Mixed Fortunes for English Sides in Champions League

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Tottenham Hotspurs go for the goal
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Champions League Matchday 6 was largely positive for the English sides in the competition with four of the six Premier League sides posting victories. Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City all won on the road, while Tottenham gave their home fans something to cheer about with a fine win in north London.

Newcastle United earned a draw in Germany, while Chelsea were the only English side to slip to defeat in this round of matches. Here we’ll look back in a little more detail at each of the EPL sides’ Champions League games.

Atalanta 2-1 Chelsea: Defeat Puts Automatic Round of 16 Spot in Jeopardy


Chelsea travelled to Italy knowing that a win would put them in a decent position to finish in the top eight in the League Phase of the Champions League, and thus progress to the Round of 16. But, with two games left of this phase, defeat has left the Blues facing the play-offs instead. There’s a chance they could still make the top eight (their remaining games are at home against Pafos and away against Napoli), but their fate is no longer in their hands.

Enzo Maresca’s men took the lead in this one through Joao Pedro in the 25th minute, but the home side hit back in the second half. Their equaliser came in the 55th minute, Gianluca Scamacca nodding in from a couple of yards from a Charles de Ketelaere cross. Belgian De Ketelaere then netted the winner in the 83rd minute with a deflected shot that meant Robert Sánchez couldn’t keep it out.

Inter Milan 0-1 Liverpool: Relief for Slot as Liverpool Battle to Victory

Arne Slot’s Liverpool put their domestic woes behind them to post a crucial victory over Inter Milan in Italy. Dominik Szoboszlai scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot in the 88th minute, after Alessandro Bastoni pulled Florian Wirtz’s shirt. It was a soft one, but the VAR evidence was clear enough and the Reds took full advantage. It was an even game on the whole, but the visitors – who had left Mohamed Salah out of the squad – just about deserved the three points.

The win leaves Slot’s men on 12 points from their six Champions League games, in ninth place but level on points with the three sides above them, including Inter. Their final two League Phase games are against Marseille (away) and Qarabag (at Anfield), so they have a very good chance of going through to the last 16 without needing a play-off.

Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Slavia Prague: Spurs Bolster Round of 16 Chances with Dominant Win


Spurs put in an excellent showing to give themselves a fighting chance of finishing in the top eight of the League Phase. Two of their three goals came from penalties and the other was an own goal, but Thomas Frank’s men were good value for the victory and could have scored more.

After their home win against Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday, this victory in Europe marks the first time Spurs have posted back-to-back wins since mid-September. Their fans will certainly hope the triumph triggers a bit more consistency as the festive fixtures will be coming thick and fast in the weeks ahead.

Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 Newcastle United: Fair Result as Magpies Destined for the Play-Offs


Newcastle missed the chance to put pressure on the sides above them in the League Phase table as they couldn’t hold onto their lead against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday. Despite going a goal down early in the game, Eddie Howe’s men showed fine spirit to battle back. The equaliser came from an Anthony Gordon penalty in the 51st minute, before Lewis Miley headed the visitors in front in the 74th (from a Gordon cross).

The home side, who are struggling to even stay in the play-off positions, applied late pressure, and it paid dividends in the 88th minute when Alex Grimaldo got his side back on level terms. In the greater scheme of things, it wasn’t an appalling result for the Magpies, but there will be disappointment given they were ahead with less than 20 minutes left.

Club Brugge 0-3 Arsenal: Madueke Shines as Gunners Sink Brugge


Arsenal bounced back in style after their defeat to Aston Villa by brushing aside Club Brugge with consummate ease. Noni Madueke was the star of the show, scoring twice, including an absolute screamer from outside the box. With a much-changed line-up, Mikel Arteta’s men didn’t dominate possession as much as they have in many games this season, but they created 20 chances with 11 shots on target.

Uncharacteristically, Arsenal allowed their opponents to muster seven shots on target, which might concern the Gunners’ boss. David Raya made several fine saves, however, and the visitors’ relentless pressure gave them the deserved victory. That makes it six wins from six Champions League games for Arsenal, and they’ve still only conceded a single goal in the competition. Arsenal’s next match in the League Phase is Inter Milan away, which will be more challenging than this match proved to be. They finish off at the Emirates against minnows Kairat.

Real Madrid 1-2 Manchester City: Deserved Victory for Impressive City


Pep Guardiola’s Man City put in an exceptional performance against one of Europe’s great clubs to snatch a 2-1 victory in Madrid. They had to do it the hard way, however, after going a goal down just before the half-hour mark, after Rodrygo hammered home from a tight angle for Real.

Nico O’Reilly tapped in the equaliser from close range after a Thibaut Courtois fumble, and Erling Haaland scored from the spot just before half-time. Despite plenty of attacking intent, the home side could only muster a single shot on target all game, and City held on for the three points, leaving them in fourth place in the table.