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Liverpool lost 3-0 at home, were totally dominated by Real Madrid, and yet moved a step closer to qualification for the knockout stages — because Basle, always likely to be their main rivals, suffered an even more damaging defeat by Ludogorets.
It was almost the same for Roma. Beaten 7-1 at home by Bayern Munich, humiliated, they remained favourites for second place because Manchester City slipped up in Moscow.
That’s the trouble with Champions League groups. Getting out of them can be too easy, certainly for elite teams such as Real and Bayern, who will be able to throw in the reserves or kids in their fifth and sixth matches.
Indeed the main reason to believe City might yet qualify is that they host Bayern in their penultimate game.
The German side can be vulnerable when complacent, as BATE Borisov proved last season and Arsenal the season before.
Liverpool v Real Madrid: Player Ratings
Arsenal, meanwhile, can expect a relaxing conclusion to their group after the late rally that confounded Anderlecht. It brought great relief to Arsene Wenger but, amid neutrals across Europe there’s a feeling that the Champions League doesn’t begin until February. We shall then discover whether the class divide between the Premier League’s second tier — in other words, the clubs chasing Chelsea — and Europe’s true aristocrats is as stark as Real made it appear at Anfield.
I don’t think Arsenal would have fared much better than Liverpool against Carlo Ancelotti’s side. They certainly need to find a more convincing rhythm over the next couple of months if Wenger’s insistence that they can compete with the best is to be vindicated.
The furore over Mario Balotelli’s shirt-swap, by the way, seemed a little excessive. If he’d done it a couple of metres further down the tunnel, no one would have known. The disgrace lay in his contribution to the previous 45 minutes. Brendan Rodgers has bought himself a challenge.
