Liverpool and Arsenal both began their Champions League campaigns with victories on Wednesday night, overcoming Atletico Madrid and Napoli respectively in Europe's premier club competition.
At Anfield, Liverpool recovered from an early deficit to defeat Spanish club Atletico Madrid 2-1, thanks to a second-half winner from Argentine midfielder Alexis Mac Allister. Meanwhile, Arsenal secured a 1-0 away victory against Italian club Napoli following a dominant performance capped by a late goal from Norwegian playmaker Martin Odegaard.
Liverpool recover against Atletico Madrid
Liverpool fell behind in the 17th minute when Marcos Llorente found the net for the visitors. The Spanish midfielder has an unusual goalscoring record against the Premier League club. Of all players to score 10 or more Champions League goals, Llorente is the only one to score at least 50 per cent of them against a single opponent, with five of his 10 goals in the competition coming against Liverpool.
Every one of those five goals has been scored at Anfield, Liverpool's historic home stadium, a ground he reportedly loves so much that he named his dog after it.
The home side responded before the break, with Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai scoring a goal described as silky smooth to level the match. Szoboszlai was highly influential throughout the evening, acting as a creative focal point for the team. He recorded 87 touches, won six duels, created five chances and completed four successful take-ons.
Liverpool then took the lead in the 50th minute when Mac Allister scored the decisive goal to complete the turnaround. Both teams also had goals disallowed during the contest.
Speaking to television broadcaster TNT Sports, Mac Allister praised the team's resilience. "It was a good comeback," he said. "I think the first half was really good. We conceded a goal because we were not ready, and we did not defend well, other than it was a good first half. The beginning of the second half was really good. We managed to score the second goal, which is good."
He added: "Overall, it was a good performance. Now we have to think about the next one. Before the game we spoke about the beginning of the first half and second half. I liked the mentality. I think we showed desire today. We got the fans behind us and that's really important when you play at Anfield. A positive step for us."
Iraola praises Liverpool character
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola admitted he was caught off guard by Atletico's initial tactical setup, which featured a heavily fortified five-man defence.
"Difficult to ask for more. I think we have shown big character, especially the players after a difficult start," Iraola told TNT Sports. "I loved it, the atmosphere has been incredible and I feel lucky to experience it. I think I have to take blame from the beginning because they surprised me a little bit tactically they played a five at the back, a 5-3-2. We expected something different and waited to correct it. After half-time, we had a much better game, we pressed better, and I think we have been a better team."
Iraola also commended Mac Allister's intelligence after the World Cup winner picked up an early yellow card, and confirmed that Bradley Barcola, who made his bow during the match, was substituted due to cramps.
"Yes, lovely goal for him and from Dominik," the manager said of the scoring. "They ran a lot. Alexis has been very smart, I think it was a very cheap first yellow. They were putting pressure to find the second one. He is a smart player and he could survive that."
Regarding Barcola, Iraola added: "No, just cramps, especially with Bradley. We are kind of rushing him a little bit. We wanted him there, but at the end we decided to say give us what you have then that's the most he has. Let's see how they recover for the next one."
The victory marked another resilient performance for Liverpool, who have previously come from behind against Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United.
"I was enjoying it," Iraola said of the Anfield atmosphere. "They're a very good team. Technically, in the middle, lovely players. It is not easy to press those players as they have quality. They have been playing together forever. We find another comeback after Forest, after Newcastle. We still have this thing to improve in the beginning of the games, but I am happy as we have shown some character. This is the Champions League; you don't have easy games."
Wirtz and Szoboszlai shine
German midfielder Florian Wirtz also delivered an impressive performance for the home side, providing excellent link-up play and setting up a clear chance for Barcola with a brilliant run and final pass in the second half, which the latter failed to convert.
Szoboszlai, who scored the equaliser, expressed his delight at finding the net in Europe's elite competition.
"Very happy to be back. These nights are always special. After a setback, we came back in a good game. Happy for the result, happy to score my goal finally again," he told TNT Sports. "It was ups and downs all the time, they have a good team. I think we have a good team as well. We gave everything that we had."
The Hungarian international is already looking ahead to the team's next domestic fixture. "I love playing every competition, especially with the jersey on me. I hope we keep on going, and we can do something special this year," he said. "We can achieve everything we want to, so we have to work hard for it, and let's hope for the best. We have to look game by game, and now we are going to have a recovery and be ready for Fulham. Ready to go again."
Arsenal dominate Napoli
In Italy, Arsenal recorded a 1-0 victory over Napoli, completely dominating the match despite the narrow scoreline. The Gunners registered 26 shots, their highest total in a single Champions League fixture since the 2003-04 season, and the most Napoli have faced in that period.
The breakthrough finally came in the 75th minute when Arsenal captain Odegaard smashed in a stunning strike to secure the winning goal. Arsenal also had a goal disallowed earlier in the match.
Manager Mikel Arteta praised his team's performance, telling TNT Sports that they fully deserved the three points.
"Fully deserved three points," Arteta said. "The performance probably doesn't reflect the result, the team was superb. We showed quality in a lot of moments to break them down and it was a shame because we missed so many great chances. On any other day the result would be different."
Arteta highlighted Odegaard's decisive contribution, adding: "Martin is contributing with goals that are impacting results which is what we want from our attacking players, being decisive and certainly he was again today. We should have done it in a different way because of the amount of chances we created."
Other Champions League results
Elsewhere in the Champions League group phase, Spanish club Barcelona secured a comprehensive 5-1 victory over Dutch club Feyenoord, while French club Paris Saint-Germain comfortably defeated Slovan Bratislava 6-1. German club Stuttgart claimed a 3-1 win against Viking, and Portuguese club Sporting CP beat Galatasaray 3-1.
