Arsenal are within touching distance of qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages after Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka clinched a 2-0 win against Sevilla at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night.
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich were however among the clubs to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League with two group games to spare, while Manchester United’s poor form continued as they slipped to a stunning 4-3 defeat against FC Copenhagen.
Last season’s runners-up, Inter Milan, and Real Sociedad also secured their tickets for the knockout phase, joining holders Manchester City and RB Leipzig in advancing to the last 16.
Arsenal are on the brink of progressing from Group B after a win over Sevilla, in which Saka set up Trossard for the opener in the first half, and then added the second after the break.
Arsenal are four points ahead of both Lens and PSV Eindhoven in Group B, with the Dutch side boosting their own hopes by beating the French side 1-0 thanks to Luuk de Jong’s early header.
“I’m really happy with the performance from the team. They showed aggression and commitment,” Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, said after the game.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid, the record 14-time European champions, made sure of their progress from Group C with a 3-0 home win over Braga after surviving an injury setback just before kick-off.
Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga pulled out hurt in the warm-up, but his replacement Andriy Lunin excelled by saving Alvaro Djalo’s sixth-minute penalty.
With Jude Bellingham rested, Brahim Diaz gave Real a 27th-minute lead before Brazilian duo Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo both scored in the second half.
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Napoli are poised to go through from the group alongside Real despite being held to a 1-1 draw at home by Union Berlin.
Bayern qualified with a 2-1 victory at home to Galatasaray, their 17th consecutive win in the Champions League group stage.
Thomas Tuchel’s side saw Galatasaray have a goal disallowed for offside before Harry Kane headed in the opener with just 10 minutes left.
Kane then added another, his 19th goal already for Bayern in just 15 appearances, before Cedric Bakambu pulled one back in stoppage time for Galatasaray.
United appeared to be cruising thanks to two goals in the first half an hour by their Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund.
Yet they suffered a blow when Marcus Rashford was controversially sent off in the 42nd minute for a foul on Elias Jelert, and Copenhagen took full advantage to haul themselves level by the break.
Mohamed Elyounoussi pulled one back before Diogo Goncalves equalised from the spot in the ninth minute of stoppage time.
Still United got back in front via a Bruno Fernandes penalty midway through the second half, but Lukas Lerager made it 3-3 seven minutes from time and Roony Bardghji, the 17-year-old Kuwait-born Swedish Under-21 international, got Copenhagen’s winner in the 87th minute.
Erik ten Hag’s team have now lost three of their four Champions League matches this season and have been beaten in nine of their 17 games in all competitions.
In Group D, Inter secured their progress with a 1-0 win away to Red Bull Salzburg in Austria, a game settled by a late Lautaro Martinez penalty.
That result also allowed Real Sociedad to qualify after their earlier 3-1 defeat of Portuguese giants Benfica, who have lost all four matches in the group.
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