This is a historic year for the Champions League, with six sides qualifying from the same country for the first time in the tournament’s history.
England earned six spots this season, benefitting from a high UEFA coefficient ranking and Spurs winning last year’s Europa League. And the English sides flexed their muscle this week, accumulating 16 out of a possible 18 points in a timely reminder of their depth and financial clout (five of the six English sides sit in the top 11 in the 36-team standings). I have decided to rank the English’s team’s midweek performances, determining who looked most impressive in this rousing advertisement for Premier League football.
6. Tottenham Hotspurs (drew 0-0 at Monaco)
In any other week, a gritty 0-0 draw at Monaco would be seen as a fantastic result. As it is, this was just Spurs being as Spursy as it gets, preventing a clean sweep for the English sides. Spurs were completely outplayed at the Stade Louis II, with Gugliemo Vicario producing a series of spectacular saves to deny Monaco. Still, the result preserved Spurs’ unbeaten record and kept them neatly tucked into the top half of the current standings.
5. Newcastle United (won 3-0 at home to Benfica)
Eddie Howe’s side had an awkward start to their Champions League journey, going down 2-1 at home to an excellent Barcelona side. But they have been rampant since, thrashing Union Saint-Gilloise 4-0 before a comfortable 3-0 home win over Jose Mourinho’s Benfica. Anthony Gordon has been the Geordie’s European talisman this season and he was at it again on Tuesday night, scoring once and assisting another in a barnstorming display that must have delighted Thomas Tuchel. Barnes scored twice off the bench, rounding off the scoring in the 83rd minute with an intricately worked team goal that wouldn’t have looked out of place on FIFA 25.
4. Manchester City (won 2-0 at Villarreal)
Man City are starting to click into something resembling top gear, cruising to a stress-free 2-0 win at Villarreal. It was a supremely polished away showing, with City monopolizing 63% of the possession (they only conceded one shot on target). Haaland continued his relentless pursuit of goal-scoring immortality, netting in a 12th consecutive match. But it was Savinho who really impressed, playing an integral role in both goals. Are they back to their indomitable best or will their squad falter when fixtures congest? Time will tell.
3. Liverpool (won 5-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt)
Liverpool will have feared the worst after going behind 1-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt. Isak spurned a few great opportunities while Wirtz was too easily brushed off the ball in the build-up to Frankfurt’s opener (sloppy finishing and wasteful possession were hallmarks of their recent four-match losing streak). But Hugo Ekitiki showed great composure with the equalizer, and the Reds didn’t look back, sauntering to a simple 5-1 win. Robertson brought more solidity to that left-back role while Wirtz started to pull some strings, picking up two assists as he drifted menacingly between the left-hand side and more central areas.
2. Chelsea (won 5-1 at home to Ajax)
Chelsea extended their current winning streak to four matches with an emphatic 5-1 win over an insipid Ajax side (how the mighty have fallen). But the scoreline only tells a fraction of the story. Enzo Maresca made wholesale changes to the team that won 3-0 at Forest, bringing in a raft of youngsters and academy products. And Chelsea carved themselves a bit of Champions League history last night, becoming the first side to have three teenage scorers: Marc Guiu (19), Estevao Willian (18) and Tyrique George (19). Marc Guiu briefly became their youngest ever Champions League goalscorer, only for Estavao to break that record. Furthermore, Reggie Walsh became the 2nd youngest Englishman- after Jack Wilshire- to play in the Champions League. There’s something ominous about this Chelsea setup.
And, at No.1…Arsenal (won 4-0 at home to Atletico Madrid)
Arsenal kept their 100% start to the Champions League alive with an authoritative 4-0 win over Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid. Very seldom do you see a Simeone setup capitulate in the way that they did in that 2nd half. But Arsenal’s relentless pressure paid off, with Gabriel latching onto a Rice free-kick to open the scoring in the most predictable of manners. That goal softened Atletico up and Arsenal ran riot, with Martinelli scoring once before Gyokeres popped up with two typical poacher’s efforts. Arsenal are shaping up to be a force on both the domestic and European fronts, conceding just three goals in all competitions this season.
