Winners and Losers From 2025 UEFA Champions League Matchday 3

The UEFA Champions League picture has become slightly clearer after a third round of fixtures.

Arsenal, PSG, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Inter Milan all maintained their perfect records, with the Gunners and the Nerazzurri yet to concede a goal.

Meanwhile, Liverpool rebounded in resounding fashion in Germany, silencing doubters after a poor run of form.

So, who's trending up and down? Let's look at the winners and losers from the matchweek.

Winners: Gunners' Defensive Dominance

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Gabriel and William Saliba

We all know Arsenal's prowess at scoring set-piece goals.

But what should scare opponents more is the Gunners' ability to keep them off the scoresheet.

Arsenal kept their fourth consecutive clean sheet in the 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid at the Emirates Stadium and continue to be water-tight at the back.

It's difficult to argue Gabriel and William Saliba aren't the top center-back pairing in Europe, with the latter securing a long-term extension with the Gunners recently.

Combined with the firepower added in the summer, it's getting scary for teams looking to stop a team that seems primed to win multiple trophies this season.

Top of the table in the Premier League and looking strong in the Champions League. Life is good in the red half of north London.

Losers: Any Defense vs. Haaland

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You can likely have this summary ready for every match at this point, given Erling Haaland is simply a scoring machine.

The Norway international continues to find the back of the net at a frightening rate, and he has scored 22 goals in 22 matches following Manchester City's 2-0 win at Villareal.

The 25-year-old looks well-positioned to shatter his 36-goal mark in the Premier League during the 2022-23 season and is City's trump card in any match.

The only thing that could stop Haaland is own fitness, but if he remains fit, he's bound to carry City deep in the Champions League.

Winners: Europe's Creme de la Creme

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Harry Kane

Along with Arsenal, four other European giants join the Gunners with perfect records: defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich.

PSG battered Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday with a 7-2 win in Germany, featuring two red cards and a goal from returning Ousmane Dembele from injury. If there was any doubt the Ligue 1 side wouldn't be tough to beat for their crown, it should be dismissed immediately.

Inter made it three straight wins in the Champions League with a 4-0 drubbing of Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise. Last year's finalists have yet to surrender a goal and can never be counted out to make a deep run in the tournament.

Fresh off a new contract for head coach Vincent Kompany, Bayern Munich thrashed Club Brugge 4-0 with goals from Lennart Karl, Harry Kane, Luis Diaz and Nicolas Jackson.

If anyone needed more proof, it just goes to show this year's competition will be extremely competitive.

Losers: Arne Slot's Critics ... For Now

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The pressure was building on Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.

After four consecutive defeats, including a bruising one in their last Premier League match against Manchester United at home, the Dutchman's seat was starting to get decidedly warm.

However, Wednesday's win against Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany could prove pivotal.

With Mohamed Salah left on the bench, Liverpool claimed a 5-1 victory, with Hugo Ekitike, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Cody Gakpo, and Dominik Szoboszlai all finding the back of the net.

Florian Wirtz recorded his first assists since the Community Shield, setting up Gakpo and Szoboszlai for their goals.

It wasn't perfect—Liverpool still look extremely leaky at the back and lost Jeremie Frimpong to injury—but it does give a bit of respite for Slot.

The big question now is whether Salah remains on the bench for Saturday's Premier League match at Brentford.

Winners: Clasico Teams in Form

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Barcelona and Real Madrid might be dealing with a litany of injuries, but Sunday's El Clásico match at the Bernabeu will feature the Spanish giants in good form.

Barca annihilated Olympiacos 6-1 behind a Fermín López hat-trick. Madrid had to work hard, but were able to find a breakthrough goal from Jude Bellingham to claim three points against Juventus.

The top sides in Spain are separated by two points, and while nothing will be settled in the first Clásico of the season, Sunday's game should tell us a lot about both sides.