Genk, Gent and Union the weekends winners as Scott Parker is still looking for first win

Genk, Gent and Union St Gilloise were the weekends winners as Club Brugge and Antwerp both failed to win. After the weekends results, Genk are seven points clear of Union in second, but they are also 17 points ahead of defending champions Club Brugge and 13 ahead of Antwerp in third.

Genk were the first to play this weekend, with a home fixture against Zulte Waregem. Wouter Vrancken rang the changes, starting Ally Samatta and new signing Yira Sor, with Paul Onuachu and Bilal El Khannouss being given a rest. It was Sor who got the decisive goal, as the leaders beat a much improved Zulte Waregem side.

Club Brugge faced Anderlecht at home in what is traditionally a top fixture, however Anderlecht have been poor for their standards this season and are currently in mid-table. Scott Parker’s side had all the chances, but only took the lead in the second half through Casper Nielsen. They were made to rue their missed chances when Brandon Mechele turned the ball into his own net to give the Mauves a point. The defending champions have not won in the league for five matches now, with Scott Parker having been in charge for two of those games.

This gave Gent a chance to close the gap on the top four in their game against relegation threatened Gent. Head coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck was unimpressed with the sides performance, but two goals from Hugo Cuypers saw them win 2-1, with Massimo Bruno getting one back for Kortrijk. Despite their struggles, Gent are now just a point off of Club Brugge in fourth and will fancy their chances on catching Parker’s side given that Club face both Antwerp and Union in February.

Union rounded off the fixtures for the top sides on Sunday evening when they hosted Antwerp. Union haven’t lost in the league since the 11th of September, and it was clear in this game that they will be Genk’s biggest challengers at the moment. Dante Vanzeir gave them the lead, before Teddy Teuma converted a penalty in the second half to give the hosts a 2-0 win. Union are now six points ahead of Antwerp, and with four wins from their previous four they are the inform side in the league.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson

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