Uefa Champions League As it Happened: Arsenal 4-1 Galatasaray, FC Basel 1-0 Liverpool

9:50: Liverpool join Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur on the list of clubs to have fallen to FC Basel. Another flat performance in Europe leaves Brendan Rodgers and his side with just three points from two games with back to back clashes with holders Real Madrid on the horizon.

A Danny Welbeck hat-trick put Arsenal firmly in control in the first half against a truly woeful Galatasaray. A red card for Wojciech Szczesny was the only downer on a promising night in Europe on Arsene Wenger's 18th year anniversary at the club.

Real Madrid meanwhile were made to work for three points against Bulgarian minnows Ludogorets and it was a defensive error from the home side that allowed Karim Benzema to score what would be the winner. Tonight's full time scores were:

Atletico Madrid 1-0 Juventus

Malmo FF 2-0 Olympiakos

FC Basel 1-0 Liverpool

Ludogorets 1-2 Real Madrid

Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 Benfica

Arsenal 4-1 Galatasaray

Anderlecht 0-3 Borussia Dortmund

Zenit 0-0 Monaco

FULL TIME

Arsenal 4-1 Galatasaray

9:38: Arsenal denied a late fifth! Wilshere and Welbeck neatly combine to free Cazorla who rounds Muslera despite a heavy first touch, but Semih Kaya gets back to clear the ball off the line. And that will be that.

FULL TIME

FC Basel 1-0 Liverpool

9:36: Liverpool are launching the ball into the Basel box in these final few minutes but it just isn't working. The ball is hoofed away and Serey Die threatens to break onto the end of it but Lovren clears up.

9:34: Liverpool have three minutes of extra time to find an equaliser.

9:33: David Ospina and Yilmaz are both down at the Emirates after a heavy collision. The physios are on the pitch.

9:31: Balotelli has the ball in the back of the net! Basel surrender possession 30 yards out from goal and Gerrard capitalises, clipping an impressive ball over the top into the Italian's path who calmly slots into the bottom corner. The former Milan striker was well offside however, and the linesman wasted no time in raising his flag.

9:29: Mario Balotelli wins a free kick 25 yards out from goal. It's a rather questionable decision, Frei appeared to get the ball in the initial challenge. Gerrard assumes responsibilty for this one from a similar angle in which he scored against Everton on Saturday, but this one is comfortably saved.

9:26: Elsewhere Turan has put Atletico ahead against Juventus, arriving at the near post to poke home a deep cross.

9:25: Real Madrid finally lead in their match with Ludogorets. Marcelo swings a ball into the box that Aleksandrov gets to, but he proceeds to fall over his own feet. Benzema is waiting behind him and tucks away from close range.

9:22: Hamoudi goes down with a cramp but Liverpool elect to play on with Enrique finding Markovic with a neat ball on the edge of the box. He cuts onto his left foot but fires his his effort well wide. A really poor effort. Basel now have the hump with Liverpool for not putting the ball out of play.

Goal! Atletico Madrid 1-0 Juventus (Arda Turan)

Goal! Ludogorets 1-2 Real Madrid (Karim Benzema)

9:20: Oh dear, it hasn't been Raheem Sterling's night. A neat one two on the edge of the box involving Balotelli and Lallana frees Sterling inside the box with just the goalkeeper to beat but he misjudges the pace on the ball completely as it bounces off his knee and straight into the arms of Vaclik

9:18: Lallana, who has come on for the disappointing Coutinho, recieves the ball in the centre and frees Markovic down the right. He reaches the byline but Schar confidently brings the ball out of danger.

9:14: Mario Balotelli is shown a yellow card after a minor confrontation with Xhaka. Wasn't clear, but the Liverpool star appeared to give the Basel midfielder a tap on the cheek.

9:13: Henderson brilliantly finds Sterling in the box but he spurns the opportunity to take a first time shot, trying to work the ball onto his right but his effort is blocked.

9:12: Arsenal make their second change of the evening with Oxlade-Chamberlain making way for Tomas Rosicky.

9:10: Hamoudi strokes a pass from out on the left into the path of Streller whose touch to take the ball around Lovren was superb. His finish into the bottom corner isn't bad either, but the Basel striker was correctly ruled offside.

9:08: Ospina's first job is to pick the ball out of the back of the net as Yilmaz fires confidently into the corner of the net.

Goal! Arsenal 4-1 Galatasaray (Yilmaz)

9:07: Liverpool close! Balotelli fires in a swerving free kick from 30 yards that Vaclik just manages to punch away. It falls to Markovic on the rebound but his first time effort is blocked by Schar. The corner comes into Gerrard but he nods wide.

9:06: Goran Pandev slips a neat ball through to Yilmaz who is felled by the onrushing Szczesny. Penalty, and a red card! David Ospina coming on for Arsenal with Sanchez making way.

RED CARD - Wojciech Szczęsny (Arsenal)

PENALTY - Galatasaray

9:02: Welbeck nearly in for a fourth! The ball from Gibbs was intended for Sanchez but the Chilean was offside. Muslera hesitated anyway, allowing Welbeck to race on but his touch is too heavy and he takes the ball out for a goal kick.

8:59: Welbeck has three! Again he times his run excellently to get on the end of Oxlade-Chamberlain's ball before calmly clipping the ball over Muslera to seal his first Arsenal hat-trick.

8:57: Liverpool are behind! From that corner Basel swing a dangerous ball into the box that Skrtel inexplicably heads back towards his own goal, forcing Mignolet to make a fine diving save. This time he can only palm it as far as Streller who slams the ball into the roof of the net

Goal! Basel 1-0 Liverpool (Marco Streller)

Goal! Arsenal 4-0 Galatasaray (Danny Welbeck)

8:55: Save from Mignolet! Hamoudi bursts into space down the left, cutting inside and firing a low effort on goal. Mignolet gets a hand on it, preventing Streller from tapping home the rebound. Corner to Basel.

8:53: Basel work the ball brilliantly in front of goal, freeing Gonzalez just inside the box. Raheem Sterling tries to get his body across his man to defend but all he seems to do is commit a foul! The appeals for the penalty are fairly muted, and the referee plays on.

8:50: The ball breaks kindly to Sterling down the inside right channel but the Liverpool starlet is stopped in his tracks brilliantly by Serey Die. A few minutes later the Ivorian is in the mix of it on the other side of the pitch, forcing Mario Balotelli into losing possession and winning a free kick for his side.

8:47: And we are back underway for the second half. Will Arsenal take their foot of the pedal with Chelsea looming on Sunday? Can Liverpool find the breakthrough against Basel?

HALF TIME SCORES

Atletico Madrid 0-0 Juventus

Malmo FF 1-0 Olympiakos

FC Basel 0-0 Liverpool

Ludogorets 1-1 Real Madrid

Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Benfica

Arsenal 3-0 Galatasaray

Anderlecht 0-1 Borussia Dortmund

8:34: Arsene Wenger's 18 year anniversary at the Gunners is going alright so far, his side are cruising against a dismal Galatasaray with Danny Welbeck on a hat-trick. Liverpool meanwhile are being held at Basel. There haven't been too many goals elsewhere in Europe either. Ciro Immobile has given Dortmund the leas in Belgium while Real Madrid fell behind to Ludogorets within the first 10 minutes only for Cristiano Ronaldo to level from the spot after missing a penalty earlier on. Bayer Leverkusen lead 2-0 against Benfica while Malmo FF have a one goal advantage against Olympiakos.

HALF TIME

8:32: Sterling cuts in menacingly from the left, skipping away from Xhaka and launches an effort on goal but Vaclik is right behind it and saves.

8:30: Liverpool meanwhile are cranking up the pressure. Enrique is found by a clever dinked pas by Sterling and the Spaniard stands his cross up to the back post where Henderson is poised to nod home, only for Marek Suchy to clear. The corner comes in, but Lovren heads over

8:27: Galatasaray putting in a strong candidate for worst defensive display of the competition. Cesare Pellegrini's back three hasn't got a clue what they are doing and the home side take full advantage, with Ozil slipping a straight forward through ball down the inside left channel for Sanchez to latch onto. No one is tracking his run, allowing him to cut inside and slot past Muslera.

Goal! Arsenal 3-0 Galatasaray (Alexis Sanchez)

8:24: Pause in the Arsenal game as Galatasaray supporters, realising they are unlikely to be entertained on the pitch this evening, launch flares onto the pitch from the corner of the ground. Their goalkeeper Muslera trots over the extinguish them and Wesley Sneijder joins him, pleading with the fans to stop.

8:22: Liverpool meanwhile are still struggling to break down Basel. Coutinho and Markovic combine nicely down the down the left but they can'ty find enough space for a decent shooting opportunity.

8:20: And Galatasaray should be down to ten men. Melo, whose had a nightmare thus far this evening, crashes into Sanchez out on the left with both feet off the ground. He was nowhere near the ball.

8:18: And Welbeck should have a third! The ball is laid off for him just on the edge of the box but his left footed effort is driven into the arms of the goalkeeper.

8:16: Welbeck has another! But it is shambolic from Galatasaray. Chedjou leaps to win a header in midfield but only proceeds to head it backwards right into the path of Welbeck. Melo is once again horribly out of position allowing the Gunners striker to power past him, cut in from the left and calmly slot past Muslera. Easy.

Goal! Arsenal 2-0 Galatasaray (Danny Welbeck)

8:14: Arsenal nearly in again! Flamini bravely wins the ball and lays it off to Cazorla who stabs the ball into the path of Ozil. He steps inside and slides one into the feet of Welbeck but the Sneijder is back in the nick of time to rob possession and clear.

8:11: Take two for Ronaldo as Real Madrid win their second penalty of the evening. This time he makes no mistake and levels the contest.

Goal! Ludogorets 1-1 Real Madrid (Cristiano Ronaldo)

8:08: Arsenal lead! Alexis Sanchez is fed down the left flank and runs menacingly at his man before cutting inside and sliding a ball through to find Welbeck's darting run. Felipe Melo has lost the former United striker who pokes it through Muslera's legs to give his side the lead.

Goal! Arsenal 1-0 Galatasaray (Danny Welbeck)

8:06: Balotelli neatly turns down the left channel but is fouled by Fabian Schar. Liverpool load the box with Steven Gerrard preparing to swing the ball in but his delivery is awful.

8:03: Basel are enjoying a decent start against Liverpool. Steven Gerrard was guilty of letting the ball slip past his a few moments ago, allowing Marcos Streller to pick it up and advance dangerously inside from the left only for Skrtel to block his shot.

8:00: Ozil jogs down the inside right channel to retrieve a long ball but is immediately hustled off it by Wesley Sneijder, who looks well up for doing a defensive shift this evening.

7:57: Ronaldo misses from the spot for Real Madrid! Moments after the Bulgarian minnows took the lead after Marcelinho nodded in from a corner, Javier Hernandez was felled in the box. The world player of the year steps up, but his penalty is brilliantly saved by Stoyanov who got down quickly to his left.

PENALTY - Real Madrid

Goal! Ludogorets 1-0 Real Madrid

Goal! Anderlecht 0-1 Borussia Dortmund (Ciro Immobile)

7:54: Basel's Safari has suffered an early probem after attempting to chase down a loose ball and is currently being helped off the pitch. It looks like his evening could be over.

7:52: The corner is partially cleared but Arsenal keep the pressure on. Cazorla and Sanchez try to work something incredibly intricate inside the box that nearly comes off but Chedjou comes in to clear just in time.

7:50: Terrific run from Welbeck down the left flank as he bursts past two Galatasaray players and into the box. The forward has options across the box but goes for the near post shot. His effort is deflected out and Arsenal have the corner.

7:48: Arsenal moving the ball around crisply in the opening few minutes at the Emirates, working the ball to Welbeck just inside the opposition's box. He tries to swing a return ball back into the path of Ozil but the German is quickly surrounded by defenders and loses out. Chambers retrieves and finds Cazorla but his shot is blocked.

7:45: And we are off and underway across Europe.

7:22: Borussia Dortmund can take charge of Group D this evening if they can take three points from their visit to Anderlecht. 2013 runners up Atletico Madrid are yet to get off the mark after their shock 3-2 defeat to Olympiakos a fortnight ago, they welcome Serie A champions Juventus to the Vicente Calderon tonight in the fixture of the evening.

7:15: There are seven other fixtures across Europe tonight. They are:

Atletico Madrid v Juventus

Malmo FF v Olympiakos

FC Basel v Liverpool

Ludogorets v Real Madrid

Bayer Leverkusen v Benfica

Arsenal v Galatasaray

Anderlecht v Borussia Dortmund

7:09: Basel boast a very healthy record against English opposition over the years. The Swiss side beat Manchester United to eliminate them from the Champions League at the group stages in 2011 and beat Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-finals of the Europa League in 2013. Last season Chelsea lost both group games to the club in this competition - and responded by purchasing their best player Mohamed Salah during the January transfer window.

LINE UPS

Arsenal v Galatasaray

Liverpool: Szczesny, Chambers, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs, Flamini, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sanchez, Ozil, Cazorla, Welbeck

Galatasaray: Muslera, Melo, Dzemaili, Sneijder, Telles, Yilmaz, Pandev, Chedjou, Kaya, Kurtulus, San

Subs: Bolat, Altintop, Bulut, Bruma, Balta, Adin, Camdal

TEAM NEWS - Arsenal: Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta are absent after suffering knocks against Tottenham on Saturday while Jack Wilshere is on the bench after rolling on his ankle in the same game. Mathieu Flamini and Santi Cazorla step into the side in their place while Alexis Sanchez returns to the starting XI.

LINE UPS

FC Basel v Liverpool

Liverpool: Mignolet; Manquillo, Lovren, Skrtel, Enrique; Gerrard, Henderson, Coutinho, Sterling; Markovic, Balotelli

Subs: Jones, Toure, Enrique, Lucas, Suso, Coutinho, Lambert

Basel: Vaclik, Schär, Suchy, Safari, Serey Die, Frei, Hamoudi, Elneny, Xhaka, Streller, Embolo

Subs: Vailati, Zuffi, Delgado, Kakitani, Calla, Gashi, Gonzalez

TEAM NEWS -Liverpool: Adam Lallana is replaced in Brendan Rodgers' starting XI by Philippe Coutinho while Jose Enrique steps in for Luis Alberto. Lazar Markovic retains his place in a front three Mario Balotelli and Raheem Sterling.

6:53: And the final whistle has gone in Russia. Monaco and Zenit take a point each with the Russian side leading Group C by virtue of goal difference. Bayer Leverkusen and Benfica who prop up the group meet later this evening.

6:50: Our early game in Russia between Zenit St Petersburg and Monaco looked to be a rather intriguing battle on paper. It's all been rather tedious however as the contest draws to a close. That's been rather generous, thinking about it. It has been downright awful.

6:45: Arsene Wenger today celebrates 18 years at the Arsenal helm and three points against Galatasaray wouldn't be a bad way to mark the day. The Gunners lost their group opener against Borussia Dortmund a fortnight ago in a match where they were thoroughly outclassed. Injury crisis or not, they must put that behind them this evening and secure three points against Cesare Prandelli's side to keep their hopes of topping the group alive.

Liverpool meanwhile just about scraped through their first Champions League test in five years last time out, needing a last minute penalty from Steven Gerrard to quell the threat of Bulgarian minnows Ludogorets. With back to back meetings with Real Madrid to follow, you feel Brendan Rodgers side need to get three points on the board by 10pm this evening.