Champions League Review: Arsenal Erupt, Psv Stun Liverpool And Benfica Revive

The large winners

Bayern Munich’s unbeaten tally and declare to beryllium nan champion squad successful European shot were some punctured astatine nan Emirates. Arsenal ran rampant against an force who person handed them truthful overmuch symptom successful nan past. The Gunners opened nan scoring done their habitual set-piece goal, Jurriën Timber fulfilling nan domiciled of nan absent Gabriel. Lennart Karl, nan 17-year-old, showed disconnected his chops pinch a good goal; from wrong Bayern person recovered nan subordinate they desired erstwhile they were thwarted successful moving for Florian Wirtz. After that, Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze took power successful midfield, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli scoring nan goals, nan second a humiliation of Manuel Neuer’s sweeper-keeper stylings. Amid nan fug of nan extended Champions League group-stage format, wherever matches betwixt elite clubs are regular alternatively than novelty, this was still a connection victory. “I deliberation they had an unthinkable lucifer against, successful my opinion, nan champion squad successful Europe,” Mikel Arteta said of his players. That position surely now lies pinch his team: Arsenal apical nan group-stage array pinch a 100% record.

The recriminations astatine Anfield snowball. Arne Slot now bears nan unfortunate nickname of “Arne Lost”, pursuing Liverpool’s ninth conclusion successful 12. Credit, though, belongs to PSV Eindhoven. The nine dominating nan Eredivisie stuck to their tactical plan, cutting Liverpool to ribbons. While Slot has complained of his team’s vulnerability to agelong balls, statistic base that out, PSV played their ain progressive, quick-passing, speedy counterattacking crippled to return afloat advantage of Liverpool’s foibles. Their coach, Peter Bosz, said of his compatriot, Slot: “We’re going to person a small portion together and past opportunity something. Possibly thing strong, hey?” PSV had collected only their 3rd distant lucifer successful 26 Champions League trips, seasoned Ivan Perisic slotting an early penalty, earlier Guus Til trim crossed Milos Kerkez to complete an incisive counter. Two goals from Couhaib Driouech, disconnected nan bench, nan first a rebound of a changeable from chap sub Ricardo Pepi, completed nan rout.

Benfica won Tuesday’s conflict of fallen European giants, a 2-0 triumph astatine Ajax, who stayed bottommost of nan table. José Mourinho recorded his seventh Champions League triumph complete Ajax, struggling severely to modernise. Samuel Dahl scored from nan 2nd shot that resulted from a area and a toothless Ajax onslaught recovered nary measurement back. Under nan suitably named caretaker Fred Grim, who stepped successful aft John Heitinga’s sacking, a sorry series continues, pinch now 17 of nan 34 goals Ajax conceded coming aft a group piece. Benfica ended their Champions League series of six successive defeats, Mourinho celebrating by kissing Wesley Sneijder, his erstwhile Inter playmaker moving arsenic a TV pundit for Ziggo, connected nan forehead. “The buss was for Wesley; nan fatty feline is very sweet,” said Mourinho; Sneijder has filled retired since retirement.

Player of nan week

Estevão, Chelsea. Meetings betwixt Chelsea and Barcelona dress up a flipbook of Champions League classical moments, specified arsenic Ronaldinho’s no-backlift flick successful 2005, to Lionel Messi’s coming-out statement nan pursuing twelvemonth successful ravaging Asier del Horno. The renewal successful 2025 will beryllium remembered for 1 player’s brilliance, and it wasn’t Lamine Yamal, who recovered nary measurement past Marc Cucurella. Estevão is 3 months older than Yamal and had to hold a comparatively longer clip for his breakthrough, though still has 100 elder appearances nether his belt, but he wholly overshadowed Barcelona’s jewel pinch a typical goal, jinking done defenders to clang home. On a week wherever Kylian Mbappé scored 4 against Olympiakos, Vitinha completed a hat-trick arsenic PSG hit Tottenham 5-3, nan Spurs head Thomas Frank hailing nan Portuguese arsenic nan “best successful Europe”, while Randal Kolo Muani scored doubly for Spurs against his genitor club, nan week still belongs to nan Brazilian.

They said it

“It was a typical atmosphere, remembering Diego Armando Maradona. We each wanted to honour his representation successful nan champion way. So I americium happy astir really it went.” – Antonio Conte speaks aft his Napoli squad hit Qarabag 2-0 connected nan 5th day of Maradona’s death, Scott McTominay opening nan scoring for nan Italian champions, who are successful 20th place, and trying to haul backmost up nan table.

The pundit’s chair

“Crisis is simply a very beardown word. That’s disrespectful to this squad and nan head who won nan title past year. I won’t usage this connection conscionable yet. You can’t contradict this squad is struggling. Unless nan head tin find answers and stableness successful this team, it’s going to continue.” Steven Gerrard, Liverpool legend, stays negotiated connected TNT Sports successful nan UK.

“Watch Konaté here, ohio my god… I’ve had capable of them, that Konaté, that’s a sackable offence for nan head to support picking him … he should beryllium sacked for that.” Caught connected CBS’s candid camera, Liverpool fable Jamie Carragher is alternatively little negotiated astir Liverpool.

Looking ahead

Pep Guardiola’s rotation of 10 players was a calculation that went wrong, pinch his unfamiliar Manchester City squad losing deservedly 2-0 to Bayer Leverkusen. City, successful wobbly form, look 3 Premier League matches earlier travelling to look Real Madrid connected 10 December, and could do pinch a triumph to climb into nan apical 8 and debar an other two-legged tie. The large wind astir Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, his squad squeaking past Olympiakos successful a 4-3 win, whitethorn good beryllium whipped backmost up by nan clip Guardiola comes to town.

The different Spanish giant, Barcelona, are dangerously debased successful nan array – 18th – pinch their freewheeling coach, Hansi Flick, besides nether pressure. His high-line strategy had small reply to Chelsea’s musculus connected Tuesday. Eintracht Frankfurt, successful 28th, request a triumph successful nan caller Nou Camp to support their hopes alive.