Football writer Ninad Barbadikar reports on Tuesday's three UEFA Champions League matches involving Premier League sides.
Jesus stars as Arsenal secure place in round of 16
Inter Milan 1-3 Arsenal
Arsenal set a new club record in the UEFA Champions League with their seventh consecutive win, beating Inter Milan 3-1 at San Siro.
Manchester City’s defeat against Bodo/Glimt earlier in the evening meant that Arsenal had technically already qualified for the round of 16. However, victory against the Italian giants confirmed their status as the best team in the competition so far.
To further underline their excellence thus far, Arsenal are now just the second team in the competition’s history to win seven games in Europe by two goals or more. The other team was Bayern Munich in 2019/20, en route to winning the Champions League that season.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta spoke to Amazon Prime and said: "We went to another level and to do it at the San Siro against one of the best teams in Europe is something else."
With a first brace for the Gunners in over a year, Gabriel Jesus was the star of the evening in Italy, acrobatically finishing for the first and grabbing the second from a set-piece.
In between those strikes, a curling equaliser from Petar Sucic gave Arteta's side some cause for concern, but the Gunners ultimately deserved their first win in Italy since 2008. They had lost four of their five previous matches on Italian soil.
Arsenal substitute Viktor Gyokeres added a final flourish to the victory with a strike from outside the Inter area in the final five minutes of the game; it was the Swedish striker's third goal in five Champions League outings.
The Gunners got off to a bright start at San Siro, racking up two two attempts in the first twenty seconds, setting the tone for the opening exchanges.
They wouldn’t have to wait long for the opener though, as a mishit attempt from Jurrien Timber was converted by Jesus who scored for the first time since returning from a lengthy knee injury layoff.
Sucic's impressive leveller shook Arsenal briefly, but Jesus was there once again, this time converting from a corner when Leandro Trossard won the first contact at the near post before knocking the ball back into the path of an unmarked Jesus.
The Brazilian’s 25th and 26th goals in the competition were the highlights of a hugely significant victory for the Gunners.
Speaking to Amazon Prime after the game, Jesus said: "It's a dream night, to be here in this stadium and score here [puts] tears in my eyes because I always dreamed of being here."
The Brazilian’s record in the Champions League remains outstanding. With 34 goal involvements in 53 appearances, his average of 1.03 goal involvements per 90 is only behind Kylian Mbappe who has 1.08 per 90.
Reflecting on the competition for places up front now at Arsenal, Jesus added: "Everyone wants to start. I am a very respectful guy. I am not a kid anymore, I am 28, so I understand football. I am very happy Vik [Gyokeres] came on and scored a goal. I am so happy I scored and Vik scored. I am confident Kai [Havertz] will score when he gets the chance."
Guaranteeing themselves a top-two finish in the league phase of the Champions League means that Arsenal will play the second leg of every knockout tie at home.
Furthermore, this landmark victory marked the first time that an English top-flight team has won away games in four different competitions in a single month, following Arsenal's wins over AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League, Portsmouth in the FA Cup and Chelsea in the EFL Cup.
Arteta's side will aim to finish off the league phase on a high when they welcome Kairat Almaty to the Emirates next Wednesday, but first they return to their pursuit of the Premier League title, with a home match against Michael Carrick's rejuvenated Manchester United side on Sunday.
See: Arsenal match report and line-up
Romero and Solanke give Spurs some respite
Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Borussia Dortmund
Spurs made it 24 games unbeaten at home in Europe, beating 10-man Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in a solid display.
Thomas Frank’s side have struggled at home all season in the Premier League, losing six of their 11 matches at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
A first start of the season also brought a first goal of the season for Dominic Solanke, who converted from close range to double Spurs’ advantage after captain Cristian Romero had given his team the lead.
The Argentine’s header from a corner after 14 minutes was the reward for a superb start from Frank’s Spurs, who were on the front foot and suffocating Dortmund with their high press.
Between the two goals, the visitors were reduced to 10 men in the 26th minute, after a dangerous challenge from young defender Daniel Svensson, who caught Wilson Odobert with a high boot.
Extending their European record at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a victory and a clean sheet against Dortmund, Frank’s Spurs are now the only side not to concede at home in the Champions League this season, winning all four games to nil.
Spurs boss Frank told TNT Sports: "I think this is the eighth game in a row where we've done lots right, now we've got a win as well. That means we look forward to another [good] result on Saturday."
Solanke became only the fifth player to score on his Champions League debut for Spurs, and was also the second Englishman to do so, after Peter Crouch, who netted against German opposition in Werder Bremen in September 2010.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the game about his goal, he said: "I'm so happy to be back out here. It was my first start since the last game of last season so to be back out here and get the win meant the world."
Victory against Dortmund moved Spurs up to fourth in the league phase for the time being, putting them in a good spot to seal a top-eight finish when they face Bundesliga opposition once again next week, with an away trip to Eintracht Frankfurt. In the meantime, they travel to Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday.
See: Spurs match report and line-up
City slip up on historic night for Norwegian club
Bodo/Glimt 3-1 Manchester City
Man City had an evening to forget at the Aspmyra Stadion, where their 3-1 defeat made them the first English club to lose to Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.
It was also Bodo's first victory in the group stage or league phase of the Champions League, while this result marked the third time this season that Man City have lost back-to-back games in all competitions.
Two goals from Kasper Hogh in the 22nd and 24th minutes set the stage for Bodo's historic triumph; it was the quickest brace by a Champions League player against Man City since Son Heung-min netted for Spurs in the seventh and 10th minutes back in April 2019.
Jens-Petter Hauge's curling effort from outside the box extended the home side's lead to 3-0 in the 58th minute, making them only the sixth team in the history of the competition to have an advantage of three goals or more against Man City. And although Rayan Cherki scored for the visitors on the hour mark, their chances of a comeback were hampered two minutes later when Rodri was shown two yellow cards in quick succession and sent off.
Rodri has, perhaps unsurprisingly, struggled to get back up to speed after a long injury layoff, and this game was stretched from the very start.
Man City youngster Max Alleyne had the first big chance of the night when his header from a corner just flew past the near post. But the visitors then paid a heavy price for mistakes at the back as Hogh, who has been linked with a move to Norwich City, scored his quickfire double.
With an average age of 24 years and 84 days, Man City's starting XI was their youngest ever in a Champions League match. Pep Guardiola made four changes from the derby defeat at Manchester United, headlined by Rayan Ait-Nouri making his first start for the club since November.
Next, Man City will host Ait-Nouri's former club Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Saturday, before they make another attempt to secure their passage to the Champions League's round of 16, at home to Galatasaray next Wednesday.
Guardiola underlined the need for a response to their latest defeat, saying: "The results since [the end of] 2025 have not been good in terms of the Premier League and today.
"Now we have to move forward with Wolves and Galatasaray. Today was an incredible opportunity for us but the feeling is [everything is] going wrong. We have to change the dynamic quickly."