Chelsea delivered one of the most emphatic performances of the Champions League league phase so far, dismantling a shambolic Barcelona 3-0 at Stamford Bridge after the Spanish giants were reduced to ten men before half-time.
Elsewhere, Manchester City suffered a surprise home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, while Juventus needed a late winner to escape Norway with three points.
Chelsea 3-0 Barcelona
In the night’s marquee fixture, Chelsea took full advantage of Barcelona’s high defensive line and disciplinary collapse.
The Blues dominated from the start and went ahead in the 29th minute when Jules Koundé turned the ball into his own net under heavy pressure.
The game swung decisively just before the break when Ronald Araújo picked up a second yellow card, leaving Barcelona with ten men for the entire second half.
Chelsea ruthlessly exploited the extra space: Brazilian sensation Estevão doubled the lead with a stunning strike in the 65th minute, before substitute Liam Delap sealed the result with a cool finish late on.
Barcelona, who arrived with Marcus Rashford and Raphinha only fit enough for the bench, offered almost nothing in attack and have now lost on their last six visits to West London.
Manchester City 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Pep Guardiola’s heavily rotated City side were stunned at the Etihad as Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen claimed a famous victory.
Alejandro Grimaldo smashed the German side in front midway through the first half with a ferocious long-range drive, and Patrik Schick made sure of the points in the second period with a clinical finish on the counter-attack.
The result ends City’s 100% start in this season’s competition and hands Leverkusen a major boost in their push for the knockout stage.
Other Key Results
– Bodø/Glimt 2-3 Juventus
The Norwegian champions led through a first-half penalty and later equalised from the spot, but Juventus turned the game around after the break with goals from Lois Openda and a 90th-minute winner from substitute Jonathan David.
– Marseille 2-1 Newcastle
Harvey Barnes continued his rich vein of form to give Newcastle an early lead, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang rolled back the years with two excellent finishes – including an audacious effort from a tight angle – to turn the game around for Marseille.
– Borussia Dortmund 3-0 Villarreal
A red card for Jan Foyth early in the second half tilted the game decisively Dortmund’s way. Serhou Guirassy scored twice after missing a penalty, with a third goal completing a comfortable win.
– Napoli 2-0 Qarabag
Scott McTominay was the hero, heading the opener and then benefiting from a huge deflection for his second as Napoli kept pace in the race for automatic qualification.
– Slavia Prague 0-0 Athletic Club
A cagey goalless draw in Prague.
Early Kick-offs
Benfica earned their first points of the campaign with a 2-0 win at rock-bottom Ajax, while Royale Union Saint-Gilloise pulled off a shock 1-0 victory away to an injury-ravaged Galatasaray side that also finished with ten men.
With only three matchdays remaining in the league phase, the battle for the top-eight automatic places and the play-off spots is intensifying.
Chelsea’s statement win sends them soaring up the table, while Barcelona face a nervous run to secure their own progression.
