Four takeaways from Tuesday night's action

Four takeaways from Tuesday night’s action

Matchday two of this season’s UEFA Champions League obtained underway on Tuesday night time when three Premier League sides had been in motion.

None of Chelsea, Liverpool or Spurs got here out of midweek with a lot credit score, although, whereas one workforce put their palms up as a possible contender. Listed here are a number of the learnings we gleaned from yesterday’s video games.

4 takeaways from Tuesday’s Champions League motion

Slottage Time has run out for Liverpool

Galatasaray pulled off one of many shocks of the season by beating Liverpool 1-0 at house on Tuesday. Keep in mind that the Turkish outfit misplaced 5-1 on matchday one to Eintracht Frankfurt, who themselves simply misplaced 5-1 to Atletico Madrid.

It took till the ultimate spherical of league section matches for the Reds to lose a sport within the Champions League final season; this 12 months it occurred in week two. It’s additionally the primary time since March that they’ve misplaced twice consecutively.

Maybe extra concerningly, it’s the primary time this time period they’ve failed to attain a objective, in opposition to a workforce that hadn’t saved a clear sheet of their final 24 European outings no much less. Most damningly, Galatasaray deserved to win.

This was an error strewn efficiency from Liverpool. Sure, Arne Slot rotated his troops, dropping Mo Salah, Alexander Isak and Alexis Mac Allister, however they’d greater than sufficient high quality on the sphere to win this sport.

There was no sense of cohesion on the sphere, with Slot evidently nonetheless making an attempt to determine how his expensively assembled puzzle items match collectively. The defence seems to be weak, with right-back is an issue place now. The midfield has misplaced its form. And Salah seems to be a shadow of himself; he didn’t take a single shot or create an opportunity after he got here on with the Merseyside outfit chasing a objective.

Furthermore, their luck is working out. Liverpool saved getting away with taking part in poorly within the opening weeks of the marketing campaign by digging out wins with late objectives, however now the tables have been turned. First by Eddie Nketiah, then by VAR overturning a penalty name within the 88th minute in Istanbul.

Their points have solely elevated with contemporary accidents to Alisson Becker and Hugo Ekitike. This weekend they journey to Stamford Bridge to face a Chelsea facet which have been in one thing of a mini-crisis. That encounter seems to be much more daunting now.

There was an assumption that Liverpool would ultimately enhance and begin taking part in quite a bit higher, nevertheless it seems the issues run deeper than all of us thought.

Learn – Liverpool situation double damage replace forward of Chelsea conflict

Chelsea see pink once more

Right here’s a stat for you: Chelsea ended the month of September with extra pink playing cards than wins.

The Blues beat Benfica on Tuesday to get off the mark within the Champions League, successful 1-0 at house due to an personal objective from Richard Rios. It was their second victory of the month, their solely different one coming in opposition to Lincoln Metropolis within the League Cup.

Chelsea had been additionally diminished to 10 males but once more, though Joao Pedro had the nice sense to attend till very late within the day to obtain his second reserving, leaving little or no time for Benfica to capitalise on their numbers benefit.

It’s the third time within the house of 4 video games that one among their gamers have been proven a pink card, highlighting a scarcity of self-discipline that has existed all through Enzo Maresca’s tenure. They might have received on this event, but when the Italian doesn’t get a grip on issues then it is going to value them badly this season.

Jose Mourinho will probably be disenchanted his facet didn’t come away with a consequence regardless. Chelsea weren’t significantly spectacular, placing in one other subpar attacking efficiency.

Learn – Jose Mourinho backs Chelsea to compete for Champions League

Atleti are a severe outfit

After a comparatively sluggish begin to their LaLiga marketing campaign, Atletico Madrid have laid down a marker in current days. Diego Simeone’s facet have scored ten objectives of their final two video games, following up their good 5-2 win over Actual Madrid with a 5-1 demolition of Eintracht Frankfurt.

Giacomo Raspadori opening the scoring with the membership’s 2 hundredth objective within the competitors and was one among 5 completely different scorers on the night time. Robin Le Normand, Antoine Griezmann, Giuliano Simeone and Julian Alvarez additionally obtained in on the act.

It’s attainable they’re already too far off the tempo to problem Barcelona or Actual Madrid for the LaLiga title, however may they be darkish horses within the Champions League? On the idea of this previous week, they need to be taken very severely certainly.

Learn – The best shock ends in Champions League historical past

Spurs outclassed within the Arctic Circle

For the second sport in a row Tottenham Hotspur required a late equaliser to bail them out of a poor displaying in opposition to inferior opposition.

Thomas Frank’s males obtained away it on the weekend when Joao Palhinha discovered the web deep into stoppage time in opposition to Wolves, whereas a late personal objective saved them in opposition to Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday.

A second-half brace from Jens Petter Hauge, who was good on the night time, put the hosts two objectives up, and their lead may have been even larger had Kasper Waarts Hogh not missed a penalty earlier within the match.

Spurs had been completely outplayed for almost all of the competition earlier than staging a comeback. Micky van de Ven obtained one again with a robust header moments after Hauge’s second objective, earlier than Jostein Gundersen inadvertently steered the ball into his personal internet within the 89th minute.

It’s the primary time Glimt have prevented defeat to an English facet in Europe on the sixth time of asking, together with two earlier conferences with the Lilywhites.

Spurs appeared toothless all through the night time and have now had their two worst performances of the season to this point in back-to-back matches. Frank hasn’t run out of concepts already, has he?

Learn – The gamers to attain two personal objectives in a Premier League match

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