Chelsea’s away win was even more professional than Man United’s.
Yes, the Red Devils beat CSKA 4-1 in Moscow.
But the Russians were taken apart by Martial and Lukaku, who has now scored 10 goals in 9 games for United.
Atletico Madrid are a very competitive side, rarely beaten at home.
Full disclosure : Atletico Madrid 1 Chelsea 2 is a result that surprised me.
Premier League teams have been rubbish in the Champions League recently and need to improve a lot. It seems they’re starting to do that, although it’s early days.
Chelsea announced their intent very early when a sharp shot by Eden Hazard came back off the post.
Then Griezmann scored from the spot after David Luiz grabbed the shirt of Hernandez and held onto it for an eternity of seconds.
The ref saw it and gave a penalty which Griezmann buried in fine style.
On 60 Hazard measured an inswinging cross from the left and Alvaro Morata equalised with a glancing header that Peter Osgood would have liked.
It was 1-1 after 90 minutes and then Chelsea constructed a very cool move on the right and sub Batshuayi scored the winner with the last kick of the game.
In the Champions League, 90+4 is the best time to score your winning goal.
An Italian coach like Antonio Conte, who has played for serious teams, doesn’t want to put too many players ahead of the ball in any Champions League match, so Morata suits his style just fine.
Morata has an impressive range of classy moves from the centre forward’s playbook.
He’s a proper team player but also a do-it-yourself improviser.
Morata can take on his man in the box and score from narrow angles and can make runs for a diagonal ball over the top by Azpil or David Luiz. When you’re playing strategic football in a pressure game, as Chelsea will be in the knock-out rounds, a brainy striker with finesse is a huge asset.
Manchester United’s 4-1 win at Moscow Spartak was emphatic.
But who knew the Russians were as feeble as they’ve become?
Romelu Lukaku is a 24-year old colossus who is improving every season. A heavyweight centre forward who has scored 10 goals in 9 games for Manchester United so far.
I’ve been following Lukaku for a long time and vividly recall a breakaway goal he scored for Everton against Wolfsburg
Paris Saint-Germain will never sign Messi but their Neymar-Cavani-Mbappe strike force could take them a long way, if last night’s performance against Bayern Munich is anything to go by.
Three fast front men, a power trio, is a template that took shape when Luis Suarez joined Neymar and Messi at Barcelona in 2014.
However, this 3- 0 is a scoreline that reflects how off-form the German champions have been in the Bundesliga recently.
Kylian Mbappe, born in Paris, is obviously not a Brazilian or an Uruguayan but his remarkable skills and speed may soon put him on a similar level to the great Suarez.
Klopperpool have now drawn their first two games.
Spartak Moscow scored first on Tuesday night. But Coutinho scored his first Champions League goal, after playing a sweet one-two with Mane. That goal levelled it after a wicked Fernando free-kick flew over the wall and beat Karius.
Shakhtar Donetsk played some good football at the Etihad and it was 0-0 at half-time.
Then playmaking maestro Kevin De Bruyne scored from outside the box and Raheem, Man City’s new goal-machine, wrapped up a 2-0 victory.
Basle 5 Benfica 0 was the Swiss club’s biggest CL victory ever.
But my lasting impression of Matchday 2 is Chelsea’s sparkling performance. As my gambling greengrocer, a Gooner, said 20 minutes ago, “Listen to me. Nobody beats Atletico Madrid in their own back garden. Conte is a top manager.”
VERDICT: I love Matchday 2 because it’s raw & real & straightforward.
The Groups have not had time to become complicated
Later on, Matchdays 5 & 6 can become very edgy or dull.