Liverpool down Real Madrid; Villa robbed; BVB win; Comebacks galore | OneFootball

More Champions League action returned on Wednesday with nine games on the schedule.

Here is what went down.

Liverpool down the champions

Scorer: Mac Allister 52', Gakpo 75'

Liverpool shone at Anfield as a 2-0 victory put Real Madrid to the sword.

The Reds almost scored with their first shot of the game after only three minutes, but Raúl Asencio somehow cleared Darwin Nunez's effort off the line.

Thibaut Courtois was the only thing keeping Real Madrid in the game, as the first 45 minutes were all Liverpool. Los Blancos didn't register a shot on target, and Conor Bradley kept Kylian Mbappe quiet.

The deadlock finally broke in the second half when the hosts came out flying. Mac Allister's low roller beat the reach of a diving Courtois. Then chaos ensued.

Mbappe had an attempt to level from the penalty spot but was stunningly denied by Liverpool's goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

And then a second penalty scene rocked Anfield. This time at the other end as it was Mohamed Salah who sent his effort wide and missed the target completely.

Cody Gakpo, however, then ensured the lead was doubled and reigning champions Real Madrid were embarrassed.

VAR denies Villa victory over Juve

Aston Villa will feel extremely hard done by after being held to a 0-0 draw against Juventus.

The visitors controlled possession of the ball, but poor finishing from both sides kept things deadlocked after 45 minutes, with only one shot on target each.

The same theme remained true in the second half with John McGinn, Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins falling short. Tim Weah and Kenan Yildiz did the same for a depleted visiting side.

Goalkeeper Emi Martinez made a ridiculous save to deny Francisco Conceição on the line, but it was truly a night of wasteful opportunities for both sides.

Drama then ensued in the final moments of the clash when Morgan Rogers curled the ball into the net after a free kick. However unfortunately for Villa, his goal was denied by VAR.

Benfica hand Monaco first loss

Scorer: Seghir 13', Magassa 67'; Pavlidis 48', Cabral 84', Amdouni 88'

Monaco's unbeaten run ended after a 3-2 victory by Benfica at the death.

The hosts got off to the best start possible as Eliesse Ben Seghir received a cutback from near the penalty spot and buried it.

Things turned level after the break when centre forward Vangelis Pavlidis delivered and pounced on a poor back pass.

Wilfried Singo made things a bit nervy for the hosts when he was sent off with two yellows, and Monaco went down to 10 men.

Soungoutou Magassa brought some calmness back for the hosts when he restored the two-goal lead and slammed home from the top of the box.

That was until Benfica fought back again.

A diving header from Arthur Cabral turned things level, and Zeki Amdouni ensured the points were theirs with a header of his own.

Celtic fight for Club Brugge draw

Scorer: Maeda 60'; Carter-Vickers 26' (OG)

Celtic will rue their mistakes after being forced to a 1-1 draw with Club Brugge

The visitors grabbed the lead thanks to an error made by Cameron Carter-Vickers. The centreback miskicked the ball completely in his own box, assuming goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was behind him, and it went into his own net.

Daizen Maeda's form then got Celtic back in the mix after the break when he came off the woodwork and in from a tight angle. However, the late rally wasn't enough.

Lille hold on in Bologna

Scorer: Lucumi 63', Mukau 44', 66'

Lille did just enough to pull off a 2-1 win over strugglers Bologna.

Thijs Dallinga thought he had put the hosts ahead within five minutes, but his solo run was ruled out for offside.

Just before the break, the deadlock actually broke as Ngal'ayel Mukau stabbed the ball home after his first shot was initially saved.

Jhon Lucumi, however, was able to pull one back for Bologna in between as he redirected a free-kick in.

Yet Mukau continued his fine form some three minutes later with a powerful strike from the top of the box and all three points went to the French club.

Dortmund impress in Croatia

Scorer: Gittens 41', Bensebaini 56', Guirassy 90'

Dortmund impressively sit fourth in the table after a comfortable 3-0 win away to Dinamo Zagreb.

Ramy Bensebaini came closest to opening the scoring but saw his header hit off the woodwork.

Neither side had registered a shot on target within the first half until Jamie Gittens took it upon himself to smash home the opener from outside the box.

Bensebaini then doubled the lead after the break when he was allowed to head home the ball a second time and made no mistake.

Dinamo Zagreb were later forced to pick the ball out of the net a third time when Serhou Guirassy drilled home another from the top of the box at the death.

PSV rally for Shakhtar win

Scorer: Tillman 87', 90', Pepi 90+5'; Sikan 8', Zubkov 37'

PSV Eindhoven were made to work for their points after a 3-2 win against 10-man Shakhtar Donetsk.

The visitors opened the scoring when Danylo Sikan rushed into the box and made enough of a connection with the ball.

Oleksandr Zubkov later doubled the lead after taking his time in the box and curling home into the bottom left corner.

This meant that PSV was two goals down at halftime at home in the Champions League for the first time since 2008.

Things all changed, however, when Pedrinho was shown a direct red card and the man advantage swung things in favour of the hosts.

That saw Malik Tillman score two goals in two minutes to ensure things turned all square.

Ricardo Pepi then poked the winner home at the back post to claim the victory.

From earlier...

Red Star Belgrade fight for Stuttgart comeback

Scorers: Silas 12', Krunic 31', Ivanic 65', Radonjic 69', 88'; Demirovic 5'

German club Stuttgart were looking to sneak into the top 24 of the table, but a 5-1 comeback from previously winless Red Star Belgrade crushed those dreams.

The trip got off to a flying start for the visitors when Ermedin Demirovic volleyed home within the opening minutes.

But the hosts hit back quickly - and never slowed down.

Former Stuttgart man Silas's solo run and tidy finish levelled the game before Rade Krunic completed the comeback with an expert finish near the penalty spot.

Stuttgart maintained a stunning 72% possession of the ball but Red Star's precision was the difference on the night and they secured their first UCL win of the season.

Mirko Ivanic turned things 3-1 following a corner before Nemanja Radonjic later curled home a fourth on a slick counterattack and added a late fifth to pile on the misery.

Sturm Graz silence Girona

Scorer: Biereth 58'

Another basement battle saw winless Sturm Graz stun Girona 1-0 as the LaLiga side hoped to move closer to playoff contention.

And the visitors had a glorious chance to open the scoring only for a wide-open Iván Martín to sky his effort over the bar from point-blank range at the back post.

The hosts, meanwhile, would initially feel hard done by after not converting three of their five efforts on target in the first half against the run of play.

But then they found their luck and took their biggest chance when it arrived in the second half.

Pinball in the box led to Mika Biereth blasting home Sturm Graz's first Champions League goal of the season, and they also earned their first win of the campaign.

Before the result, the hosts had lost all four of their games. It was also goalkeeper Daniil Khudyakov's official debut, yet Girona couldn't make it a night for him to forget.

What did you think of the results? Let us know in the comments.

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