Life of the domestic front might have begun almost perfectly for Arsene Wenger and Arsenal but in Europe they still have it all do after defeat to Borussia Dortmund at Emirates Stadium.
Robert Lewandowksi scored the decisive goal in north London after Olivier Giroud had equalised Henrikh Mkhitaryan first half opener.
The result leaves both teams locked on six points at the top of Group F, alongside Napoli, who won 2-1 away to Marseille.
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“It’s going to be tough,” Mikael Arteta told ITV1. “We knew that it was probably the toughest group in the Champions League, we don’t think any different now.
“We are still capable of going through but we are disappointed to lose the game.
“I think we played some really good stuff and we were unlucky to concede the goal when I thought we were playing the better football.”
He added: “We did the hardest bit to score just before half-time and I thought that we had control of the game and were creating the better chances, we just got caught on the counter attack
“I think we gave the ball away at the edge of the box and we know they are a very good side on the counter attack. I think we kept them really quiet but obviously they got that chance and they scored.”
Celtic kept their Champions League hopes alive with an impressive 2-1 win over Ajax in Glasgow, thanks to goals from James Forrest and Beram Kayal.
A rather tame first 45 minutes ended in drama when Forrest scored from the spot with two minutes remaining after Ajax defender Stefano Denswil had clattered Hoops striker Anthony Stokes.
Midfielder Kayal scored a second in the 54th minute with a deflected shot to give the home side a cushion.
In the 88th minute Hoops substitute Nir Biton, who replaced Mikael Lustig, was shown a straight red card by referee Ivan Bebek for his challenge on Thulani Serero before Ajax substitute Lasse Schöne grabbed an injury-time consolation.
Forrest had a long wait before he could take the penalty. “I just focussed on where I could put the ball and it landed in the back of the net,” he said. “It was brilliant to get a goal and we look forward to the next game away to them.”
Manager Neil Lennon was proud of his players but would not go as far as saying they could win in Holland.
“I said they would give us problems and our squad is stretched, so that’s a monumental effort from the players tonight,” Lennon said. “It’s a big ask (to win at Ajax). They’re a good side. I felt that in the second half tonight we were a lot bette
r.”
A Lionel Messi strike saw Barcelona maintain their two point lead at the top of Group H .
The Argentine struck in the 23rd minute with a fine finish to a breakaway move to cancel out Robinho’s stylish ninth minute opener, which came during a frantic opening period of pressure from the home side.
Barcelona moved up to seven points, with unbeaten Milan in second spot on five, two ahead of Celtic who beat Ajax 2-1 in Glasgow.
A Fernando Torres double saw Chelsea seize control of Group E with a 3-0 victory over Schalke 04 at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen.
Chelsea were playing on German turf for the first time since winning the 2012 European Cup in Munich and, as then, for large parts of the game had to absorb the pressure applied by their German opponents.
On his 100th Chelsea start Torres netted his 38th and 39th goals for the Blues - hitting the bar in between — to take his tally for the season to four.
Eden Hazard scored a breakaway third three minutes from time as Jose Mourinho’s men joined Schalke on six points, moving ahead of their rivals on head-to-head record ahead of the November 6th clash at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea opened their campaign with defeat to FC Basel but they beat Steaua Bucharest 4-0 last time out and Mouriho believes his side are now in the box seat.
“I told players after match against Basel we did garbage and we have to clean it,” he told Sky Sports 2. “We did it in the best possible way — two away wins and leading the group. We now have two matches at home. We are in a good position to qualify.”
Basel remained third on four points after a 1-1 draw away to Steaua.
Atletico Madrid seized control of Group G when Diego Costa scored twice, including one of the goals of the season, in a thumping 3-0 victory for the La Liga side at Austria Vienna.
Playing at the Ernst Happel stadium where Spain beat Germany 1-0 to win Euro 2008, Atletico took the lead in the eighth minute when Koke sent Felipe Luis clear on the left and he squared for Raul Garcia to tap into an empty net.
Brazil-born Costa showed why Spain coach Vicente del Bosque wants to call him up when he made it 2-0 in the 20th after racing from inside the Atletico half, dancing past the last defender and slipping the ball into the corner of the net.
The home side tried to force their way back into the match but Costa dashed any hopes of a comeback when he controlled an Emiliano Insua centre and struck from close range eight minutes into the second half.
Atletico have a maximum nine points from three matches, with Russia’s Zenit St Petersburg on four after their 1-0 win at Porto.
Vienna have one point in fourth and last place, two behind the Portuguese side.
