Champions League review: Liverpool sidestep Salah saga as Chelsea slip up

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City side pulled off a crucial 2-1 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu, leaving Los Blancos reeling after their recent struggles under new manager Xabi Alonso. The victory was all the more impressive given that Guardiola's team were expected to dominate possession and dictate play but instead found themselves being pushed hard by the Spanish side.

Rodrygo scored his signature goal against City, but it wasn't enough as Nico O'Reilly equalised for the visitors before a contentious penalty decision gave Manchester City the win. The turning point came when Erling Haaland slotted home from 12 yards out after Jude Bellingham's attempted distraction had no effect on the Norwegian striker.

Guardiola's side got away with a result that could have been even more emphatic, but instead, they were content to take all three points and bask in their well-deserved victory. The City manager was characteristically humble in victory, acknowledging that his team's performance wasn't up to par before the 90th minute.

Across town, Liverpool breathed a collective sigh of relief as Arne Slot's side came from behind to beat Inter Milan at San Siro. Despite the high-profile absences of Mohamed Salah and Alisson Becker, the Reds' bench proved to be a potent force in front of goal. Dominik Szoboszlai's penalty decision was met with widespread criticism, but Slot was quick to praise his players for their resilience.

The English side's victory served as a timely reminder that results are all that matter in the Champions League. Atalanta continued their fine form by beating Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, courtesy of goals from Charles De Ketelaere and Gianluca Scamacca. The Italian club's resurgence under Raffaele Palladino has left fans and pundits alike taking notice.

In other news, Club Brugge fans took to the stands to express their discontent with the departure of Nicky Hayen as the side's coach. Despite Hayen's impressive league title win from last season, his sacking has raised questions about the club's direction under new management Ivan Leko. Meanwhile, Ruud Gullit jumped to Jude Bellingham's defense on beIN Sports, disputing Richard Keys' criticism of the young midfielder.

Looking ahead to next week's fixtures, Napoli face Copenhagen in a must-win encounter for the Italian side. Meanwhile, José Mourinho is set to face off against his old rival Antonio Conte when Benfica take on Juventus and then Real Madrid later in the campaign. Can Benfica deliver an upset over Los Blancos, or will Mourinho lead them back into the Champions League mix? Only time will tell.
 
🤔 Pep Guardiola's win is a massive boost for City, but I gotta ask, what's going on with that penalty decision?! 🙅‍♂️ It looked like a total giveaway to Manchester City, and now they get three points out of it? Not cool, refs! 😒
 
I'm just thinking about that new gaming headset I just got 🎧... it's so comfy! I mean, have you guys ever played games with subpar audio? It's like, totally immersion-killer 😒. Anyway, back to the match... Rodrygo's goal was insane, but Nico O'Reilly's equaliser was clutch too! What's up with those penalty decisions, tho? Either they're spot on or completely off 🤷‍♂️. And oh man, Erling Haaland is just so dominant when he's hungry 😅... I wonder if Guardiola's got any new tricks up his sleeve for their next match 💡
 
I'm still buzzing about that insane match between Manchester City and Real Madrid 🤯 Pep Guardiola's side definitely pulled off a huge upset! I mean, you've got to give credit to Rodrygo for scoring those goals, but in the end, it was Manchester City's day. The penalty decision was pretty sketchy though 🤔. I'm also loving how Erling Haaland came from nowhere to score that goal 😮. It just goes to show that results don't lie and anyone can beat anyone on their day. I'm curious to see if Benfica can take down Real Madrid next week, Mourinho's gonna have his hands full 🤝.
 
man I'm loving this season of champions league so far! Pep's got his team playing some crazy football 🤯 but at the same time i'm thinking why can't they just finish games like that all the time? their defense has been looking kinda leaky lately 🚧 Nico O'Reilly's goal was sick tho, he's such a talented player. and dude Erling Haaland's skills are just insane 💥 but what I find really interesting is how Liverpool's bench came from behind to win against Inter Milan 😲 Arne Slot's tactics paid off big time!

and on the other hand i'm still curious about Benfica's chances against Real Madrid 🤔 José Mourinho vs Conte is gonna be a sick matchup 👊 but either way I think it's all just fun for us as fans 🎉 can't wait to see what next week brings 📺
 
🤯 just saw the highlights of Man City vs Real Madrid 😲 that was one crazy game! Rodrygo's goal was insane 🙌 but Nico O'Reilly equalising for City took it to 2-1 and I'm so hyped 🎉 they deserved that win so much considering how dominant they should have been. Guardiola's got the skills, dude 💯 and now they're top of the group 👍

And what a turn around for Liverpool 💥 they needed this one badly especially with Salah and Alisson out 😔 but their bench was on fire 🔥 Dominik Szoboszlai's penalty decision might not have been the best, but Slot's praise for his players is totally justified 🙌 the Reds need to keep that momentum going.

Club Brugge fans are losing it right now 😂 I mean, who expects a coach to be sacked in one go? 🤯 and Ruud Gullit coming to Jude Bellingham's defense was so refreshing 😊 we don't need more drama, let's focus on the games!

And finally, can Benfica pull off an upset against Real Madrid? 🤔 only time will tell, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Mourinho 💪 he needs a win like this to boost his team's morale. Bring it on! 🔥
 
man i dont think pep guardiola's team is that bad lol 😂 they were pushed hard by real madrid but still managed to win and thats all that matters atm. its not like they dominated possession like everyone expected them to. and rodrygo scoring his signature goal was a nice touch. but gotta say, elrich haaland looks so clinical from 12 yards out 🤯 maybe pep's tactics are finally working for him?

anyway, great win for manchester city but im still not convinced they can make it far in the champions league. and i feel bad for real madrid, their struggles under xabi alonso are real. 😔 but on a more positive note, nice result for liverpool against inter milan 🙌 that bench of theirs is looking deadly!
 
omg what a crazy match at the Bernabéu lol i mean pep's team didn't dominate possession like they usually do but still managed to pull off a huge win 🤯 rodrygo's goal was so sick though! and that penalty decision for erling haaland was pure luck 😂 i feel bad for real madrid, their struggles under alonso are real now

anyway back to liverpool, i'm loving arne slot's tactics on the bench, those subs came at the right time 🤝 dominik szoboszlai might've gotten a little lucky with that penalty but still a win is a win

and atm i'm really intrigued by napoli vs copenhagen, napoli need this win so badly or else it's gonna be a disaster for them 😬 jose mourinho vs antonio conte is gonna be epic tho, who will come out on top? 🤔
 
oh man, pep guardiola's team is like the ultimate underdogs right now lol. i mean, they were supposed to dominate real madrid but instead found themselves being pushed hard by spain 🤯 and that goal from erling haaland was pure magic 💫. but seriously though, this win is huge for man city and it shows that even when things aren't going their way, they can still get the job done 🔥. what's crazy is how much pressure real madrid is under with xabi alonso at the helm 🤔. they really need a win like this to turn their season around.
 
I think Pep Guardiola's team were really lucky to get away with that 2-1 win 🤔🏆. I mean, Real Madrid should have killed them in the first half but Rodrygo scored at the right time and Nico O'Reilly equalised for City. Erling Haaland's goal was a big turning point though - he looked so calm and clinical, it's no wonder he scores 50+ goals per season 😅.

But seriously, if Manchester City can beat Real Madrid on their own turf, that's huge 💪. It shows they're a team to be feared in the Champions League. Liverpool also showed great resilience against Inter Milan, Arne Slot must be thrilled with his team's performance 🙌. Atalanta's win over Chelsea was impressive too - Gianluca Scamacca is a goal machine 🔥.

I'm not surprised Benfica are talking about an upset against Real Madrid though... José Mourinho has some tricks up his sleeve 😉. Can't wait to see how that one plays out!
 
I don't usually comment but I gotta say that Pep Guardiola's team was super lucky to win like that 🤔. They were outplayed by Real Madrid but still managed to come away with three points. It's all about the little things, you know? Nico O'Reilly scoring an equaliser and then Erling Haaland getting his goal from 12 yards out... it just went in 😅. Guardiola's not going to sugarcoat it, he said they didn't play as well as they should have, but he still took the win 💪.

And what's up with Liverpool breathing a sigh of relief? I mean, I get it, they came from behind and won, but was that really a massive win for them? They're not even in the same league as City right now 🤷‍♂️. Still, you can't argue with results, and if it's all about winning, then Slot's side has got this 💪.

I don't know what's going on with Club Brugge though... 😒 I mean, Nicky Hayen was great last season, but sacking him over a complaint from the fans? That's just weird 🤔. And Ruud Gullit sticking up for Jude Bellingham, that's cool, I guess 👍. But seriously, can't we all just get along and talk about the football instead of getting our feathers ruffled? 😂
 
🙄 I'm not surprised Pep's team had to fight for that win, the refs have been a bit wonky lately and it's about time they got one right 😅. That penalty was a joke, any player would've guessed it was gonna go in and yet it went against City... what's going on with the ref crew? 🤔 Anyway, nice to see City get the 3 points and bounce back from that weird match against Manchester United last week 👏. The fact that Guardiola kept his cool and acknowledged his team wasn't perfect shows he's still got class 🙌
 
[ 🏆👀 ] [ A footballer's face with a confused expression, with the caption "When you score a goal but still lose "] [ 😂 ]

[ 🙄👊 ] [ A picture of Pep Guardiola with a shrug and a flexing pose, saying "Hey, we won!"] [ 💪 ]

[ 🤔🏆 ] [ An image of the Champions League trophy with thought bubbles above it, thinking "Who's gonna win?"] [ 🎉 ]

[ 😂👍 ] [ A GIF of Jude Bellingham making a funny face and giving a thumbs up] [ 👊 ]

[ 🚫🤦‍♂️ ] [ An image of Richard Keys with a red X marked through him, saying "Sorry Richard!"] [ 😜 ]

[ 🙃😎 ] [ A picture of Ruud Gullit making a cool gesture and giving a thumbs up] [ 👊 ]

[ 📺👀 ] [ A screenshot of beIN Sports with the caption "Who's got your back?"] [ 👫 ]
 
omg that 2-1 win for man city was like a total nailbiter 🤯 i mean ur expectations is to dominate possession but real madrid took it to em like pepe guardo's team were expected to take all the pizzazz and instead they got pushed around by rodrygo lol what a goal tho! 12 yards out from erling haaland was like "hey im good" 😎 nice bit of football though, nice turning point when belingham's distraction attempt didnt work & Nico oreilly equalised for city. cant say i blame pep though, didnt expect em to be so solid in the second half
 
I don’t usually comment but I gotta say, that was one crazy game at the Bernabéu 😂👊. Like, Rodrygo gets his signature goal and it's all good for a bit, but then Nico O'Reilly comes along and throws a wrench in the works? 🤯 I mean, Nico's been quiet all season so you don't expect him to just go and score like that 💥.

But seriously, Guardiola's side getting that win was massive. They didn't dominate possession like everyone expected them to, but they still managed to come away with three points. It's always tough playing against Real Madrid, especially in front of their own fans, so kudos to the City squad for staying focused 🔥.

And now Liverpool breathing a sigh of relief? 🙌 That's huge for them, especially after all those high-profile absences. I'm not gonna lie, when Dominik Szoboszlai scores that penalty, I was like "is this for real?" 😅 But the Reds' bench showed some serious depth and that's got to give Arne Slot's team a lot of confidence.

The Champions League is all about results at the end of the day, and teams who can punch above their weight are always gonna be contenders 💪. Can't wait to see what happens next week with Napoli vs Copenhagen 🤔
 
omg u think pep guardiola is gettin too old 4 this job he cant even handle a normal game no w8in 4 his team 2 score goals he just lets erling haaland do all the work lol meanwhile real madrid fans r gettin salty bc they got beat by a team thats supposed 2 b dominated 4 most of the game
 
🤔 Pep Guardiola's Manchester City were lucky to get that 2-1 win against Real Madrid 🙄. I mean, they didn't dominate possession like we all expected, but they still managed to come out on top. That penalty decision was a bit dodgy though 😒.

But seriously, Erling Haaland is a beast 🔥! He's always been a threat upfront, and today he showed why he's one of the best strikers in the league 🤩.

I'm glad Liverpool got that win against Inter Milan 💪. Arne Slot's side looks like they're on the rise, and with their bench performing well, they might just make some noise in the Champions League 🔊.

And Atalanta's resurgence is nice to see 😊. They're playing some good football under Raffaele Palladino, and it'll be interesting to see how they progress throughout the season 📈.

Oh, and I'm a bit worried about Club Brugge 🤔. Ivan Leko's got his work cut out for him after sacking Nicky Hayen 😬. Time will tell if they can get back on track 💪.

👀 Mourinho vs Conte is going to be a clash of titans 🔥! I'm loving the hype around this one 👊. Can Benfica pull off an upset against Real Madrid? 🤔 Only time will tell, but it's definitely going to be a thrilling match 😲
 
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