Liverpool's first defeat of this Champions League campaign arrived in Istanbul. Fenerbahce won 3-2 on Wednesday night after the visitors led twice and could not hold either lead. Arsenal and Manchester City both took edgy away wins, 2-1 at Slavia Prague and 3-2 at RB Leipzig. Manchester United had already come from two down to beat Roma on Tuesday. The English week in Europe ends three up, one down, and one still explaining itself.
Mason Greenwood, Archie Brown and Vedat Muriqi scored for Fenerbahce. Trey Nyoni and Alexander Isak replied for Liverpool. Andoni Iraola's side had already shipped three against LASK and three against Villarreal. Steve McManaman, speaking on TNT Sports, called the goals awful and said a changed defence was not a strongest defence. "When you play certain opposition or in the Champions League, you have to go with your strongest defence," he said. The inquest travelled home with the squad.
Arsenal take the points and the lecture
In Prague, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres scored in a 2-1 win. Gyokeres had managed one goal in all competitions before Wednesday, and that was in the EFL Cup defeat at Fleetwood. The Sweden forward's finish, set up by Mikel Merino, was the cleaner part of the night. Mikel Arteta told TNT Sports the first half should have brought three or four goals, and that there was a lot to learn. David Raya said the second half was a different game: too many giveaways, too much running from box to box, and a side that did not go for the third and fourth.
Karen Carney made the same point from the gantry. Rice has played in 14 of Arsenal's 16 matches this season. She thought he looked exhausted after the break, and that the team's shape went with his legs. Arsenal have 10 points from 12 in the league phase. Arteta would still have wanted the game closed. Slavia's manager, Jindrich Trpisovsky, meanwhile completed an unwanted record: 18 Champions League matches without a win, one more than Oleg Romantsev's old mark with Spartak Moscow.
Wednesday's English Scores
- Fenerbahce 3-2 Liverpool. Greenwood, Brown and Muriqi; Nyoni and Isak.
- Slavia Prague 1-2 Arsenal. Madueke and Gyokeres scored for the Gunners.
- RB Leipzig 2-3 Manchester City. Erling Haaland scored the winner.
- Arsenal have 10 points from 12. Liverpool have their first loss of the campaign.
- United beat Roma 3-2 on Tuesday, with Matheus Cunha scoring twice.
Haaland, again, in Leipzig
City led through an own goal by Castello Lukeba, then wobbled. Ridle Baku equalised after a mistake by Gianluigi Donnarumma. Enzo Fernandez and Antonio Nusa were also on the scoresheet before Haaland settled a 3-2 win. Across the night's nine games there were 44 goals, including Como's 9-1 win at Lens, with a hat-trick for Anastasios Douvikas. Real Madrid needed a 93rd-minute goal from Federico Valverde to beat AEK Athens 3-2. None of that changes the English table inside the group. Liverpool are the ones who flew home without the result. Arsenal's next league-phase game is at home to Borussia Dortmund on 24 November.