The top stories making Thursday’s back pages in the UK…
The Sun: Olivier Giroud saw red on a night of European embarrassment for Arsenal.
Also: Jose Mourinho hit back at Steven Gerrard’s claim of “friction behind the scenes” at Chelsea.
And: Luke Shaw has been told: “You can be back before the end of the season.”
Daily Mirror: Manchester United were left fuming at UEFA’s decision to hand a man-of-the-match award to the player who broke Luke Shaw’s leg.
Also: Jose Mourinho slapped down Steven Gerrard for claiming he had fallen out with John Terry amid “friction” behind the scenes at Chelsea.
And: Gary Lineker was forced to apologise on air after a bizarre mix-up in BT Sport’ s Champions League coverage. At half-time during Arsenal’s defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia , the audio from an infamous video of Harry Redknapp was broadcast.
Daily Star: Jose Mourinho has confirmed Chelsea will be without three first-team stars for their game with Arsenal this weekend.
Also: Arsene Wenger last night cleared red-carded Olivier Giroud of any blame as Arsenal crashed in Croatia.
And: Brendan Rodgers has told his Liverpool side to rediscover their identity to end their shocking start to the season.
Daily Mail: BT Sport were left red-faced as they were forced to apologise for ‘spurious sounds’ being picked up on television during half time of Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night.
Also: Jose Mourinho confidently claimed he’s still one of the best managers in the business as Chelsea returned to winning ways on Wednesday.
Daily Express: Olivier Giroud’s shocking September hit a new low last night in Croatia as Arsenal lost 2-1 to Dinamo Zagreb.
Also: West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna will be out for three weeks after injuring his hamstring in Monday’s 2-0 win over Newcastle.
And: Roy Hodgson is considering asking the FA about the possibility of taking England back on the road in the build-up to Euro 2016.
Metro: Manchester United have a great chance of signing Cristiano Ronaldo this summer, according to reports.
Also: Arsenal’s current squad is strong enough to win the Premier League this season, according to former star Charlie Nicholas.
And: Rio Ferdinand believes Manchester United will deeply regret selling Paul Pogba, who he sees as a future potential Ballon d’Or winner.
Daily Telegraph: Another team sitting back and allowing Arsenal to endlessly keep possession gave them all kinds of difficulty on the break. When will Arsene Wenger learn his lesson?
Also: Jose Mourinho hailed himself as “fantastic” after Chelsea put their poor Premier League start behind them with a comfortable Champions League victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The Times: José Mourinho dismissed Steven Gerrard’s allegations about internal friction at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea returned to winning ways with a 4-0 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge last night.
Also: Arsène Wenger directed the blame for his side’s bitterly disappointing Champions League defeat by Dynamo Zagreb on to Ovidiu Hategan, the Romanian referee, the Arsenal manager insisting that he did not “understand” his decision to send off Olivier Giroud.
The Guardian: Two goals from Thomas Müller and one from the substitute Mario Götze helped Bayern Munich start their Champions League campaign with an impressive victory over Olympiakos at the Karaiskakis stadium.
Also: Zagreb was hit by an earthquake on Tuesday that for about five seconds shook the buildings in the city. For Arsenal, the tremors arrived 24 hours later.
And: The Chelsea manager, José Mourinho, has confirmed that Pedro and Willian will miss Saturday’s Premier League fixture against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
The Independent: Many Arsenal supporters took to Twitter to announce their dismay at striker Olivier Giroud after his red card in the 2-1 loss at Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League tonight.
Also: Chelsea were impressive in their 4-0 win over Israeli champions Maccabi Tel Aviv, keeping a clean sheet for the first time this season and finally showing a bit of attacking flair.
