Liverpool look to have put their recent poor form behind them after beating Champions League rivals Real Madrid at Anfield for back-to-back wins.
Arsenal teenager Max Dowman became the Champions League’s youngest-ever player in a 3-0 win on the road against Slavia Prague and Tottenham also sealed an impressive win against Copenhagen.
Erling Haaland is hoping to add to his 26 goals in 16 appearances for club and country this season against Borussia Dortmund, but said goal-scoring records are “the last thing I think of”.
Mac Allister heads Liverpool to victory over Real Madrid
Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister, right, scores the winner against Real Madrid
Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister, right, scores the winner against Real Madrid(Peter Byrne/PA)
Alexis Mac Allister’s second-half header capped a dominant performance as Liverpool ended Real Madrid’s 100 per cent Champions League record with a 1-0 victory to inflict more pain on the the returning Trent Alexander-Arnold.
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On a night when £100million signing Florian Wirtz finally flourished, it was the diminutive Argentina international who finally broke goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’ almost one-man resistance in the 61st minute.
Back-to-back victories for the first time since late September moved Liverpool into sixth place in the table and set them up perfectly for Sunday’s trip to Manchester City.
Saturday’s win over Aston Villa may have been hailed as significant after a run of six defeats in seven matches but this was the real deal in terms of performance and attitude.
Arsenal history-maker Dowman delights Arteta
Max Dowman made history when stepping off the bench for Arsenal against Slavia Prague (Petr David Josek/AP
Max Dowman made history when stepping off the bench for Arsenal against Slavia Prague (Petr David Josek/AP(Petr David Josek/AP)
Mikel Arteta praised the maturity of Champions League record-breaker Max Dowman as Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 victory over Slavia Prague.
Arteta brought Dowman on with the game effectively wrapped up, after Bukayo Saka scored a first-half penalty and makeshift forward Mikel Merino grabbed a second-half double.
Dowman’s appearance at the age of 15 years and 308 days broke the Champions League record previously set by Youssoufa Moukoko while at Borussia Dortmund, and Arteta was again full of warm words for his young star.
“The first ball he gets, he takes people on. He starts to dribble and gets a foul. That is personality, that is courage,” the Gunners head coach said.
Van de Ven stunner lights up Tottenham win
Micky van de Ven, left, celebrates his goal of the season contender
Micky van de Ven, left, celebrates his goal of the season contender(John Walton/PA)
Micky van de Ven’s goal of the season contender helped Tottenham provide boss Thomas Frank with much-needed home comforts after a 4-0 thrashing of Copenhagen.
Vice-captain Van de Ven carried the ball from the edge of his penalty area to score a superb solo goal in the 64th minute.
It put Tottenham 3-0 up but was decisive as Brennan Johnson, who produced a 19th-minute opener, was controversially sent off at the start of the second half minutes after Wilson Odobert added a second.
Substitute Joao Palhinha added gloss to the score with 23 minutes left before RIcharlison squandered a late spot-kick as Spurs produced the biggest win of Frank’s 17-game tenure to keep alive their hopes of a top-eight finish.
Haaland says records not on his mind
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is in prolific form for club and country
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland is in prolific form for club and country(Martin Rickett/PA)
Erling Haaland insists he does not think about records despite being well aware of the extraordinary numbers he could produce.
The prolific Manchester City striker has scored 26 goals in just 16 appearances for club and country this season and on Sunday took his Premier League tally to 98 from 107 appearances, putting the 25-year-old in line to become the quickest to a century.
Asked if he thought about records, Haaland told a press conference before Wednesday’s Champions League game against former club Borussia Dortmund at the Etihad Stadium: “Not to sound arrogant, but which one?”
He added: “I can’t think about records I can break. That’s the last thing I think of. I try to help the team win football games. That’s my job and that’s my main focus.”
What’s on today?
Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle are all in Champions League action.
Pep Guardiola’s City face Borussia Dortmund at the Etihad Stadium, Chelsea will play Qarabag in Azerbaijan and Newcastle take on Athletic Bilbao at St James’ Park.
There are also four Sky Bet Championship fixtures, including Wrexham’s match at Portsmouth.