http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/champions-league-round-up-dortmund-thrash-4489016
Borussia Dortmund threw down the gauntlet to Group D rivals Arsenal by thrashing Galatasaray 4-0 in Istanbul.
Jurgen Klopp’s side were three up by half-time thanks to a quick-fire double from Pierre Aubameyang and a 41st-minute strike from Marco Reus. Adrian Ramos added a fourth in the second half to complete the rout.
In Group B, Basel suffered an early setback when midfield anchor Serey Die was sent off after just 18 minutes. It proved costly as Ludogorets ran out 1-0 winners with a stoppage time goal.
Atletico Madrid and Olympiakos took command in Group A.
Before last night’s action all four teams had been tied on three points each but goals from Koke, Mario Mandzukic, Antoine Griezmann, Diego Godin and Alessio Cerci gave Atletico a thumping 5-0 win over Malmo. It was Mandzukic’s 19th goal in 23 Champions League matches.
Pajtim Kasani’s 36th-minute strike was enough to ensure Olympiakos saw off Italian giants Juventus - Juve;s second defeat in three Champions League games this season.
In Group C, Benfica had to survive the last 15 minutes with 10 men to get a goalless draw at Monaco.
Leverkusen, who also had a man dismissed, were 2-0 victors over Zenit.
Defensive lapses cost Reds
This was supposed to be the night Liverpool rediscovered their soul. Where the departure of Luis Suarez was put to bed, with a performance to recreate that magical evening in 2009, when Real were swept off the park.
Yet as the early storm died away to nothing at the instant Cristiano Ronaldo finally broke his Anfield duck, as the roar of The Kop was reduced to a stunned whisper, the fault-lines that run through this Liverpool side from top to bottom were abundantly clear.
Up front, even before his impromptu half-time shirt exchange, Mario Balotelli contributed the square root of diddly-squat, his lack of conviction and penetration made all the more apparent by the commitment of Raheem Sterling.
In the middle, Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson and company could not get within hailing distance of Toni Kroos, as Real played at the pace they wanted to play at.
And at the back, more of the catastrophically comical work which has been the story of a season which has so far brought just one clean sheet from 12 outings.
Add in Balotelli's indiscretion, seeking out Pepe for the swap before even having the decency to get into the tunnel – you just knew that was going to set the agenda – at the break and this was the perfect storm, leavened only by Basel's shock defeat in Bulgaria.
Alvaro Arbeloa escaped a cynical block on the irrepressible Sterling, Steven Gerrard twice nearly embarrassed Iker Casillas. Yet it was all an illusion, a balloon popped with one swing of Ronaldo's right foot.
The Portuguese, always a preening peacock, had failed to score in five previous visits in a Manchester United shirt. The drought-breaker was worth the wait.
First, a one-two with Isco, creating a little space. Then the give and go with James Rodriguez, streaking into the half-yard of space between Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren, meeting the perfect return on the bounce.
Sheer brilliance yet what followed has become all too familiar.
Despite a flood of red shirts, only Glenn Johnson was in the same post-code as Karim Benzema floated home a header from Kroos' cross.
Then more chaos from a Kroos corner, Simon Mignolet and Skrtel colliding with each other to let Benzema flick home when Pepe prodded across.
There were fleeting moments, mainly from Sterling, with Philippe Coutinho hitting the post with the final kick before the break.
But unlike Istanbul, nine years ago, Ancelotti was not going to let this lead slip.
Even with Adam Lallana on for Balotelli, nowhere near enough, Real content to go through the motions, Ronaldo of all people missing a sitter after Alberto Moreno fell over.
The Bernebeu next month? Good luck. Not too sure Mario will be on the flight.
Podolski give Wenger the perfect birthday present
It was daylight robbery but no-one was taking the perfect 65th birthday present away from Wenger as Arsenal’s bench leapt for joy on the touchline.
It has been an unhappy start to the campaign with too many draws, the team has yet to click and defeat would have made it very tricky to qualify for the knock-out stages.
But fight backs do not come much more dramatic than this and, at the end, the Anderlecht fans booed loudly at what they saw as an incredible injustice.
Frankly, the Belgians were not great but they did not need to be as Arsenal looked short of confidence, short of ideas and vulnerable in defence.
Forget the rookie third choice keeper Emiliano Martinez who was standing in for suspended Wojciech Szczesny and injured David Ospina.
You needn’t have worried about him. Arsenal’s defending is all over the place at the moment and they are not defending as a unit.
When Najar headed home in the 71st minute Arsenal had four defenders in the box but none of them shut down the Anderlecht forward and none of them stopped Dennis Praet from putting over a cross.
From then on, Anderlecht could have scored again as Anthony Vanden Borre smashed a shot against the woodwork and Martinez was forced into two decent saves.
Arsenal were all over the place as they had looked lame in the first half and did not threaten enough after the restart against a Belgian team who were hardly regarded as a major threat in the Group.
Only Alexis Sanchez, a real street fighter and warrior, did himself justice as he chased down every ball, fought for every challenge and kept going until the end.
But suddenly from nowhere Arsenal found a miracle as they salvaged victory from the brink of defeat.
First, Calum Chambers sent over a cross from the right and in ghosted Gibbs to volley home into the opposite corner with a stunning left foot shot.
Gibbs slid on his knees as he enjoyed the moment, the fans went wild and Arsenal thought they had grabbed a point in the 89th minute from an utterly unforgettable game.
Wenger got up off his seat on the bench, partly to celebrate, partly to reorganise and Arsenal went again.
They were not giving up and, typically, it was Alexis who played a part in the dramatic winner.
Alexis dribbled, ran and scrapped for the ball in the box and then sent over a low cross and Podolski smashed home a shot into the roof of the net.
It was a sweet moment for Podolski who has been moaning at a lack of first team chances this season as the late substitute has only just had one start.
Podolski is undoubtedly the best finisher at the club and really gave Wenger and Arsenal fans something to cheer about.
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