Odds and Sods

It was a magic night in Istanbul, but not for Liverpool who were defeated 2-1 by Besiktas.  The Turkish club had neither a goal nor a point coming into this match, but that doesn’t appear to matter when you are playing Liverpool lately.  Widely expected to cruise through Group A, the Reds now sit with just one point from  three matches and six pts behind group leaders Marseille.  Could the biggest and bestest club in the whole wide world be eliminated in the Group Stages?

Chelsea were not overly impressive, but at this point Blues supporters will take whatever they can get with a 2-0 victory over Schalke.  Malouda’s goal was bad keeping and Drogba’s, though impressive, was a bit fortunate as well.  The Germans matched Chelsea often for quality of play, but didn’t have enough up front to be decisive.  It could have been different had Kevin Kuranyi not injured himself in pre-match warm-ups.  Chelsea now have 7 pts from 9 matches and are first in Group B.

The Gunners matched their best result under Arsene Wenger, destroying Slavia Prague 7-0 at home.  The kids were alright as Walcott and Fabregas eached dropped a deuce and Bendtner dropped one in in the 89th minute for good measure.  It was Arsenal’s 12th consecutive victory in all competitions as they continue their marauding ways.  Let the Theo for England campaign begin now.  They are currently 1st in Group H with 9 pts from 3 matches, having scored 11 and allowing nil.

Ukraine was rather weak.  Manchester United came into the match missing Neville, Hargreaves, Carrick, and Scholes, and it did not matter as they cruised to a 4-2 victory.  Despite Dynamo leading in attempts in goal, Man U were far more clinical.  With Rooney and Ronaldo rolling, they are an extremely difficult team to beat.  Lord Ferg will be worried about their tightness at the back, however, as they allowed two goals.  He was obviously not pleased with keeper Edwin Van Der Sar, whom he removed from the match.  United are currently 1st in Group F with a perfect 9 pts from 3 matches.

Rangers may not have shown up to play football, but they got a key result at Ibrox holding Barcelona to a 0-0 draw.  Barca out-shot Rangers 17-3, but for all the technical skill and crisp passing, the fancy-dans could not put one in the net.  The Scottish Renaissance should continue as both clubs sit atop Group E on 7 pts and appear fairly safe bets to qualify for the knockout stages.