The intense, intimidating examination by Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille never materialised. Liverpool, again more comfortable on European soil and without the irritation of facing a low block, delivered a ­commanding display to advance on automatic qualification for the last 16 and leave their Premier League troubles behind.

A Dominik Szoboszlai free‑kick, an own goal forced by Jeremie ­Frimpong and a stoppage-time strike from ­the substitute Cody Gakpo gave Arne Slot’s side a merited victory in the south of France.

There are many ways to self-destruct on a football pitch but PSV ­Eindhoven chose one of the more obvious methods.

In opting to play out slowly from the back against high-pressing opponents possessing forwards blessed with the speed and skill of Yoane Wissa and Anthony Gordon, Peter Bosz’s team were always likely to come undone.

The brief ripple of applause at full time said it all. This was a deeply unconvincing display from ­Chelsea, who took 78 agonising minutes to find a way past the might of the champions of Cyprus, and it was not a surprise that Stamford Bridge greeted victory with such a muted response.

The mood was one of relief. There was plenty of angst on a night when the home fans continued their protests against Chelsea’s ­owners. The football was too slow, too ­predictable, and it hardly seemed to register that Moisés Caicedo shattering Pafos FC’s defiance ensured that Liam ­Rosenior’s side will have a chance to secure direct qualification into the ­Champions League last 16 when they visit Napoli in their final game next week.

As Brendon McCullum and Rob Key limp on, perhaps it is worth retracing the steps that brought us here

There will be consequences. There must be consequences. Perhaps there have already been consequences. Harry Brook is very sorry for getting punched by a bouncer in New Zealand. Rob Key is very sorry for overseeing an Ashes tour that in retrospect could probably have been an email. Brendon McCullum is not sorry, but has promised to “look at things over the next little while”, which is basically the same as an apology, so fine.

In the meantime, the travelling circus of English cricket rolls on. There is a white-ball series in Sri Lanka starting on Thursday morning, for which – consequences, remember – McCullum remains as coach, Key remains as managing director and Brook remains as captain. In addition Zak Crawley returns to open the batting in the 50-over team, a fitting reward for not playing a single 50-over game in the whole of 2024 or 2025. Nature heals.

• Briton rues injury-ravaged preparation for slam

• ‘I just didn’t feel like I could scrap the whole match’

Emma Raducanu refused to be too critical of herself after crashing out in the second round of the Australian Open because of her injury-ravaged preparation for the tournament.

The British 28th seed had been hoping to set up another meeting with the world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka but she faded from a promising position and fell to a 7-6 (3), 6-2 defeat against Anastasia Potapova.

Live updates from the day session at Melbourne Park
Women’s and men’s No 1s on Rod Laver Arena
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Sabalenka (1) 2-0 Bai* Bai starts with a slower second serve which Sabalenka easily returns and Bai meekly hits her backhand into the net. Bai is clearly nowhere near Sabalenka’s level. The Belarusian takes the second game and Bai hasn’t got a point yet.

*Sabalenka (1) 1-0 Bai Sabalenka dominates from the get-go. Hitting two backhand winners off Bai’s serve return. She’s loud and looking confident. Make that three, Bai doesn’t even bother stretching to reach it. And the first game is done and dust in slightly over two minutes as Sabalenka fires down a forehand which Bai flails towards but can’t make any contact.

Mission accomplished for Arsenal. A seventh win out of seven ensured Mikel Arteta’s side will head straight into the last 16 of this competition as one of the two top seeds after Gabriel Jesus scored twice – including their 19th goal of the season from a corner – to see off last year’s beaten finalists.

It means that as well as getting one back over an Inter team that they lost to 14 months ago, Arsenal have surpassed their longest winning streak at this level. While Manchester City’s surprise defeat in Norway in the earlier kick-off had removed any jeopardy about them progressing, this was more evidence of the ruthless streak Arsenal have developed under Arteta. The only blot on the copybook in a fourth successive away game in four different competitions was Petar Sucic’s equaliser in the first half after Jesus had given Arsenal an early lead, although this was all about the Brazil striker even after the substitute Viktor Gyökeres sealed the points late on with a classy finish.

It was a contender for shock result of the season. Nobody had given Tottenham any hope after the Premier League disaster here against West Ham on Saturday, one which came coated in vitriol for Thomas Frank. The fans had demanded his immediate removal as the manager, only for him to stagger on.

The execution was stayed. But here were Borussia Dortmund, the Bundesliga’s second-placed team, who had lost only three games all season, to apply the final cut.

To channel Bjørge Lillelien and his famous commentary on Norway’s win against England in 1981: Pep Guardiola, your Manchester City boys took a heck of a beating here on the shores of the Norwegian Sea, below the skies of the aurora borealis, and on the Aspmyra Stadion’s ­artificial pitch graced by this immortal Bodø/Glimt victory which downed a ­continental superpower.

Jonas Gahr Støre was present to witness a win that came courtesy of Kasper Høgh’s two first-half goals plus Jens Petter Hauge’s curled peach after the interval, as Norway’s prime minister escaped Donald Trump’s curious obsession with the Nobel peace prize: another measure of how this result will never be forgotten.

• Annex attempt could bring about Uefa-led boycott

• Implications for World Cup alarming heads of FAs

European football leaders are increasingly concerned about Donald Trump’s wish to annex Greenland, and they have held initial discussions about how the sport could respond.

The Guardian understands the implications for the World Cup this summer were among the topics raised among about 20 football association heads in Budapest on Monday. Talks about the Greenland crisis were held informally on the sidelines of an event organised to celebrate the Hungarian football federation’s 125th anniversary, in the knowledge that a unified European response may be required should Trump seek to escalate the situation.