It took only 4 matchdays for the UCL league phase to reach its halfway point. On Matchday 4, there was a lot of action, big statements, and big milestones in Europe.
Arsenal are still the main highlight of the tournament overall as they managed to keep their perfect record for an away win by 3-0 over Slavia Praha. A brace of goals from Mikel Merino in the second half was enough for the Gunners to keep the streak as the only side with no goals scored against them and with 11 goals scored in total after four matches. In Italy Napoli and Eintracht Frankfurt played out goalless draw which ended the latter club’s streak of 30 consecutive European matches with at least one goal.
Spurs extended their unbeaten home run in Europe to 22 matches with a 4-0 win over FC Copenhagen. Bayern Munich took the lead of the table with a 2-1 win over defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, with Luiz Díaz netting twice only to be sent off shortly after.
Liverpool were able to beat spanish giant Real Madrid 1-0, which is their second league-phase win against the record 15-time champions. Juventus and Sporting CP played out a 1-1 draw, while AS Monaco recorded a vital 1-0 away win at Bodo/Glimt.
The UCL also saw drama on Wednesday as Paphos, who were playing in their first-ever European season, beat Villarreal 1-0 in Cyprus, and stubborn Qarabag were able to salvage a draw 2-2 with Chelsea. Victor Osimhen hattrick propelled Galatasaray to a win against a very weak Ajax side. Bayer Leverkusen, Inter Milan, and Atalanta all won by a small margin, while Manchester City convincingly defeated Borussia Dortmund 4-1, with Phil Foden scoring twice.
Last but not least, Newcastle United followed up on their good defensive work with a 2-0 win over Athletic Club, thus extending the Basque side’s winless streak in European away matches to six.
The battle for the top 24 spots that secures qualification can still be regarded as very open at this stage, with four matchdays remaining.
