UEFA Champions League Matchweek 1 Wrap-Up for English Clubs

Chelsea dominate the 90, but still fall to Valencia 0-1 thanks to a Barkley penalty miss.

Whether you like Chelsea or not, it’s difficult not to be impressed by some of the individual performances we’ve seen from their players this season. Whether it be Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, or Fikayo Tomori, the Blues finally putting faith in their youth is a good look, and it will likely benefit them in the long run.

Despite the excitement that the youngsters bring, there will be some growing pains, as we saw on Tuesday against Valencia. Chelsea had a great game, particularly in midfield, but simply failed to find the cutting edge required in the final 3rd to put this fixture against Valencia to bed. It is in moments like this where Chelsea most certainly miss Eden Hazard’s decisiveness and match-changing quality.

Rodrigo capitalized on Chelsea’s finishing woes, making no mistake in front of goal after an excellent pass from Dani Parejo. Chelsea did get a late penalty to potentially salvage a draw, but Ross Barkley failed to convert, raising many questions as to why he took the penalty off of Jorginho, who is rather excellent at them.

Manchester City dominate Shakhtar 3-0 despite hostile environment.

It’s no easy task heading to Eastern Europe for an away match in the Champions League, but if anyone consistently makes it look easier than it is, it’s Manchester City. Up against Shakhtar yet again, in a tough Kharkhiv Stadium environment, Guardiola’s men put on their usual show, slotting 3 past Andriy Pyatov in a comfortable victory.

Manchester City have been prominent in the footballing world this week, as they lost 3-2 to newly promoted Norwich City over the weekend, in a match that exposed their defensive frailties following Aymeric Laporte’s lengthy injury. With John Stones now set to miss 5 weeks as well, Fernandinho stepped in next to Otamendi at center-back, and put in a solid performance against his former club.

Mahrez, Jesus, and Gundogan scored the goals for Manchester City, as they stifled the Ukranian side and started their European campaign in a strong fashion.