Champions League Recap: Liverpool Recover, Chelsea Thump Ajax, Spurs Escape Unbeaten

Matchday 3 of the Champions League saw all six Premier League sides get good results, with five wins and one draw, in a week that will significantly contribute to the UEFA coefficient of the English top division.

Eintracht Frankfurt 1-5 Liverpool

Liverpool Crush Frankfurt to End Losing Streak

Ливерпуль ended a run of four consecutive defeats in emphatic fashion, coming from behind to thrash Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 in their UEFA Champions League clash. Arne Slot’s side were under pressure to halt their slump, but it was Frankfurt who struck first when Mario Götze picked out Rasmus Kristensen, whose powerful right-footed effort clipped the post and went in — his first UCL goal.

The home fans’ celebrations were short-lived as Hugo Ekitike, facing his former club, levelled the score with a composed finish after Andrew Robertson’s incisive pass. Virgil van Dijk then completed the turnaround with a header from Cody Gakpo’s corner, before Ibrahima Konaté made it 3-1 with another set-piece goal from Dominik Szoboszlai’s delivery before the interval.

Liverpool dominated after the break, with Michael Zetterer repeatedly denying Ekitike and Conor Bradley. The fourth goal finally arrived when Gakpo tapped in from Florian Wirtz’s cut-back, before Szoboszlai sealed the rout with a drilled finish, again assisted by Wirtz.

The result snapped Liverpool’s losing streak and extended their unbeaten run against German teams to 15 matches (W12, D3). For Frankfurt, it was another humbling night, with their opening three UCL fixtures all ending 5-1, leaving Dino Toppmöller’s men without a win in five meetings against Premier League opposition.

Chelsea 5-1 Ajax

Chelsea’s Young Guns Shine in Ajax Rout

Chelsea produced a commanding display at Stamford Bridge, hammering ten-man Ajax 5-1 in the Champions League. The match made history as teenagers Marc Guiu, Estêvão, and Tyrique George all scored in the same UCL game for the first time.

Ajax’s hopes were dented early when Kenneth Taylor saw red for a reckless challenge on Facundo Buonanotte. From the resulting free-kick, Wesley Fofana’s header across goal found Guiu, who calmly opened the scoring. Moisés Caicedo soon doubled the lead with a long-range strike that took a heavy deflection past Remko Pasveer.

Wout Weghorst gave Ajax brief hope from the penalty spot after Tosin Adarabioyo’s foul on Raúl Moro, but Enzo Fernández restored Chelsea’s two-goal cushion with a composed penalty of his own. Estêvão added a fourth from the spot in first-half stoppage time after being fouled by Youri Baas.

In the second half, substitute Tyrique George struck within minutes, capitalising on a loose ball to fire home via a deflection. Chelsea later introduced Reggie Walsh, who became the club’s youngest-ever UCL player. The Blues cruised through the remainder of the match, moving up to 11th in the standings, while Ajax stayed bottom with no points.

Monaco 0-0 Tottenham

Vicario Inspires Spurs to Stalemate with Monaco

Tottenham Hotspur were indebted to Guglielmo Vicario as they escaped with a 0-0 draw against Monaco in the Champions League. The Spurs goalkeeper delivered a man-of-the-match performance to deny the hosts, who remain unbeaten in their last three meetings with the London club (W2, D1).

Monaco, under new boss Sébastien Pocognoli, controlled much of the contest. Folarin Balogun was twice thwarted by Vicario in the first half — once from a tight angle and again after linking up with Takumi Minamino. Spurs’ only meaningful effort before half-time came from Mohammed Kudus, whose shot was easily held by Philipp Köhn.

After the break, Monaco’s dominance continued. Maghnes Akliouche’s low drive and Aleksandr Golovin’s curling strike were both superbly kept out by Vicario, who seemed unbeatable. Tottenham struggled to create chances and relied heavily on their keeper, who pulled off a spectacular save to stop Jordan Teze’s late header on the line.

Despite over 20 attempts from the home side, Monaco failed to find the breakthrough. The draw keeps Tottenham unbeaten in their UCL campaign (W1, D2), while Monaco are still chasing their first win after back-to-back draws and an opening defeat.