The action was nonstop throughout the weekend as league action was in full flow, while the 35th edition of the African Cup of Nations also reached its climax in Morocco.

From Senegal's joyful ending to new managers' winning spree in Europe, here are 10 of the best highlights of the weekend.

10 highlights of the weekend

1. Senegal won second AFCON title in five years

In a dramatic African Cup of Nations final in Rabat, Senegal overcame host nation Morocco to win their second title in three editions, thanks to Pape Gueye's golazo three minutes into extra time.

After a thrilling 90 minutes produced no goal, Pape Thiaw's side had the ball in the back of the net in the second minute of added time, but the goal was controversially chalked off following VAR review for a foul in the build-up.

Then, Malick Diouf conceded a 90+8th-minute penalty after bringing down Brahim Diaz following a corner kick, but Senegal protested the decision, nd walked off the pitch in a dramatic scene under the command of their coach.

Order was eventually restored, and in the 24th minute of added time, Brahim Diaz stepped up, attempted the Panenka, but saw his effort comfortably saved by the unperturbed Edouard Mendy, and the referee immediately blew for full-time.

The Teranga Lions countered after a misplaced Moroccan pass right after the restart, and Pape Gueye found himself space around the opposition area, tried his luck, and produced a stunning strike, which eventually won the game for Senegal.

The drama continued at full-time with the two managers almost trading blows.

2. Nigeria set a new podium record at AFCON

Super Eagles of Nigeria beat Egypt 4-2 on penalties after a goalless 90 minutes in the AFCON third-place match to win bronze, and secured their 17th podium finish, the most of any nation in the history of the tournament.

The three-time champions of Africa have finished runner-ups on five occasions in a total of eight final appearances, while they have emerged victorious nine times in third-place matches.

It was a disappointing outing after a great run in the 35th edition, which was ended in a penalty shootout loss to host Morocco in the semi-finals, but with 14 goals scored, they set a new country record for most in a single AFCON edition.

3. Mané, Diaz, and Bounou win AFCON awards

Sadio Mané was named Player of the tournament at AFCON 2025, where he took his tally to 20 goal contributions in 30 starts and helping Teranga Lions to their second coronation.

Brahim Diaz won the top scorer award with five goals, and he would know that the penalty miss not only denied his country the title, but also denied him the award that went to Sadio Mané.

Morocco shotstopper Yassine Bounou was named best Goalkeeper ahead of Edouard Mendy of Senegal and Nigeria's Stanley Nwabali, while 17-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye of Senegal was named Young Best Player.

4. New coaches win on league debut

New coaches at Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Chelsea got off to winning starts in their first league assignments, all winning by the same scoreline and relieving their teams after a tough period.

Manchester United are the biggest winners, beating their City rivals 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu, avenging the defeat of the reverse fixture and inflicting more damage on Pep Guardiola's team's title charge.

Chelsea also ended a run of five games without a win in the league as Liam Rosenior led the team to a 2-0 derby win against visiting Brentford, with Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer's penalty providing them the needed goals to make the difference.

Alvaro Arbeloa made up for his disastrous debut by beating Levante 2-0 in an unfriendly Bernabeu, with the home fans booing their own players due to recent events. Kylian Mbappé from the spot, and Raul Asencio, scored in the second half to secure a much-needed win.

5. Top-five slump in the Premier League

All members of the Premier League top five heading into the weekend failed to win, while the top three also failed to score, the latter being the first time this has happened in the English top-flight since May 4th-6th 2018.

Manchester City kicked off the weekend with a 2-0 derby loss to United, while Arsenal were held in a stalemate at Nottingham Forest in the final game of Saturday, before Aston Villa suffered their second home defeat in 18 months against Everton on Sunday.

Fourth-place Liverpool were also denied by Marcus Edwards in a one-all draw with relegation-threatened Burnley at Anfield, while Brentford also fell at Chelsea, thereby dropping two places on the log to seventh.

It was an unusual weekend, and despite the tense atmosphere at Arsenal after the draw in Forest, they stretched their lead at the summit to seven points, and the title increasingly looked like theirs to lose.

6. PL Bottom five avoid defeats 

All members of the Premier League's bottom five avoided defeats, as the table, in that department, had no real difference despite West Ham United and Leeds recording impressive wins.

Burnley were able to secure a point in Anfield despite boss Scott Parker losing 9-0 with Bournemouth on his previous visit, while Nottingham Forest frustrated League leaders Arsenal to a stalemate in the City Ground.

Wolverhampton Wanderers continued their unbeaten start to 2026 by holding another top-half table team, Newcastle United, to a goalless draw, which was the 17th stalemate of the Premier League this season, already more than the total of 0-0 scorelines in the competition last season, 16.

West Ham picked up their second away win of the season against a hapless Spurs, whose form under Thomas Frank continues to plummet, and board members are now calling for his sacking after recording their ninth league loss already.

7. Michael Olise made Bundesliga off the bench 

Michael Olise became the second substitute on record, to assist three goals in a Bundesliga game in history after Frank Ribery against Wolfsburg in 2019, after coming off the bench to inspire Bayern Munich to a terrific comeback win at RB Leipzig.

Introduced just before the hour mark with the score still level at 1-1, the Frenchman set up Harry Kane 10 minutes later to help complete the comeback, before assisting both Jonathan Tah and Aleksandr Pavlovic inside the final 10 minutes to take the game beyond their host.

After making history, Olise went one better by getting himself a goal two minutes before the end of normal time, assisted by Jamal Musiala, who was marking his return to action after more than six months on the sideline.

Olise now has 23 goal contributions in 18 Bundesliga games this season, making him the most productive player in Europe this season, excluding penalty goals. He is also four behind his total of 27 last season in the league.

8. Real Sociedad ended Barcelona's run

Barcelona suffered a 2-1 defeat in Anoeta on Sunday as Real Sociedad ended their 11-game winning run across all competitions, which was their longest since 2015.

The visitors, seeking a win to restore their four-point lead over second-place Real Madrid, traveled without Raphinha, who missed the game due to an injury precaution.

They were denied two first-half goals after the VAR confirmed offside, while a late penalty decision before the interval was also overturned following the VAR review for offside, leaving them trailing to Mikel Oyarzabal's brilliant volley at the break.

Hansi Flick's team continued to dominate and were rewarded 20 minutes from time, when substitute Marcus Rashford drew them level, but the host retake the lead less than a minute after the restart, with Goncalo Guedes turning goalscorer, adding to his first-half assist.

Real Sociedad were reduced to 10 men following the red card to Carlos Soler for an ugly challenge on Pedri, but the host held on for the win, inflicting a third league loss on the leaders and ending their longest winning run in more than a decade.

9. Crystal Palace told Oliver Glasner to resign

Following a 2-1 loss to Sunderland, Oliver Glasner gave an explosive interview, criticizing Crystal Palace management for selling the club's best players, with Marc Guehi set to depart for Manchester City.

This comes on the back of a week where his decision to leave the club in the summer was confirmed, and his choice of words suggests a man calling for the club's management to sack him, but Palace bosses have not fallen for his traps.

The club has informed the Austrian that he would not be sacked, and will have to resign if he wants to leave the club, a move that would see him miss out on the financial compensation that would be owed by the club.

Despite the poor run of results, Palace intends to keep Glasner until the end of the season, and is leaning on him to make the decision, whether to see out his contract or walk midway through the season without compensation.

10. Ola Aina trolls PGMOL after Arsenal controversy 

Ola Aina made a good banter of the controversial penalty not awarded to Arsenal following his handball in the Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening.

The Forest man scooped the ball with his hand in the penalty box, but VAR referee Darren England informed Michael Oliver to play on following review, deeming the defender's hand to be in a natural position.

On Sunday, the Nigerian shared a picture of the incident, accompanied by another one of WWE star Eddie Guerrero, who is known for being cheap and would famously quote himself, saying, “I lie, I cheat, I steal.”