Overview
- Chelsea beat Barcelona 3-0 at Stamford Bridge through a Jules Koundé own goal, a thunderous strike from 18-year-old Estêvão and a Liam Delap finish after Ronald Araújo was sent off before halftime.
- Manchester City lost 2-0 at home to Bayer Leverkusen as Alejandro Grimaldo and Patrik Schick scored, with Pep Guardiola making 10 changes and starting Erling Haaland on the bench in his 100th Champions League game as City coach.
- The win moves Chelsea closer to an automatic top‑eight spot in the league‑phase table, while Barcelona face a recovery push in their remaining fixtures; City missed a chance to climb and the top three stayed unchanged on the night.
- Chelsea were without playmaker Cole Palmer, who has a fractured toe and is training in a protective boot, with Enzo Maresca saying a return is expected soon but not yet confirmed.
- City are monitoring Claudio Echeverri’s limited minutes on loan at Leverkusen, with a January move or recall under consideration and Guardiola hinting frustration by saying the player’s “beautiful agent” holds the key.