Champions League briefing: Manchester United embarrass themselves, Kane shines in Bayern-Arsenal draw New York Times (Online) Daniel Taylor It will be remembered among the more ignominious nights in Manchester United's long history of European football. On a night when Real Madrid flexed their muscles again, Arsenal and Bayern Munich went to-to-toe and Aston Villa maintained their immaculate start to this season's Champions League, United's 4-1 defeat at Como represented their heaviest defeat in Europe for more than 30 years. The result leaves Michael Carrick under increasing pressure, not helped by the club captain, Bruno Fernandes, appearing to question the team's tactics in post-match interviews. The performance, in Carrick's words, was “not acceptable.” Fernandes, who was substituted, appeared to lay the blame squarely at the manager's door. Elsewhere, it was a mixed night for Arsenal, drawing 2-2 in an entertaining contest with a Harry Kane-inspired Bayern but losing Bukayo Saka to an early injury. Bernardo Silva scored his first goal for Real Madrid in their 4-1 defeat of RB Leipzig, but a fellow summer signing, Yan Diomande, stole the show with a stunner against his old team. Matchday Three results (Wednesday) Lille 2-4 Galatasaray Como 4-1 Manchester United Bayern Munich 2-2 Arsenal Real Madrid 4-1 Leipzig Inter 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk Sporting CP 2-3 LASK Aston Villa 3-1 Viking Club Brugge 3-0 Lens Real Betis 1-0 Feyenoord In short, yes. A 4-1 defeat at Como was a dreadful night for United — yes, another one — that will crank up the pressure on their beleaguered manager and reinforce the sense of crisis engulfing the club. It also felt like a breaking point for the many United fans who responded to the team's second-half collapse by walking out, en masse, from the scene of their latest ordeal. They had seen enough and, at this stage, it doesn't reflect well on Carrick that it is no longer even a surprise to find United looking so dishevelled and utterly devoid of confidence, and to see Bruno Fernandes less than enamoured with his team's tactical approac h . At the same time, it was difficult not to look at United's line-up and conclude that Lisandro Martinez made some relevant points with his recent criticisms of the club's recruitment. OK, Carrick's issues have been compounded by a run of injuries depriving him of a number of players but all that has done is expose the fact that the 20-time champions of England are nowhere near where a club of their size — and supposedly ambition — ought to be. United's bench in Como featured seven teenagers, none of whom had ever played in the Champions League before. In the case of Jaydan Kamason and Dan Armer, their shirt numbers — 56 and 57 — told their own story. Neither had played in United's first team before. The same applied to Tynan Thompson, who had played in the UEFA Youth League the very same day. It was United's heaviest defeat in Europe since 1994. Their problems are long and complex. They were outclassed. And for the umpteenth time in these Glazer/INEOS years, the thought occurred: What on earth has happened to a once-mighty football club? Sometimes, you can tell immediately when an injury is genuine, when a muscle is torn and the anguish on a player's face is entirely real. Unfortunately, for Bukayo Saka, we have been here before when it comes to the sight of the Arsenal man walking gingerly off a football pitch, clutching his upper leg and wondering about the potential ramifications of a long lay-off. It was unmistakable dejection on his face and, though the damage will not be fully clear until he has undergone a scan, the early indications were not positive. Straight away, Saka could be seen reaching for his leg and then, as the apparent realisation set in, lying flat out on the turf of the Allianz Arena. That it was such an innocuous moment — nothing more than Saka shaping up to play a routine pass — just added to the sense that he, and Arsenal, probably ought to brace themselves for some bad news. Eberechi Eze, who replaced Saka, had put Arsenal into a first-half lead and Declan Rice's late goal secured a deserved draw for the Premier League side. This was also the last night of Champions League football before the winner of this year's men's Ballon d'Or is formally announced. And two of the front-runners for the trophy seemed determined to remind us of their credentials. Harry Kane has now scored in 10 successive Champions League games for Bayern Munich, rattling in a penalty to give his team a second-half lead against Arsenal. Perhaps the most impressive part of Kane's performance, however, was his repertoire of passing, spraying the ball around with a succession of pinpointed through balls and setting up Bayern's opening goal with a beautifully weighted piece of set-up play for Alphonso Davies. In Spain, meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe was also on the scoresheet, curling in a splendid finish in Real Madrid's 4-1 win over RB Leipzig . Who deserves to win? Declan Rice ended the night saying it had to be Kane. Steven Gerrard, the former England captain, said something similar in his television role. But the case for Mbappe is strong, too. And don't forget about the likes of Lamine Yamal and Michael Olise. All eyes now on Monday's announcement. It felt like the night Yan Diomande introduced himself properly to the Bernabeu crowd. It is an impatient industry sometimes and, when your price tag is in the vicinity of ￡120million , you are expected to hit the ground running at a club with Madrid's high expectations. That hasn't gone quite to plan for Diomande since the 19-year-old Ivory Coast international completed his move from RB Leipzig in August. But then consider the way, facing his old club, Diomande opened his Champions League account for his new employers. Has he ever struck a sweeter volley? Kylian Mbappe's face was a picture. So was Jose Mourinho's, blowing out his cheeks in admiration. And Mourinho has seen a lot of things during his years in management. U.S. readers watch here: Incredible technique from Yan Diomandé who scores a beauty against his former club 🤯 Don't miss the #UCL on @paramountplus 📺 https://t.co/MYQI5KgacW — CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 21, 2026 UK readers watch here: Yan Diomandé, that is SUPERB 🚀 📺 Stream on TNT Sports & HBO Max: https://t.co/fRCRh6tXYB https://t.co/9M5r3IPhV0 — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 21, 2026 The ball was still rising as it hit the back of the net. Madrid were winning 3-1 at the time, but this was the outstanding moment of the night. Brahim Diaz's cross had invited Diomande to try his luck and, with one elegant swish of his right boot, it was a spectacular way to announce his presence at the home of the Champions League's most prolific winners.