Chelsea hit seven in Graz as Real are held at Anfield

Chelsea did not merely win in Graz. They took the place apart, 0-7, the sort of away scoreline that settles a group and silences a stadium long before the end. Sportklub Sturm Graz had their evening turned into a procession, and the travelling English support, who had crossed the continent with little more than hope, spent the closing stages singing at the empty spaces around them. Whatever the table says now, that result gives Chelsea a cushion and a warning to everyone else.

Liverpool could not find the same edge at Anfield, drawing 1-1 with Real Madrid. It is a point that keeps them moving, but on a night when the rest of the continent was being put to the sword, a home draw against the Spanish side feels like an opportunity slipping through the fingers. Real, as ever, will take it.

Manchester United ground out a 1-0 win over Everton, the kind of narrow, nervy result that matters more in November than it looks, and FC Internazionale Milano were comfortable at 2-0 against Olympique Lyonnais. Valencia were ruthless too, 3-0 against GNK Dinamo Zagreb, while Athletico Madrid came away from Hertha Berlin with a clean 3-0.

The draws elsewhere tell their own story: RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund cancelled each other out at 1-1, and Fussballclub RB Salzburg and AC Milan shared four goals at 2-2. Legia Warszawa edged FK Crvena zvezda Beograd 2-1 in a match that will sting the visitors.

With nine games gone in this cycle, the margins are tightening. Chelsea's cushion looks the most valuable currency on the board; Liverpool's draw leaves them needing to convert home nights into wins. The next matchday will not forgive hesitation.