Champions League Matchday 4 Awards: Chelsea Ease Pressure, Roma Edge Thriller
Bayern Munich got back to winning ways. Roma and Bayer Leverkusen played another thriller. And Stamford Bridge let out an audible sigh of relief.
Matchday 4 of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday brought the usual glut of goals, drama and entertainment. Well, for the most part, at least.
As we look back on all the action, we here at B/R are handing out awards for the best of yet another great week of action in Europe's top club competition.
Biggest Sigh of Relief
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When Willian fired in a free-kick to give Chelsea a 2-1 victory over Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday night in Group G, one could almost hear the relief sweep over Stamford Bridge.
It's no secret that Chelsea have started the season poorly. After winning the Premier League last term, the Blues are currently languishing in 15th place, having collected just 11 points from their first 11 matches.
And it's no secret that Jose Mourinho is feeling the pressure. This week, the Portuguese manager denied that he's had to deal with a players' revolt in the dressing room, per BBC Sport.
We might never know the truth about the revolt stories, but it doesn't take a special one to figure out that Mourinho seriously needed a win on Wednesday. Owner Roman Abramovich is famously trigger-happy when firing managers, and although Mourinho is the best coach in Chelsea's history, he isn't invulnerable.
"The win is a big relief. The players deserve to get compensation for their hard work," Mourinho said, per BBC Sport's Tom Rostance. "Many players are coming to their normal levels, despite having feelings as a team when negative moments come—and they are coming every game."
The Blues will now look to turn this victory into the start of a turnaround. Up next is a trip to Stoke City in the Premier League on Saturday. Win that, and we might even see Mourinho return to his normal Arsene Wenger-baiting self.
Longest Shutout Streak
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Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas kept another clean sheet on Tuesday as the Blancos beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 at the Bernabeu. If you've started to detect a theme with Navas, that's good. The Costa Rican just didn't concede goals in the Champions League.
Last season, Navas shut out Basel and Ludogorets in his only two Champions League appearances. This season, he has prevented Shakhtar Donetsk, Malmo and PSG (twice) from scoring.
According to ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan, Atletico Madrid's Miguel Angel Moya went 529 minutes before conceding his first Champions League goal. During the win over PSG, Navas surpassed that number and now holds the record.
Sure, Navas benefits from playing for Real Madrid, one of the top sides in Europe. But any goalkeeper who goes more than 500 minutes without conceding in the Champions League is doing something right.
Most Entertaining Game Part II
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Two weeks after they shared the spoils in an exciting 4-4 draw, Roma and Leverkusen played the role of entertainers again, with Roma edging a five-goal thriller at the Stadio Olimpico.
Mohamed Salah fired the hosts ahead in just the second minute, with Edin Dzeko doubling the lead midway through the first half. Bayer Leverkusen started the second half quickly as Admir Mehmedi pulled a goal back less than a minute after the interval.
Javier Hernandez netted the equaliser just five minutes later, but Miralem Pjanic settled the match with an 80th-minute penalty moments after Leverkusen's Omer Toprak saw red.
"Can we just get Leverkusen and Roma to play each other every week?" STV Sport's Stefan Bienkowski wrote on Twitter.
The 3-2 win—Roma's first victory of the group stage—took the Serie A side up to second place in Group E with five points. Leverkusen are now third, one point behind. Barcelona still lead the group with 10 points.
Best Goalkeeper Tekkers
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Elsewhere in Group E, Barcelona beat BATE Borisov 3-0 as Neymar bagged a brace and Luis Suarez added a goal. The win kept Barca atop the section, and while keeping a clean sheet, goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen impressed with this bit of tekkers in the corner to ward off a pesky opposing-field play, per Nigeria Info FM's Deji Kofi Faremi.
Manuel Neuer rightly draws plaudits for his skill on the ball, but Ter Stegen is no slouch. What are Germans teaching their goalkeepers these days? Whatever it is, it's working.
Worst Match
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Atletico Madrid travelled thousands of kilometres to face Astana on Tuesday in Group C. The two teams played out a dull 0-0 draw that featured few clear chances and hardly any entertainment value.
On Twitter, both Squawka Football and tactics guru Michael Cox called the game "awful." The Mirror's Ed Malyon was in a somewhat more generous mood, describing it as "not a great game."
All three were right. This was surely a match to forget for neutrals.
Best Curler
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Bayern Munich hit five past an overwhelmed Arsenal side on Wednesday, and the pick of the bunch was David Alaba's curler in the 44th minute.
After Santi Cazorla lost possession outside the box, Alaba dribbled around for a few moments as Arsenal's defenders kindly stood off. Nearing the edge of the area, Alaba uncorked a beauty of a strike that Petr Cech was helpless to stop.
But, really, you should stop reading now. Words don't do this goal justice. See for yourself here, courtesy of Vine.
Fun/depressing fact, depending on your allegiances in this game: Alaba, a defender, is just 23 years old.
Worst Corner Ever?
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When Xabi Alonso retires, he'll forever be remembered as one of the top midfielders of his generation. The Spaniard is capable of picking out a pass few others can see, and his talents have seen him win trophies at every stop in his career.
But after Wednesday, he might never live down this failed corner attempt, per beIN Sports. As Alonso proved here, it can happen to the best among us.
