Englannin suurseurojen kivulias ilta Mestarien liigassa Chelsean selviytymistaistelu Tottenhamin kylmäkompastus ja Liverpoolin tappio Istanbulissa
It wasn’t just another Tuesday night of Champions League football. For Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool, it turned into something no fan or manager could shrug off as a “bad night at the office.” This was one of those evenings that felt bigger than the scorelines themselves — a night of stumbles, scares, and outright failure that will linger far longer than the ninety minutes they each endured.
Chelsea: a win that felt more like survival
On paper, Chelsea came out of the night the best. A narrow victory, three points in the bank. But watching it, you’d never mistake it for dominance. Their clash with Benfica was less a triumphant march than a desperate scramble to avoid collapse.
The breakthrough came not from some slice of Chelsea brilliance, but from Benfica’s cruel mistake: an own goal in the 18th minute. It gave the Londoners something to hang on to, but from there it was all suffering. Benfica pressed, pushed, and came close to breaking them. João Pedro’s late red card only made the final stretch more excruciating.
In the end, the scoreboard said Chelsea won. The feeling in Stamford Bridge, however, was less about celebration and more about relief.
Tottenham: frozen in the Norwegian north
Tottenham’s trip to Bodø should have been straightforward. The English club arrived with the heavyweights of the Premier League, while Bodo/Glimt carried the air of underdog folklore. But up in Norway’s Arctic Circle, reputations melt quickly.
On a biting cold night, Spurs saw just how merciless the home side can be. Jens Hauge struck twice in the second half, burying Tottenham with goals in the 53rd and 66th minutes. Just like that, the Premier League giants were staring at an embarrassing loss.
There was a flicker of life: Micky van de Ven pulled one back, and then, almost mercifully, a late own goal gave Tottenham an unlikely equalizer. The 2–2 draw looked like salvation on paper, but the performance had the weight of defeat. Spurs had escaped — barely — and no one in white looked remotely satisfied stepping off that pitch.
Liverpool: a nightmare in Istanbul
And then there was Liverpool. Istanbul, a city already etched into the club’s history for miraculous comebacks, turned on them this time with a vengeance. Against Galatasaray, the atmosphere was electric, the stadium alive with fire and noise that seemed to press down on every visiting shirt.
Liverpool’s trouble began early. Fifteen minutes in, Victor Osimhen buried a penalty and sent Galatasaray’s fans shaking the stands. From that moment, Liverpool never found a foothold. They attacked, created moments, poured energy into every move — but the Turkish champions held firm.
The final whistle sealed a 1–0 loss, but it felt heavier. This wasn’t just a defeat; it was a reminder that Europe can still humble England’s biggest names in the most inhospitable environments.
The bigger picture: Europe bites back
So ended a night of three stories: Chelsea scraping through, Tottenham stumbling, Liverpool falling flat. One win, one draw, one loss — but taken together, the overriding theme was English vulnerability.
England’s top clubs may have the budgets, the stars, and the swagger. But the Champions League has never cared much for balance sheets. It rewards courage, punishes arrogance, and thrives on unpredictability. Tuesday night provided a sharp reminder: the continent is alive with challengers who don’t fear the roar of the Premier League.
For Chelsea, Tottenham, and Liverpool, the scars of this night will stay with them. And for the rest of Europe, it was a reason to believe — the giants can be shaken.
This is the kind of story that fans will remember not just for the goals or results, but for the feeling: hope, despair, survival, collapse. The Champions League proved once again why it remains football’s great stage.