Liverpool, Chelsea win
GENK: Alex OxladeChamberlain made the most of a rare start to score twice as Liverpool beat Genk 41 in Belgium, which ended the defending Champions League winner’s fourgame losing streak away from home.
With six points from three matches in group E, Liverpool remains in second place, one point behind Napoli, which beat Salzburg 32.
OxladeChamberlain announced his return to Europe’s top club competition after an 18month absence with the Reds’ first two goals in the second and 57th minutes.
‘‘It was absolutely a great moment for him, but I would say with Ox his performance was exactly the same as the performance of the team — the goals were great but all the rest could have been better,’’ Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said.
Sadio Mane and the fitagain Mohamed Salah got on the scoresheet before Stephen Odey pulled one back for the host with two minutes left.
Dries Mertens scored a brace and Lorenzo Insigne netted the winner for Napoli in a fivegoal thriller in Austria.
Salzburg’s 19yearold forward Erling Haaland also scored twice.
In the Czech Republic, Lionel Messi scored early and set up the winning goal as Barcelona held on to beat Slavia Prague 21.
Barca topped group F with seven points from three games, one ahead of Borussia Dortmund which lost 20 to Inter Milan.
Michy Batshuayi scored a late winner as Chelsea rode its luck to beat Ajax 10 in Amsterdam and throw group H wide open.
The Belgium striker fired in off the underside of the bar from close range in the 86th, 15 minutes after replacing Tammy Abraham.
United States international Christian Pulisic, another of manager Frank Lampard’s substitutes, provided the cross.
The result left both teams on six points while Valencia is on four in third after it drew 11 at Lille.
Leipzig came from behind to beat Zenit St Petersburg 21 to move above the Russians and to the top of group G.
Benfica accounted for Lyon 21 to grab its first points after an embarrassing blunder by visiting goalkeeper Anthony Lopes let Pizzi Fernandes score the late winner. — AP