Aston Villa were left furious as Ollie Watkins bemoaned a "soft" decision to disallow Morgan Rogers' late goal against Juventus on Wednesday.

Unai Emery's side appeared to have snatched another impressive Champions League win in stoppage time when Rogers fired home.

Diego Carlos was adjudged to have fouled goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio after a VAR review, however, sparking fury from the home support at Villa Park following the goalless draw.

Watkins questioned the merits of what he claimed to be a debatable aerial challenge, though acknowledged the differences in officiating between European and Premier League football.

"I think it was soft. Maybe in the Premier League, it's a goal. But in Europe, the goalkeepers are protected a lot. It's one of them," the Villa striker told TNT Sports.

"I thought we scored. But to be fair, this game had a 0-0 written all over it."

When pressed further on the decision, Watkins added:  "Obviously, I have to be careful talking about the referee. But it's different in this competition.

"We are used to it now. Sometimes it goes against you and sometimes it goes in your favour."

Emiliano Martinez had earlier produced an eye-catching save to claw Francisco Conceicao's effort off the line, while John McGinn was denied from close range.

Watkins felt a point apiece was fair, though he may be concerned with Villa's recent form.

Indeed, Villa are winless in their last seven games across all competitions (D3 L4), their longest run without a victory under Emery.

"It's a positive result. The fans want to see a lot of goal and we do ourselves," Watkins continued. "But the most important thing was we didn't lose tonight.

"Juventus are a massive team and they played well. But we kept them out and now we move onto the weekend."

Arne Slot could not have predicted such a remarkable start to Liverpool's campaign, the Reds boss admitted after Wednesday's 2-0 win over Real Madrid.

The Reds are the only side to remain perfect in the Champions League this season, winning all five games after their battling victory over the defending champions at Anfield.

Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo were both on target in the second half as Liverpool triumphed in all five of their opening games to a European campaign for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

Liverpool also sit eight points clear at the Premier League summit, and Slot denies having any targets – but acknowledged his side are well ahead of his expectations.

"I didn't have a schedule in terms of the amount of points I wanted," Slot told TNT Sports. "You want to implement the playing style as soon as possible.

"That is not difficult because it wasn't that different to Jurgen's [Klopp]. It is great to see not only the starters but the players coming on are doing as we expected.

"If before the season I had counted points for this point in the season, I wouldn't have done as much as we have now."

Liverpool ended an eight-game winless streak in European action against Madrid, who had won seven of those fixtures.

"You know how special it is to play against a team that has won the Champions League so many times," the Dutchman added.

"They were a pain in the ass for Liverpool for many years too. It is a big week, and it is pleasing to see."

It could have been a different story, though, if not for Caoimhin Kelleher saving Kylian Mbappe's penalty with the score at 1-0.

In a strange turn of events, Mohamed Salah then also missed from the spot, which was just his second failed attempt from seven penalty efforts in the competition.

"In both situations, you think it is probably going to go in," Slot said of the penalty misses. "Both missed, so they showed us today they are both human beings."

Kelleher has now saved three of his four penalties faced for Liverpool in all competitions, excluding shoot-outs, and has provided stern competition for Alisson ahead of his return from injury.

"In Mbappe's case, Kelleher was outstanding," Slot said. "He has done remarkable for us, just like our other goalkeeper who has been remarkable too."

Liverpool next turn their attention to another gigantic clash with Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.

Leeds United surged to the Championship summit after dominating Luton Town in a 3-0 victory on Wednesday.

Daniel Farke's side edged a seven-goal thriller with a last-gasp winner against Swansea City on Sunday, but had no such drama to contend with three days later at Elland Road.

Sam Byram scuffed an early chance but inadvertently teed up his own sumptuous volley for a 10th-minute lead, before Joel Piroe scored on the rebound from close range on the stroke of half-time.

Substitute Dan James made sure of a routine win in the second half as Leeds moved ahead of second-placed Sheffield United on goal difference, with that pair two points clear of Burnley.

At the other end of the table, Queens Park Rangers climbed off the bottom spot with a 2-0 away triumph over Cardiff City thanks to Zan Celar's first two goals for the club.

The Slovenia international faced heavy criticism after missing a penalty in Saturday's draw with Stoke City, but silenced his critics with strikes in either half at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Fellow strugglers Portsmouth slipped down to the bottom of the league after their match was postponed against Millwall due to floodlight failure at Fratton Park.

Play-off hopefuls Middlesbrough had scored 15 goals across their three-game winning streak, though that came to an abrupt halt after Dominic Hyam's 83rd-minute strike snatched victory for Blackburn Rovers.

Michael Carrick's side still sit sixth, occupying the last play-off spot, but Blackburn's victory saw them jump up to eighth and just two points behind their hosts at the Riverside.

Swansea City secured a 2-1 victory over Derby County in Wednesday's other game, with the visitors doing the damage in the first half after goals from Zan Vipotnik and Ronald.

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing pulled one back for Paul Warne's hosts at Pride Park, where defeat left Derby 15th and four places behind Swansea, who bounced back from successive defeats previously.

Aston Villa were denied a dramatic victory over Juventus after Morgan Rogers saw a stoppage-time goal chalked off in the 0-0 draw.

Unai Emery's side were left frustrated at not leaving Villa Park with all three points, having controlled large periods against the Serie A outfit, who started again with a recognised striker.

Villa, seeking a third win in as many home Champions League games this season, went close in the 37th minute as Ollie Watkins' instinctive shot was beaten away by Michele Di Gregorio.

Timothy Weah fired narrowly over following a swift counter at the other end, while Lucas Digne's free-kick struck the bar with the last action of the first half.

Both sides had chances after the break. Emiliano Martinez clawed off the line from Francisco Conceicao, while Manuel Locatelli blocked John McGinn's goalbound strike.

The hosts thought they had snatched all three points in stoppage time when Di Gregorio spilt Youri Tielemans' free-kick, allowing Rogers to fire home.

However, a VAR review ruled Diego Carlos' collision with Di Gregorio in the build-up worthy of a foul, and boos echoed around Villa Park as the effort was ruled out. 

Data Debrief: Villa match Milan and Chelsea after another clean sheet

Villa's winless streak across all competitions continues, as they go seven games without victory for the first time under Emery.

However, they became only the third team to keep a clean sheet in each of their first three home games in the Champions League after AC Milan (1992-93) and Chelsea (1999-00)

Meanwhile Juve, who fielded their youngest starting XI in a Champions League game (24 years and 142 days), they registered their first shutout in the competition since December 2021 (1-0 against Malmo).

Celtic were held to a 1-1 draw by Club Brugge after Cameron Carter-Vickers' bizarre own-goal in their Champions League encounter.

Daizen Maeda rescued a point for Brendan Rodgers' side, who extended their unbeaten start to the season on home soil across all competitions.

Brugge controlled large periods of the first half and broke the deadlock after 26 minutes, albeit in hugely fortuitous circumstances.

Under pressure from the visitors' press, Carter-Vickers played a blind backpass intended for Kasper Schmeichel, who was out of his goal, and the ball rolled into the empty net.

Celtic were much-improved after the break, though they had Schmeichel to thank with his fine reflex save denying Maxim De Cuyper.

The hosts equalised on the hour mark, as Maeda cut inside before brilliantly bending a shot in off the far post.

Brugge thought they had regained the lead nine minutes later, but Ferran Jutgla's effort was penalised following a VAR review, as the sides shared the spoils.

Data Debrief: Celtic stretch unbeaten streak

Celtic have gone unbeaten in three Champions League games for the first time since doing so between December 2008 and October 2012.

The Hoops attempted 686 passes, the highest during a single game in the competition since the start of last season, but saw their 100% record on home soil this term come to an end.

Benfica twice came from behind to end Monaco's four-game unbeaten run in the Champions League, scoring two late headers to grab a thrilling 3-2 win on Wednesday.

Monaco's Eliesse Ben Seghir got his side off to a great start, breaking the deadlock in the 13th minute by ghosting into the box to rifle home Aleksandr Golovin's cutback pass after a superb counter-attack.

Benfica took control and should have equalised in the 37th minute when Angel Di Maria was denied by Radoslaw Majecki, and Nicolas Otamendi's header from the resulting corner flew just wide.

Breel Embolo smacked a shot off a post in the second half, and that miss proved costly when Vangelis Pavlidis made the most of Monaco defender Caio Henrique's weak header to steal the ball and equalise.

The chaos continued as both sides had goals ruled out for offside by the VAR before Monaco centre-back Wilfried Singo was dismissed just before the hour mark for two yellow cards.

Soungoutou Magassa picked the perfect time to score his first goal for the club, charging on to Christian Mawissa's angled pass and drilling it low into the corner to restore Monaco's lead in the 67th minute.

However, Di Maria produced a superb cross for Arthur Cabral to level in the 84th minute, and four minutes later the Argentina forward crossed for Zeki Amdouni to head home the winner.

Data Debrief: Diamond Di Maria

Di Maria's late creative heroics moved him onto 38 assists in the Champions League, taking him clear of Manchester United and England great David Beckham (36).

Only Ryan Giggs (41), Cristiano Ronaldo (40) and Lionel Messi (39) have provided more assists in the competition than him, with all of them either retired or no longer playing in Europe.

It capped a memorable outing for Di Maria, who made his 112th appearance in UEFA's top competition – Messi (163) and Roberto Carlos (120) are the only South American players to have featured more.

Pavlidis also scored his first for Benfica, and the Greek forward now has 13 goals in 26 matches in major European competition – an average of a goal every other game.

Alexis Mac Allister and substitute Cody Gakpo were on target as Liverpool continued their perfect start to the Champions League with a 2-0 win over holders Real Madrid. 

The result saw Liverpool earn their first win against Madrid at the ninth attempt, and there was no stopping Arne Slot's side on an enthralling night at Anfield. 

The hosts started strongly to the encounter and almost found themselves ahead in the fifth minute when Darwin Nunez’s strike was saved by Thibaut Courtois, with Raul on hand to clear the ball off the line.

Nunez continued to be Liverpool’s main threat in the first half, seeing a close-range effort repelled by Courtois before sending a header narrowly wide of the far-left post with a deft header after being picked out by Mac Allister’s delicately floated pickout.

Slot’s side would, however, take a deserved lead seven minutes after the restart when neat interplay between Conor Bradley and Mac Allister resulted in the latter picking out the bottom left corner to send Anfield into raptures.

However, Liverpool’s good work looked to have been undone when Andrew Robertson’s clumsy challenge on Lucas Vazquez inside the box offered Kylian Mbappe the opportunity to level the contest from 12 yards, but the Frenchman saw his effort brilliantly saved by Caoimhin Kelleher. 

Mohamed Salah was then tripped at the other end by Ferland Mendy nine minutes later, offering the chance for the Reds to close out the contest, but he too could not convert from the spot, scuffing his spot-kick that struck the post on its way behind, but Liverpool were able to seal the win shortly after.

A quick corner routine saw Robertson play a short one-two with Curtis Jones, with the Scotland captain delivering onto the head of Gakpo to finish, putting them top of the Champions League table with five wins from five.

Data Debrief: Ruthless Reds march on

After suffering heartache against Madrid in their recent Champions League encounters, Liverpool produced arguably their most accomplished display against Los Blancos. 

The Reds were deserving of their victory on Wednesday, ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.53 to Madrid's 1.24. 

Liverpool have now scored in their last five games in the Champions League, their longest run of games with a goal in the competition since a run of seven games between September 2022 and February 2023.

Ngal'ayel Mukau proved the hero for Lille as they battled to a hard-fought 2-1 away win over Bologna in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Mukau opened the scoring for Lille a minute before the break from a rebound after his initial shot was blocked, before Bologna struck through Jhon Lucumi in the 63rd minute.

That marked the Serie A side's first goal in the competition this campaign, though the home celebrations were cut short soon after.

Mukau scored his second just three minutes later before Bologna were unable to find another goal as their goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski pulled off several fine saves to keep them in the game.

Lille's win moved them on to 10 points in the standings, while Bologna remain on one point after slumping to their third successive defeat.

Data Debrief: Lovely Lille flying

Outside of the knockout stages, Lille have lost just one of their last nine matches in the Champions League (W6 D2), losing 2-0 against Sporting CP on MD1 this season.

Bologna, meanwhile, have lost their last four in this competition and are the first Italian side to suffer as many defeats in a row in a single campaign.

The Serie A club, at least, avoided becoming just the second side to fail to score in their first five games in Champions League history, with Galatasaray the only to do so during the 1993-94 season.

Borussia Dortmund eased past Dinamo Zagreb with a 3-0 victory in the Champions League to stay firmly on course for a top-eight finish and automatic qualification to the knockout stages.

Jamie Bynoe-Gittens fired last year's finalists into a deserved lead in the 41st minute before the unmarked Ramy Bensebaini headed in their second goal in the 56th minute on Wednesday.

Forward Serhou Guirassy, back after a short illness, also got on the scoresheet in the closing minutes, slotting in after coming on as a substitute.

Dortmund, who also hit the woodwork twice, have now won four of their five matches in the competition this season and are on 12 points in fourth place with three games left.

The top eight teams automatically qualify for the knockout stage while the next 16 teams go into qualification play-offs. 

Data Debrief: Gold for Guirassy

Guirassy has been involved in at least one goal in his last six Champions League appearances (five goals, two assists), becoming the seventh African player to score or assist in six games in a row, and the first since Mohamed Salah in 2022-23.

The damage was done long before Guirassy's late goal, however, with Zagreb now having lost their last eight games against German opposition, conceding 28 times in the process.

Dortmund, by contrast, have managed to win seven of their last nine games in the competition, and will be looking towards the knockout stages after an encouraging showing in Croatia.

Joe Marler has announced his retirement from professional rugby, revealing he will "finally jump off the rollercoaster" following Harlequins' clash with Bristol Bears on Friday.

The former England prop will bring the curtain down on his decorated career at the age of 34.

Marler has spent his entire club career with Harlequins, winning two Premiership titles, the European Challenge Cup and making over 200 appearances.

He also earned 95 caps for England, who he represented at three World Cups - helping them reach the 2019 final and 2023 semi-finals - while also winning three Six Nations Championships.

"The time has come to finally jump off the rollercoaster and walk away from this beautifully brutal game," he said in a statement. "On Friday night, I'll play my last-ever match for Quins. After all these happy years, it's over.

"I feel lucky to have pulled on the jersey worn by so many idols of mine, and so many better players.

"That's an incredible thing to me. I got to stand alongside so many great players and people that have made this club so special."

Red Star Belgrade claimed the first win of their Champions League campaign, coming from behind to thrash Stuttgart 5-1 at the Stadion Rajko Mitic on Wednesday. 

This was only the Serbian SuperLiga leaders' third ever win in the competition, and they had to come from behind to move up to 31st in the standings after five games.  

Ermedin Demirovic opened the scoring for the visitors in the fifth minute, capitalising on some slack defending to net his seventh goal of the season in all competitions.

However, Stuttgart loanee Silas Katompa Mvumpa restored parity six minutes later, driving from midfield before sending a curled effort beyond Alexander Nubel. 

The hosts were ahead just past the half-hour mark through Rade Krunic, who netted his first club goal for over two years, his last coming for AC Milan in the 2022-23 campaign. 

Red Star continued to threaten after the interval and were rewarded in the 65th minute when Mirko Ivanic ghosted in at the far post to head in his side's third. 

Krunic turned provider four minutes later, teeing up Nemanja Radonjic before the Serbian striker notched his second a minute from time with a low left-footed finish. 

Data Debrief: Fifth time lucky

After going four games without a win in the competition, Red Star did not look like a side lacking confidence as they confidently dispatched their Bundesliga opponents. 

Their victory was their biggest across both the Champions League and European Cup when conceding first, while they also inflicted Stuttgart’s joint-heaviest defeat in the competition.

Red Star also scored five goals in a game in the Champions League or European Cup for the first time since a 5-0 win at Dundalk in September 1988, while it was their biggest triumph in the competition since beating Portadown 4-0 in October 1991.

Sturm Graz climbed from the bottom of the Champions League table after Mika Biereth's second-half strike in a 1-0 victory over Girona on Wednesday.

Sturm's Biereth broke the deadlock just before the hour mark, slotting home from close range after Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga had saved a shot from inside the box.

Girona should have scored midway through the first half when Ivan Martin found himself unmarked in front of an unguarded net but he somehow sent the ball over the bar.

That miss characterised familiar struggles for Michel's men in this competition, with last season's surprise package in LaLiga slipping down to 30th in the standings.

Girona have just one win to their name in this season's Champions League, in which Sturm collected their first points of the campaign with this victory.

Data Debrief: Away-day struggles for Girona

Girona have lost all three of their away games in the Champions League without scoring a goal, becoming the first Spanish side to ever suffer consecutive defeats in their first three away matches in the competition.

Goals remain an issue for Michel's side, who have failed to score in three of their five games, only Bologna (four) and Salzburg (four) have failed to score more often in the 2024-2025 tournament.

Wednesday also marked Sturm Graz's first win against a Spanish side in Europe, previously losing five of their six such matches (D1).