Published: October 1, 2021 5:25 pm
Last Updated: October 1, 2021 6:33 pm
A whole host of Premier League clubs sent scouts to take in the action between Benfica and Barcelona on Wednesday night, according to reports.
Nunez at the double
Portuguese powerhouse Benfica welcomed struggling Barca to the Estadio da Luz 48 hours ago, for a crunch Champions League group stage clash.
Both sides headed into the action eyeing a first victory of the European campaign, with Ronald Koeman’s visitors, in particular, desperate for a bounce-back result after being thumped 3-0 by Bayern Munich.
When all was said and done in Lisbon, though, the woes of the Blaugrana were only compounded.
Another abysmal performance ultimately saw Barca slip to a 2nd-straight 3-goal defeat, dealing a heavy blow to any hopes of a spot in the knockout rounds of the Champions League.
Darwin Nunez proved the star of the show, bagging a brace either side of Rafa Silva’s effort twenty minutes from time to guide Benfica to a historic result.
Benfica lead against Barcelona after just three minutes! 😳
Darwin Nunez cuts inside and fires beyond Ter Stegen! 💥#UCL pic.twitter.com/mFlHhqv85j
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) September 29, 2021
Giants watch on
As outlined above, though, representatives from the two sides in action were far from the only ones to have taken in the altogether one-sided action at the Estadio da Luz on Wednesday.
According to reports, originating in Portuguese outlet A Bola, over 30 clubs sent scouts to Lisbon, to watch proceedings unfold.
Amongst those in attendance were staff members from Premier League outfits Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, Manchester City, Liverpool, Leicester, Southampton and Leeds.
In addition, European heavyweights Juventus, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid were too present.
Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea sent scouts to watch Benfica thump Barcelona 3-0 as they eye Darwin Nunez transfer raid https://t.co/xo06tVqz73
— The Sun – Arsenal (@SunArsenal) October 1, 2021
Who, though, were those in the Portuguese capital there to watch?
The obvious answer would be star performer Darwin Nunez, who, on the back of heavy links to Brighton & Hove Albion during the summer, has enjoyed a hugely productive opening to the new campaign.
His latest brace took the 22-year-old’s tally to six goals in seven appearances in 2021/22, with top clubs, in turn, no doubt keeping a close eye on the talented Uruguayan’s development.
Other potential transfer targets came in the form of left-back Alex Grimaldo, tipped for a potential return to Barcelona this week, Julian Weigl, rumoured to be on the wishlist of Chelsea, and Sergi Roberto, out of contract at the Camp Nou next summer.
The stellar early season form of Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo, meanwhile, has too likely piqued attentions across the continent.
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This article was edited by
Conor Laird.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Liverpool FC | 6 | 11 | 14 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 6 | 11 | 13 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 6 | 10 | 13 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 6 | 8 | 13 |
| 5 | Everton FC | 6 | 5 | 13 |
| 6 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 6 | 3 | 13 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| 8 | Aston Villa | 6 | 2 | 10 |
| 9 | Brentford FC | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| 10 | Arsenal FC | 6 | -5 | 9 |
| 11 | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | -5 | 9 |
| 12 | Watford FC | 6 | -2 | 7 |
| 13 | Leicester City | 6 | -3 | 7 |
| 14 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 6 | -2 | 6 |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 6 | -3 | 6 |
| 16 | Southampton FC | 6 | -3 | 4 |
| 17 | Newcastle United | 6 | -7 | 3 |
| 18 | Leeds United | 6 | -8 | 3 |
| 19 | Burnley FC | 6 | -6 | 2 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 6 | -14 | 0 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 5 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 5 |
| Maupay, Neal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 4 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 4 |
| Sarr, Ismaila | Watford FC | 4 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 3 |
| Gray, Demarai | Everton FC | 3 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 3 |
| Lukaku, Romelu | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 3 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 3 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 3 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 3 |
| Greenwood, Mason | Manchester United | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 2 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 2 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 2 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 2 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 0 | 3 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Cooper, Liam | Leeds United | 0 | 3 |
| Etebo, Oghenekaro | Watford FC | 0 | 3 |
| Skipp, Oliver | Tottenham Hotspur | 0 | 3 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 0 | 1 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 2 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 0 | 2 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 2 |
| Alonso, Marcos | Chelsea FC | 0 | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 2 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 2 |
| Ritchie, Matt | Newcastle United | 0 | 2 |
| Westwood, Ashley | Burnley FC | 0 | 2 |
| Gudmundsson, Johann | Burnley FC | 0 | 2 |
| Duffy, Shane | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 2 |
| Norgaard, Christian | Brentford FC | 0 | 2 |
| Rudiger, Antonio | Chelsea FC | 0 | 2 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 7 |
| Antonio, Michail | West Ham United | 3 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 3 |
| Saint-Maximin, Allan | Newcastle United | 3 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 3 |
| Kovacic, Mateo | Chelsea FC | 3 |
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Benrahma, Said | West Ham United | 2 |
| Townsend, Andros | Everton FC | 2 |
| Ings, Danny | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | 2 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 2 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 2 |
| Gross, Pascal | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2 |
| King, Joshua | Watford FC | 2 |
| Pereira, Ricardo | Leicester City | 2 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 2 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 2 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa | 2 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 1 |
