A chaotic night of UEFA Champions League football saw Chelsea fall out of the automatic qualification spots after a dramatic collapse in Bergamo.
Liverpool secure a season-defining victory in Milan, a 17-year-old break records for Bayern, Spurs revive their campaign with a comfortable win while Atlético battle to a tense win in Eindhoven.
Marseille survive late drama in Belgium, Monaco edge Galatasaray thanks to Folarin Balogun’s persistence, and Olympiacos keep their hopes alive with their first win of the campaign.
Below are the full individual match reports of each fixture.
Chelsea Drops Out of Top Eight as Atalanta Claims 2-1 Win
Chelsea’s hopes of automatic Champions League knockout qualification took a major hit as Atalanta came from behind to seal a 2–1 victory in Bergamo.
Both teams entered the match locked on identical league-phase records: three wins, one draw and one defeat, totalling 10 points each. The contest reflected that balance early on, but Chelsea struck first.
Joao Pedro turned in a pinpoint Reece James cross in the first half, giving the Blues a slender advantage.
Chelsea nearly doubled their lead early in the second half when James curled wide, but Atalanta always looked like a threat, largely through former Charlton and Everton winger Ademola Lookman.
Atalanta grew into the match and were rewarded when former West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca was left unmarked to head in the equaliser from a wide delivery.
Chelsea attempted to regain control, with Alejandro Garnacho driving a fierce effort straight at goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi.
The defining moment came late: the Blues defense stepped off Charles De Ketelaere, who clinically drilled home the winner.
Chelsea pushed desperately in the closing stages, but Carnesecchi produced a stunning save to deny Pedro’s late effort.
The defeat sends Chelsea tumbling from the automatic top-eight spots to 11th, with only two league-phase games left.
Atalanta leap to 3rd, sitting three points above Chelsea.
“We Lost Control” – Maresca Frustrated After Collapse
This latest setback extends Chelsea’s poor run: since their 3–0 win over Barcelona in November, they are winless in four games across all competitions.
Manager Enzo Maresca again rotated heavily, introducing five changes, after making five for the Leeds loss and six for the draw with Bournemouth.
Responding to criticism, Maresca defended the rotation:
“I think tonight [in] the first XI we had eight or nine players who played against Tottenham, Barcelona and Arsenal.”
“If you see the five changes that we did compared to Bournemouth it is different but it is the eight or nine players playing Barcelona.”
“The ones who played tonight are the ones playing almost all the games.”
But he acknowledged Chelsea’s failings:
“After the goal we conceded we lost control. Second half, we had two good chances to score the second goal.”
“When we conceded the 1–1, we lost some concentration. We can avoid both of the goals we conceded. They’re easy goals.”
On his decision to withdraw Chalobah and Enzo Fernández, which altered Chelsea’s rhythm, he added:
“Both changes were because Trev and Enzo, they are playing every minute of every game. They are both not 100 percent.”
“Trev was on a yellow card. This is the reason why we changed them.”
Maresca was blunt about Chelsea’s situation:
“Probably we need two wins. Sixteen points might get you top eight, I’m not sure. The next one, for sure, if we want to finish top eight, we need to win both.”
Chelsea next host Pafos on 21 January, before travelling to Napoli in the final league-phase match.
Szoboszlai’s Late Penalty Saves Liverpool in Milan
Liverpool secured a vital Champions League victory at the San Siro, defeating Inter Milan thanks to a late penalty from Dominik Szoboszlai, the club’s first UCL away win without Mohamed Salah since 2009.
With Salah absent following a week of controversy, pressure mounted after a run of nine defeats in 12. But Szoboszlai stepped up from the spot after a tense evening.
The travelling fans erupted at full-time, singing manager Arne Slot’s name after a morale-boosting win delivered by a depleted 19-man squad.
Virgil van Dijk said:
“It doesn’t change anything. There’s obviously so much noise from the outside world, which is normal when you don’t perform.”
“It’s deserved as well. We want to improve, we want to be consistent and win games.”
Inter had been unbeaten in 18 straight UCL home matches, making the win even more significant.
Slot Asked About Salah: “Everyone Makes Mistakes”
Asked about Salah’s absence, Slot insisted the night belonged to the players who travelled:
“Everyone makes mistakes in life but does the player know he’s made a mistake? Should the initiative come from him or me? That’s another question.”
“Tonight it should be all about the players that are here.”
Van Dijk declined to criticise Salah directly:
“He didn’t travel based the consequences of what he said. That’s it.”
Slot hailed Szoboszlai:
“That was his first penalty for Liverpool during a game but he has a great shot and he delivered. It’s special what he is doing physically and also football wise.”
Liverpool remain unbeaten in four and appear to be emerging from a difficult spell.
Lennart Karl Makes UCL History as Bayern Beat Sporting 3–1
Lennart Karl, just 17 years old, became the youngest player in Champions League history to score in three consecutive UCL games, leading Bayern Munich to a comeback win over Sporting.
Sporting took the lead early in the second half when Joshua Kimmich slid an Ivan Fresneda cross into his own net.
But Bayern responded: Serge Gnabry was left unmarked to volley in the equaliser, before Karl controlled Konrad Laimer’s lofted pass and smashed in Bayern’s second, although Sporting’s Rui Silva might have done better.
Jonathan Tah stabbed home a third after Gnabry’s knockdown from a free-kick.
Bayern now sit level with Arsenal at the top, though with one more game played.
Tottenham Cruise to 3–0 Win Over Slavia Prague
Tottenham responded in style after their 5–3 defeat to PSG, comfortably defeating Slavia Prague in London.
Spurs took the lead when David Zima headed Pedro Porro’s corner into his own net. In the second half, Porro won a penalty after a reckless challenge by Sanyang, converted emphatically by Mohammed Kudus, his first UCL goal for Spurs.
A second penalty followed, tucked away by Xavi Simons after he was brought down by Igoh Ogbu.
The evening was also emotional as Son Heung-min, returning as an LAFC player, received a rapturous pre-match ovation.
Goalkeeper Vicario made key saves, while Stanek denied several Spurs chances, including a brilliant double stop from Mathys Tel and Pape Sarr.
The only setback: Micky van de Ven received a yellow card, ruling him out of the next match versus Borussia Dortmund.
Atlético Survive Late PSV Pressure to Win 3–2 in Eindhoven
A chaotic night in Eindhoven saw Atlético Madrid claim a valuable win over PSV.
PSV struck first after Guus Til tapped in from Couhaib Driouech’s break. Driouech should have doubled the lead but missed twice, once shooting wide, and once choosing a poor pass instead of finishing from eight yards.
Atlético punished PSV’s wastefulness:
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Julian Alvarez equalised after Yarek Gasiorowski was robbed playing out from the back.
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David Hancko pounced on a rebound to put Atlético ahead.
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Alexander Sørloth headed in a third from Pablo Barrios’ cross.
PSV pulled one back through Ricardo Pepi and nearly equalised, but Armando Obispo failed to turn in a late corner.
Atlético rise to 7th, while PSV fall to 19th.
Mason Greenwood Scores Twice as Marseille Win 3–2 at Union SG
Former Manchester United striker Mason Greenwood scored a brace as Marseille defeated Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium.
Union opened the scoring through Anan Khalaili’s long-range effort. Igor Paixão equalised with a superb strike into the top corner.
Greenwood then linked with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to make it 2–1 before racing onto Matt O’Riley’s pass to slot in his second.
Khalaili struck again to make it 3–2, and Kevin Mac Allister saw a late equaliser ruled offside. Promise David had a chance in stoppage time but was denied by Rulli.
Marseille now sit 16th; Union drop to 25th.
Folarin Balogun Scores in Third Straight UCL Match as Monaco Beat Galatasaray 1–0
Folarin Balogun finally converted after missing multiple chances, scoring the only goal as Monaco edged Galatasaray.
The match was filled with missed opportunities:
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Ilkay Gündogan blazed over from six yards.
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Baris Alper Yilmaz hit the post.
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Balogun missed several clear chances, including heading over from close range.
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Denis Zakaria’s tame penalty was saved by Ugurcan Cakir.
Balogun eventually bundled in from a corner knockdown in the 68th minute to secure Monaco’s second league-phase win.
Both teams now sit on nine points.
Olympiacos Finally Ends 12-Match Away Losing Run
Olympiacos earned their first Champions League win of the season, defeating Kairat Almaty 1–0 in Kazakhstan.
Gelson Martins’ low strike broke the deadlock after a string of superb saves from keeper Temirlan Anarbekov, who denied:
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Ayoub El Kaabi three times
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Francisco Chiquinho
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Mehdi Taremi (pushing his shot onto the post)
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El Kaabi again off the crossbar
Kairat, who needed eight qualifiers to reach the league phase, remain on one point and became the first team since 1997–98 Kosice to fail to score in their first three home matches.
Olympiacos, now on five points, must win their final two games vs Bayer Leverkusen and away to Ajax, to reach the 11-point threshold that secured last season’s final play-off spot.
Tuesday, 9th December – Champions League Stage
Full-Time Results
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Kairat 0–1 Olympiakos
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Bayern Munich 3–1 Sporting CP
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Atalanta 2–1 Chelsea
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Barcelona 2–1 Eintracht Frankfurt
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Inter Milan 0–1 Liverpool
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Monaco 1–0 Galatasaray
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PSV 2–3 Atletico Madrid
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Tottenham Hotspur 3–0 Slavia Prague
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Union Saint-Gilloise 2–3 Marseille
WEDNESDAY – GAMEWEEK 6 MATCHDAY PREVIEW
Qarabağ vs. Ajax (17:45 GMT)
Two struggling sides meet with elimination looming.
Villarreal vs. Copenhagen (17:45 GMT)
Copenhagen seek crucial points to stay inside the top 24.
Athletic Club vs. Paris Saint-Germain (20:00 GMT)
PSG, second in the standings, aim to tighten their grip on a top-eight berth.
Bayer Leverkusen vs. Newcastle United (20:00 GMT)
A pivotal clash between two sides hovering in mid-table.
Benfica vs. Napoli (20:00 GMT)
With both still outside the playoff zone, this is a near must-win.
Borussia Dortmund vs. Bodø/Glimt (20:00 GMT)
Dortmund look to cement their top-eight position.
Club Brugge vs. Arsenal (20:00 GMT)
Arsenal, the only side with a perfect record, aim for win No. 6.
Juventus vs. Pafos (20:00 GMT)
Juve seek stability in an unstable season as they host struggling Pafos.
Real Madrid vs. Manchester City (20:00 GMT)
The heavyweight showdown of Gameweek 6
Real Madrid sit fifth, City ninth—an early-season slump has put pressure on Pep Guardiola’s men. A win here could dramatically reshape the upper tier of the table.
