Liverpool and Ajax kept up their perfect records in the Champions League this season to qualify for the last 16 on Wednesday, while a Paris Saint-Germain side missing Lionel Messi was held by RB Leipzig.
Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool blew Atletico Madrid away in a whirlwind start at Anfield, with Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane scoring in the first 21 minutes to secure a 2-0 win against an opponent which finished with 10 men.
Liverpool is now guaranteed to top the group, sitting seven points clear of Porto with two games remaining, while Atletico is another point back in third. Porto drew 1-1 away to AC Milan, as Chancel Mbemba’s own goal at San Siro cancelled out Luis Diaz’s early opener for the Portuguese side.
Messi missed PSG’s trip to Germany due to injury, and without him Mauricio Pochettino’s side came from behind to lead before conceding a late penalty and settling for a 2-2 draw with Leipzig.
The results: Group A: Manchester City 4 (Foden 15, Mahrez 54, Sterling 72, Jesus 90+2) bt Club Brugge 1 (Stones 17-og); RB Leipzig 2 (Nkunku 8, Szoboszlai 90+2-pen) drew with PSG 2 (Wijnaldum 21, 39).
Group B: AC Milan 1 (Mbemba 61-og) drew with FC Porto 1 (Luis Diaz 6); Liverpool 2 (Diogo Jota 13, Mane 21) bt Atletico Madrid 0.
Group C: Sporting Lisbon 4 (Pedro Goncalves 31-pen, 38, Paulinho 41, Sarabia 56) bt Besiktas 0; Borussia Dortmund 1 (Reus 37-pen) lost to Ajax 3 (Tadic 72, Haller 83, Klaassen 90+3).
Group D: Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 14, 61) bt Shakhtar Donetsk 1 (Fernando 39); Sheriff Tiraspol 1 (Traore 90+2) lost to Inter Milan 3 (Brozovic 54, Skriniar 66, Alexis Sanchez 82) .
Published - November 06, 2021 01:31 am IST
