Chelsea cruise, City bruised, Newcastle halted – A night of Champions League twists
It was a dramatic and revealing night for English sides in the Champions League as Chelsea delivered a vintage European performance to dismantle Barcelona at Stamford Bridge, while Manchester City suffered a shock home defeat at the Etihad in Pep Guardiola’s 100th game in charge in the competition. Newcastle, meanwhile, saw their momentum halted in Marseille despite a promising start, leaving all three clubs with sharply contrasting fortunes as the group stage approaches its decisive stretch.
Chelsea set the tone for a dramatic Champions League night as they rolled back the years with a commanding 3-0 win over Barcelona at Stamford Bridge, taking a major step towards securing an automatic qualifying place and leaving the Spaniards facing a potential playoff.
After an early own goal and a red card for Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo at the end of the first half, teenager Estevao rifled in a brilliant second before Liam Delap added the third. Chelsea also had three goals ruled out, but their dominance was never in doubt.
“It is a huge night for Estevao, a huge night for the whole club,” said manager Enzo Maresca. “Winning the Club World Cup has given the players real confidence… a winning mentality is the only way to build something important.”
The performance evoked memories of Chelsea’s European peak — crisp passing, constant pressure down both flanks and total control of possession — while Barcelona, usually masters of retention, could barely string three passes together. A ragged defence relied on officiating relief, with Enzo Fernandez twice denied early on.
The breakthrough came after 27 minutes when Marc Cucurella’s cross caused confusion and Jules Kounde poked the ball into his own net. Araujo’s sending-off minutes later deepened Barcelona’s woes, and Estevao then lit up the Bridge with a sensational solo piledriver. Delap capped off the night on 73 minutes, tucking home a Fernandez cross for his first goal of the campaign.
Chelsea now sit provisionally in the top eight automatic qualifying slots, with fixtures against Pafos, Atalanta and Napoli to come. Barcelona drop into danger and must claw points from Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague and FC Copenhagen to avoid a playoff.
Shock at the Etihad as Leverkusen end City’s streak
Manchester City suffered a rare Champions League defeat on home soil — their first in 23 group-or-league stage games — as Bayer Leverkusen stunned the Etihad with a 2-0 victory, spoiling Pep Guardiola’s 100th match in the competition as City boss.
Guardiola made 10 changes to his starting XI, a gamble that backfired when Alejandro Grimaldo struck on the counter after 23 minutes. Reinforcements arrived in the second half — Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku and Nico O’Reilly — but Leverkusen struck again through Patrik Schick, who expertly glanced a header past James Trafford in the 54th minute.
Erling Haaland entered to a standing ovation after 65 minutes and had City’s best chance, but goalkeeper Mark Flekken produced a crucial one-on-one save.
“I take full responsibility,” said Guardiola. “We missed something needed at the highest level… Maybe the changes were too much.”
Despite 20 attempts on goal, City couldn’t find a way through the inspired Flekken. Defender Jarell Quansah praised his team’s “fight and grit”, while Leverkusen boss Kasper Hjulmand hailed it as a night to remember and fuel for development.
City, now provisionally sixth on 10 points, will need a strong finish to secure an automatic place.
Aubameyang ends Newcastle’s winning run in Marseille
Newcastle United’s momentum came to a halt as their three-game Champions League winning streak was snapped in a 2-1 defeat to Olympique de Marseille, thanks to a quickfire brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The visitors started perfectly when Harvey Barnes scored after five minutes — his fourth goal in three games — and they nearly doubled the lead moments earlier through Malick Thiaw, denied only by a goal-line clearance from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
But Marseille recovered and dominated after the interval. Aubameyang equalised in the 46th minute, rounding goalkeeper Nick Pope before curling in from a tight angle. Four minutes later, he converted Timothy Weah’s cross at the near post to flip the match on its head.
Barnes briefly thought he had restored Newcastle’s lead, but his second goal was ruled offside.
“The effort was good, but the 15 minutes after halftime cost us,” said Eddie Howe. “The goal straight after halftime changed the feeling of the stadium. It was a lapse of concentration.”
Newcastle sit eighth with nine points and now head to Bayer Leverkusen, while Marseille travel to Union Saint-Gilloise.
Tuesday’s results
Ajax (0) 0 Benfica (1) 2
Galatasaray (0) 0 Union Saint-Gilloise (0) 1
Borussia Dortmund (1) 4 Villarreal (0) 0
Chelsea (1) 3 Barcelona (0) 0
Bodø / Glimt (1) 2 Juventus (0) 3
Manchester City (0) 0 Bayer Leverkusen (1) 2
Olympique Marseille (0) 2 Newcastle United (1) 1
Slavia Praha (0) 0 Athletic Club (0) 0
Napoli (0) 2 Qarabağ (0) 0
Wednesday, November 26 fixtures (local time)
København v Kairat (1945)
Pafos v Monaco (1945)
Arsenal v Bayern München (2200)
Atlético de Madrid v Internazionale (2200)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Atalanta (2200)
Liverpool v PSV (2200)
Olympiakos Piraeus v Real Madrid (2200)
Paris Saint-Germain v Tottenham Hotspur (2200)
Sporting CP v Club Brugge (2200)
