Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Chelsea manager Frank Lampard were both left to reflect on key penalty incidents as they began their Champions League campaigns with defeats.
Ross Barkley missed a late chance to equalise for Chelsea from the spot as they lost 1-0 at home to Valencia.
Meanwhile, Napoli’s first goal in their 2-0 win over holders Liverpool came from a dubious spot-kick..
Rodrigo of Valebncia celebrates scoring against Chelsea
German referee Felix Brych pointed to the spot with eight minutes left when Andy Robertson was judged to have fouled Jose Callejon.
Dries Mertens converted the spot-kick before former Tottenham striker Fernando Llorente sealed the win with a second goal in stoppage-time.
Chelsea boss Lampard was also left to rue a key penalty incident when he saw Barkley’s late effort clip the top of the bar.
Napoli players celebrate beating Liverpool 2-0
There were confusing scenes moments earlier when it initially looked like Jorginho, who scored for Chelsea in their Super Cup defeat to Liverpool last month, was about to take the penalty.
However, Barkley was insistent and ended up taking the ball after discussions with several of his team-mates including Brazilian captain Cesar Azpilicueta.The miss capped a frustrating night for Chelsea, who also saw midfielder Mason Mount forced off with an ankle injury during the first half.
Like Lampard, Klopp felt his side deserved at least a point, with defeat meaning they are the first winners of the competition to lose the opening game of the following campaign since AC Milan in 1994.
“This was a much better game than we played last time when we lost 1-0 in the last minute to Napoli last season,” said Klopp. “It was an open game, in moments we controlled the game, but we had a lot of counter-attacks and didn’t finish them off.
Despite the defeat Lampard is confident his side can progress from the group, though he wants his side to bounce back quickly when they host Liverpool in the Premier League this weekend.
