Plus: Celtic miss chance to win against Atletico Madrid; Tuesday night's action saw Manchester United and Arsenal both win; Harry Maguire and Andre Onana have turning point moments in home win over FC Copenhagen; Arsenal dig deep in Seville but can't afford to lose Gabriel Jesus to injury
Thursday 26 October 2023 13:03, UK
This was a bit of a reality check for Newcastle.
After the high of their win over French champions Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month, Wednesday's 1-0 home defeat to Borussia Dortmund has brought them crashing back down to earth.
But Eddie Howe's side will not be panicking - they were never going to cruise through a group as daunting as the one they were handed and know they have much to learn at the elite level of European football.
There is no denying, though, that this loss is a bit of a setback in their hopes of reaching the knockout stages with some tough away games ahead.
Next month, Newcastle go to Germany for the return fixture against Dortmund and then face current Group F leaders PSG in France, where Luis Enrique's side will be wanting revenge after that embarrassing 4-1 defeat to the Magpies.
The home game against Dortmund felt like a great opportunity to really cement Newcatsle's position in the group and allow them breathing space for those intimidating away days.
Instead, Howe's side now face a more uphill task to reach the last 16 but it is one they will relish.
Declan Olley
Wednesday night's win over Young Boys was a game Man City were expected to win. They did and they deserved to. Now they are three out of three in the Champions League, so they are getting the job done in terms of qualification.
From a coaching point of view, Pep Guardiola will look at that and be most disappointed with the Meschack Elia goal that saw Young Boys equalise, Rico Lewis was out of position and that made it a bit tricky for City.
But in terms of the chances, City created so many and on another day they could have had double figures. They scored three and coaches always say they are happier to be creating chances and missing them, than not creating any at all.
City are always going to create chances and if you are a Man Utd player watching that game on Wednesday night, you are not looking at City and thinking: 'Well, they are not in good goalscoring mood'.
If they get it right and they could very easily get it right in that Manchester derby, then they could put Man Utd to the sword. Because we saw them again being relentless tonight and that is what got them over the line for the treble. And that is why they are European champions.
Andy Hinchcliffe
So far this season, Jeremy Doku and Jack Grealish have been competing for the same left wing position at Man City. The form of Phil Foden forced that scenario - but is that scenario now about to change?
Wednesday's win over Young Boys was the first time the wide pair had been selected together in the City starting line-ups and both players were arguably the most dangerous players on the pitch.
City created 20 chances overall in Switzerland and a quarter of them came from Doku on the right and Grealish on the left. Had Erling Haaland been more potent than the two goals he scored, this would have been a hiding.
So it is good news for Man City that, without Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan this season, they are still creating the hatful of opportunities for central players such as Haaland, Julian Alvarez and Rodri to benefit from.
With three consecutive 3-1 victories in this Champions League group stage, the Pep Guardiola scoring train has no signs of slowing down.
Sam Blitz
Brendan Rodgers may have insisted in his post-match press conference that he is not bothered about talk over his record in the Champions League, but it merits discussion.
After taking charge of 21 matches in the competition - six with Liverpool and 15 with Celtic - over nine years, the 50-year-old has only beaten Ludogorets and Anderlecht.
In fact, winning fewer than 10 per cent of his matches gives Rodgers the worst record of any manager to take charge of more than 20 Champions League games.
The stats are, of course, skewed by the fact the majority of his time in the competition has come with Celtic, but the draw with Atletico felt like a missed opportunity for Rodgers and his side to claim a first Champions League win since 2017.
With the game in the balance midway through the second half, Rodgers opted to bring on Nathaniel Phillips for Luis Palma and match Atletico's 3-5-2 formation.
The move meant Celtic lost the ability to create overloads on the flanks, while Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda became isolated up front as the hosts struggled to play through Atletico's press.
It turned out to be a negative move that only invited Atletico pressure - and Diego Simeone's side may well have made Rodgers pay were it not for Rodrigo De Paul's foolish dismissal reining in their attacking intentions.
There is no doubt the spotlight has been well and truly on new Man Utd goalkeeper Andre Onana after what can only be described as a shaky start to his Old Trafford career.
The Cameroon international was meant to be the man to bring stability back to the No 1 position at United after David de Gea's decline in form during his last few years at the club, arriving last summer from Inter Milan in a £47.2m deal with a huge reputation.
However, it is fair to say Onana has so far failed to live up to expectations at United after a number of high-profile gaffes in the first two months of the campaign, with each costly error increasing the pressure on the 24-year-old.
That is until Tuesday night when Onana came to United's rescue with what could turn out to be hugely significant - a stoppage-time penalty save to preserve his side's 1-0 lead over FC Copenhagen in a must-win game in Group A for Erik ten Hag's side.
Not just for United, though, but the player himself, who may look back on that moment in years to come as being the turning point in both United's and his own season.
Richard Morgan
If Onana has endured an awkward start to his Manchester United career, Harry Maguire's time in the shirt had appeared all but over prior to the injury crisis that has allowed him a path back into the team. The England man deserves credit for seizing that chance.
Goals can cloud the narrative with defenders but this was about more than the winner that he scored to secure Manchester United's first points of the Champions League season. There has been a change in his game, one acknowledged by Erik ten Hag afterwards.
"He is playing much more proactive in possession, stepping in, passing vertically, defending also on the front foot, defending forward, very confident in the duels, I think he is dominating in the right way with his aggression against opponents."
There was an example of that just before his breakthrough goal, rushing forward to beat his marker to the ball and sustain the attack for his team. It drew a positive reaction from the Old Trafford crowd, finally some positive energy for Maguire to feed off.
There is a long way to go. His only start this season prior to this run of games against Brentford, Sheffield United and FC Copenhagen came at home to Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup. Bigger tests await, starting with Manchester City on Sunday.
Adam Bate
A superb turn and a defence-splitting pass for Arsenal's first, then a brilliant curling finish for the second, Gabriel Jesus looked like someone at home in the Champions League and looking at his record, you can't be surprised.
The Brazilian made it 23 goals in 41 appearances in Europe's premier club competition - including 14 goal contributions in his last 17 Champions League starts - during Arsenal's important Champions League win in Sevilla and his vital experience was on show in Spain.
Remember, this is still a young Arsenal voyaging on unchartered waters. Even the strong-headed stars like Bukayo Saka are playing in their first Champions League campaign, Gabriel Martinelli even made his debut in the competition on Tuesday night.
But what was the perfect tonic for these young attacking stars? Jesus putting it on a plate for Martinelli late in the first half, before the Arsenal No 9 showed his fellow Brazilian how big moments are done in style at this level. And that's three goals in three Champions League group games this season.
These margins are vital, which is why Jesus' hamstring injury scare is a real "concern" for Arsenal, as Mikel Arteta put it. Jesus cannot miss another chunk of a Premier League title race, his experience is too valuable.
Sam Blitz
In the end it was a big win for Arsenal but my goodness it was edgy at times - particularly in those final few moments of the game.
Arsenal were slow out of the blocks again - but Sevilla couldn't take advantage. Martinelli's excellent finish before half-time calmed a few nerves and Arsenal looked in control after Jesus' wonder strike. That was until a set-piece cost them again.
In the build-up, Arteta and midfielder Jorginho talked about controlling their emotions in this hostile environment and the need to dig deep to come through a real test. "There were moments when we were very dominant and then we had to suffer, and it's necessary to suffer to win a game," the Arsenal manager said after the game.
Given Arsenal's record in Europe in Spain going into this one - they had lost five out of their last six before this game - the win feels like a big moment for this group.
Gail Davis in Seville
