Phil Foden led Manchester City to a resounding victory over AEK Athens, while Liverpool overturned a deficit against Villarreal to secure an exciting win, as Atlético Madrid were held to a draw by VfB Stuttgart despite Julián Álvarez returning to the scoresheet.
The fixtures took place as part of the third matchday of the UEFA Champions League league phase on Tuesday evening, a night highlighted by English brilliance, while Diego Simeone’s side were forced to play with ten men in Germany.
At the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City thrashed visitors AEK Athens 5-1. Elliot Anderson opened the scoring in the 12th minute, and Foden added the second in the 34th minute before Stavros Pilios pulled one back for the visitors in the 52nd minute.
Rayan Cherki responded with the third goal in the 57th minute, and Foden then completed his hat-trick with goals in the 65th and 76th minutes, netting his first hat-trick since April 2024 to help City bounce back from their defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the previous matchday.
Meanwhile, at Anfield, Liverpool found themselves trailing by two goals scored by Georges Mikautadze and Sergi Cardona in the 4th and 29th minutes. However, the Reds restored balance before the break through Alexis Mac Allister in the 36th minute and Ronald Araújo in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.
The hosts completed the comeback with a second goal from Mac Allister in the 65th minute, followed by Florian Wirtz adding the fourth in the 69th minute, before Tani Oluwaseyi reduced the deficit in the 87th minute as the match ended in a 4-3 victory for Liverpool, keeping their 100% European record intact.
In Germany, Atlético Madrid drew 1-1 with VfB Stuttgart after Jamie Leweling gave the hosts the lead in the 36th minute. Álvarez equalized in the 47th minute, assisted by Ademola Lookman, before Morten Hjulmand’s red card in the 64th minute complicated matters for the Spanish side.
Álvarez’s goal carried special significance as it ended a 174-day goal drought with Atlético, dating back to his last strike on April 29, marking his first goal for the club this season, though his return to scoring was not enough to secure all three points.
Following Tuesday’s matches, Liverpool temporarily sit second with nine points, behind PSG on goal difference, while Manchester City climbed to sixth place with six points, and Atlético Madrid occupy 15th place with four points, ahead of the remaining matches of the matchday.
