Ekitike haunts old club as Liverpool, Chelsea run riot – Spurs escape in Monaco stalemate

Liverpool and Chelsea produced emphatic five-goal wins while Tottenham Hotspur battled to a hard-fought draw in Monaco, marking a strong night overall for English clubs in the Champions League.

Liverpool roared back to form with a resounding 5-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, snapping a four-game losing streak across all competitions. Former Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike led the charge with a ruthless solo effort against his old club, before goals from Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Cody Gakpo, and Dominik Szoboszlai sealed an emphatic away triumph.

The Reds, looked revitalised after recent struggles, with summer signing Florian Wirtz impressing on his return to Germany with two assists. Despite falling behind to Rasmus Kristensen’s early strike, Liverpool hit back with three goals in nine minutes before halftime and dominated thereafter, recording 14 shots on target to Frankfurt’s one.

“It was something special to come back home,” said Ekitike. “To win and score my first Champions League goal here was important.”

Liverpool’s victory lifted them to 10th in the 36-team table on six points after three games, while Frankfurt dropped to 22nd. One concern for Slot was Alexander Isak’s withdrawal at halftime with a groin issue.

At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s youth revolution continued with a scintillating 5-1 demolition of Ajax Amsterdam in torrential rain. Manager Enzo Maresca, who fielded a team averaging just 22 years of age, watched his side run riot after Ajax captain Kenneth Taylor was sent off in the 17th minute.

Teenager Marc Guiu opened the scoring moments later before Moises Caicedo doubled the lead with a deflected long-range strike. Ajax briefly reduced the deficit through Wout Weghorst’s penalty, but further spot kicks from Enzo Fernández and Estevao gave the Blues a 4-1 halftime cushion.

Substitute Tyrique George, another teenager, added a fifth early in the second half as Chelsea surged to 11th in the table, continuing their resurgence after an inconsistent start to the season. Maresca praised his young squad: “They want to learn, they want to improve. It was a great night especially for the young players and for the club.”

For Ajax, the defeat leaves them bottom of the group with three losses from three, conceding 11 goals and scoring just one.

In contrast, Tottenham Hotspur endured a difficult night in the Principality, grinding out a 0-0 draw at Monaco in Sebastien Pocognoli’s first Champions League match as coach. The hosts dominated throughout, firing over 20 shots, but were repeatedly denied by Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who produced a string of superb saves.

Vicario’s heroics — including key stops from Folarin Balogun, Aleksandr Golovin, and Jordan Teze — earned Tottenham a precious point despite a lacklustre team display. “Not our best performance,” admitted the Italian keeper. “But we battled and had to suffer a lot for this point.”

The result leaves Spurs 15th in the standings on five points, while Monaco remain in 27th, still seeking their first win of the campaign.

The night’s results signal a potential turning point for England’s representatives in Europe. Liverpool and Chelsea rediscovered their attacking spark, combining for ten goals, while Tottenham showed resilience under pressure.

With confidence restored, all three clubs head into their next fixtures eyeing further progress — Liverpool hosting Real Madrid, Tottenham facing Copenhagen, and Chelsea looking to consolidate their top-16 push in what is shaping up to be a fascinating Champions League campaign.

Wednesday results:
Athletic Club (1) 3 Qarabağ (1) 1
Galatasaray (2) 3 Bodø / Glimt (0) 1
Monaco (0) 0 Tottenham Hotspur (0) 0
Atalanta (0) 0 Slavia Praha (0) 0
Chelsea (4) 5 Ajax (1) 1
Eintracht Frankfurt (1) 1 Liverpool (3) 5
Bayern München (3) 4 Club Brugge (0) 0
Real Madrid (0) 1 Juventus (0) 0
Sporting CP (0) 2 Olympique Marseille (1) 1

Standings after three games:
1 Paris SG 9
2 Bayern München 9
3 Inter 9
4 Arsenal 9
5 Real Madrid 9
6 Dortmund 7
7 Man City 7
8 Newcastle 6
9 Barcelona 6
10 Liverpool 6
11 Chelsea 6
12 Sporting 6
13 Qarabağ 6
14 Galatasaray 6
15 Spurs 5
16 PSV 4
17 Atalanta 4
18 Marseille 3
19 Atlético 3
20 Club Brugge 3
21 Athletic 3
22 Frankfurt 3
23 Napoli 3
24 R. Union SG 33
25 Juventus 2
26 Bodø/Glimt 2
27 Monaco 2
28 Slavia 2
29 Pafos 2
30 Leverkusen2
31 Villarreal 1
32 København1
33 Olympiakos 1
34 Kairat 1
35 Benfica 0
36 Ajax