UCL talking points: Barca vs. Inter thriller, Salah’s record-breaking hat-trick, plus five-a-side picks

Matchday four of the Champions League group stage treated fans with plenty of goals, drama and action. We asked our writers James Olley, Rob Dawson and Alex Kirkland to answer some of our big questions.

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What caught your attention from matchday four?

Dawson: The Premier League is starting to put its foot down. After four matchdays, three English teams — Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea — sit top of their groups with another, Liverpool, well on course to qualify. While Spain and Italy are sweating on some of their teams, notably Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus, England should have four participants in the knockout rounds. Two of the last four Champions League finals — in 2019 and 2021 — were all-English affairs and you wouldn’t bet against the same thing happening in Istanbul in June. Spanish teams have dominated the Champions League over the last decade but now it’s the turn of the Premier League.

Olley: Maccabi Haifa won their first Champions League group-stage game in 20 years on Tuesday. And against Italian giants Juventus, no less, who now face a massive task to reach the round of 16 following a calamitous 2-0 defeat in Israel. They need to beat Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica to stand any chance of avoiding a Champions League exit at this point for the first time since 2013. The club continues to stand by head coach Massimiliano Allegri but he surely cannot afford many more insipid displays like this, even if Juventus habitually avoid sacking coaches mid-season.

Kirkland: Shakhtar Donetsk were seconds away from pulling off a famous win over reigning champions Real Madrid on Tuesday, only to be denied by a 95th-minute Antonio Rudiger equaliser that saw the match end 1-1. Shakhtar — exiled from Donetsk since 2014 — already face unprecedented logistical challenges, playing this season’s Champions League home games in the Polish capital of Warsaw, and here their preparations were further overshadowed by Monday’s missile strikes across Ukraine. Under such challenging circumstances, this was an outstanding performance. Madrid are now assured of a place in the round of 16; Shakhtar, a point behind RB Leipzig, are still in with a chance.

Based on the group stage, which players would you choose for a five-a-side team?

Olley: Goalkeeper Manuel Neuer hasn’t conceded a single goal in the Champions League so far this season, including a win at Inter Milan and a home victory over Barcelona. Describing Joao Cancelo as a defender doesn’t do him justice — he has more assists (four) than clean sheets (three) in Group G so far. Jude Bellingham‘s development continues at a hugely impressive rate with four goals and one assist from four Borussia Dortmund matches. Napoli have been on fire in Group A with winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia attracting plenty of attention. Up front, Erling Haaland because, well, it’s Erling Haaland.

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Kirkland: Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois kept a clean sheet in both his group-stage appearances, and still has some bonus points left over from his masterclass in last year’s final. Reece James has been exceptional for Chelsea and they’ll be hoping the injury he picked up against Milan on Tuesday is nothing serious. It’s a clean sweep for Bellingham, who put in one of the individual performances of the season in Dortmund’s 4-1 win at Sevilla. Let’s include Napoli’s up-and-coming star Giacomo Raspadori for his four goals, and pair him with Robert Lewandowski, who’s been the only positive for Barcelona.

Dawson: Manchester City have only conceded one goal in the group stage so far and if Ederson is playing five-a-side he’s good enough to do a turn in midfield, too. In defence, Manuel Akanji has settled in quickly at City following his move late in the summer window from Borussia Dortmund and in midfield it’s very difficult to look past his former teammate at the Bundesliga side, Bellingham. Leroy Sane deserves a spot after scoring four goals for Bayern Munich in a group which also includes Barcelona and Inter Milan and up front Haaland just edges out Kylian Mbappe.

Barcelona vs. Inter Milan or Salah’s 6-minute hat-trick: which was more remarkable?

Olley: Given Mohamed Salah‘s hat-trick came with the game already won and at a time when Rangers were making substitutions, the finale of Barcelona vs. Inter is more remarkable. Bayern’s dominance of Group C made Wednesday’s game at Camp Nou a high-stakes affair for two European heavyweights and Barcelona now face the prospect of dropping down to the Europa League, given Inter only need to beat Viktoria Plzen next time out to secure qualification. Robert Lewandowski was signed to make the difference on nights like this but Barcelona’s defensive vulnerability meant his brace was only sufficient to twice rescue a point in an enthralling 3-3 draw; his first owed plenty to luck given a sizeable deflection but the second was a powerful header worthy of his status on this stage. Unfortunately for Barcelona, however, it might all be in vain.

Dawson: It was a fantastic finish in the 3-3 draw between Barcelona and Inter Milan at Camp Nou but it’s not every day that you see a player score a six-minute hat-trick. Liverpool had already beaten Rangers but for Salah to score three goals so quickly — now the fastest-ever Champions League hat trick — is still a remarkable feat. Salah has found goals harder to come by this season and Jurgen Klopp will hope the 7-1 win at Ibrox it kick-starts a run of goals for his main man. Salah hasn’t scored in the Premier League since August, but Sunday against Manchester City would be a good time to end that run.

Kirkland: Barca 3-3 Inter, the group stage game that played like the second leg of a knockout tie. No game on matchday four can expect to feel this consequential. There were moments of real quality — Ousmane Dembele’s opener was the result of a lovely Barca move — and others of shambolic ineptitude, such as Gerard Pique’s (lack of) defending for Nico Barella’s equaliser. It was great fun, unless you’re a Barca fan, as they were left facing the prospect of a financially disastrous group stage elimination for yet another season.