Arsenal kept their hopes of winning a famous double on track with a fiery 2-2 draw in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie at Sporting CP on Thursday.
The Gunners took the lead, went behind and fought back to ensure it ended all square at Estadio Jose Alvalade in a four-goal encounter high on drama.
First-half headers from William Saliba and Goncalo Inacio left the two sides on level terms at the break, before Paulinho's tap-in had pushed Ruben Amorim's men in front.
But a Hidemasa Morita own goal just beyond the hour mark ensured Mikel Arteta's Premier League leaders will head into next week's second leg level with the Portuguese side.
On a humid evening, both teams started in cagey fashion, creating few clear-cut chances amid an atmosphere of simmering tension.
That taut mood increased in the 22nd minute when Saliba rose to power Fabio Vieira's corner home, with an off-the-ball altercation involving Oleksandr Zinchenko then sparking a minor melee.
Sporting refused to be cowed by their concession though, and took just a dozen minutes to strike back in near-identical fashion, with Inacio the man to divert a Marcus Edwards set-piece past Matt Turner.
The hosts then hit the front just 10 minutes after the restart, when Turner parried a Pote attempt straight to Paulinho, who fired home from close range.
Arsenal rose to the occasion once again though, albeit not without controversy after Bukayo Saka was adjudged to have been committed a foul in the build-up to Granit Xhaka's finish ricocheting in off Morita.
That left the tie nicely poised ahead of the return leg at Emirates Stadium next week.
Bellingham hails 'big player' Mbappe in Stuttgart triumph
Jude Bellingham lauded yet another landmark moment in the career of Kylian Mbappe after the Frenchman marked his Champions League debut for Real Madrid with a goal.
Mbappe, who has five goals in his first seven games for his new club, opened the scoring in Los Blancos' 3-1 win over Stuttgart on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old's effort saw him net his 49th Champions League goal, with only Robert Lewandowski (61) scoring more in the competition since Mbappe's debut.
He also became the second Frenchman to score on his debut for Madrid in the competition, joining Christian Karembeu who netted against Bayer Leverkusen in 1998.
Bellingham explained how quickly Mbappe has settled into life in the Spanish capital, saying: "He's going to be a huge player for us, this season and beyond.
"He always delivers so far, it's a lot of pressure coming to a club like Madrid, but he's taken to it really easily and the lads love him already."The encounter against Stuttgart also marked Bellingham's return to the side after the England midfielder missed the last four games with a muscle injury.
Upon his return, Bellingham won more tackles (two) and accumulated the highest pass accuracy (93.3%) of anyone in the Los Blancos side.
Across all competitions last year, Bellingham made 42 appearances, notching 23 goals and laying on a further 13 assists in his debut year at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Having also starred for England at Euro 2024, the 21-year-old was excited to be back out on the pitch and is aiming for more success this term.
"Three-and-a-half weeks [out] has been difficult. I've not been injured a lot in my career, so whenever it happens, I'm a bit impatient," he said.
“But this time I wanted to take it slowly and agreed this would be the game I came back in – maybe off the bench – but I was buzzing to start.
"In the first half I left it all out there, I was that excited and all over the place, just wanting to create and get in the box.
“Second half, I probably just ran out of a bit of steam, so I stayed a little bit deeper, but I'm getting used to being back, finding my feet again and I'm sure I'll be fine this season."
AC Milan 1-3 Liverpool: Reds recover from early scare for winning start
Liverpool celebrated their return to the Champions League with a 3-1 victory over AC Milan at San Siro on Tuesday, overcoming a shaky start for a comfortable triumph.
The Reds got off to an awful start when Christian Pulisic finished Milan's deadly counter-attack in the third minute, aided by Liverpool's disorganised defending on their return to the competition after a year's absence.
Arne Slot's side turned things around, however, as Ibrahima Konate equalised in the 23rd minute when he leapt high above a crowd of defenders to head in Trent Alexander-Arnold's free kick.
Virgil van Dijk put Liverpool ahead after nodding home Kostas Tsimikas' corner prior to the break before Dominik Szoboszlai sealed victory in the 67th minute, slotting into the far corner from Cody Gakpo's cross after Milan gave up possession.
Slot's first Champions League game at the helm of Liverpool ended in deserved victory, and it was a terrific response from his team after their shock 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Defensive delight for Reds
With Konate and Van Dijk both on target, Liverpool had two defenders score in the same Champions League game for the first time.
It marked a fitting way for Van Dijk to celebrate a landmark appearance, becoming just the third Dutch player to score on his 50th outing in the competition, after Ruud van Nistelrooy and Roy Makaay (both in 2005).
Alexander-Arnold's assist for Liverpool's equaliser was also his 80th for the Reds. Since his debut in October 2016, only Kevin De Bruyne (146) and team-mate Mohamed Salah (90) have provided more in all competitions among Premier League players.
Those defensive performances at the other end of the pitch helped Liverpool to a fifth win in their last six away games against Italian sides in all competitions (L1), having won just three of their first 14 such visits (D3 L8).
Slot delighted by birthday treat after Liverpool's Champions League recovery
Arne Slot hailed Liverpool's recovery powers as the Reds marked their manager's birthday with a battling Champions League victory over AC Milan.
Liverpool's return to the competition after a one-year absence got off to a terrible start as Christian Pulisic fired home just three minutes into Tuesday's clash at San Siro.
Ibrahima Konate swiftly restored parity with a header from Trent Alexander-Arnold's free-kick before Virgil van Dijk marked his 50th appearance in the Champions League with a first-half finish.
Dominik Szoboszlai made sure of the opening-game win after the break as Milan capitulated to a 3-1 defeat in front of their disappointed home supporters.
Victory ensured Slot celebrated his 46th birthday in style, overseeing three points in his first European game in charge of his new club.
"A great way to spend my birthday," the Dutchman said on Amazon Prime.
"We have more than 11 players and the ones that came in did well. You wouldn't have said this after five minutes, but after we did well."
Liverpool were rocked by an early-season Premier League blow on Saturday, falling down 1-0 to Nottingham Forest at Anfield in a shock result.
Former Feyenoord boss Slot was delighted with the reaction as Liverpool made it five wins in their last six away games in Italy in the Champions League.
"Losing Saturday was a blow and to be 1-0 down early here, you are wondering how we react," Slot added.
"But if you can play so good it is – I won't say a disgrace – unbelievable you lose to Forest at home if you can play like this [at Milan]."
Van Dijk became just the third Dutch player to score on his 50th appearance in the competition, after Ruud van Nistelrooy and Roy Makaay (both in 2005).
The Liverpool captain lauded his side's ability to bounce back in what was billed as a battle between two European heavyweights, having shared memorable Champions League finals in 2005 and 2007.
"Obviously I am very pleased with the win and I am pleased with the way we bounced back after a difficult start," Van Dijk told Sky Italy.
"When there is a set-piece we try to be important. The delivery was outstanding in my opinion. I am very pleased that we won and we limited them to only two big chances.
"We have been very successful over the years and I am always grateful for that. Things have moved on, the new manager is here and he has principles that are different.
"We are working on things and there are still things to improve."
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