Simply whenever you thought the Champions League group stage was turning into predictable…
Manchester Metropolis and Actual Madrid, the 2 groups principally prone to win all of it this season, took two beatings Tuesday evening that shook the competitors up.
New Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim fairly presumably saved his greatest for final at Sporting CP, signing off from his remaining residence recreation with a 4-1 victory over Manchester Metropolis. In the meantime, AC Milan added to Madrid’s many issues in Spain’s capital with a 3-1 victory.
The third almost certainly group to win the 2024-25 Champions League? Liverpool. They usually brushed apart Bayer Leverkusen and Xabi Alonso 4-0 at Anfield to strengthen their credentials.
These are the large speaking factors from Tuesday’s motion.
Does this make Amorim the brand new Fergie?
“If we win they’ll suppose the brand new Alex Ferguson has arrived, which could be very tough to take care of,” Amorim mentioned.
Come up, Sir Ruben. His phrases, spoken on the eve of his remaining residence match in command of Sporting, really feel fairly pertinent, don’t they?
Manchester United are actually favourites for the 2025-26 Premier League title and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester Metropolis dynasty is about to return crumbling down.
Okay, superb, let’s simply relax a bit. But in addition, let’s get massively carried away with this exceptional consequence.
Two years in the past Manchester Metropolis blitzed the Portuguese group 5-0 on combination within the Champions League final 16, however on Tuesday they showcased simply why United have been so eager to land Amorim after his group walloped Guardiola’s shellshocked aspect.
It should have been an extremely bittersweet evening for Sporting’s followers, who celebrated among the finest victories within the membership’s latest historical past understanding they might not see the like once more for some time. They mentioned goodbye with an enormous tifo which learn “Obrigada” (thanks) and Amorim returned the favour with an evening to recollect.
Within the battle of the Nordic goal-loving strikers, the clear winner was Viktor Gyokeres, whose hat-trick took his tally to 23 objectives in 15 matches for membership and nation this season. He has solely failed to attain in three video games.
(Gualter Fatia/Getty Photos)
Amorim will certainly need to take Gyokeres with him to Outdated Trafford by way of a rumoured €100 million launch clause, though with Ineos tightening the purse strings, maybe the Etihad, with the soon-to-be director of soccer Hugo Viana, who leaves Sporting on the finish of the season, may be a extra seemingly vacation spot. Gyokeres and Erling Haaland up entrance collectively? The nets will want reinforcing.
A wonderfully positioned ball from Geovany Quenda and a thumping end from Viktor Gyökeres 😤
Sporting are degree in opposition to Man Metropolis! pic.twitter.com/cg9rdzT1QU
— CBS Sports activities Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 5, 2024
There’s simply no stopping Viktor Gyökeres in that place 🤖
twenty first aim of the marketing campaign for the Sporting striker.
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/uhgkDhbuuZ
— Soccer on TNT Sports activities (@footballontnt) November 5, 2024
The 2 managers gained’t have to attend lengthy for a rematch. If Amorim can do the identical with Rasmus Hojlund or Joshua Zirkzee up entrance when his Manchester United group takes on Metropolis and Guardiola on December fifteenth, you may make plans for the statue already.
Inconsistent Milan flip it on on the Bernabeu
AC Milan’s 3-1 victory within the Bernabeu was as shocking and beautiful as Sporting’s win.
Milan may be infuriatingly inconsistent – they’re a lowly seventh in Serie A, already eight factors off leaders Napoli, albeit with a recreation in hand. They misplaced their first two Champions League matches (to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen) earlier than struggling previous 10-man Membership Bruges to assert their first victory on Matchday 3.
Right here, although, they have been at their best possible, and uncoincidentally so have been Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez, who on their day should be probably the most thrilling left-sided pairs in European soccer.
New supervisor Paulo Fonseca boldly dropped each of them earlier within the season and Leao has been left on the bench within the league recently, however as Alvaro Morata informed The Athletic final week, “He’s the most effective participant on the group and simply must preserve doing what he’s doing.”
Morata restored Milan’s lead when placing them 2-1 up after Leao’s shot was saved. Leao then arrange Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, who had scored twice in opposition to Bruges final day out, to seal a memorable victory on this conflict of European soccer giants.
(Angel Martinez/Getty Photos)
With AC Milan now going through Slovan Bratislava, Pink Star Belgrade, Girona and Dinamo Zagreb of their remaining 4 matches, the trail of development to the final 16 by way of an automated qualification spot must be simple.
However provided that they’ll discover that elusive consistency.
Noel Gallagher was Metropolis’s greatest performer on the evening
For those who thought TNT Sports activities have been dumbing down their protection much more by inviting Oasis legend Noel Gallagher into the commentary field for Metropolis’s recreation at Sporting, effectively, you’ll be incorrect.
In what most likely says way more about the usual of punditry on English soccer screens, Gallagher was a breath of recent air in that he spoke frequent sense. Sure, it’s a wacky idea, persist with us.
Certain, he mentioned ‘we’ when speaking about his beloved Metropolis, however this was no Sky Sports activities Fan Zone gimmick, nor was he overly biased. (He thought the choice to award Metropolis a penalty for handball was harsh and questioned issues like bringing Kevin De Bruyne on for the ultimate seven minutes, most likely fearing for his hamstrings.)
There was no melodrama, foolish noises, or horrible ‘banter’ such as you get when sure different pundits speak concerning the groups they assist.
However Gallagher is an precise fan (he was within the away finish at Bournemouth on Saturday) and simply says issues like they’re, backed right here by perception and statistics, and even a foreshadowing of Metropolis losing possibilities and needing to attain a second aim — which got here 37 seconds earlier than Sporting equalised. It could be simple to ridicule his feedback as a result of he’s Noel Gallagher, like evaluating Gyokeres’ penalty method to Troy Deeney’s, till you cease and realise that it’s true.
He did let himself down by saying, “Some songwriting genius wrote as soon as; ‘We see issues they’ll by no means see’, and that’s Guardiola for ya,” resulting in raucous laughter from commentator Darren Fletcher. However we’ll forgive him that one.
Anyway, Gallagher’s was most likely the most effective Metropolis efficiency of the evening as they suffered a 3rd successive defeat in all competitions for the primary time in six-and-a-half years.
They wasted possibilities within the opening half an hour, solely having Phil Foden’s fourth-minute aim to indicate for his or her dominance, then Haaland blasted a penalty in opposition to the bar when he had the prospect to drag it again to 3-2.
Accidents are clearly having an impression, significantly in defence with teenager Jahmai Simpson-Pusey making his first senior begin on the again. With 73 per cent possession and 20 pictures to 9, it’s not as if Metropolis have been outplayed, removed from it.
However they are surely lacking Rodri, who could turn into a extra deserved winner of the Ballon d’Or in some folks’s eyes by advantage of not enjoying.
Talking of which…
Vinicius Jr. stood tall, then stood nonetheless
It was a combined evening for Vinicius Junior, who was having a great night when he levelled issues for Actual Madrid with a Panenka penalty, minutes after the Bernabeu had booed the Champions League anthem to precise their displeasure at him not successful the Ballon d’Or.
𝑪𝒐𝒐𝒍. 𝑨𝒔. 𝒀𝒐𝒖. 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆. 🥶
Vinicius Jr sends Mike Maignan the incorrect approach with a cultured panenka 😎
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/IG9FFDZgVh
— Soccer on TNT Sports activities (@footballontnt) November 5, 2024
Vini Jr. goes for the Panenka vs. Mike Maignan 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/VkPPG2NOYN
— CBS Sports activities Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 5, 2024
Vinicius Jr had gained the penalty himself from a foul by former Tottenham Hotspur defender Emerson Royal, however from then on Madrid melted and the sight of Vinicius Jr. stood utterly nonetheless as an Aurelien Tchouameni go didn’t attain him (seconds later Milan have been 2-1 up) was one of many evening’s defining photographs.
So too was Jude Bellingham kicking a water bottle in frustration after being substituted.
This was Madrid’s second defeat of the competitors in 4 video games (in addition they misplaced 1-0 at Lille) and, coming off the again of the 4-0 humiliation at residence to Barcelona of their final league match, it encapsulates a season that’s threatening to unravel.
They’ll certainly nonetheless attain not less than a play-off for the final 16 with ease, however with a visit to Liverpool subsequent on Matchday 5, the normally composed Carlo Ancelotti could have to start out sweating somewhat.
Alonso’s Leverkusen stumbling as Slot’s Liverpool fly
Anfield shouldn’t be a spot you need to must go and get a consequence proper now.
Liverpool maintained certainly one of solely two 100 per cent information within the new Champions League format (the opposite being *checks notes* Aston Villa, who go to Membership Bruges on Wednesday) with a serene 4-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen.
In distinction to Amorim, whose inventory is sky excessive as he prepares to maneuver to the Premier League, Xabi Alonso’s popularity is beginning to take somewhat little bit of a success, simply months after he was touted as the most effective factor since sliced bread however resisted the temptation of a Premier League transfer.
Arne Slot obtained the Liverpool name as an alternative and the above stats mirror, but once more, how he has obtained this Liverpool group purring in a short time.
Luis Diaz scored a second half hat-trick together with a chip that might solely have seemed extra scrumptious with a dollop of mayonnaise on the tip.
The ball from Curtis Jones and the CHEEKY Luis Díaz end 😳
Anfield beloved that one 👏 pic.twitter.com/FebrhSqnYK
— CBS Sports activities Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 5, 2024
Liverpool v Leverkusen = The Luis Diaz Present ✨
All three objectives from the Colombian of their 4-0 victory… ⚽️⚽️⚽️#UCLonPrime pic.twitter.com/fqh6uW0aQq
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) November 5, 2024
Slot and Liverpool are flying on the prime of the Premier League and the Champions League. Alonso and Leverkusen have been by no means going to succeed in the impeccable heights of 2023-24, however the tough second-season syndrome is kicking in.
Tuesday’s outcomes
PSV 4 Girona 0
Slovan Bratislava 1 Dinamo Zagreb 4
Bologna 0 Monaco 1
Borussia Dortmund 1 Sturm Graz 0
Celtic 3 RB Leipzig 1
Lille 1 Juventus 1
Liverpool 4 Bayer Leverkusen 0
Actual Madrid 1 AC Milan 3
Sporting 4 Manchester Metropolis 1
What’s subsequent?
The remaining 9 fixtures for match-week 4 of the eight-round league section happen on Wednesday.
Membership Bruges vs Aston Villa (5.45pm BST/12.45pm ET)
Shakhtar Donetsk vs Younger Boys (5.45pm BST/12.45pm ET)
Bayern Munich vs Benfica (8pm BST/3pm ET)
Feyenoord vs Pink Bull Salzburg (8pm BST/3pm ET)
Inter Milan vs Arsenal (8pm BST/3pm ET)
Paris Saint-Germain vs Atletico Madrid (8pm BST/3pm ET)
Pink Star Belgrade vs Barcelona (8pm BST/3pm ET)
Sparta Prague vs Brest (8pm BST/3pm ET)
Stuttgart vs Atalanta (8pm BST/3pm ET)
(Gualter Fatia/Getty Photos)
