Real Madrid suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday, while Aston Villa defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 at Villa Park, in a repeat of the 1982 European Cup final.
Liverpool, on the other hand, continued their flying start under new boss Arne Slot with a 2-0 victory at home to Bologna to secure a second successive win over Italian opposition this season.
Kylian Mbappe made his return from injury for Madrid in France as a substitute but he was upstaged by Lille striker Jonathan David, whose penalty condemned Carlo Ancelotti’s side to a first loss in all competitions since January – a run spanning 36 matches.
Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier produced a string of late saves as the French club clung on for a famous win over the record 15-time European champions.
“It hasn’t been a very good night for us, we shouldn’t look for excuses,” Ancelotti said after the game.
Villa also enjoyed a night to remember as a brilliant goal from in-form Colombian forward Jhon Duran lifted the hosts past Bayern.
Duran’s majestic lob in the 79th minute caught Manuel Neuer well out of position and earned Villa their second win in a row in the club’s first appearance in Europe’s top competition in 41 years.
Harry Kane almost snatched a last-gasp equaliser but Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez pulled off a superb stop to deny the England captain.
At Anfield, Alexis Mac Allister prodded in from close range after meeting Mohamed Salah’s cross to give Liverpool an early lead.
Champions League: Arsenal beat PSG as Dortmund whip Celtic 7-1
Dan Ndoye hit the post for Champions League debutants Bologna, but Salah made the game safe with a terrific curling effort in the final quarter of an hour.
Slot is the first Liverpool manager to win eight of his opening nine matches, surpassing the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Kenny Dalglish, Bill Shankly, and Bob Paisley.
Juventus also won 3-2 in a thrilling encounter against RB Leipzig in Germany despite having goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio sent off for handling outside his area, while Atletico Madrid fell to a humiliating 4-0 loss at Benfica.
Monaco rallied from two goals down on a sodden pitch to salvage a 2-2 draw away to Dinamo Zagreb.
Champions League newcomers Girona slid to a second straight defeat after scoring two own goals in a 3-2 home loss to Feyenoord.
Atalanta strolled to a 3-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in Gelsenkirchen with goals from Berat Djimsiti, Ademola Lookman, and Raoul Bellanova.
Club Brugge picked up their first points courtesy of Christos Tzolis’ goal in a 1-0 win at Sturm Graz.
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