Chelsea prevent English whitewash in Europe

And they narrowly missed out on a clean sweep for the 2nd successive matchday, picking up 16 out of a possible 18 points on offer. Last time out, it was Spurs who fluffed their lines (though a dogged draw at Monaco was hardly a disastrous outing). This week, it was fellow London outfit Cheslea who spoiled proceedings, drawing 2-2 at European minnows Qarabag. Still, with all six sides safely entrenched in the top 3rd of the Champions League standings, this is shaping up to be a banner season for English football. Below are my rankings of this week’s top performers.

6. Chelsea (drew 2-2 at Qarabag)

Chelsea’s expensively assembled galaxy of stars is worth over £1bn. Qarabag is worth just £22m. That tells you all you need to know about their disjointed 2-2 draw at the Tofiq Bahramov Republican Stadium. Substitute Alejandro Garnaco spared the Blue’s blushes, equaling early in the 2nd half to earn Chelsea a chaotic point. Enzo Marseca just needs to calm down with his tinkering. The Italian has made at least seven changes to his lineup in his last five matches in all competitions! Sure, Chelsea possess a mammoth squad and should use it to their advantage. But he also needs to look at creating a semblance of coherence.

5. Newcastle United (won 2-0 at home to Athletic Bilbao)

Newcastle United returned to winning ways after a shock 3-1 defeat to West Ham, beating Bilbao 2-0 at St James Park to keep their strong Champions League form alive (they are currently wedged between PSG and Real Madrid in the log). Bilbao were without a major part of their attacking nexus, with playmaking brothers Nico and Inaki Williams out with injury. Newcastle weren’t at their free-flowing best, relying on headed efforts from Dan Burn and Joelinton. It was a hard-fought win that showed plenty of grit and resilience (even if there was a lack of quality in certain areas). Eddie Howe’s side suffered a significant injury setback in the closing stages of the match, with talismanic attacking figure Anthony Gordon forced off the pitch.

4. Arsenal (won 3-0 at Slavia Praha)

Arsenal kept their perfect start to the Champions League alive with a comfortable 3-0 win at Czech outfit Slavia Praha. The Gunners controlled the game from minute one, with David Raya essentially a spectator until the dying moments of the match. Saka got Arsenal off the mark from the penalty-spot before it turned into the Mikel Merino show. The Spanish utility player, deputizing for the injured Gyokeres, proved his worth to the squad, showing true predatory instincts to net a 2nd half brace. Yet to concede a goal in Europe all season, the Gunners trail only Bayern in the Champions League standings (who they host next time out).

3. Spurs (won 4-0 at home to Copenhagen)

Thomas Frank’s Spurs are a schizophrenic unit, veering from the sublime to the ridiculous. They were poor against Chelsea but bounced back emphatically at home to Copenhagen, dominating proceedings despite being down to ten men for much of the 2nd half. Xavi Simmons was mesmeric before being sacrificed as part of the post-red shuffle, dictating the tempo of the match with his intricate passing and deft changes of pace. Brennan Johnson went from hero to villain, opening the scoring for Spurs before being sent off in harsh fashion in the 57th minute. Still, Spurs remained the dominant side and Mickey van de Ven scored a contender for goal of the season, evoking Son Heung-min with a gut-busting run to put Spurs 3-0 ahead. Palhinha added some icing to the cake in what was a thoroughly professional performance by the North London outfit.

2. Liverpool (won 1-0 at home to Real Madrid)

I was less surprised with this result as I was with the scoreline. Liverpool have looked defensively pourous this season, with Van Djik and Konate occasionally resembling a mid-tier Prem central defensive unit. Slot will be thrilled with being the first side this season to keep Los Blancos scoreless. Liverpool looked defensively organized throughout, with Connor Bradley keeping Vini Jr muzzled down that left-hand side. Allister McAllster showed his BMT once again, netting the lone goal just when it looked like Liverpool may never get past an inspired Thibaut Courtois. A comfortable win against revered European opposition felt like the ideal preparation ahead of their trip to the Etihad.

1. Manchester City (won 4-1 at home to Borussia Dortmund)

Pep Guardiola’s side crept up to 4th in the log courtesy of an emphatic 4-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund. The pre-match buzz focused almost solely on Haaland’s reunion with his former club, but it was Phil Foden who captured the imagination, terrorizing Dortmund in those pockets of space between midfield and defence. Foden scored an magnificent brace, collecting his 10th and 11th goals from outside the box since the start of the 2023/2024 campaign. Halland got his obligatory goal (his 27th of the campaign for club and country). It was exactly the type of authoritative performance that Guardiola would have demanded ahead of their crunch meeting with Liverpool.