City, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid Win Before the International Break

It was a jam-packed weekend across Europe, with City putting together a five-goal collective masterclass, a Madrid derby that swung the Atletico way, and a Bundesliga slate that also served up its fair share of goals in Leverkusen.

City tightens its grip at the top

Manchester City walked away from a thriller with a 5-3 win over Sunderland on Sunday, and that result sends them into the international break with a three-point cushion over defending champions Arsenal at the top of the Premier League. It was a back-and-forth affair, the kind of game that makes clear nobody gives anything away in England, not even when the scoreline looks all but settled.

Liverpool also picked up three points, though by a much tighter margin: a 1-0 win on the road against Bournemouth. The intriguing subplot was that the opposing dugout belonged to Andoni Iraola, who once again faced the club he managed before moving to Anfield. Winning at your former team's home ground always carries a special flavor, and this time the three points went to the Reds.

Not everything was rosy in the Premier League for the big clubs. Manchester United had to grind until the final whistle to salvage a 1-1 draw against Fulham, equalizing in the closing minutes. It wasn't exactly the result United needed after losing the Manchester derby and getting knocked out of the Carabao Cup midweek. The response came, yes, but it arrived late and without the win that would have helped snap the slump.

Atletico wins the season's first Madrid derby

In LaLiga, Atletico Madrid claimed the first capital derby of the campaign, beating Real Madrid 2-1. It's a result that carries extra weight given the rivalry involved, and it leaves Atletico with plenty to feel good about heading into the break.

Meanwhile in Germany, Bayer Leverkusen made light work of RB Leipzig, cruising to a 2-0 win in a Bundesliga clash that added more confidence to Leverkusen's campaign.

With all these results in the books, European soccer now takes a breather for the international break, but it leaves plenty on the table for when club action resumes: a City side at the top that shows no signs of slowing down, a Real Madrid that needs to regroup after falling in the derby, and a United side still searching for a way to turn things around.