Manchester United's season sank to a new low on the shores of Lake Como, where Cesc Fabregas's dazzling side tore them apart 4-1 to leave Michael Carrick's team without a win in seven matches in all competitions.
Nicolas Paz was irresistible. The Argentina international curled a glorious effort inside the far post with barely two minutes played, then turned provider early in the second half, teeing up Tasos Douvikas to loft a finish over Senne Lammens. With the hour approaching Paz scored his second and Como's third with a fine solo goal, before Jacobo Ramon powered home a header for the fourth. The substitute Joshua Zirkzee's close range consolation in added time did nothing to soften the verdict of a raucous Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia: this was a humiliation.
United, 20th in the 36 team league phase table with three points from three games, head home to face Bournemouth on Sunday with their head coach's position under ever closer scrutiny.
Rice to the rescue in Munich
At the Allianz Arena, Declan Rice scored a late equaliser to earn Arsenal a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in the tie of the night. Harry Kane had continued his remarkable scoring streak for the German champions, who twice led, but Rice rose in the closing minutes to head the Gunners level and preserve their unbeaten start to the league phase.
The concern for Mikel Arteta is Bukayo Saka, who limped off after just ten minutes. "It doesn't look good at all," the Arsenal manager admitted afterwards, with Everton due at the Emirates on Saturday and a trip to Anfield looming on 1 November. Arsenal sit seventh in the table with seven points.
Villa make it three from three
Aston Villa's golden European run continued at Villa Park, where Unai Emery's side beat Viking 3-1 to join the cluster of clubs on maximum points. Ross Barkley nodded in Ibrahim Mbaye's corner to open the scoring, Emiliano Buendia doubled the lead from the penalty spot after a foul on the lively Alysson, and the Brazilian winger's cross was turned into his own net by Henrik Heggheim for the third. Peter Christiansen's acrobatic late volley gave the Norwegians a memory to take home, but Villa, second only to Paris Saint-Germain on goal difference, march on.
Champions League Matchday Three: How the British Clubs Fared
- Tuesday: Liverpool 4-3 Villarreal (Mac Allister 2, Araujo, Wirtz; Reds came from two down). Manchester City 5-1 AEK Athens (Foden hat-trick).
- Wednesday: Como 4-1 Manchester United (Paz 2, Douvikas, Ramon; Zirkzee consolation).
- Wednesday: Bayern Munich 2-2 Arsenal (Rice with the late equaliser; Saka off injured after ten minutes).
- Wednesday: Aston Villa 3-1 Viking (Barkley, Buendia penalty, Heggheim own goal).
- Paris Saint-Germain beat Barcelona 4-2 to top the table; Villa, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Real Betis also have nine points from nine.
Elsewhere around the grounds
Real Madrid beat RB Leipzig 4-1 to maintain their perfect start, Real Betis edged Feyenoord 1-0 and Inter Milan saw off Shakhtar Donetsk by the same score. Galatasaray won 4-2 at Lille, Club Brugge beat Lens 3-0, and LASK produced the surprise of the evening with a 3-2 victory away to Sporting.
Twenty-four hours earlier, Liverpool had completed a stirring comeback from two goals down to beat Villarreal 4-3 at Anfield, with Alexis Mac Allister scoring twice, while Phil Foden's hat-trick powered Manchester City past AEK Athens 5-1. PSG's 4-2 defeat of Barcelona ended the Catalans' eleven game winning run and took the French champions to the summit.
What it means
Three matchdays in, the English picture is split cleanly in two. Liverpool, City, Villa and Arsenal occupy comfortable positions in the top ten. United, by contrast, are marooned, and the fixture computer offers no sympathy: Bournemouth on Sunday, then a trip to Stamford Bridge at the end of the month. For Carrick, the clock is ticking louder than the San Siro clock ever did for his old club.