Liverpool secure narrow victory over Inter in Champions League while Chelsea suffer defeat in Italy
Liverpool claimed a 1-0 victory on the road against Inter Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday, managing without their star player Mohamed Salah, as Chelsea fell to a loss versus Atalanta and Barcelona triumphed over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Dominik Szoboszlai netted a late penalty, ending Inters impressive 18-match unbeaten streak at home in European competitions, even though Salah was omitted from the team following his public outburst against manager Arne Slot.
Szoboszlai powerfully struck the penalty beyond Yann Sommer just two minutes before the end at the San Siro, after Alessandro Bastoni received a penalty for pulling the shirt of substitute Florian Wirtz, securing a vital win for the struggling Premier League title holders.
"A massive outcome. We realised we were heading to a challenging venue, facing a side in fine form. We needed to display resilience and battle hard," Liverpool defender Andy Robertson commented to Amazon Prime.
This fourth success in six Champions League fixtures lifted Liverpool into the top eight, maintaining their chances for straight entry into the knockout stage amid the repercussions of Salahs recent comments.
The Egyptian attacker expressed feeling "thrown under the bus" by Liverpool amid the teams poor run and stated he no longer shares a bond with Slot.
"A difficult scenario. Were discussing one of the finest players to represent this club," Robertson added. "Events unfolded as they did. Within the team, we remain united."
Chelsea went down 2-1 to Atalanta despite leading in the first half through Joao Pedros finish from Reece Jamess cross.
Gianluca Scamacca nodded Atalanta level post interval, and Charles De Ketelaere, involved in the leveller, rifled in the decisive goal for the Bergamo outfit on 83 minutes.
"We must learn from this. Were let down but need to concentrate on the upcoming match," Joao Pedro said to TNT Sports.
"In the Champions League, conceding one goal and then quickly another makes recovery tough."
Atalanta now sit third with 13 points, trailing leaders Arsenal and Bayern Munich by two, while Chelsea fell to 11th position.
Bayern mount comeback as Spurs dominate
Bayern overturned a deficit to defeat Sporting Lisbon 3-1, recovering from their earlier setback against Arsenal.
The home side Bayern trailed due to a Joshua Kimmich own-goal in the second period, but Serge Gnabry and teenage sensation Lennart Karl sparked the turnaround.
Gnabry finished a corner from near range to draw level, and Karl put Bayern in front by taming a pass and firing past Sporting keeper Rui Silva from an acute angle. Jonathan Tah added a third to confirm the result.
Jules Kounde proved the surprise star for Barcelona, heading in twice during a 2-1 success against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Ansgar Knauff gave the away team an unexpected advantage, but Koundes double shortly after the break turned the match Barcaas way in their initial Champions League outing at Camp Nou since 2022.
"We aimed to kick off at Camp Nou with a victory, it proved a testing encounter," Pedri remarked to Movistar.
"We rallied late, claimed the three points, and were pleased."
Tottenham comfortably won 3-0 at home to Slavia Prague with spot-kicks from Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons following David Zimas 26th-minute own-goal in north London.
Spurs rose to ninth, trailing Liverpool by only one point.
Mason Greenwood netted a brace as Marseille clung on for a 3-2 win at Union Saint-Gilloise in Brussels, while Folarin Balogun found the net once to give Monaco a 1-0 advantage over Galatasaray.
Atletico Madrid prevailed 3-2 away to PSV Eindhoven thanks to strikes from Julian Alvarez, David Hancko, and Alexander Sorloth.
Olympiacos notched their debut win in the tournament with Gelson Martins scoring in a 1-0 triumph on the road against Kairat Almaty, who hold just one point from their first involvement.