Champions League: What we learned from gameweek two

By Paul Wilkes

It was a decent start for British teams in the Champions League a fortnight ago, but the rigours of domestic competition, the added games and travel can all have an adverse effect on the squads.

The five English clubs in the tournament are currently in the top five in the Premier League, whilst Celtic are naturally leading the way in Scotland.

Here are six things we learned from the second week of Europe’s premier competition.

Hazard eager to make his mark

It’s three years since Atletico Madrid knocked Chelsea out of the Champions League, with then Blues manager Jose Mourinho unhappy with Eden Hazard’s defensive contribution. The winger looked keen to make an amends in the first European game at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Hazard was starting just his second game of the season and helped Chelsea come flying out the blocks. He hit the post after only 12 minutes and his clever runs caused the opposing defenders problems throughout.

READ MORE: Antonio Conte praises Eden Hazard after dramatic Chelsea win

READ MORE: Chelsea win at the death thanks to Batshuayi

His contribution in the competition has come under criticism and he will be hoping he can help manager Antonio Conte prove the doubters wrong regarding their European credentials. Hazard has managed only five goals in 32 starts in the tournament.

Atleti did strike first through a penalty from Antoine Griezmann with just five minutes to go till half-time, Hazard’s cross was flicked past Jan Oblak by Alvaro Morata on his return to Madrid to give Chelsea a well-deserved equaliser on the hour mark. Then, in stoppage time Michy Batshuayi grabbed the winner to leave Diego Costa shaking his head in the stands.

Liverpool continue to stutter

A trip to Moscow has historically been a difficult task for English clubs, but Liverpool will have been disappointed only to gain another draw in the Russian capital. Jurgen Klopp’s side dominated the game throughout and can certainly be left wondering how they failed to beat an understrength Spartak Moscow.

Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Philippe Coutinho all started together for first time in a competitive match, as they provided a constant threat in forward areas. Their defence surprisingly held firm, but it was Klopp’s decision to rotate his goalkeepers’ dependent on the competition which affected the result.

READ MORE: Coutinho stunner helps stuttering Liverpool to draw in Moscow

Fernando’s free-kick was far from in the corner, when Loris Karius failed to keep it out of the net. Mane had a goal ruled out for offside just a minute later, then combined superbly with Coutinho for the little Brazilian to bring the scores level with a lofted finish over Spartak keeper Artyom Rebrov.

Once again, Liverpool weren’t clinical enough in front of goal and displayed a nervousness which shouldn’t exist given the calibre of their attacking quartet. Their back-to-back fixtures with Maribor are now must win for The Reds if they are to advance to the knockout stage.

Martial is fulfilling his potential

Anthony Martial was wanted by Arsenal in the summer and it appeared that the forward might be used to generate income for future transfers for Manchester United.

The Frenchman had a decent first campaign under Louis van Gaal, but failed to progress last season with Mourinho at the helm.

However, he has started emphatically this term, as he has alternated with Marcus Rashford in providing pace and directness from the left-wing.

READ MORE: Romelu Lukaku sends out defiant message after Champions League goals

READ MORE: Man Utd stroll to victory against CSKA Moscow

His cross was met by the head of Romelu Lukaku to give them the lead against CSKA Moscow, whilst he finished a penalty 14 minutes later.

Martial provided yet another ball into the area after cutting back inside for Lukaku’s second of the match, which put United three goals ahead inside 23 minutes.

The 21-year-old then saw an effort saved by Igor Akinfeev, although Henrikh Mkhitaryan dispatched the rebound to give the away side an impressive 4-1 victory.

De Bruyne thriving in deeper role

Kevin De Bruyne scored his first goal of the season against Shakhtar Donetsk, with Manchester City winning 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium. Raheem Sterling put the game beyond doubt in stoppage time after Donetsk provided a solid test to Pep Guardiola’s men.

De Bruyne now finds himself as part of a midfield three rather than in-between the lines in a No.10 role, but this has aided City’s capacity to counter attack at pace.

READ MORE: Kevin de Bruyne helps Man City to Shakhtar victory

The Belgian’s ability to dribble the ball through the pitch before picking a perfectly weighted pass without breaking stride is something to savour.

He intercepted Marlos’ pass just after half-time before receiving the ball back from David Silva and curling it expertly out of the reach of Andriy Pyatov. Sergio Aguero had the opportunity to equal Eric Brook’s goal scoring record for City which has stood for 77 years, but Pyatov pushed the Argentine’s penalty away.

Kane’s enjoying the Champions League

Tottenham were without several key players for the away encounter in Nicosia. Dele Alli and Jan Vertonghen both missed out through suspension, whilst Christian Eriksen was ill and Mousa Dembele injured.

READ MORE: Harry Kane reacts to lavish praise after Spurs hat-trick

READ MORE: Harry Kane hat-trick seals Tottenham victory at APOEL

Spurs didn’t look entirely comfortable in the first half, but the excellent Harry Kane settled any fears. He became the seventh Englishman to score a hat-trick in the Champions League, as they won 3-0 against the Cypriots.

Kane provided another exhibition in the art of finishing with the use of his left foot, right foot, and head in the treble. It’s no wonder that Mauricio Pochettino declared his love for the striker because without him, Spurs would be a very different proposition.

Celtic can take confidence

No one realistically expects Celtic to emerge from a group containing Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, but Brendan Rodgers was still keen to make an impact on the tournament. The two matches with Anderlecht have affectively been billed as a Europa League play-off, with the winners vying for third in Group B.

Celtic hadn’t won a Champions League game for four years, although they can take confidence from their win in Belgium. They didn’t create many chances in the first half given the amount of possession, but the game became more open in the second period.

READ MORE: Celtic romp to victory in Belgium

Leigh Griffiths scored the first goal of the match following Kieran Tierney’s cross. Patrick Roberts capitalised on a huge error by Anderlecht defender Olivier Deschacht before his shot took a huge deflection off Kara to double their advantage and then Scott Sinclair scored late on to give Celtic a 3-0 victory.