Sporting Lisbon's Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim, 2024. Photo: AFP
Sporting marked the final home game of coach Ruben Amorim's reign in stunning fashion as Viktor Gyokeres' hat-trick saw them come from behind to thrash Manchester City 4-1 and maintain their superb start to the Champions League.
The Portuguese league leaders were outplayed for most of the first half and should have trailed by more than Phil Foden's early goal.
However Gyokeres levelled it up before the break and then converted two penalties to play a big part in the win.
Amorim, who will take over as Manchester United manager on 11 November, leaves Sporting in a fantastic position in the Champions League group phase with 10 points from four games. City's first defeat leaves them on seven points.
All eyes were on Amorim before kickoff after he accepted United's offer to take over from the sacked Erik Ten Hag.
The highly-rated 39-year-old has landed two Portuguese titles in four years with Sporting and they have started this season's domestic championship with 10 wins from 10 games.
Liverpool's Luis Diaz scored a hat-trick as they maintained their perfect Champions League campaign with a barnstorming second-half display in a 4-0 victory over Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen at Anfield.
Arne Slot's men, who top the Premier League table, provisionally lead the standings of Europe's elite club competition with their fourth win in four matches, with Aston Villa, the only other team with a 100 percent record, playing Club Brugge in their fourth game on Wednesday.
Celtic's Nicolas Kuehn scored twice and Reo Hatate added another as the Scottish champions fought back to beat RB Leipzig 3-1.
Coming off a goalless draw at Atalanta in the previous matchday, Celtic recorded their second home win in the Champions League first round to provisionally sit 13th on seven points.
AC Milan's Malick Thiaw, Alvaro Morata and Tijjani Reijnders all got on the scoresheet in a surprise 3-1 win at holders Real Madrid.
Real are languishing in 17th place in the 36-team Champions League table with six points, one spot ahead of Milan on goal difference after four games.
-Reuters
