not with the players or Luciano Spalletti, but with club president Aurelio De Laurentiis.

During and after the game, he was booed. Fans think he is interfering with the running of the team, stretching out contract renewal talks forever, and coming up with outdated solutions. After the Empoli loss, he said the players would be locked in a training camp before agreeing to team bonding dinners.

De Laurentiis has done a lot for this club, but his style of leadership has been tone-deaf in recent seasons. Powerful, confident men surround themselves with men they don't know and end up making bad decisions.