The List | 10 Things We Learnt From The Weekend - Football News

This weekend the Premier League was back in full force, and their was a top of the table clash in La Liga. We also have the Ballon d’Or ceremony to look forward to, with Cristiano Ronaldo getting the plane to Zurich fully aware that he should be lifting the trophy.

Messi is back better than ever and given the transfer window is now open players are fighting for their lives, futures or a potential move. Manchester United were looking to get back on form with an elusive home league win, and Chelsea were bidding to go top of the table – at least for 24 hours. So with that in mind, we had a look at ten things that this weekend taught us.



Fernando Torres Can Score Away From Home – The forward has now broken his shocking record of not scoring a goal in the league away from home in over a year, and netted the second against Hull to secure the win for Chelsea who went top of the table for 24 hours. There is no better time for Torres to show his credentials, given Mourinho's well publicised hunt for a striker.

Refereeing Standards Are Shocking – From the Mark Clattenburg scandal 2.0 to the disallowed Newcastle goal on Sunday against Manchester City, sloppiness is creeping in for the Premier League's officials. Even Howard Webb is coming in for some criticism, being accused of playing it safe. Mistakes cost points and City should have lost two this weekend.



Chelsea Are Getting Efficient – But so too are Manchester City. It looks like the two title favourites will take the championship right to the wire. Now that Fernando Torres is starting to find the net away from home, things are shaping up nicely for Chelsea. City still aren't convincing on the road and were lucky against Newcastle, but luck eventually runs out. When Jose and his side are on form, it is ominous.



Messi Is Back – Midweek in the Copa Del Rey hailed the return of Leo Messi, and two goals. The forward is sensational but is still expected to surrender his Ballon d'Or crown to Cristiano Ronaldo. Despite making his Liga return against Atletico Madrid, the Argentine couldn't inspire Barcelona to all three points. With the World Cup on the horizon, football fans should be licking their lips at his return.  



Real Madrid Are Closing The Gap – After the game of the weekend between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona ended in a draw, Los Blancos were able to reduce the gap to three points at the top. Los Blancos may be an outside bet for the title with Ronaldo and Bale not firing at their scintillating best, but they are getting points and points equal prises come the end of the season.



AC Milan are way off the pace – It was another bad weekend for Milan, losing 4-3 to Sassuolo. The Italian side currently sit on 22 points and although they have a game in hand over Juventus, they are a whopping 30 points off the league leaders. Think back to a time when they were so far behind the leaders – you probably cannot. Qualifying for the Champions League will be a major push this term.



Juventus are building a huge gap – The side are now eight points clear at the top and look like they are about to run away with the Serie A title. It initially looked like being a close contest between Roma, Juventus and Napoli, yet that has somehow fallen by the wayside. Juve may have disappointed in Europe but they're not in the league.



There's Very Little Between Atletico & Barca – It was billed as the game of the season and despite the 0-0 scoreline, La Liga's top of the table clash was an intense affair with the co-leaders trading blows at a hostile Vicente Calderon. Ending in a 0-0 draw, it certainly kept the title race alive, allowing Real Madrid a look back in while taking the 100% home record from Atleti.



Monaco are learning money does not buy titles - Mainly because PSG got rich first. There is no doubt that the side will eventually get there and lift the Ligue 1 title, and enjoy a return to the Champions League. Moncao could only earn a point against Montpellier, failing to put pressure on PSG who after the weekend moved fived points clear at the top. For now Ibra and co are hot favourites moving into the second half of the season.



Manchester United finally won at home – It may have only been against Swansea, but the importance of the three points David Moyes and his men amassed on the weekend cannot be underestimated. After a summit with Sir Alex Ferguson, Moyes saw his men finally win a game after being knocked out of the FA Cup by Swansea earlier in the month.

What did you learn from this weekend's action? Let us know. Join the conversation online, on Twitter and on Facebook.