Champions League reaction: Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle win in Europe

43 goals, five reds, six penalties - one blockbuster evening

There were 43 goals scored, five red cards handed out and six penalties awarded - of which five were converted.

It was a relentless evening of Champions League football on Tuesday.

Last season's winners Paris St-Germain hit seven past Leverkusen, with both teams having a player sent off and the German side's Alejandro Grimaldo missing a spot-kick.

While PSV Eindhoven fought back from a goal down before running riot in a 6-2 win against Italian champions Napoli.

Only twice before have there been more goals scored on a single Champions League night than in Tuesday's goalfest.

Last season, in the final round of the league phase, there were a record 64 goals.

However, that was when all 18 games were played at the same time, so there was a lower goals-per-game average (3.55).

Back on 1 October 1997 there were 44 goals scored in 12 games. Paul Scholes and Zinedine Zidane were among the names on the scoresheet as Manchester United beat Juventus 3-2 at Old Trafford that evening.

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All in good time, David. Arsenal were also very good last night so we needed to talk about that as well. As it goes, we're moving on now.

But as you have been so polite and said please, I will let you know that we'll be giving both Newcastle and Manchester City their moments in the spotlight shortly.

First, though, let's appreciate a wild night in the Champions League as a whole...

No stopping Arsenal in Europe

Arsenal 4-0 Atletico Madrid

Champions League

Last night's win means Arsenal join defending champions Paris St-Germain and Inter Milan at the top of the Champions League table with three wins from three matches.

The Gunners are one of only two sides yet to concede a goal in this season's competition, Inter being the other.

Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Qarabag could also maintain their perfect start to the league phase if they record wins tonight.

Meanwhile, Manchester City moved into fifth place with seven points from three games and Newcastle United are seventh on six points.

Tottenham have four points from two games while Liverpool and Chelsea are on three - all three sides will be in action later today.

'Gyokeres confidence growing all the time'

Arsenal 4-0 Atletico Madrid

Former Brighton striker Glenn Murray speaks on Victor Gyokeres, who scored twice for Arsenal last night after a long goal draught, not consistently scoring goals on the Football Daily Podcast: "As a former striker, I'd want to score goals. I could run around out there, and I could be a platform and play well if I didn't get a goal, but it didn't quite feel the same.

"You could see what it meant to him, especially that second goal, and the pressure that has been lifted. He does offer something, and that is a real positive when you've got a number nine that even if he isn't scoring, is affecting the way the opposition play. But from a personal point of view, you always want to get that goal.

"All of a sudden, he's in the right place at the right time, and Gabriel headed that back across. Again it wasn't a pretty goal, but it doesn't matter. He walks away two goals.

"I saw him collect man of the match. And as far as he's concerned, that confidence in himself and his teammates in him is just growing all the time."

'Once Arsenal went in front, they blew Atletico away'

Arsenal 4-0 Atletico Madrid

Glenn Murray

Former Crystal Palace & Brighton striker on the Football Daily podcast

Once Arsenal got their noses in front, they smelt blood and just showed a sureness, a professionalism and a maturity.

Atletico had done well with the game at 0-0 and threatened to take the lead but once Arsenal went in front, they blew Atletico away.

I was really impressed by Viktor Gyokeres' attitude. You can feel the Arsenal fans willing him to do well here. He was closing down. He was a real catalyst.

When you're a midfield player and you see your forward player closing down with that intensity, it drags you along at times and he did that.

But he added goals to his game and that was massive. They weren't pretty but it doesn't matter. It hit the back of the net and gave him that confidence.

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As Rezaa and Daniel have just said, there's no doubt Arsenal look pretty formidable this season. The summer signings have given them the squad depth they lacked last season - even before injuries struck.

Might there be a concern on an over-reliance on set pieces? Perhaps but, certainly in the Premier League, with other contenders still having issues to address, the Gunners look in a great position to go one better after three straight second-place finishes.

Their start in Europe suggests they should be considered among the favourites for the Champions League as well...

Set-pieces deliver again

Arsenal 4-0 Atletico Madrid

Alex Howell

BBC Sport Arsenal reporter at Emirates Stadium

Arsenal's threat from set-pieces is well known, but the Gunners have gone to another level this season.

Both Liverpool manager Arne Slot and Fulham boss Marco Silva have mentioned the Gunners' ability in those situations recently, with a goal from a corner making the difference in Arsenal's win over the Cottagers on Saturday.

Mikel Arteta's team boast excellent delivery from both sides of the pitch with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka consistently putting the ball in good areas for their team-mates to attack.

Since Rice's debut for Arsenal in August 2023, only Inter Milan's Hakan Calhanoglu (11) has more assists from dead balls in all competitions across Europe's big five leagues than the England international (10).

It was a set-piece and a goal from Gabriel that saw Arsenal get a crucial win over Newcastle in the Premier League last month, and it was the defender again who opened the scoring against Atletico when this match was crying out for a spark.

Arsenal now have 10 goals from set-pieces this season, excluding penalties, and as they hope to compete for trophies in multiple competitions this season, their potency from those opportunities is going to be key.

'A long journey to go' - Gyokeres

Arsenal 4-0 Atletico Madrid

Viktor Gyokeres, 27, scored 97 goals in 102 games for Sporting in his two seasons at the Portuguese club and was not used to significant runs of games without adding to his tally.

Of his performance against Atletico, the Arsenal striker told Uefa: "I am very pleased of course. Both [my] goals were great.

"I try to do my best all the time and work hard, contribute with different stuff and the goals would come sooner or later.

"We want to do well, we want to win football matches but there's a long journey to go. We will take it game by game, even if that sounds boring."

Gyokeres makes Arsenal a much better team - Arteta

Arsenal 4-0 Atletico Madrid

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes Viktor Gyokeres' double against Atletico Madrid could be the start of a prolific spell for the striker.

After three goals in his first four matches, £64m signing Gyokeres failed to find the net in Arsenal's next seven games and looked visibly frustrated at times.

But after finding his clinical touch again in the thumping win over Atletico on Tuesday, Gyokeres' tally now stands at five goals in 12 matches.

"He deserved it because everything that we were seeing in terms of what he was bringing to the team and how much he was helping the team in many areas, apart from scoring goals in the last few weeks, there was no debate about that," said Arteta.

"It was about keeping that belief in himself, that emotional state that he can enjoy and play freely.

"I think he has certainly done that today, [he had] a big smile on his face.

"Look at his team-mates as well, in the picture and the video, they are all so happy for him because he fully deserves it."

West Ham prepare Zirkzee bid

Wednesday's back pages

An interesting transfer line in the I newspaper, which reports that West Ham are preparing a loan move for disgruntled Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee.

That may well be a question for Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who we are due to hear from at a news conference around 13:30 BST. Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner and Leeds manager Daniel Farke should be speaking around the same time, too.

And around an hour or so later, Sean Dyche will give his first news conference as Nottingham Forest manager.

Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph joins in the Gyokeres pun fun and also reports on Aston Villa warning fans about political messaging at their match against Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv next month.

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