Benitez VS Eriksson 0-0

After a weekend full of fast-paced and high-scoring matches in the Premier League, this game was more of a fine exhibition of technique and tactics, and was very much a battle of wits between the two managers.

The tone was set by the cagey fashion in which the match started, with City and Liverpool both defending their respective exemplary home and away records.

Both bosses were forced to field unfamiliar defences, with full back Alvaro Arbeloa filling in at centre back in the absence of both Sami Hyypia and Daniel Agger for Liverpool, while Michael Ball and Nedum Onuoha had rare starts for City, with regular right back Vedran Corluka deployed in an advanced midfield role.

It was Rafael Benitez's side who were given the time to keep more of the ball, though Sven Goran-Eriksson's team were content to sit deep and try to hit on the break through the pace of Martin Petrov and find lone front man Darius Vassell.

It was difficult for either side to carve open a clear-cut opportunity, though there were plenty of shots blocked and timely interceptions.

Derby suffered their 15th defeat of the season as Blackburn Rovers came from a goal down to win 2-1 at Pride Park.

Rams captain Matt Oakley opened the scoring for the home side before Roque Santa Cruz's equaliser, a minute after Brad Friedel saved a Steve Howard penalty, and David Bentley's strike from distance gave Mark Hughes' side all three points.

The result leaves Paul Jewell and his team eight points adrift at the bottom of the table, while Rovers move above West ham into ninth.

Although Derby had to endure large spells of Blackburn possession and creativity, they were positive going forward themselves, and just before the half hour mark Lewis' diagonal ball was knocked on by Giles Barnes for captain Oakley to mark his 250th league appearance by firing the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Friedel.

The goal marked the consecutive game in which Blackburn had conceded the first goal, and it knocked the visitors out of their stride somewhat, and soon afterwards Ryan Nelsen fouled Kenny Miller in the area.

Arsenal FC are the leaders

Arsenal FC will go into 2008 as the leaders of the Premier League after victory against Everton FC was combined with a surprise 2-1 defeat for Manchester United FC against West Ham United FC.

Arsenal rally
The result left United just a point clear of Arsenal, who travelled to an in-form Everton side knowing that victory would give them a two-point advantage at the summit. It was the home side who had the better of the first half and they deservedly led at the break thanks to a brave Tim Cahill header after 19 minutes. However, Arsenal rallied in a stormy second half where both sides had a player sent off - Mikel Arteta for Everton and Niclas Bendtner for Arsenal - scoring four times through Eduardo da Silva (47 & 58), Emmanuel Adebayor (78) and Tomáš Rosický (90).

Man United stunned & Chelsea Win

Manchester United FC were beaten 2-1 by West Ham United FC in the Premier League, allowing Arsenal FC the chance to regain top spot later on a Saturday where Chelsea FC left it late before overcoming Newcastle United FC.

United stunned
Champions United were seemingly on their way to a sixth successive league win when in-form Portuguese playmaker Cristiano Ronaldo found the net for the 13th time in the English top flight this season on 14 minutes at Upton Park. However they fell to only their second defeat in 18 games in all competitions when first Anton Ferdinand (77) and then Matthew Upson (82) turned the match in West Ham's favour. The result left the visitors just a point clear of Arsenal, who travel to Everton FC this evening.

Kalou clincher
Chelsea closed the gap on the leaders to four points at Stamford Bridge when they defied an injury-ravaged squad to beat Newcastle 2-1. Michael Essien had given Avram Grant's side the lead on 29 minutes and after Nicky Butt (56) equalised they managed to clinch the three points through Salomon Kalou just three minutes from time.

Four-goal Berbatov
Elsewhere, there was a remarkable game at White Hart Lane where Tottenham Hotspur FC beat Reading FC 6-4 thanks to four goals by Dimitar Berbatov and Aston Villa FC came from behind to claim victory 2-1 at Wigan Athletic FC. Middlesbrough FC also got three important away points, beating Portsmouth FC 1-0, Sunderland FC moved out of the relegation zone after a 3-1 win against Bolton Wanderers FC, and the points were shared at St.Andrews where Birmingham City FC and Fulham FC drew 1-1.

Totti scored twice for Roma's victory

Francesco Totti scored both goals in the 2-0 defeat of UC Sampdoria to take AS Roma to within four points of the Serie A summit after Genoa CFC had edged their encounter with Parma FC 1-0.

Chipped penalty
Roma were missing a number of first-team regulars with Rodrigo Taddei and Alberto Aquilani out injured and Philippe Mexes suspended but Totti, himself looking for match fitness having only recently returned from a foot complaint, revived the Giallorossi's title aspirations with a penalty (17), awarded for a foul on Matteo Ferrari by Stefano Lucchini, which he cheekily chipped in.

Landmark goal
Sampdoria almost equalised three minutes from time when Andrea Caracciolo's volley was superbly repelled by goalkeeper Doni but Totti (89) sealed the match from close range with his 160th Serie A goal. Luciano Spalletti's side lie second on 36 points while FC Internazionale Milano, who face AC Milan on Sunday, lead the Scudetto race with 40. Earlier, Marco Borriello (43) also netted a spot-kick to hand Genoa a narrow win against Parma, whom they leapfrogged by a point to move into eleventh place.

Valencia earn valuable point

Ronald Koeman's Valencia CF came from two goals down to scramble a 2-2 draw at Real Zaragoza on Saturday to put the brakes on their slump in form while Sevilla FC were 4-1 winners against Real Racing Club Santander.

Valencia rally
Valencia were in trouble after a penalty from Argentine striker Diego Milito (18) and an own goal by goalkeeper Juan Luis Mora (29) put Zaragoza 2-0 up at the break. Serbia striker Nikola Žigić headed one back 13 minutes from time before winger David Silva earned his side their second point in five outings.

Koeman dismissal
Koeman had to watch most of the second half from the stands after he was sent off for losing his cool on the touchline. His side had made a bad start at La Romareda, third-choice keeper Mora giving away a penalty after clattering into striker Ricardo Oliveira. Milito took his tally for the season to nine goals when he sent Mora the wrong way from the spot.

Mora mistakes
Mora, preferred to Santiago Cañzares, then committed another error on the half-hour mark when he palmed a swirling cross from Sergio García into his own net. Valencia were lucky not to concede a third before the break and their luck changed when Koeman threw on Žigić in the second half, the Serbian international scoring their first league goal in five outings. Silva then weaved his way past two players and sent a curling shot into the far corner with seven minutes to go. Valencia lie seventh place on 26 points while Zaragoza are tenth on 21.

Sevilla success
Sevilla moved up to eighth after hitting four goals against Racing, who had the measure of their hosts for 66 minutes. Ezequiel Garay (49) had equalised Frédéric Kanouté's opener before the UEFA Champions League hopefuls moved through the gears with goals from Ernesto Chevanton (66), Jesús Navas (85) and Adriano Correia (90). Meanwhile, Getafe CF are eleventh in the Primera División after a 2-0 win at UD Almería who had Albert Crusat sent off (77). Lucas Licht (37) and De La Red (85) were the visitors' goalscorers.

Arsenal stretch lead after derby win

Arsenal FC survived a scare against arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur FC, who missed a penalty, before emerging 2-1 winners in the north London derby on Saturday to extend their Premier League lead to four points.

Bendtner winner
Arsène Wenger's side were below their best for much of the game but the hosts took the points with a 76th-minute header by substitute Nicklas Bendtner after Spurs striker Dimitar Berbatov had cancelled out Emmanuel Adebayor's 48th-minute opener. The turning point of the match came when, with the match evenly-poised at 1-1, Manuel Almunia saved a penalty from Robbie Keane - who had earlier hit the bar - minutes before Bendtner headed in Cesc Fábregas's corner with his first touch.

Liverpool lifted
The Gunners lead the way on 43 points, four ahead of Manchester United FC, who play Everton FC on Sunday, while Chelsea FC, also in action on Sunday at Blackburn Rovers FC, are third on 34. Liverpool FC moved up to within a point of fourth-placed Manchester City FC after ending Portsmouth FC's sequence of seven consecutive away wins with a 4-1 win at Anfield. Yossi Benayoun (13) and a Sylvain Distin own goal (16) gave the Reds a 2-0 lead, which was halved by Benjani Mwaruwari (57), before Fernando Torres ended the contest with two fine strikes (67, 85).

City held
Manchester City remain without an away win since the opening day of the season after being held 1-1 at Aston Villa FC as Rolando Bianchi's opener (11) was cancelled out by Norwegian international John Carew (14). At the other end of the table Bolton Wanderers FC's perfect home run under Gary Megson continued after El Hadji Djouf (72) and Nicolas Anelka (78, 90) earned the Trotters a 3-0 win that saw them leapfrog opponents Birmingham City FC and Middlesbrough AFC.

Late winners
Middlesbrough lost 2-1 against West Ham United FC, for whom Scott Parker scored a last-minute winner, while Sunderland AFC also conceded a last-gasp Stephen Hunt effort that presented Reading with a 2-1 victory. Elsewhere, Fulham FC and Wigan Athletic FC shared a 1-1 draw.

Gallas strike puts Arsenal back on top

A William Gallas goal gave Arsenal FC a 1-0 win over Chelsea FC 1-0 to reclaim first place in the Premier League after Carlos Tévez had earlier given Manchester United FC a 1-0 victory at Liverpool FC to briefly put his side in top spot.

Čech error
In a competitive game at The Arsenal Stadium, John Terry had to be withdrawn in the first half after a challenge with Emmanuel Eboue had the Chelsea captain limping heavily. Both sides struggled to create chances before the break and it took a mistake just before half-time for the breakthrough to come. Cesc Fabregas' corner was completely missed by away goalkeeper Petr Čech and William Gallas headed into the empty net.

Lively second period
The game opened up after the break and both John Obi Mikel and Shaun Wright-Phillips went close for Chelsea while Robin van Persie had a goal ruled out for offside. Despite some late pressure from the west London side, Arsenal held out for the three points.

Eto'o strikes sink sorry Valencia

Samuel Eto'o scored twice as FC Barcelona demolished Valencia CF 3-0 on Saturday night after neighbours RCD Espanyol were 1-0 winners against lowly Levante UD.

Irresistible
Valencia, without either a win or a goal from their last five matches, were hoping to pick themselves up after finishing at the foot of their UEFA Champions League group on Tuesday. However, their misery continued as Barça put them to the sword with a devastating performance, in which Eto'o was irresistible.

Eto'o strikes
The Cameroonian international put the visitors ahead on 13 minutes when he recieved a Lionel Messi pass, turned two defenders and sent a fierce left-foot strike past Santiago Cañizares. Eto'o doubled his tally (27) when he finished off a fine team move involving Eidur Gudjohnsen and Messi and Gudjohnsen made it 3-0 (62) to complete a victory that moved Frank Rijkaard's side to within a point of leaders Real Madrid CF, who host CA Osasuna on Sunday, before facing Barcelona at Camp Nou next weekend.

Jarque goal
Earlier in the evening Espanyol moved into fourth place after a narrow win against bottom side Levante. Daniel Jarque González scored the only goal of the match on nine minutes when he followed up on a rebound after his initial header had been parried by Marco Storari. The home side held on to their slender lead to move into the UEFA Champions Leage places while Levante remain rooted to the foot of the Primera División with seven points from 16 matches.

Del Piero at the double for Juventus

David Trezeguet's 12th league goal of the season and an Alessandro Del Piero double took Juventus up to joint-second place in Serie A after a thrilling 3-2 win against S.S. Lazio while Udinese Calcio failed to stay in touch after slipping to their third defeat of the campaign.

Trezeguet strike
Juventus continued their seamless transition to top-flight football with an exciting victory at the Stadio Olimpico. The hosts had been hoping to erase the memory of their midweek UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid CF but fell behind when Trezeguet pounced from close range to give his side the lead (29). However, Goran Pandev, who scored in Spain, headed Lazio level six minutes later in an open affair.

Del Piero double
With Vincenzo Iaquinta and Mauro Camoranesi out injured Del Piero took the rare opportunity to impress from the start by restoring the lead when he sprang the offside trap and raced half the length of the field before coolly beating Marco Ballotta (48). And, after Gianluigi Buffon pulled off a series of extraordinary saves for the visitors, the Juve captain scored again with a powerful shot (70). Pandev was again on target late on but the Turin-based outfit held on to move level on 32 points with AS Roma, who travel to Torino FC on Sunday, and five points behind leaders FC Internazionale Milano.

Udinese loss
Udinese missed out on the chance to keep up with the top three after succumbing to their third defeat of the season at Calcio Catania. Giuseppe Mascara scored early on for the hosts and doubled his tally four minutes from time to take his side up to eighth in the table and put one over on former coach Pasquale Marino, who left Catania for the Friulani in the summer.

Manchester United 1-0 win at Liverpool

A Carlos Tévez goal gave Manchester United FC a 1-0 win at Liverpool FC that puts nine points beween the two sides in the Premier League table.

Tévez strike
Liverpool were the dominant side in the first half and saw a Harry Kewell effort cleared off the line by Anderson. However, United struck in the 42nd minute after a Ryan Giggs corner found Wayne Rooney whose shot was diverted in by Tévez.

Liverpool pressure
The second half brought more Liverpool pressure but the away side still managed to carve out good opportunities with Rooney missing the best of them after he was unable to convert a Cristiano Ronaldo cross. Liverpool manager Rafa Benítez made a raft of substitutions but the home side could not force an equaliser in a big blow to their championship bid.

Liverpool - United 0-1 Tevez

Milan rule the world by beating Boca 4-2

AC Milan beat Boca Juniors 4-2 today to become the first European winners of the FIFA Club World Cup. A double from Filippo Inzaghi and goals from Alessandro Nesta and Kaka earned the Italians a deserved victory at the International Stadium in Yokohama, where a sell-out crowd was treated to a fitting climax to a thrilling tournament.

It took Carlo Ancelotti's side 21 minutes to make the breakthrough. Kaka drove at the Boca defence and after his shot was blocked, he instinctively and superbly drove the ball into the path of Inzaghi, who did not require a second invitation to slot the ball home from six yards. From the restart, though, Boca quickly moved the ball up the other end and Rodrigo Palacio nodded home to level the scores.

Play resumed at a frenetic pace following the interval and within five minutes, Nesta's stunning volley restored Milan's advantage. A couple of menacing runs from the lively Kaka threatened to add to their lead, while only the post denied Hugo Ibarra a superb, long-range equaliser.

milan 4-2 boca

With Kaka in inspirational form, though, Milan began to dominate proceedings and it was the Brazilian who made it 3-1 just after the hour mark, slotting through the goalkeeper's legs from a tight angle after a purposeful charge down the left flank. The 25-year-old, a candidate to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award at tomorrow's Gala, then supplied a second goal for Inzaghi in the 71st minute.

A Massimo Ambrosini own goal reduced the deficit with time running out, but the day belonged to AC Milan, who succeeded where the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United (both 2000), Liverpool (2005) and Barcelona (2006) had failed.

Milan champion

Manchester City bounce back as Portsmouth slip

Manchester City FC came from behind to beat Bolton Wanderers FC 4-2, keep their 100 per cent home record and move joint-fourth in the Premier League alongside Portsmouth FC, who lost 1-0 at home against Tottenham Hotspur FC, and Liverpool FC.

Berbatov winner
The four leading title contenders are in action on Sunday, with champions Manchester United FC playing Liverpool at Anfield before leaders Arsenal FC host third-placed Chelsea FC. And Portsmouth missed the chance to move two points ahead of Liverpool after conceding Dimitar Berbatov's 81st-minute winner at Fratton Park.

Ninth home win
City, on the other hand, became the only Premier League club to have won all nine of their home matches this season. But they had to come back from 2-1 down after El Hadji Djouf (31) and Kevin Nolan (40) cancelled out Rolando Bianchi's opening goal (7). A Ľubomír Michalík own-goal got Sven-Göran Eriksson's side back into the game three minutes after the break and Darius Vassell (77) and Kelvin Etuhu (90) completed a fine victory.

Eight-goal thriller
Struggling Wigan Athletic FC were the day's big scorers in a rollercoaster match during which they squandered a 3-0 lead before recovering to beat ten-man Blackburn Rovers FC 5-3. Roque Santa Cruz scored a hat-trick for the visitors, who had Brett Emerton sent off for a second bookable offence in the 57th minute, to make it 3-3. But the hosts, who had Emile Heskey carried off on a stretcher (38), took the lead again as Marcus Bent completed his own treble nine minutes from time, adding to earlier efforts by Denny Landzaat (10) and Paul Scharner (37).

Eight-goal thriller
Yakubu Ayegbeni scored his eighth goal in seven matches and Andy Johnson also struck to help Everton FC defeat West Ham FC 2-0 and move up to seventh, Sunderland drew 1-1 with Aston Villa FC but bottom-placed Derby County's misery continued with a 1-0 home defeat by Middlesbrough AFC. Elsewhere, Birmingham City FC and Reading FC shared a 1-1 draw and, in the later kick-off, Joey Barton's last-minute penalty earned Newcastle FC a 1-0 win at Fulham FC.

Bremen join Bayern at Bundesliga summit

Werder Bremen joined FC Bayern München at the top of the Bundesliga at the halfway stage of the season after a 5-2 defeat of Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Bayern's 0-0 draw at Hertha BSC Berlin.

Klasnić double
Werder fell behind early on to a seventh-minute Tranquillo Barnetta opener but goals from Ivan Klasnić (30, 63), Diego (50), Clemens Fritz (58) and Markus Rosenberg (69) helped Thomas Schaaf's side make up for their UEFA Champions League exit in midweek. Although Stefan Kiessling grabbed a late consolation for the hosts, Bayern's goalless draw in Berlin ensured Werder a share of top spot over the winter break with 36 points from 17 matches.

Hamburger held
Hamburger SV failed to take advantage of Bayern's latest setback as they had to scrap for a 1-1 draw at Karlsruher SC, which left them four points behind the leaders in third place. Croatian international Ivica Olić struck in the last minute to cancel out Christian Timm's 46th-minute effort.

Dortmund humbled
Elsewhere, VfL Wolfsburg humbled BV Borussia Dortmund 4-0 thanks to goals by Marcel Schäfer (8), Ricardo Costa (11), Christian Gentner (59) and Edin Dzeko (78), champions VfB Stuttgart lost 2-0 at DSC Arminia Bielefeld while Gerard Asamoah's opener (14) and a Marco Engelhardt own goal (35) helped FC Schalke 04 move up to fifth place with a 2-1 success against 1. FC Nürnberg.

Milan meets Boca in the final

The crowd at the International Stadium in Yokohama provided an excellent atmosphere to a close fought encounter between Urawa Red Diamonds and AC Milan, which the Europeans edged, thanks to Clarence Seedorf's 68th minute goal.

AC Milan had the better of the opening stages. Andrea Pirlo saw a free-kick well saved by the goalkeeper and captain Massimo Ambrosini's header was narrowly off target. The Italians had the majority of the possession, but were frustrated by a well-organised Urawa defence.

The Japanese team had two good chances to score after half time when Alessandro Nesta almost put the ball through his own net and Dida had to be alert to keep out Washington's attempt.

The matchwinning goal came when Ballon d'Or winner Kaka received the ball on the left, beat his marker and reached the byline. He crossed the ball into the box which Seedorf controlled expertly, before lashing the ball into the net with his left foot.

Arsenal & Sevilla in the last 16

Arsenal 2-1 Steaua

Arsenal FC maintained their 100 per cent home record in this season's UEFA Champions League with a 2-1 victory against FC Steaua Bucureşti but had to settle for second in Group H following Sevilla FC's victory at SK Slavia Praha. Goals from Abou Diaby and Niklas Bendtner sent the Gunners on their way in a one-sided first half before Dorel Zaharia replied for the rallying visitors, who finish their campaign with a solitary point.

Fast start
With Arsenal having lost their first Premier League game of the season at Middlesbrough FC five days ago, and manager Arsène Wenger resting key players while he himself was confined to the stands due to a touchline ban, Steaua may have felt it was a good time to visit north London. Yet any feeling the hosts might be vulnerable without the likes of Kolo Touré and Emmanuel Adebayor quickly evaporated as the Gunners opened at breakneck pace.

Diaby strike
Theo Walcott had already set up a half chance for the fit-again Diaby when another returning player, Robin van Persie, slipped him clean through in the third minute, only for the teenager's low shot to shave the wrong side of Robinson Zapata's far post. The visitors were struggling to deal with Walcott's pace, and moments later the lively Englishman turned past Mihai Neşu before leaving Ionuţ Rada in his wake and shooting over. If Walcott's finishing was lacking, Diaby soon showed his team-mate the way, latching on to Bacary Sagna's near-post cross and steering a rising shot inside Zapata's far post on eight minutes.

Deft shot
Buoyed by his first European goal, the Frenchman surged forward again after the restart and saw his deflected shot saved by Zapata before Steaua finally settled. Nicolae Dică slipped Adrian Neaga clear on the right on 16 minutes, but Armand Traoré's sliding tackle snuffed out the Romanian side's only opening of the first period. After a brief lull, the Gunners finished the half with a flurry, Walcott and Van Persie both missing from promising positions. Bendtner made Arsenal's dominance tell on 42 minutes, however, the Danish international clipping a deft shot beyond Zapata after collecting Van Persie's diagonal pass.

Zapata intervention
The second half was played at a slower pace as Steaua, without a win in this season's group stage, looked content to limit the damage. Zapata's alert goalkeeping denied the English side on the hour, the Colombian custodian racing out to stop Bendtner in his tracks, then completing the save with a timely tackle on Van Persie.

Lăcătuş move
Steaua coach Marius Lăcătuş tried to give his side fresh impetus by introducing Romeo Surdu and Zaharia, and the move paid dividends as the latter scored on 68 minutes, looping a header from Florin Lovin's cross over Jens Lehmann just four minutes after coming on. Arsenal's recalled goalkeeper had been a spectator until then, but the German was grateful for Emmanuel Eboué's intervention seconds later as Steaua rallied. Bendtner was again denied by Zapata, yet Steaua were invigorated by the goal and almost stole a memorable point five minutes from time when Ovidiu Petre's shot flashed just wide of the top corner.

Slavia 0-3 Sevilla


Luis Fabiano came off the bench to spark Sevilla FC into life as the Spanish side secured a 3-0 defeat of SK Slavia Praha to finish top of UEFA Champions League Group H. With the game goalless in the Czech capital, the Brazilian forward emerged with little over half-an-hour left to score one and create two more for Frédéric Kanouté and Daniel Alves as Sevilla pipped Arsenal FC to first place.

Last chance for Slavia
Slavia coach Karel Jarolím had promised that his team, destined for third position and the UEFA Cup, would exploit their last chance to shine on Europe's biggest stage, and with Vladimír Šmicer buzzing effectively behind lone striker Milan Ivana, the hosts began with purpose. They even created a first-minute opening for Daniel Pudil although the midfielder's powder-puff header was comfortably dealt with.

Disallowed goal
UEFA Cup holders Sevilla had laid the foundations for their convincing 4-2 victory over Slavia on Matchday 2 with an early goal from Kanouté. The forward almost repeated the dose after nine minutes in Prague, but saw his firm header fly narrowly wide of Martin Vaniak's left-hand post. The visitors then appeared to have made the breakthrough just after the quarter-hour mark when Alves's vicious long-range strike found its way into the net. However, a decisive deflection off team-mate Arouna Koné, in an offside position, meant it was rightly ruled out.

Off the post
As Arsenal had found out when they were held here on Matchday 4, Slavia are a tough proposition at the Evžena Rošického Stadium. Twice Šmicer was denied a clear sight of goal by Ivica Dragutinović's timely intervention, before Ivana went within centimetres of putting the Czech league leaders in front on 34 minutes. The No20, making his second start in the competition, tricked his way through a block of black-shirted defenders only to see his side-footed shot ricochet off a post.

Key substitution
If Šmicer's enforced departure at half-time deprived Slavia of their most experienced asset and attacking fulcrum, it also allowed Sevilla to take control of proceedings. Koné twice passed up the opportunity to put the Spanish outfit ahead, before Kanouté elicited a marvellous double stop from Vaniak. With Slavia reeling, Sevilla coach Manuel Jiménez brought on top scorer Fabiano and he tipped the scales decisively in favour of the Andalusians. On the pitch for only seven minutes, he raced on to fellow replacement Enzo Maresca's perfectly weighted pass to fire a rising shot beyond Vaniak for his fourth goal of this campaign.

Free-wheeling
Fabiano turned provider in the 69th minute to ensure Sevilla would ride out the remainder of the contest in comfort, instantly diverting Diego Capel's cross into the path of Kanouté who fended off Marek Suchý before whipping the ball past Vaniak. As Slavia pressed forward in search of a consolation, Fabiano completed a dream finale, slipping the ball to the raiding Alves who sealed victory three minutes from time.

Internazionale & Fenerbahçe in the last 16

PSV 0-1 Internazionale

PSV Eindhoven will have to content themselves with a berth in the UEFA Cup after they lost their final Group G match 1-0 at home to section winners FC Internazionale Milano.

No way back
The Dutch champions had to beat the Nerazzurri and hope that Fenerbahçe SK dropped points at home to PFC CSKA Moskva to live on in the UEFA Champions League but neither result went their way. The dismissal of Ecuador midfielder Edison Méndez just before the half-hour mark hinted that it was not to be PSV's night, and a goal from Julio Cruz in the 64th minute confirmed it as Inter deservedly finished on a high.

Brisk start
With PSV's need the greater, they attacked almost immediately and with two minutes gone Australian midfielder Jason Culina volleyed a Mike Zonneveld cross narrowly wide. The first real opening went Inter's way, though, as Santiago Solari was sent clean through by the impressive David Suazo but the legs of Heurelho Gomes kept out the Argentinian’s low shot.

Méndez sees red
PSV's task became significantly trickier after 28 minutes. Marco Materazzi's long clearance from inside his own penalty area inexplicably caught the home defence flat-footed and allowed Suazo a free run on goal which was only ended by Méndez's lunging, illegal challenge. Referee Markus Merk, on his last international assignment at the age of 45 after an esteemed career, had no option other than to issue a straight red to the midfielder.

Inter in control
The first half wound down with Inter predictably in control. Solari and Maxwell were combining well down the left and Cruz often dropped deep to help in the build up. The former Feynoord striker almost opened the scoring five minutes before the break, but Gomes somehow parried his angled shot from inside the box. In an isolated home offensive, Danko Lazović evaded Materazzi for the first time but curled his left-footed effort wide of Júlio César's right post.

Impressive Suazo
No matter how hard PSV pushed, they always found a wall of black-and-blue shirts blocking their path to goal – Lazović running into six of them soon after the restart following an enterprising 50-metre cross-field run. Jan Wouters' men did carve out an opportunity soon after, but Carlos Salcido blazed over after good work by Jefferson Farfán. Cruz repled in kind at the other end, lifting a shot over the bar after he had found himself with almost too much space and free on Gomes's goal. The Argentinian made no mistake on 64 minutes, tapping the ball into the empty net after another great run by the man whose skill and endeavour had also worked that previous opportunity, Suazo.

Solari shot
Despite bringing on Kenneth Perez and Ismaïl Aissati to freshen the attack, César's goal was never breached. Indeed, the best of the late chances went the way of the Serie A leaders, Solari firing against the post.

Fenerbahçe 3-1 CSKA Moskva

Fenerbahçe SK have got through the UEFA Champions League group stage at the fifth attempt after they overcame a momentary scare to inflict the fifth defeat of PFC CSKA Moskva's unhappy campaign.

Knockout place secure
Although CSKA were already out and severely depleted, they took the lead on 30 minutes through an Edu own goal. But probably the star man of Fenerbahçe's Group G run, Alex, swiftly levelled and an Uğur Boral goal late in each half gave the Turkish title-holders the advantage they needed to dash any PSV Eindhoven hopes of pipping them to the first knockout round. In any case, the Dutch side lost at home to group winners FC Internazionale Milano.

Depleted CSKA
CSKA's domestic season ended a month ago, and suspension and injuries – including to talismanic Brazilian strikers Vágner Love and Jô – had reduced the Russian team to a 15-man squad. Therefore it was hardly surprising that Fenerbahçe were on top from the start. Within five minutes Mehmet Aurélio had gone close and an Edu header forced Igor Akinfeev into a save.

Own goal
The visitors did settle, with some nice touches from Turkish teenager Caner Erkin, but Fenerbahçe were not kept down for long and Akinfeev denied Semih Şentürk and Alex in quick succession. The goalkeeper was beaten when Deivid leapt to meet a corner, requiring Evgeni Aldonin to block on the line. However, the Şükrü Saraçoğlu Stadium was silenced on the half-hour as Caner crossed low into the area from the left and Edu slid the ball into his own net.

Fenerbahçe delight
Within two minutes, though, Alex had equalised after he controlled a clearance on his chest 25 metres out and thumped a shot into the top corner. Akinfeev had no chance of stopping it, and while he did make a good save from an Aurélio header, the half would finish with the home fans in full voice: Alex played a quick one-two with Semih Şentürk before slipping a pass through to Uğur Boral, who marked his group-stage debut by beating the CSKA keeper at the near post.

Janczyk rally
One of CSKA's three available outfield substitutes, Pavel Mamaev, came on at half-time to make his European bow, becoming the fourth teenager to be fielded here by Valeri Gazzaev. The youngest player on the pitch, 18-year-old Dawid Janczyk, troubled Volkan Demirel with a fierce effort while the 34-year-old Roberto Carlos, on his 125th UEFA competition appearance, let fly from distance but Akinfeev touched the ball wide.

Late third
Uğur Boral then cut in from the left to produce an excellent cross that was headed wide from point-blank range by Semih Şentürk. If the news that Inter were leading PSV only increased the party atmosphere in Istanbul, this nearly went up another notch when Uğur Boral struck the crossbar with a zipping half-volley. CSKA did not give up their vain quest to avoid their lowest-ever group stage finish of one point, yet their night ended in further disppointment as Uğur Boral nodded in the third in the last minute. Fenerbahçe's tally of eleven points was the best by a Turkish team –eclipsing Galatasaray AS's record would only have added to their joy.

MAN UTD & ROMA in the last 16

Roma 1-1 Man. United

Manchester United FC and AS Roma ended the UEFA Champions League group stage with an honourable draw as Mancini struck on 71 minutes to cancel out Gerard Piqué's first-half header.

Parity reigns
It was Piqué's second goal in as many games in Europe's élite club competition and he was hoping it would help his team to their sixth consecutive Group F success. However, Mancini's strike was true and a fair reflection of an entertaining, open match.

United changes
With the top two places in the section already secured by these two clubs on Matchday 5, Sir Alex Ferguson made nine changes to the side that defeated Derby County FC on Saturday and his fledglings made a promising start. Their first shot on goal came within 60 seconds albeit from a United 'veteran' – the 22-year-old Wayne Rooney firing over from the left edge of the penalty area after Taddei had conceded possession in midfield.

Impressive start
The visitors began well. Piqué looked particularly assured at the back for the group winners, making a timely intervention to dispossess Francesco Totti as the hosts threatened a first attack, and denying Taddei in Roma's subsequent foray forward. At the other end, Rooney again tried to mark his first professional game as captain with a goal, his 18th-minute effort soaring over the crossbar. Roma settled, though, David Pizzarro testing Tomasz Kuszczak from distance and Antunes forcing the United goalkeeper to turn his left-wing cross over the bar.

Piqué goal
Cicinho then found Mauro Esposito with a curling centre from the opposite flank, which the striker glanced wide of the far post from no more than six metres out. United had provided aerial menace moments earlier when John O'Shea called Doni into action from Rooney's lofted delivery, and it was a header that broke the deadlock soon afterwards, Piqué nodding in Nani's corner from the left.

Roma 1:1 manchester united

Narrow escape
The Serie A high-fliers, quite literally piqued, sought to rally and on 38 minutes almost drew level when Mancini hit the woodwork. Cicinho had found Totti in the box and the Giallorossi captain feigned to shoot before teeing up his team-mate. Cicinho lifted the ball over Kuszczak only for it to rebound off the post and fall to Esposito, who headed over under pressure from O'Shea.

Dangerous game
Mancini again came close shortly before the break, meeting Antunes's cross only to be thwarted by Kuszczak's full-stretch save, while on the hour, Ahmed Apimah Barusso rifled narrowly wide from distance as the group runners-up pressed forward. Roma's approach left them exposed on the counterattack, however, and Chris Eagles almost made them pay when Nani raced clear only to send his centre a shade too far for the midfielder to direct at goal.

Vučinić impact
Doni kept his team in the match when he blocked Louis Saha's attempt, yet as the contest became stretched so Roma equalised. Substitute Mirko Vučinić played in Mancini who cut inside before curling a shot past Kuszczak. Vučinić had made an immediate impact and he almost made it 2-0 a minute later, blasting against the far post with Kuszczak again beaten. Then Luciano Spalletti's men almost stole the three points, Ludovic Giuly driving wide and Antunes testing Doni, but that would have been more than his side deserved.


Sporting 3-0 Dynamo Kyiv

Sporting Clube de Portugal will go into the UEFA Cup in good spirits after ending their Group F campaign with their first home win of this season's UEFA Champions League against a spirited FC Dynamo Kyiv.

Sporting success
Goals from Anderson Polga, captain João Moutinho and Liedson meant the Lisbon club matched their highest points tally in the competition and inflicted a a sixth successive defeat on the Ukrainian visitors, already guaranteed to finish bottom of the section. Dynamo therefore become only the eighth club to finish the a group stage of the UEFA Champions League without a single point.

Dynamic Dynamo
Dynamo had started determined to avoid that unwanted honour and give their small but noisy band of followers something to reward their faith. In the second minute Oleh Gusev raced on to a through-ball and his shot was pushed around the post by Rui Patrício. That proved misleading, however, as the home side swiftly gained the upper hand with 18-year-old debutant Adrien Silva looking particularly composed in midfield.

Sporting chances
Ten minutes in Abel's cross was nodded down by Liedson to give Milan Purović a clear chance he poked just wide and Sporting came even closer midway through the first half as Abel unleashed a speculative 30-metre shot that clipped the top of the crossbar. The visitors carved out an excellent opening of their own three minutes past the half-hour, Ismaël Bangoura turning smartly before forcing an excellent low save from Rui Patrício, and the breakthrough did finally arrive two minutes later – at the other end.

Polga composure
Liedson touched the ball beyond Andriy Nesmachniy on the edge of the Dynamo penalty area and was promptly felled, giving Polga – who had scored his first goal for Sporting in Kiev on Matchday 2 – the chance to slot past Taras Lutsenko from the penalty spot. The lead might have been further increased before half-time, Maksim Shatskikh blocking another Purović effort and the goalkeeper touching over a thunderous long-range shot from Izmailov as Dynamo battled to stay in the game.

Sucker punch
A slow start to the second half helped the visitors compose themselves and begin to push forward, Goran Gavrančić and Shatskikh combining neatly to find Serhiy Rebrov in space, but the veteran pulled his shot well wide. Dynamo substitute Kravets Artem's low cross was then deflected against the post by Polga, who had scored an own goal in Sporting's last UEFA Champions League home game against Roma and, perhaps inevitably, the home side produced a sucker punch. Izmailov broke down the left on to Adrien Silva's incisive pass and cut back for João Moutinho to side-foot into the far corner.

Liedson third
Dynamo, trying to impress new coach Yuri Semin, who will succeed Oleh Luzhny after the game, battled on but Sporting had another great chance when Purović met a Miguel Veloso cross with a header that was cleared off the line. Liedson finally wrapped things up in the 89th minute, touching his fourth UEFA Champions League goal of the season over Lutsenko from substitute Vukčević's pass, sustaining an injury as he collided with the goalkeeper – but it could not spoil Sporting's night.

Lyon & Barcelona in the last 16

Rangers 0-3 Lyon

Goals from Sidney Govou and a late second-half double from Karim Benzema gave Olympique Lyonnais a 3-0 victory against Rangers FC to ensure their passage to the UEFA Champions League last 16 at the Scottish side's expense.

Benzema double
Lyon had lost their opening two Group E matches, including a 3-0 defeat at home to Rangers on Matchday 2, but were soon on their way to completing their remarkable turnaround when Govou struck on 16 minutes. Substitute Jean-Claude Darcheville had Rangers' best chance but after he hit the crossbar from point-blank range Benzema made sure of Lyon's victory with goals on 85 and 88 minutes as Rangers were forced to settle for the UEFA Cup place.

Lyon press
The visitors knew only a win would suffice and set their stall out accordingly, creating the first opening when Juninho Pernambucano picked out Govou's run behind Alan Hutton. With the goal at his mercy the French international shot into the side-netting. Juninho had been identified as Lyon's main threat and the Brazilian playmaker demonstrated why twice within a minute, first with a free-kick which Allan McGregor smothered at his near post. From his ensuing corner the hosts were relieved to see Brahim Hemdani's back-post clearance bounce off Carlos Cuéllar and behind to safety.

Govou strikes
The early pressure paid off on 16 minutes. Hatem Ben Arfa picked out the run of Benzema down the right and when McGregor could only palm his cross back into traffic, Govou was the first to react, deftly lifting the loose ball into the net. Rangers responded with a long-range effort from Saša Papac which Rémy Vercoutre beat away to safety but Lyon, and in particular Juninho, continued to enjoy the bulk of possession. Indeed, Rangers' urgency to get back on level terms left them exposed and Benzema almost punished them on 36 minutes with a shot that flashed just over.

Fresh impetus
Walter Smith introduced Steven Naismith for Daniel Cousin at half-time with Lee McCulloch coming in from the left flank to assume the Frenchman's lone striker role. The change gave Rangers fresh impetus and within five minutes of the restart Sébastien Squillaci was forced to clear off his line after Vercoutre misjudged Hutton's cross-cum-shot. The home side's propensity for giving away free-kicks in dangerous areas was almost punished again just before the hour when Jérémy Toulalan's mazy run was brought to a premature end by Cuéllar outside the area. This was prime territory for Juninho and the Brazilian's curled effort crashed back off the crossbar with McGregor helpless.

rangers 0:3 lyon

Darcheville miss
With 20 minutes remaining a Naismith shot had Vercoutre scrambling across his goalline and sensing an equaliser, Smith threw caution to the wind, bringing on Darcheville. Benzema should have clinched it for Lyon when he rounded McGregor only for Steven Whittaker to block his shot. Within seconds Darcheville passed up an even better opportunity at the other end, somehow hitting the crossbar from point-blank range. It was the home's side last chance and in the closing minutes Benzema made sure of Lyon's place in the last 16, slotting in from close range before adding a spectacular long range effort just before the end. Rangers' evening was compounded by Darcheville's late dismissal for a lunge at Kim Källström.

Barcelona 3-1 Stuttgart

FC Barcelona overcame early adversity to register a 3-1 victory against VfB Stuttgart and round off their Group E campaign in fine style.

Recovery
Despite slipping behind to Antonio Da Silva's early goal the Catalan outfit rallied and replied with goals from Giovani Dos Santos, Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho. It underlined Barcelona's position at the Group E summit though Stuttgart, who started the day with no chance of climbing off the foot of the section, played their admirable part in a competitive game. They will now focus on the Bundesliga, however, while Barça head towards next week's last-16 draw.

Deco loss
The early blows came thick and fast for the home team, who were dealt a hit even before kick off when Deco suffered a twinge and was ruled out of the match. It did not stop when the referee blew his whistle either, and, standing in for the suspended Frank Rijkaard, Johan Neeskens saw his side fall behind after just three minutes. Ewerthon made a habit of playing well at Camp Nou during his spell at Real Zaragoza and picked up where he left off this evening as he broke, drawing a foul from Rafael Márquez just outside the penalty area. Da Silva stepped up, and his left-footed strike rattled the woodwork before bouncing in off the unfortunate Albert Jorquera.

Barcelone - Stutgart le résumer .

Eto'o chance
Deputising for Víctor Valdés, it was the worst of starts for the goalkeeper but any fears of more pressure were quickly vanquished as Barcelona, despite being a little off-form, began to dominate. Samuel Eto'o could have soon restored parity when he capitalised on a misplaced Alexander Farnerud pass but Raphael Schäfer denied the usually clinical Cameroon striker. Schäfer had to repeat his excellence twice in the eleventh minute, keeping out Deco's replacement Xavi Hernández and then Giovani as the chances multiplied.

Noisy fans
Matching their team's defiance the visiting German fans made a good job of dominating the atmosphere, but Barça's work rate was gaining them an advantage on the pitch. Eidur Gudjohnsen was pivotal, winning tackles, releasing shrewd passes and demanding effort. Ronaldinho responded and nine minutes before half-time he dispossessed Arthur Boka and delivered a raking cross that hit Giovani and went in.

Popular goal
The second half brought harsh justice for Stuttgart. Despite great industry and flowing passing, they slipped behind just before the hour. Ronaldinho's redeployment in midfield brought more space for the wide men and Xavi capitalised on 57 minutes, driving forward and threading the ball to Eto'o who gratefully fired in his first UEFA Champions League goal in 15 months. The home side began to cut loose and a lovely combination between Xavi, substitute Andrés Iniesta and Sylvinho ended with the wing-back crossing for Ronaldinho to guide in Barcelona's third in the 67th minute. The visitors continued to press, but a night of little return for their hard work was concluded when Ewerthon's fine shot from 20 metres rebounded back off the bar

AC Milan VS Urawa Red Diamonds

UEFA Champions League holders AC Milan make their tournament bow against their AFC counterparts Urawa Red Diamonds. Buoyed by an emphatic 3-1 win over Sepahan in the quarter-finals and cheered on by their army of vociferous fans, the Japanese now have the Italian aristocrats in their sights. Carlo Ancelotti's men will need to tread carefully if they are to avoid one of the biggest shocks in the history of the competition.

The game
Urawa Red Diamonds-AC Milan, Yokohama, Thursday 13 December, 19.30 (local time)

The stakes
After lifting the AFC Champions League trophy, Urawa lost momentum at the end of the domestic season to let Kashima Antlers steal the J-League crown from under their noses. Similarly impressive in their continental commitments, having coasted into the second round of the UEFA Champions league, the Rossoneri find themselves marooned in the mid-table positions in Serie A. What better way then for both sides to forget their domestic blues than by going for glory at the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2007?

The players
Nobuhisa Yamada, Tatsuya Tanaka and Tadaaki Hirakawa are all injury doubts for the Japanese side, while the European champions are waiting for news on Dida's troublesome back. One man definitely out is Ronaldo.

The past
The two teams have never met before and the only encounter between Asian and European sides in the tournament took place in the inaugural tournament in 2000, when Real Madrid of Spain defeated Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr 3-1 in Sao Paulo. The Milanese giants made their last appearance in the Intercontinental (Toyota) Cup in 2003 when they lost to Boca Juniors on penalties.

The words
"Our aim was to reach the semi-finals and play AC Milan, one of the best teams on the planet. This is a terrific opportunity for us. Of course, we're facing a very difficult task but we're looking to represent Japanese football and the colours of our club as best we possibly can. I'm hoping our fans can push us in the right direction." Holger Osieck, Urawa Red Diamonds coach

"Our objective here couldn't be clearer - we want to go back to Milan with the trophy. It won't be easy but we'll be trying as hard as we can. Urawa are a very technical side who have benefited a lot from the tactical know-how of their German coach. They are very experienced players and they'll have the fans behind them. Believe me, we really need to be on our guard." Carlo Ancelotti, AC Milan coach

Liverpool & Porto in the last 16

Marseille 0-4 Liverpool

Written off nearly two months ago, Liverpool FC completed their incredible UEFA Champions League comeback with a 4-0 victory at Olympique de Marseille, catapulting themselves into the knockout phase thanks to an explosive start at the Stade Vélodrome.

Marseille third
FC Porto’s win over Beşiktaş JK elsewhere in Group A meant a draw would have sufficed for the hosts, but their dreams of progress were in tatters within eleven minutes after Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres stunned the hosts with a goal apiece. Marseille never recovered from that and their resistance was ended by Dirk Kuyt striking right after the break, before Ryan Babel's late fourth confirmed the Ligue 1 side's place in the UEFA Cup.

Gerrard breakthrough
An intimidating crowd whistled every Liverpool touch in the early exchanges, but Rafael Benítez's men helped settle any nerves with a dramatic early breakthrough. Marseille’s rearguard foolishly let Gerrard race clear in midfield and a clumsy Gaël Givet challenge in the area allowed the Reds' captain the chance to convert from the spot. Goalkeeper Steve Mandanda denied him down the middle, yet Gerrard dispatched the rebound with characteristic big-match calm to give Liverpool a fourth-minute lead.

Torres skill
If that goal had caught Marseille napping, the French side simply looked helpless just seven minutes later. This time, Harry Kewell fed Torres on the left and the Spain striker danced gracefully past three tackles before slipping the ball inside the far post. The lions promised by Marseille coach Erik Gerets were looking decidedly tame in the face of such a devastating start and the Belgian tactician was forced to play his joker ahead of schedule, introducing injury-doubt Samir Nasri for Benoït Cheyrou on 34 minutes.

Liverpool chances
Marseille gradually began applying pressure towards the end of the half, but the better chances still transpired at the other end, with Gerrard curling a free-kick narrowly wide, left-wing nuisance Kewell volleying a loose ball just over and Torres also firing too high with a lob. And the hosts suffered another blow before the return to the dressing rooms when Givet picked up an injury and had to be replaced by Jacques Faty.

Kuyt strike
They started the second half with a switch too, replacing one former Liverpool man with another. Boudewijn Zenden made way for marksman Djibril Cissé, however it was a current Liverpool striker who delivered the next blow, following a poor kick from Mandanda. Kewell intercepted and played an excellent pass inside for Kuyt, who rushed through the middle, jabbed high into the net and effectively ended the match as a contest with 48 minutes gone.

Cissé chance
Cissé then headed Marseille's best chance the wrong side of the post in a rare moment of panic for Pepe Reina, but by that point the crowd were resigned to defeat. Liverpool increased the damage when Babel sidestepped Mandanda and rolled the ball home a minute into added time, and they can now start to plan another assault on the continental title having been staring into the abyss not so long ago.



Porto 2-0 Beşiktaş

A goal in either half from captain Lucho González and Ricardo Quaresma gave FC Porto victory against a resilient Beşiktaş JK to take the Portuguese side into the UEFA Champions League first knockout round as the winners of Group A.

Point enough
The 2004 winners kicked off knowing a point would be enough to guarantee progress yet they were on the front foot throughout against visitors who needed victory to maintain their own hopes of reaching the last 16. The alert González opened the scoring a minute before half-time and although the Turkish team pushed forward thereafter, Quaresma added a second two minutes past the hour as Porto won their section for the first time since 1996/97.

Porto press
Coach Jesualdo Ferreira had promised Porto would attack and his team were as good as his word from the kick-off with Rüştü Reçber punching away Quaresma's dangerous free-kick in the third minute. Quaresma's eighth-minute dribble then created an opportunity for González but the captain took too long and the danger was snuffed out. It was 17 minutes before the visitors had their first sight of goal, İbrahim Toraman rising highest to meet Matías Delgado's corner only to fail to get his effort on target.

Home domination
Though Beşiktaş looked composed in possession the home team continued to dominate, Raul Meireles narrowly failing to connect with Tarik Sektioui's cross as the goal beckoned. Having failed to turn their dominance into a tangible advantage, frustration began to set in and Porto almost fell behind as Bruno Alves inadvertently sliced Rodrigo Tello's left-wing cross narrowly over his own crossbar.

González breakthrough
Stung, the Portuguese side pushed forward again and came close to the breakthrough in the 41st minute, Bosingwa bursting past two challenges and unleashing a low shot that Rüştü had to turn around his near post. Two minutes later the Beşiktaş goalkeeper made an even better stop, diving to palm away Sektioui's drive, but the reprieve was only temporary. From the resulting corner Sektioui's clever touch deflected the ball out of Rüştü's grasp, leaving the goalkeeper appealing in vain for an offside flag as González applied a simple finish to put Porto in front.

Positive start
Beşiktaş started the second period in positive fashion as they aimed to salvage their hopes of qualifying from the group stage for the first time. Straight from the restart Serdar Özkan collected Bobo's pass only for Helton to turn his attempt around the post, and Edouard Cissé then dragged a shot wide from the resulting corner. Porto nearly exploited the away team's eagerness to attack, Lisandro López playing in Sektioui but he was forced wide by Rüştü and the danger passed.

Porto 2-0 Besiktas

No mistake
Defensive midfielder Paulo Assunção then found himself through on goal, but shot past the far post. The Portuguese champions had clearly stepped up the pace as they sought to finish matters, and on 62 minutes registered the all-important second goal when another smart pass from López put Quaresma clear, and the winger made no mistake. Ertuğrul Sağlam's men were a beaten side and it was Porto who came closest to scoring again when the outstanding López fizzed a left-foot shot wide.

Chelsea & Schalke in the last 16

Chelsea 0-0 Valencia

Chelsea FC made it 50 home games without defeat in all competitions but this was a frustrating night for the Group B winners as they missed a hatful of chances against a Valencia CF side whose failure to win meant they failed to qualify for the UEFA Cup.

Woodwork struck
It was the first time in ten UEFA Champions League games at Stamford Bridge that the London club failed to find the net, allthough it was not for want of trying as they carved out a succession of presentable opportunities and struck the woodwork three times late on through Salomon Kalou, Claudio Pizarro and Joe Cole. Valencia, meanwhile, needed to win to have any chance of claiming third place in the section, but their inability to do so condemned them to an early exit from Europe this season.

Chelsea take control
Chelsea were in forceful mood at the start and as early as the fourth minute Frank Lampard crossed and Andriy Shevchenko forced a save from Santiago Cañizares, John Terry heading the corner wide. Sunny then failed to deal with Wayne Bridge's cross after a strong run from the Chelsea left-back but Lampard was unable to capitalise, while Cañizares had to hurry to keep out a fierce Shaun Wright-Phillips drive at his near post.

Lampard involved
Twenty-five minutes had elapsed before Petr Čech, surprisingly recalled after his calf injury, was called into serious action but the shot from David Villa demanded little even from a goalkeeper feeling his way back into the action. Pizarro came within centimetres of connecting with Paulo Ferreira's cross and Lampard then unleashed a tasty effort which Cañizares kept out one-handed. There were still possibilities as the ball rolled loose but Kalou's follow-up struck another blue shirt and spun wide.

Valencia threat
Valencia came more into the game as half-time approached but they largely failed to trouble the Chelsea defence with Villa seemingly struggling for his best form and Vicente Rodríguez held in check by the impressive Bridge, although Villa did cleverly engineer an opening that forced Čech to save at his near post. Chelsea responded and the persistent Shevchenko was unlucky to be thwarted before Pizarro forced Cañizares in action.

Chelsea - Valencia highlights

Changes made
Chelsea coach Avram Grant introduced Claude Makelele for Shevchenko at the break, and only five minutes of the second half had elapsed when Villa hobbled off. The pace had now dropped significantly and neither defence was seriously troubled, Pizarro twice wasting promising openings by straying offside before Lampard was withdrawn two minutes past the hour as Chelsea's thoughts began to turn to Sunday's trip to Arsenal FC.

Late excitement
The home team continued to press forward, however. Pizarro's header found the lurking Kalou but the Ivorian striker could only sidefoot against the crossbar. Two minutes later Kalou played in Pizarro but this time the Peruvian's effort was palmed on to the post by Cañizares. Chelsea's night was summed up six minutes from time as Cole drove forward but again the Valencia goalkeeper touched the ball on to the post to ensure the match finished goalless, leaving both teams ruing their luck.


Schalke 3-1 Rosenborg

FC Schalke 04 created history at the Arena AufSchalke as they swept Rosenborg BK aside to reach the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League for the first time.

First-half goals
Three first-half goals killed off the Norwegian side's hopes of qualification as Schalke got the requisite victory to leapfrog their opponents into second in Group B. Gerald Asamoah gave the hosts a 12th-minute lead and Rafinha quickly doubled the advantage. Yssouf Koné pulled one back to give Rosenborg hope but Kevin Kuranyi settled the outcome after 36 minutes with a crisp finish. Rosenborg will console themselves with a UEFA Cup Round of 32 spot.

Attacking bent
Schalke started on the offensive with Carlos Grossmüller and Heiko Westermann shooting tamely as Schalke sought the first goal of their campaign in front of their own fans. Rosenborg had promised not to sit back though and it was they that provided the first real chance of the game on eleven minutes, Marek Sapara's free-kick forcing Manuel Neuer into action. Seconds later the home side took the lead from a set-piece of their own, however, Gerald Asamoah guiding in Grossmüller's free-kick via a Roar Strand deflection.

Westermann error
Mesut Özil nearly doubled the advantage almost immediately as relief coursed through the Schalke ranks and seven minutes later Rafinha made it 2-0, exchanging passes with Kuranyi on the edge of the area and slipping the ball past the goalkeeper. Rosenborg had offered little in return, save for a Per Ciljan Skjelbred effort, but on 23 minutes, they reduced the deficit. Westermann was Schalke's two-goal saviour in Saturday's 2-2 Bundesliga draw at Eintracht Frankfurt, but briefly turned villain here as he misjudged Alexander Tettey's cross, leaving Koné free at the back post to hammer the loose ball past Neuer.

Kuranyi strike
Tettey almost made it 2-2 with an impressive header from the edge of the penalty area before Kuranyi, a scorer in Schalke's 2-0 win the last time these sides met on Matchday 2, restored the two-goal cushion. Fabian Ernst worked space before feeding Grossmüller who helped the ball on for Kuranyi to strike low into the bottom corner. Only a sprawling save from Hirschfeld prevented Asamoah making it four as the Norwegian side struggled to cope with the onslaught, yet they began the second period with renewed vigour.

Counterattacking threat
Steffen Iversen volleyed just over from distance but Schalke's back line, well marshalled by Marcelo Bordon, had little difficulty coping with the visitors' attacks and the hosts remained a real threat on the counterattack as Westermann tested Hirschfeld with a tricky curling effort. A set-piece looked Rosenborg's best route back into the game with Sapara bending a presentable free-kick past the far post, though no sooner had he done so than Grossmüller galloped forward to fire just over and was then unfortunate to see a drive deflect narrowly off target as Schalke looked to add some extra gloss to the scoreline. They did not manage it but the celebrations among the blue shirts at the final whistle suggested they did not need to.

Real Madrid & Olympiacos in the last 16

Real Madrid 3-1 Lazio

Real Madrid CF advanced to the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League as Group C winners following a comfortable 3-1 victory against S.S. Lazio at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Early goals
Bernd Schuster admitted his team were "up for this one" before the match and Madrid proved as good as their coach's word with first-half goals from Julio Baptista, Raúl González and Robinho making the game safe before Goran Pandev pulled one back for Lazio with ten minutes remaining.

Lazio spirited
The Rome side needed to win to have any chance of progressing and their coach Delio Rossi appeared to have instilled sufficient belief in his players who matched Madrid in terms of possession and confidence on the ball in the early stages. Tommaso Rocchi would surely have done better in the opening moments if slightly better placed when looking to collect a pass from Gaby Mudingayi inside the Madrid area. After eight minutes Rocchi fed Pandev who struck high and wide of Iker Casillas from eight metres.

Madrid advantage
With the away fans in full voice Raúl sounded a warning when his header from a Wesley Sneijder corner struck the upright and Madrid's opener was not long in coming. It arrived on 13 minutes when the in-form Baptista, selected ahead of Guti, received a short pass from Robinho out wide. He paced along the edge of the area and struck a gliding shot that flew wide of Marco Ballotta and into the corner of the goal. Just two minutes later Lazio's hopes of reaching the knockout phase were all but ended when Raúl outjumped Cristián Ledesma to head in his all-time competition-leading 59th UEFA Champions League goal.

Madrid in command
The home crowd were roaring their approval for what they thought was another Raúl goal after 21 minutes but their attention was soon diverted to the raised flag of the referee's assistant. A poor Mahamadou Diarra backheader which went straight to Pandev gave Lazio the chance to reduce the gap but the Macedonian striker's shot hit the side-netting. Apart from that scare Madrid were coasting and they made it 3-0 when Robinho played a one-two with Ruud van Nistelrooy before having the easiest of tasks in poking in from close in front of the visitors' goal.

Madrid 3-1 Lázio

Foregone conclusion
The second half began with both sides dropping the pace a little. Madrid introduced Arjen Robben and Guti with Robinho and Sneijder making way. Robben fired a shot at goal which Ballotta did well to save before, on 67 minutes, Madrid launched a fine counter-attacking move which almost ended with Van Nistelrooy converting from close range.

Lazio consolation
Defeat would leave Lazio bottom of the section and bring their European season to an end, but they made sure they gifted their vociferous travelling support a goal to celebrate with ten minutes to go. Rocchi's curling pass towards the far post was followed all the way by Pandev who stretched to deflect the ball into the net. Lazio might have had a second in the closing moments but Casillas saved Rocchi's penalty and Roberto Baronio's follow up as Madrid finished the night as they had begun it - on a high.

Iker

Olympiacos 3-0 Bremen

Olympiacos CFP reached the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in nine seasons after an inspirational display from Ieroklis Stoltidis helped the Greek champions to a stunning victory over Group C rivals Werder Bremen in Athens.

Second place secured
Midfielder Stoltidis, who shares his name with the mythical Greek warrior Hercules, proved the hero of the hour, scoring twice and providing an assist for Darko Kovacević as Panagiotis Lemonis's team advanced from the group stage for the first time since 1998/99 when they were quarter-finalists. Olympiacos go through as the second-placed team in the group while Thomas Schaaf's Bremen have the consolation of a UEFA Cup place having finished third following Real Madrid CF's 3-1 win over S.S. Lazio.

Stoltidis opener
A tentative opening had been predicted by both coaches yet Bremen, who needed the victory, could have scored as early as the eighth minute when Diego's snapshot was saved by Antonios Nikopolidis and defender Anastasios Pantos did enough to ensure Boubacar Sanogo fired wide from the rebound. This sparked Olympiacos to life and four minutes later the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium erupted when Stoltidis opened the scoring with a superb long-range effort, collecting Lomana LuaLua's pass before unleashing a fierce drive from 20 metres past Bremen goalkeeper Tim Wiese and into the bottom right-hand corner.

LuaLua lively
The lively LuaLua then went close with two snapshots in the space of four minutes before Bremen reacted with Tim Borowski's long-range shot. Borowski then exposed the vulnerability of Nikopolidis with another effort which the home keeper spilled before rescuing the situation with a sprawling save as Sanogo closed in.

Kovacević denied
Olympiacos suffered a setback when Christos Patsatzoglou went off injured midway through the first half to be replaced by youngster Konstantinos Mendrinos, yet the hosts continued to press forward. LuaLua burst clear again a minute before the half-hour but the resulting lay-off failed to find Luciano Galletti and Wiese smothered the ball. Although Naldo, with a header, then Daniel Jensen, with a shot, both threatened as Bremen sought a way back into the game, Kovacević was guilty of wasting a glorious chance shortly before the break. LuaLua's sublime pass sent him clear down the left but the Serbian veteran shot straight at Wiese.

Olympiakos v Werder Bremen

Bremen threaten
A strong start to the second half from Bremen almost yielded an equaliser but Naldo's header was cleared off the line by Mendrinos following Diego's corner. The tension levels rose as the Bundesliga team applied the pressure and Nikopolidis had to be alert to block Sanogo's header from point-blank range just after the hour. Sanogo volleyed just wide minutes later but that proved to be his last contribution as he was replaced by Hugo Almeida. The change was in vain, however, as Olympiacos struck their second after 70 minutes.

Perfect cross
Stoltidis made another vital contribution, sending over a perfect cross from the left for Kovacević, who rose above Naldo to score with a towering header. Stoltidis then capped a flawless display four minutes later by firing home Kovacević's knockdown from Galletti's right-wing corner. Vassilis Torosidis almost made it 4-0 late on but his lob was pawed away by Wiese.

Arsenal suffered their 1st defeat

Arsenal FC suffered their first English Premier League defeat of the season as struggling Middlesbrough FC overcame the leaders 2-1 while there were also good wins for lowly Tottenham Hotspur FC and Bolton Wanderers FC.

One-point gap
Liverpool's loss at Reading FC on Saturday had left the Gunners with the last remaining unbeaten record in the division, but Arsenal were behind at the Riverside Stadium within four minutes as their former striker Jérémie Aliadière was fouled in the box by Kolo Touré and Stewart Downing converted the penalty. The home side kept up the pressure throughout and with 16 minutes left the lively Tuncay Şanlı doubled the lead after pouncing on a loose ball. Tomáš Rosický pulled one back at the end, but Arsenal, last beaten in the Premier League 22 games ago in April, remain just one point clear of Manchester United FC, who defeated Derby County FC 4-1 yesterday.

Strugglers win
Middlesbrough are out of the bottom three but two teams that could have replaced them, UEFA Cup contenders Tottenham and Bolton avoided that fate with wins today. Spurs defeated high-flying Manchester City FC 2-1 as substitute Jermain Defoe struck late on to restore the Tottenham lead after Rolando Bianchi had equalised Pascal Chimbonda's opener.

Ashton clincher
Bolton secured a 4-1 win against second-bottom side Wigan Athletic FC. Paul Scharner's early own goal was cancelled out for Wigan by Denny Landzaat but Kevin Nolan, Kevin Davies and Nicolas Anelka sealed the victory. Sunderland AFC drop into the relegation zone, while West Ham United FC climb to tenth after Dean Ashton's goal sealed a 1-0 win at Blackburn Rovers FC.

Van Nistelrooy goal takes Madrid clear

A long-range finish from Ruud van Nistelrooy gave Real Madrid CF a 1-0 victory at Athletic Club Bilbao that stretched their Primera División lead to seven points.

Single goal enough
With Madrid's nearest challengers FC Barcelona and Villarreal CF not in action until Sunday, the champions had a chance to increase the gap at the top. Both teams came close in an exciting first half, but nine minutes after the interval Van Nistelrooy let fly from distance and the ball looped over the dive of Bilbao goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia. The Dutch striker nearly had another goal midway through the second period but Koikili made a superb saving tackle and Robinho hit the inside of the post. Still, one goal proved enough for Madrid, who need a point at home to S.S. Lazio on Tuesday to make sure of their UEFA Champions League progression.

Valencia held
The same night Valencia CF will be aiming for victory at Chelsea FC to salvage their European hopes, but today they were held 0-0 at CA Osasuna in an uneventful match in which the home side had the best of the few chances. Valencia remained sixth, ten points adrift of Madrid, while Osasuna moved ahead of Athletic into eleventh. Among Sunday's fixtures, Barcelona welcome struggling RC Deportivo La Coruña while Villarreal face lowly Real Betis Balompié.

Leverkusen make it five in a row

Bayer 04 Leverkusen won their fifth Bundesliga match in succession 3-0 at home to FC Hansa Rostock on Sunday while 1. FC Nürnberg eased their relegation worries with a 2-1 win at home to Hertha BSC Berlin.

Rolfes opener
Michael Skibbe's Leverkusen qualified for the UEFA Cup Round of 32 on Thursday with victory at home to AC Sparta Praha and supporters at the BayArena had more to celebrate today. Simon Rolfes put the home side ahead on four minutes before Paul Freier doubled the advantage from the penalty spot eight minutes after the restart. Theofanis Gekas completed the scoring 17 minutes from time. It was Leverkusen's fifth league win in a row, outscoring their opponents 16-2 in the process.

Charisteas scores
The victory lifts them to within a point of third-placed Hamburger SV, while defeat sees Rostock drop back into the relegation places with Nürnberg climbing above them after winning their fourth league game this season. At home to Hertha, Angelos Charisteas put Nürnberg ahead on five minutes then Zvjezdan Misimović added the second six minutes before half-time. Fabian Lustenberger pulled a goal back midway through the second half but Nürnberg were able to hold on for an important victory as Hertha fell to their third straight defeat.

Inter take advantage of Roma slip

FC Internazionale Milano increased their Serie A lead to five points as they cruised to a 4-0 win against Torino Calcio while second-placed AS Roma were held 1-1 by AS Livorno Calcio.

Unanswered goals
Inter were in control from the start against Torino and went ahead late in the first half when Zlatan Ibrahimović was felled in the box by Gianluca Comotto and stepped up to convert the penalty himself. The second goal followed in the 50th minute when Cristian Chivu embarked on a run down the left and chipped in a cross for Julio Cruz to head in. Luis Jiménez soon added another as he burst into the Torino area and unleashed an unstoppable shot. Iván Córdoba had the least word with a close-range header.

Roma denied
Things looked good for Roma when Daniele De Rossi gave them a fourth-minute lead at Livorno, but Diego Tristán swiftly equalised and although the visitors dominated possession they had to settle for a draw. Roma are now only three points ahead of Juventus, who defeated Atalanta BC 1-0 thanks to a long-range Pavel Nedvěd effort four minutes from time. Udinese Calcio are just one point behind Juve after coming from behind to defeat UC Sampdoria 3-2 thanks to a pair of late goals from Fabio Quagliarella. ACF Fiorentina are a further four points back in fifth after losing 2-0 away to US Città di Palermo on Saturday.

Pozzi heroics
Four teams began the day level at the bottom on ten points, but two of those sides secured victories this afternoon. Empoli FC moved ahead of Cagliari Calcio with a 4-1 victory thanks to four Nicola Pozzi goals while AC Siena picked up a 3-1 win at Genoa CFC, themselves only two points clear of the relegation zone. Fellow strugglers Reggina Calcio were not in action as scheduled opponents AC Milan are involved in the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan next week. In Sunday's late game, SSC Napoli meet Parma FC.

Fiorentina missed the chance

ACF Fiorentina missed the chance to go into the Serie A top three on Saturday night as they suffered a 2-0 defeat at US Città di Palermo, with S.S. Lazio defeating Calcio Catania by the same scoreline to move seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Miccoli strikes
Fabrizio Miccoli, recently recovered from injury, opened the scoring for Palermo against his former club on 17 minutes. Fabio Simplicio sealed the victory with nine minute remaining to move Palermo back into the top seven after a recent indifferent run.

Lazio win
In Rome, Christian Terlizzi hit the bar with an early header for Catania but on eight minutes Lazio scored when Tommaso Rocchi headed in a free-kick from Cristián Ledesma. The home side remained in control and just before the end Catania had Gionatha Spinesi sent off prior to Goran Pandev's last-minute clincher, a boost for Lazio who must win at Real Madrid CF on Tuesday to keep their UEFA Champions League hopes alive.

Bayern held as Bremen fall

FC Bayern München extended their lead at the top of the Bundesliga despite failing to beat struggling MSV Duisburg at home as second-placed Werder Bremen lost a thriller at Hannover 96.

Hanke hat-trick
While there were no goals at the Fußball Arena München, Hannover striker Mike Hanke scored three of the seven to hit the net at the AWD-Arena. Bremen took the lead through Markus Rosenberg after ten minutes but were 3-1 down eleven minutes later as Hanke struck either side of a Frank Baumann own goal. A Diego penalty reduced arrears before half-time and when Rosenberg struck again (54) Bremen looked in pole position to go on and earn maximum points. The spoils went to Hannover, though, as Hanke completed his treble in the 77th minute.

Stuttgart win
Bayern stay at the summit with 35 points from 16 games despite failing to break down the club occupying 17th spot in the Bundesliga, while Bremen are now two points adrift of the leaders. Hamburger SV, on 31 points, also dropped points as they were held to a scoreless draw by the bottom club FC Energie Cottbus, as did fifth-placed Karlsruher SC as they drew 2-2 at VfL Bochum 1848. FC Schalke 04 needed an 89th-minute leveller from defender Heiko Westermann, his second of the game, to draw at Eintracht Frankfurt and stay a point adrift of Karlsruhe, while champions VfB Stuttgart beat VfL Wolfsburg 3-1 to continue their revival.

Man Utd & Chelsea wins

Ryan Giggs brought up his century of league goals as Manchester United FC defeated Derby County FC to close to within a point of Arsenal FC at the English summit.

Century
When the Welshman opened the scoring in the 40th minute at Old Trafford he became the eleventh United player to score a century of league goals for the club. The last man to do it was Mark Hughes, now the manager of Premier League rivals Blackburn Rovers FC. Carlos Tévez then scored either side of half-time for the champions, who conceded a goal to Steve Howard – Derby's first away from home this season – in the 76th minute before completing the scoring through Ronaldo's late penalty.

Yakubu hat-trick
Chelsea FC are two points back after maintaining their imperious home form against another team struggling in the relegation zone, Sunderland AFC. Andriy Shevchenko (23) and a Frank Lampard penalty (75) were enough for Chelsea against Roy Keane's visitors who had Liam Miller sent off late on. Portsmouth FC are now unbeaten in eleven games after Sulley Muntari scored two spectacular goals in a 3-1 victory at Aston Villa FC, while Everton FC are also in fine form, Yakubu Ayegbeni scoring three unanswered goals against Fulham FC.

Newcastle win
Having held the leaders Arsenal FC in midweek, Newcastle United FC won for the first time since 22 October as Habib Beye's header sealed a fortuitous 2-1 win against Birmingham City FC. Arsenal travel to struggling Middlesbrough FC on Sunday when Blackburn face West Ham United FC, Tottenham Hotspur FC entertain Manchester City FC and Bolton Wanderers FC tackle Wigan Athletic FC.


Liverpool defeated
However, fourth-placed Liverpool FC missed a chance to close the gap as they suffered their first league loss of the season at Reading FC. Stephen Hunt's penalty was cancelled out before the break by Steven Gerrard but Liverpool had no answer to second-half goals by Kevin Doyle and James Harper.

Bremen hit the heights in Germany

A 2-1 win against Hamburger SV sent Werder Bremen to the top of the Bundesliga table while a 3-0 away win lifted Bayer 04 Leverkusen up to fourth place.

Bremen triumph
Having won 3-2 against Real Madrid CF in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, Bremen took the lead after 15 minutes through former Hamburg striker Boubacar Sanogo, who beat Frank Rost with a crisp shot from Jurica Vranjes' cross. Hamburg levelled after 61 minutes as Rafael van der Vaart lobbed an attempted Christian Vander clearance back over the Bremen goalkeeper, but Rost was beaten again three minutes later as a Petri Pasanen cross was deflected past him by defender Vincent Kompany. Bremen now top the table with 33 points but will go second if FC Bayern München beat DSC Arminia Bielefeld on Sunday.

Leverkusen triumph
Elsewhere, goals from Carsten Ramelow, Tranquillo Barnetta and Sergej Barbarez saw Leverkusen earn a 3-0 win at Hertha BSC Berlin, while champions VfB Stuttgart lost 2-1 at home against BV Borussia Dortmund. Nelson Valdez gave Dortmund the lead, and while Fernando Meira struck back before the interval, Mladen Petrić grabbed the winner with 12 minutes to go. A Marcelo Bordon goal saw FC Schalke 04 beat VfL Bochum 1848 1-0, struggling FC Energie Cottbus won 2-0 against Karlsruher SC while VfL Wolfsburg were held to a 2-2 draw by Eintracht Frankfurt.

Three late goals in a four-minute spell saw Hannover 96 break FC Hansa Rostock's resistance in Friday's game in the Bundesliga and move up to sixth place.

Quick treble
Frank Fahrenhorst broke the deadlock in the 83rd minute with his first goal of the season, heading home after Szabolcs Huszti's free kick was deflected off the Rostock wall. Germany striker Mike Hanke tapped in two minutes later after goalkeeper Stefan Wächter failed to hold on to a long-range effort from Gaetan Krebs and Jiří Štajner made it 3-0 a minute later when he knocked in a cross from Iran's Vahid Hashemian. Defeat leaves Rostock just above the relegation zone in 15th place.

Juventus extend San Siro jinx

AC Milan remain winless at San Siro in Serie A this season after a 0-0 draw against Juventus while UC Sampdoria managed their sixth league win of the season against Reggina Calcio.

Eventful draw
There were no goals at the stadio Giuseppe Meazza but there was plenty of action at either end in an entertaining match. The visitors came closest to taking the lead on eleven minutes when David Trezeguet hit the post, while Dida was at full stretch to deny a fierce Hasan Salihamidžić strike shortly after the break.

In-form Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon also excelled in the Juve goal thwarting a second-half Kaká volley and saving Filippo Inzaghi's late effort with his legs, while Paolo Maldini's last-minute effort beat the Italy goalkeeper only to whistle over the bar. The Bianconeri are in second place, two points behind leaders FC Internazionale Milano, who have played two games less and travel to ACF Fiorentina on Sunday. Milan, meanwhile, are provisionally in seventh place.

Bellucci double
Sampdoria moved up to sixth place in Serie A following their third 3-0 win in four matches. Claudio Bellucci took his league goal tally for the season to seven after scoring twice (5, 76) either side of midfielder Paolo Sammarco's 56th-minute strike. Lowly Reggina's miserable afternoon was compounded by the dismissal of defender Maurizio Lanzaro (75).

Madrid make most of Barça draw

Real Madrid CF continue to set the pace at the summit of the Primera División after a 3-1 win against Real Racing Club Santander, while Sevilla FC suffered a surprise defeat at UD Almería and FC Barcelona were held by city rivals RCD Espanyol.

Raúl strikes
Madrid are four points clear at the top of Spanish standings after a comfortable home win. Raúl González opened the scoring at the Bernabéu after just four minutes and an own goal by Sergio Sanchez (11) gave the Spanish champions an early two-goal cushion. Raúl made it 3-0 with a 70th-minute free-kick before the visitors scored a consolation goal through Pedro Munitis (73).

Sevilla surprise
After overcoming Arsenal FC with a 3-1 UEFA Champions League victory on Tuesday, few expected Sevilla to encounter any problems against Almería but Peruvian defender Santiago Acasiete struck two minutes from time to leapfrog their opponents and move up to tenth place.

Derby draw
Barcelona looked as though they were going to make easy work of Espanyol at the Olímpico de Montjiuic when they took a sixth-minute lead through Andrés Iniesta following excellent work by Lionel Messi. Barça then twice struck the bar but the hosts came back into the match and grabbed an equaliser through Ferrán Corominas (69). The Blaugrana are second, level on 28 points with Villarreal CF, while Espanyol are two points further back in fourth.

Arsenal FC opened up a five-point lead

Arsenal FC opened up a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League after a 2-1 win at Aston Villa FC on a day when Chelsea FC overcame West Ham United FC.

Adebayor winner
Villa had hopes of a first win against the Gunners in nine years when Craig Gardner (14) put the hosts ahead but Mathieu Flamini's equaliser (23) and an Emmanuel Adebayor header (36) gave Arsène Wenger's side, who are still unbeaten in the English top flight, their third consecutive league away win. Earlier in the day, Chelsea had moved to within two points of the leaders with a 1-0 win against West Ham United thanks to Joe Cole's solitary goal (76).

Bentley double
Blackburn Rovers FC – for whom David Bentley scored twice (54, 67) – completed a comeback against Newcastle United FC, who had taken the lead through Obafemi Martins (47). Tugay Kerimoglu struck late on to make it 3-1 and condemn the visitors to their fourth Premier League defeat in five matches.

Sunderland win
Sunderland AFC erased the memory of last week's 7-1 defeat against Everton FC with a last-gasp win at bottom club Derby County FC to move out of the bottom three while Reading FC and Wigan Athletic FC were held to 1-1 draws at home by Middlesbrough FC and Manchester City FC respectively. Elsewhere, Portsmouth FC drew 0-0 at home against Everton.

Liverpool & Beşiktaş WINS

Liverpool 4-1 Porto

Liverpool FC grabbed three goals in the last 12 minutes to see off a stubborn FC Porto side and keep their UEFA Champions League hopes very much alive at Anfield.

Last-day drama
Desperately needing a win to keep their bid to reach the knockout stages on track, the five-time champions saw an early Fernando Torres goal cancelled out by Lisandro López but Porto's stubborn defence was unlocked late on by the Spaniard's strike, a Steven Gerrard penalty and a Peter Crouch header. Liverpool can now progress with a win at Olympique de Marseille in a fortnight while Porto, a point ahead of that pair, must now avoid defeat against Beşiktaş JK.

Benítez support
The Kop boomed out songs in praise of Rafael Benítez all evening in a vocal show of solidarity with the Liverpool manager, whose last European result was the competition record 8-0 win here against Beşiktaş. Support for the players was in no short supply either, and the home fans' encouragement was rewarded with the game's opening goal on 19 minutes. Gerrard provided the custom-made delivery for Liverpool with an outswinging corner from the right and unmarked Torres headed down low past Porto goalkeeper Helton to claim his first ever UEFA Champions League goal.

Equaliser
The visitors' coach Jesualdo Ferreira had promised to send his team out to play attacking, open football, and his charges did not disappoint as the Portuguese Liga leaders immediately drove forward in search of an equaliser. They managed it after 33 minutes when López outleapt Javier Mascherano to head Przemysław Kaźmierczak's cross over Pepe Reina's flailing arms.

López chance
López had a glorious opportunity to send the visitors in front soon after when he beat the offside trap only to clip the ball just wide of the post, while Marek Čech went close with a deflected shot that grazed the roof of the net. The visitors were holding sway but forever Liverpool's talisman, Gerrard broke the shackles with a blistering free-kick from distance that flashed a metre wide and the teams went in level at the break, despite their attacking intentions.

Liverpool vs Porto (4-1)

High intensity
There was no let-up in the intensity after the restart, albeit without some of the cutting edge in the half that preceded it, as genuine chances proved hard to come by. A towering clearance by Reina set up one of the better openings for the home outfit as he released Torres down the left. The striker teed up Yossi Benayoun to shoot from inside the box, but the Israeli international was off balance and he sliced the ball harmlessly wide. Helton had to be fully alert to keep out a difficult low cross by Mascherano, but Porto held on until a devastating last 12 minutes.

Porto collapse
It was Torres that finally got the breakthrough, shrugging off Bosingwa as he burst into the penalty area and firing in. When Milan Stepanov gave away an 84th-minute penalty for handball, the game was up for Porto and Gerrard made no mistake from the spot, calmly sending Helton the wrong way. Gerrard's corner four minutes later allowed Crouch to nod in Liverpool's fourth as Porto were left dumb-founded.

Beşiktaş 2-1 Marseille

Bobo scored with just two minutes remaining to keep Beşiktaş JK in the UEFA Champions League with victory against Olympique de Marseille.

Close group
The home side needed three points to remain in Group A contention following their competition record 8-0 defeat at Liverpool FC on Matchday 4. And although Tello's free-kick was cancelled out by Marseille substitute Taye Taiwo, the man that struck the clincher in the 2-1 win here against Liverpool, Bobo, did it again. The top four in the group are now split by just two points, with Beşiktaş on six, their Matchday 6 hosts FC Porto on eight and Marseille welcoming Liverpool with both teams on seven.

Changes rung
Unsurprisingly, Beşiktaş coach Ertuğrul Sağlam rang the changes from Anfield, with Turkey's most-capped player Rüştü Reçber making his first UEFA Champions League start for the club in goal and defender Baki Mercimek coming in for a tournament debut. But the atmosphere was more reminiscent of the home win against Liverpool, though Marseille coach Erik Gerets was well familiar with this having led Galatasaray AS for the last two seasons.

Substitutions
Beşiktaş came out strongly on a freezing Istanbul night, Tello shooting over in the second minute. Rüştü proved his worth soon after by saving an angled effort from Mamadou Niang. However, both teams were forced into early substitutions; Beşiktaş midfielder Koray Avcı replacing Edouard Cissé after the Frenchman suffered pain in his neck and Marseille striker Samir Nasri, also struggling with injury, withdrawing in favour of Djibril Cissé.

Tello strikes
But just five minutes later, Marseille fell behind. Beşiktaş won a free-kick just outside the box and Tello curled a beautiful strike past the helpless Steve Mandanda. Marseille responded well, Laurent Bonnet going close with a header after a corner and Ronald Zubar and Mathieu Valbuena threatening from distance. However, it was nearly 2-0 not long before the break as İbrahim Üzülme, Tello and Matías Delgado combined superbly to set up Serdar Özkan, whose effort forced Mandanda to save.

~CL~ Besiktas 2-1 Marseille

Taiwo equaliser
Having had the worse of an open half, Gerets decided to change things by bringing on Taiwo for Zubar at the interval and ten minutes later taking off Boudewijn Zenden and introducing André Ayew, the 17-year-old son of Abedi Pelé. Ayew was the first of the duo to impress, reinvigorating a Marseille attack in which Valbuena was now starring. Niang's shot flew just past the post as the hour mark approached, but it was Taiwo who levelled the scores as Beşiktaş cleared a corner only for the substitute to pick up the ball well outside the box and send it back at high velocity, Rüştü only able to divert the strike in with his palm.

Late drama
It seemed Beşiktaş were heading out of the competition, but both teams were going for victory, and it was the home side that got it as following a Delgado pass, Bobo advanced into the area and produced the game's third blistering goal. However, Beşiktaş must now win in Portugal, while Marseille will look for maximum points against Liverpool to make sure.