Tottenham win carling cup

Tottenham came from a goal down to beat Chelsea at Wembley and win the Carling Cup after extra-time.

Jonathan Woodgate won it when Petr Cech disastrously punched the ball on to his head from Jermaine Jenas's free-kick.

Pascal Chimbonda had hit the bar for Spurs, before Didier Drogba's 20-yard free-kick gave Chelsea the lead with Paul Robinson badly out of position.

Spurs levelled when Wayne Bridge handled in the box and Dimitar Berbatov coolly rolled in the resulting penalty.

Spurs' success is their fourth League Cup win and first since 1999, the last time they won a major trophy.

It also means their boss Juande Ramos has still never lost a cup final as a manager after five triumphs in Spain with Sevilla.

It ends Chelsea's quadruple hopes in Avram Grant's first season as Blues boss, though they are still in the hunt for the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.

Spurs set their stall out early on and began in a positive fashion in the first League Cup final at the new Wembley.

With only 30 seconds on the clock Juliano Beletti inexplicably gave the ball away to Robbie Keane, the striker racing through and seeing his 20-yard drive deflected wide by John Terry.

Twice in a minute Spurs could have gone in front, first Chimbonda heading a corner on to the bar and then Berbatov heading wide from Keane's cross, before Chelsea came back into it.

Tottenham 2:1 Chelsea

After Frank Lampard shot off target and Drogba curled a 25-yard free-kick high and wide, the Blues made a decisive breakthrough.

Didier Zokora tripped Drogba 20 yards out and the Ivorian dusted himself down to curl the resulting free-kick into the bottom left-hand side of Robinson's goal.

Robinson - only recalled to the Spurs team on Thursday for their Uefa Cup tie after a month on the sidelines - was in completely the wrong position and remained rooted to his spot as the ball flew past him.

Spurs almost made an immediate reply but Keane's shot was straight at Cech and then Berbatov slipped as Keane attempted to send him through on goal.

Chelsea, a side well-drilled in the art of defending a one-goal lead, rarely looked like surrendering their advantage until, halfway through the second half, calamity struck.

Having struggled to make much headway against the Chelsea defence Spurs were gifted a penalty, Bridge bizarrely knocking the ball away with his left hand as he tussled with Aaron Lennon.

Berbatov, keeping his cool, waited for Cech to go left before he rolled the ball into the other side of the goal.

Suddenly Spurs were in the ascendancy and Zokora raced through, only for his first shot to hit Cech on the head and his second slice wide, before Berbatov stung Cech's palms with a fierce drive.

They only had to wait four minutes of extra-time to take a lead they would not relinquish, Cech punching a Jenas free-kick on to Woodgate's head and the ball trickling into an empty net.

Chelsea had to attack but the outstanding Woodgate and Ledley King stood firm, Blues substitute Salomon Kalou and Joe Cole both seeing shots saved by Robinson, but they were nothing more than half-chances.

Spurs deservedly hung on for a famous win and denied their London rivals back-to-back Carling Cup victories in the process.

Asenal lose ground

Liverpool 3-2 Middlesbrough

Fernando Torres grabbed a hat-trick as Liverpool came back from a goal down to beat Middlesbrough and move fourth.

The Reds went behind when Tuncay Sanli headed in from six yards before Julio Arca's mistake let Torres around keeper Mark Schwarzer to slot in and level.

Torres rifled in from 22 yards and side-footed in a third after Schwarzer rushed out of his goal without success.

Stewart Downing poked in a shot for Boro but the Reds held on with the help of Jeremie Aliadiere being red-carded.

The win was only Liverpool's second in the top flight since the turn of the year and came after a poor start when they quickly went behind following some terrible defending.

Boro striker Tuncay timed his run perfectly to move unmarked through Liverpool's flimsy offside trap and nod in Downing's free-kick.

The visitors have been an improving side in recent months and, while they showed plenty of energy in closing the Reds down, they also threatened with some promising attacking play.

Only a last-ditch Alvaro Arbeloa tackle on Boro striker Aliadiere stopped him breaking clear on the Reds goal.

But Liverpool were gifted an equaliser when midfielder Arca's header back towards his own goal went straight into the path of Torres and he capitalised on the error by equalising.

Torres added a second in as many minutes when he gathered the ball and powered a low shot into the bottom corner.

Boro refused to let the double blow change the way they played in an open game but had Tuncay booked when he put a cross into the net with the top of his arm.

Gary O'Neil shot wide against a Liverpool side that looked dangerous when going forward but uncertain at the back with the suspended Jamie Carragher missing.

Middlesbrough attacked with a purpose but were undone by defensive mistakes.

A long cross-field Liverpool pass brought Schwarzer rushing out of his goal to the edge of the box but Torres got to the ball ahead of him and central defender David Wheater before side-footing into an empty net.

Downing beautifully controlled and cut into the Liverpool box from the left late on before slotting a shot through the legs of keeper Pepe Reina to haul his side back to 3-2.

Aliadiere then was sent-off for Boro after lightly slapping Javier Mascherano, who appeared to provoke him by raising a hand to the striker's face.

The dismissal all but ended Boro's attempts to get a late equaliser as Liverpool held on for victory.

Newcastle 1-5 Man Utd

Two goals each from Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney helped Manchester United beat Newcastle and close the gap on leaders Arsenal to three points.

Wayne Rooney opened the scoring when he volleyed in Cristiano Ronaldo's cross at the far post before the supplier slotted in from Michael Carrick's pass.

Ronaldo rounded Steve Harper for his second but Newcastle reduced the deficit when Abdoulaye Faye poked in.

Rooney curled in the fourth before Louis Saha slotted in late on.

The win puts Sir Alex Ferguson's side firmly back in the hunt for the title following Arsenal's draw at Birmingham, while the defeat leaves Newcastle just six points above the relegation zone.

What will not help manager Kevin Keegan's cause is that the team have not won in 10 games and have only scored three goals in six games since his arrival, conceding 16.

Following their 6-0 drubbing at Old Trafford in the reverse fixture last month, Newcastle were keen to avoid another embarrassment.

And for the first 24 minutes, Newcastle's defence coped well and the midfield worked tirelessly to keep the impish Ronaldo and Nani at bay with some juicy tackles.

But one of the problems for the Magpies this season is the frequent lapses of concentration and for United's first goal, left-back Charles N'Zogbia was the guilty figure, allowing Rooney to steal in front of him and tuck away Ronaldo's peach of a ball at the far post.

With the seal broken and Newcastle beginning to look typically ragged, the Old Trafford side pinged the ball about from wing to wing with carefree supremacy, while Carrick in the middle was quick to seize on loose balls from the Newcastle midfield.
It was Wallsend-born Carrick who set up the second goal when his surge and well-weighted pass found the eager Ronaldo, who slotted his shot under Given and into the corner.

Ferguson's side should have added two more in the first half, but Carlos Tevez headed over from six yards after he was first to Nani's right-wing delivery, while Ronaldo screwed his 10-yard angled shot wide.


Newcastle did not unleash their first shot in anger until after the interval when Damien Duff twisted inside the area and fired a low drive that Edwin van der Sar had to punch away.

Had the hosts scored then the game might have taken on a different look. Instead, the visitors once again exploited the Magpies frailties to extend their advantage.

Abdoulaye Faye, back from Africa Nations Cup duty, misplaced a pass and the ball found its way to Ronaldo who motored his way towards goal.

The Portugal international fended off a foolish attempt at a tackle from Steven Taylor before rounding Harper, who came on for the injured Given at half-time, for his fifth goal against the Magpies in two matches.

Faye pulled one back for the hosts after smashing in substitute Andy Carroll's nod down from a corner, but that only angered the visitors who scored a fourth when Rooney curled in a beautiful shot from the edge of the area.

And seconds before the final whistle there was time for ex-Magpie Saha to find the net with a low shot from Rooney's square ball.

Blackburn 4-1 Bolton

Benni McCarthy scored two penalties as Blackburn swept luckless Bolton aside.

McCarthy blasted home after Gretar Steinsson fouled David Dunn but replays suggested the ball was won cleanly.

Bolton were again unfortunate when Kevin Nolan struck the bar but Kevin Davies fired them level following a punt forward from Ivan Campo.

McCarthy netted after Cahill fouled Dunn, David Bentley headed in the third from Dunn's cross and Morten Gamst Pedersen swept in a fourth at the end.

Birmingham 2-2 Arsenal

James McFadden salvaged a point for Birmingham with an injury-time penalty but the game was overshadowed by a horrific injury to Arsenal's Eduardo.

The striker suffered a broken leg in the third minute after a tackle by Martin Taylor, who was sent off.

McFadden gave the Blues the lead with a 20-yard free-kick before Theo Walcott poked in his first Premier League goal.

Walcott made it 2-1 with a mazy run and shot before McFadden equalised after Gael Clichy fouled Stuart Parnaby.

Portsmouth 1-0 Sunderland

Jermain Defoe's late penalty earned Portsmouth only their fourth home win this season as Sunderland's miserable away form continued at Fratton Park.

An abysmal first half was typified by poor passing and scrappy play, and a Sulley Muntari shot that flew over was the closest either side came to a goal.

Sunderland were holding their own, though, until Phil Bardsley felled Nico Kranjcar and Defoe scored the penalty.

Grant Leadbitter had Sunderland's best chances but Pompey comfortably held on.

Fulham 0-1 West Ham

A late goal from Nolberto Solano gave West Ham a narrow win and put pressure on relegation-threatened Fulham.

The Hammers were frustrated in the first half as Carlton Cole saw a volley saved and another skim the bar, while Luis Boa Morte also went wide.

Fulham worked hard but West Ham's firm defence kept out Brian McBride's volley and Diomansky Kamara's effort.

Solano then bundled the ball in, to the fury of Fulham, who had Leon Andreasen sent off for his protests for handball.

Wigan 2-0 Derby

Paul Jewell's return to the JJB Stadium ended in defeat as second half goals from Paul Scharner and Antonio Valencia gave Wigan all three points.

Scharner pounced on the hour mark to turn the ball in at the far post after Emile Heskey's close range effort was parried by Derby keeper Roy Carroll.

Valencia wrapped up the points six minutes from time, crashing a shot into the roof of the net from six yards out.

The result moves Wigan up three places to 14th while Derby remain bottom.

Reading 1-2 Aston Villa

Aston Villa kept up their challenge for fourth place in the Premier League with a win at relegation-placed Reading.

Villa's Gareth Barry missed a dubiously-awarded penalty before the visitors went ahead when Ashley Young slotted home after a counter-attack.

Nicky Shorey had a shot parried as the Royals fought back, but Marlon Harewood curled in a shot to secure Villa's win.

Reading efforts did receive their reward in injury-time when Shorey scored with a 25-yard free-kick.

Celtic 2-3 Barcelona

Lionel Messi scored twice, including a late winner, as FC Barcelona came from behind in Glasgow to claim both a 3-2 victory and a sizeable advantage in their first knockout round tie against Celtic FC.

Headed goals
Celtic threatened to maintain their superb home record in the UEFA Champions League as they took the lead through fine headed goals from Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Barry Robson, but a pair of strikes by Messi – now the competition's six-goal leading scorer – and a delightful Thierry Henry effort make Barcelona favourites to reach the quarter-finals at Camp Nou in a fortnight.

Caddis clearance
Having been handed a European debut by Gordon Strachan, Celtic's 19-year-old full-back Paul Caddis found himself up against Ronaldinho, who was making his first start since December. The Brazilian helped the visitors dictate the early tempo, although it was Henry who created the first chance on 13 minutes for Andrés Iniesta whose shot was saved by Artur Boruc. From the ensuing corner Caddis headed a goalbound Henry effort off the line – settling nerves in the process.

Powerful finish
Despite their early subjugation, it was Celtic who struck first three minutes later. Scott McDonald appeared to have lost possession in the Barcelona box but the ball fell invitingly for Lee Naylor whose superb left-foot cross was headed in powerfully by Vennegoor of Hesselink. There was little time to enjoy the advantage – two minutes, in fact – as Messi drove at the Celtic defence from the right, exchanged passes with Deco before cleverly lifting the ball over the advancing Boruc, despite Naylor's sliding tackle.

Robson header
Barça also looked the team more likely to score the third goal of the night but again it was Celtic who went ahead, seven minutes from half-time. Aiden McGeady, often inspirational but largely peripheral until this point, outstripped Iniesta and Carles Puyol on the left before firing across a high ball for Robson who somehow looped a header over Víctor Valdés from close to the penalty spot – not a bad way to mark your first appearance in the competition.

Barcelona 3 - 2 Celtic

Henry on target
In contrast, Barcelona are a side full of players who know all about success in this competition – having won it in 2006 – and they levelled again in the 52nd minute. Gary Caldwell paid for a weak pass out of defence as Ronaldinho intercepted and supplied Henry, who drifted towards the Celtic area and curled a sumptuous right-foot shot from the corner of the box beyond Boruc. Strachan responded by introducing all three substitutes in a ten-minute spell yet it made little difference to the flow of the game which continued towards the Celtic goal.

Messi winner
Henry prodded just past the post following an intricate move involving Ronaldinho and Eric Abidal as Barcelona sensed their chance. They finally took it with eleven minutes to play: a Stephen McManus clearance hit Massimo Donati and fell for Messi, who dragged the ball back to create an opening before drilling it into the net. It would have been four had Boruc not subsequently denied Henry twice to keep his team in the tie – just.

Lyon 1-1 Manchester United

Carlos Tévez's late equaliser boosted Manchester United FC's hopes of reaching the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals as Sir Alex Ferguson's team secured a hard-fought draw at Olympique Lyonnais, who had looked set to claim their first success against an English club for 40 years when Karim Benzema opened the scoring on 54 minutes.

Milestones for veterans
On a night when two veterans reached significant milestones, it was two younger players who stole the headlines with their goalscoring prowess. Ryan Giggs struggled to inspire United on his 100th UEFA Champions League appearance, and when the visitors did succeed in breaking through Lyon's determined defence, they were invariably denied by a commanding Grégory Coupet, playing his 500th match for the club. United never gave up, however, and will now be confident of progressing at Old Trafford in a fortnight, when Lyon will be without the suspended Anthony Réveillère.

Lyon threat
United issued an early warning when Cristiano Ronaldo's shot deflected wide off Jean-Alain Boumsong, yet it was Lyon who settled quicker. Only a last-ditch challenge from Rio Ferdinand prevented Sidney Govou from latching on to Fabio Grosso's low cross, and Benzema narrowly failed to make clean contact with Juninho Pernambucano's corner. With seven home goals conceded in the group stage, Lyon's defensive frailty was a source for concern and Alain Perrin's decision to deploy François Clerc in midfield hinted at a cautious approach. The tactic appeared to working, though, as Govou linked up effectively with Grosso on the left while Clerc made several threatening bursts on the opposite flank. With Lyon firmly in the ascendancy, Ferdinand almost sliced into his own net, then Benzema rifled narrowly over after another clever pull-back from Clerc.

Rooney denied
The English champions carved the clearest opening on 24 minutes, however, Wayne Rooney collecting Ronaldo's pinpoint through-ball and evading Sébastien Squillaci's challenge to race clear only for Grégory Coupet to stop his shot with his leg. Paul Scholes was then denied by Boumsong's timely intervention after being released by Giggs and, with Ronaldo increasingly influential the visitors finished the half in menacing fashion. The Portuguese winger forced Coupet into a two-fisted save from his curling free-kick, then glanced a header wide from the resulting corner.

Lyon 1-1 Manchester United 8e aller LDC

Benzema breakthrough
Half-time arrived at the right time for the French title-holders, offering them an opportunity to regroup and return with fresh ideas in the second period. One of those ideas might have been to shoot on sight, which is exactly what Benzema did nine minutes in. After collecting Jérémy Toulalan's pass, the France striker turned brilliantly to his left before unleashing a fizzing low shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. It was the 20-year-old's fourth European goal this term and his 26th in all competitions.

Tévez delight
Sir Alex reacted by sending on Nani and Tévez and the two-time European champions immediately played with more urgency. Both sides came close from set-pieces late on, Juninho's long-range effort sliding wide before Ronaldo was denied by Coupet. Seconds later, however, there was nothing the French goalkeeper could do when Tévez rifled in from close range after Fred had inadvertently directed Nani's right-wing cross into his path to tip the balance of the tie back towards United.

Fenerbahçe 3-2 Sevilla

Late substitute Semih Şentürk struck with three minutes left to give Fenerbahçe SK the edge over Sevilla FC in both teams' debut appearance in the UEFA Champions League first knockout round.

Narrow margin
Mateja Kežman and Lugano scored early in each half for the hosts yet within minutes both leads had been cancelled out – first by an Edu own goal, then by a close-range Julien Escudé finish. However, Semih Şentürk, only just recovered from a knee injury, was thrown on and his shot deflected off Ivica Dragutinović to put the Turkish champions in front ahead of the return a fortnight hence in Spain.

Big chill
With the Sükrü Saraçoglu Stadium snowbound until Tuesday, and frantic work having been needed to make the pitch playable, Sevilla coach Manuel Jiménez selected his lineup based on the previous night's training session. Those players who had coped best made the cut. When Duda, who obviously did enough to earn his first UEFA Champions League start, forced a fifth-minute corner that was only half-cleared, Frédéric Kanouté hit a shot which Volkan Demirel was well-positioned to save.

Early breakthrough
Nonetheless, the first goal came at the other end, from another player to have staked a recent claim for first-team action. Mateja Kežman endured a frustrating autumn with a knee problem that required surgery, but he has hit form this month. Just past the quarter-hour mark, he rose at the far post to head in a teasing left-wing centre from Uğur Boral. The first equaliser was not long in coming. Edu, who had inadvertently opened the scoring for PFC CSKA Moskva in Fenerbahçe's 3-1 win in December, suffered similar misfortune when he stretched to cut out a right-wing Daniel Alves cross only to turn the ball past Volkan Demirel.

Redemption
It took fully ten minutes for Zico's Fenerbahçe to get the wind back in their sails. Then, only goalline acrobatics from Andrés Palop denied a Mehmet Aurélio header following another probing Uğur Boral ball. When Sevilla immediately broke, Edu redeemed himself by heroically blocking a Jesús Navas shot. In fact, the Fenerbahçe centre-back nearly cancelled out his unlucky strike altogether but Palop stopped his header and Alex lashed the rebound into the side-netting.

Level pegging
With Sevilla beginning the second period in the same positive mindset as the first, Duda and Kanouté both made Volkan Demirel work. Yet once again Fenerbahçe got themselves ahead. Uğur Boral tenaciously won a corner on the left that Alex placed perfectly for Lugano to climb and nod in from close to the penalty spot. Jiménez's side visibly needed a lift so the Sevilla coach sent on Diego Capel for Duda. And within three minutes the youngster's corner was flicked on by Christian Poulsen for Julien Escudé to power in a volley that nearly took out the back of the net. To make matters worse for the home team, Roberto Carlos suffered a deep cut to his shin and was replaced by Gökçek Vederson.

Super sub
But having required five group-stage campaigns to get this far, Fenerbahçe were still keen to snatch an advantage to take to Seville and Kazım Kazım was introduced, followed by Semih Şentürk. It was the latter's strike from just inside the box that skidded past Palop, via Dragutinović, for the late winner.

Arsenal 0-0 AC Milan

Arsenal FC and AC Milan will move on to the San Siro with this UEFA Champions League tie evenly poised after an absorbing encounter in north London ended goalless.

Kalac strong
Gunners manager Arsène Wenger had called the tie the "ultimate test" for his young side and they proved worthy of the challenge as they pressed the European champions back for long stages. A faultless display from Zeljko Kalac in the Milan goal, though, kept the English Premier League leaders at bay though he was grateful to the woodwork when Emmanuel Adebayor headed against the crossbar from point-blank range in the closing seconds.

Maldini chance
The emergence of Pato has given Milan's season fresh impetus and he was quickly involved on his return from injury here. Kolo Touré was forced off on seven minutes after blocking the 18-year-old's powerful shot and from the resulting corner Rossoneri old boy Jens Lehmann spectacularly tipped away Paolo Maldini's header. At 38 and 39 respectively, two of the game's old guard were showing they still have plenty to offer.

Touré off
Even with Touré making way for Philippe Senderos, Arsenal were unfazed. Wenger had urged them to play with the "handbrake off" and they purred seamlessly up through the gears early on, memories of Saturday's defeat at Manchester United FC forgotten. Despite plenty of possession, chances were few, with the front line in midfield where Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo kept Cesc Fabregas in check. When the 20-year-old did release Adebayor the prolific striker shot over, though Kalac – recovered from a dislocated finger – was finally called into action on 36 minutes to smother Mathieu Flamini's low drive.

Senderos praise
Having successfully subdued Kaká for much of the opening period Flamini was beginning to press forward himself and he drew another save from Kalac with a low cross after twisting free of Pirlo just before the break. Prior to that the biggest cheers had been for Senderos, first for diligently blocking the electrifying Pato as he burst into the box, then for a crunching tackle on Kaká.

Adebayor denied
Like Arsenal at the start of the first half, Milan had to reshuffle their back line five minutes into the second when Alessandro Nesta picked up a knock. On came Marek Jankulovski but before Milan could regroup Kakha Kaladze almost headed into his own net from a corner. Tails up, Arsenal came close again soon after when Emmanuel Eboué curled just wide. The home side were finding their fluency and had the ball in the net on 54 minutes only for Adebayor's effort to be ruled offside.

Fabregas denied
The European champions were being pinned back, struggling to escape the confines of their own half, with Kaká and Pato isolated up front. Even so, they remained a danger. Kaká shot wide on 69 minutes, then Pato sent Arsenal hearts racing as the ball bobbled dangerously in their box. The Rossoneri's hero of the night, though, was at the other end. Kalac has dislodged Dida as Milan's first-choice goalkeeper and it was clear to see why as he dived low to block Fabregas's drive with 15 minutes left, then repeated the feat as Milan escaped unpunished – with a little help from the crossbar.

Liverpool 2-0 Internazionale

Dirk Kuyt's deflected shot and Steven Gerrard's raking low drive in the last five minutes put Liverpool FC in command of their UEFA Champions League first knockout round tie with FC Internazionale Milano, who battled bravely for almost an hour with only ten men only to fall short at the last.

Red card
Inter central defender Marco Materazzi was shown a second yellow card after only 30 minutes but Liverpool, who dominated proceedings for long spells, could not make their numerical superiority pay off until the 85th minute when Jermaine Pennant's deep right-wing cross was allowed to bounce through to Kuyt at the far post for a shot that beat Júlio César with the help of a considerable deflection off Maicon. Liverpool took a firm grip on the tie in the 90th minute, Gerrard beating the Inter goalkeeper with a low shot from the corner of the penalty area that evaded everyone and went in off a post to finally reward the home side for a vibrant display.

Materazzi off
Liverpool started the stronger and Fábio Aurélio had the first real strike on goal in the fifth minute with a curling free-kick from the edge of the penalty area, but the full-back's attempt flew just over the crossbar. Júlio César then touched over a Sami Hyypiä header before Materazzi was booked for a foul on Fernando Torres and, after tugging on the shirt of the same player, was dismissed with just 30 minutes gone – a defining moment. Down to ten men, the Serie A leaders were always likely to be up against it and Liverpool held sway throughout the first half, Argentinian midfielder Javier Mascherano especially effective at keeping Inter pinned back.

Inter regroup
For all their attacking intentions, the five-time European champions struggled to create any genuine opportunities as Inter regrouped and expertly reshuffled their defensive lines. Ryan Babel cut inside from the left and blazed one shot high and wide, before Gerrard was unlucky not to find a red shirt with a dangerous low cross, but Liverpool could not make any significant inroads as the opening period came to a close.

Torres denied
A moment of confusion early in the second half almost presented Inter with the lead as Hyypiä's rash attempted clearance eventually fell to Zlatan Ibrahimović, who set up Esteban Cambiasso for an instant shot which flew well wide. Inter coach Roberto Mancini introduced Patrick Vieira, but the substitute's first contribution almost cost his side a goal and he was dispossessed by Lucas Leiva and the ball broke for Torres to race clear, only for Júlio César to touch behind his low shot. Hyypiä then grazed the top of the net with a header and Torres fired narrowly wide as Liverpool turned up the heat on a bitterly cold night on Merseyside.

Late drama
Rafael Benítez introduced Peter Crouch and Pennant in the hope of breaking down Inter's rearguard and defender Iván Córdoba was carried off with a serious-looking leg injury with 15 minutes to play, yet still the visitors looked like holding out. The breakthrough finally came as the clock ticked down and Kuyt put Liverpool in front before Gerrard earned them a potentially vital two-goal lead to defend at San Siro on 11 March.

AS Roma 2-1 Real Madrid

AS Roma came from behind to record their first home win over Real Madrid CF, Mancini's second-half strike earning the Giallorossi a slender advantage to take to the Santiago Bernabéu for the conclusion of this first knockout round tie in a fortnight's time.

Turnaround
Trailing to Raúl González's eighth-minute goal, Luciano Spalletti's side drew level through David Pizarro midway through the first half before Mancini's winner raised their hopes of advancing to the quarter-finals for the second season running.

Madrid settle quickly
Madrid had prevailed on their three previous trips to Roma and the home fans in a freezing Stadio Olimpico could have been forgiven for fearing the worst when Raúl gave the visitors an early lead. Despite an injury list that included Robinho, their joint-leading scorer in the group stage, Madrid settled quickly to their task and struck when Arjen Robben surged down the left and pulled the ball back to the edge of the box for Guti to take a first-time shot which Raúl – played onside by Pizarro –helped on its way past Doni.

R.Madrid 1-0 As.Rome_Ysf Zone

Roma reprieved
Although Marco Cassetti tested Iker Casillas low to his left moments later, Madrid had the ball in Roma's net again within two minutes but Ruud van Nistelrooy, burying the rebound after Doni had parried a Robben drive, was adjudged offside. There was another reprieve for the hosts in the 21st minute when the lively Robben got to the byline down the right and crossed for Raúl who aimed a free header wide of the far post.

Mancini threat
There had been much talk in the build-up about Roma's recent dip in form and Francesco Totti, in particular, was slow to find his touch on a night when he surpassed Aldair's club record for appearances in Europe with his 65th. Instead their main threat in the first period came from Mancini and, after Simone Perrotta had failed to connect with the Brazilian's pull-back, his next ball into the box led to Pizarro's equalising goal after 24 minutes. Although Fernando Gago turned Mancini's centre away from Totti, the ball went only as far as Pizarro. The Chilean's shot was hard and low but deflected off Gago and flew high past Casillas.

R.Madrid 1-1 As.Rome_Ysf Zone

Totti class tells
Madrid still looked the more fluent side as half-time approached, Raúl threading a ball through to Van Nistelrooy who fired wide on the stretch. Come the second period, though, it was Roma who seized the initiative with Totti the architect of their second goal in the 58th minute. The No10's class finally told as he collected a high ball under pressure from Gabriel Heinze, span away from the Argentinian and threaded a perfectly-weighted pass through to Mancini. After sidestepping the onrushing Casillas, Mancini slipped the ball into the empty net.

R.Madrid 1-2 As.Rome_Ysf Zone

Hanging on
Sergio Ramos blazed wide of the near post from 20 metres almost immediately and Roma were soon defending in numbers as Madrid sought a reply. It took a superb interception from Juan to stop Raúl converting the rebound after Doni had spilled a Robben cross and from the resulting corner Perrotta bravely got his head in the way of Mahamadou Diarra's piledriver. Madrid went even closer in the 80th minute when Van Nistelrooy lashed the ball against the near post but Roma held on.

Olympiacos 0-0 Chelsea

Olympiacos CFP produced an impressive display to tame Chelsea FC and earn a scoreless draw in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League first knockout round tie.

Olympiacos impress
Panagiotis Lemonis's men refused to be overawed by their English opponents in this their first appearance in the knockout rounds since reaching the quarter-finals in 1998/99 and enjoyed the lion's share of possession and chances in a closely contested encounter. Chelsea's Avram Grant, however, will be the happier of the two coaches after his team kept a clean sheet and are in the driving seat ahead of the return leg at Stamford Bridge on 5 March.

Terry and Lampard out
Grant, who had urged caution ahead of the match, sprang a surprise by leaving captain John Terry and England colleague Frank Lampard on the bench, while returning African Cup of Nations stars Michael Essien and Didier Drogba started. On the evidence of the opening exchanges the visitors were not holding back, however, with Essien trying his luck after 30 seconds, his shot drifting just wide of the right post.

Great support
Olympiacos, backed by a deafening and frenzied support, responded. After Luciano Galletti's shot was blocked by Claude Makelele, Ieroklis Stoltidis surged on to Predrag Djordjević's pass but opted to cross when a shot looked the best option and the ball was cut out by Ricardo Carvalho. Chelsea enjoyed a lot of possession during a tentative first half, while Olympiacos looked dangerous on the counterattack. But it was the visitors who registered the first effort on target, Florent Malouda's snapshot saved by Antonios Nikopolidis after 16 minutes. Nikopolidis was again in the right place five minutes later to save Carvalho's downward header.

Chelsea press
Stoltidis, who scored twice in the Greek side's 3-0 win over Werder Bremen in their final group game, then had Chelsea hearts fluttering when his near post header zipped just past the left post on the half-hour mark. Drogba, who seemed to be struggling with a right hamstring problem, then saw a speculative shot saved comfortably by Nikopolidis as the home goal came under increased pressure.

Absorbing contest
The quick-slow tempo of what was becoming an absorbing contest continued after the break. The hosts had the first sight of goal five minutes into the half when Stoltidis's left-wing cross just evaded the head of the on-rushing Galletti. Clear scoring chances were at a premium, however, and it seemed a speculative effort or dead-ball situation would be the only route to a goal.

Čech saves
Right on cue Djordjević tested Petr Čech for the first time in the game with a well struck shot but the Chelsea keeper made a smart save low at his right post. Then on 65 minutes Galletti volleyed narrowly over after another left wing cross by Stoltidis as the hosts searched for the opening goal. Chelsea were finding it hard to fashion chances, Malouda's shot from distance after 70 minutes their sole second-half effort up to that point. Grant brought Salomon Kalou and Nicolas Anelka on with 15 minutes left, but neither could make an impression in the closing stages with the visitors seemingly content with a draw.

Schalke 1-0 Porto

Kevin Kuranyi's early strike divided the teams in Gelsenkirchen as FC Schalke 04 marked their debut in the knockout stages with a 1-0 victory, though FC Porto may make them rue their failure to further convert their dominance in the second leg.

López chance
Kuranyi struck his third UEFA Champions League goal of the season after just four minutes, pouncing on the loose ball after Rafinha's shot was parried. That the home team's full-back was so far advanced was a measure of their purpose but Schalke, and the goalscorer in particular, failed to take advantage and as the second half wore on Porto threatened an equaliser. Their best chance fell to Lisandro López with ten minutes left but with the goal gaping the striker skewed Ricardo Quaresma's low cross over and Schalke will travel to Portugal on 5 March with their 1-0 lead intact.

Telling pass
Back from suspension, Jermaine Jones returned to the base of Schalke's midfield and wasted little time in making his presence felt. Just four minutes in, he picked up possession midway inside the Porto half and split the visiting back line with a pinpoint pass through to Rafinha. The Brazilian right-back hit a powerful effort that Helton could only manage to parry as far as Kuranyi who gleefully side-footed in.

schalke-fc porto-1-0.kuranyi

Fucile difficulty
The move all stemmed from a poor pass from Fucile, who endured a difficult return to his favoured left-back berth having switched flanks to cover for the injured Bosingwa at the weekend. João Paulo filled in tonight, but Fucile must have wished he had stayed on the right. Soon after the goal Rafinha twisted, turned and gained a metre close to the by-line before delivering a dangerous cross that Pedro Emanuel did well to lift over three lurking royal blue shirts.

Schalke strength
It was not the triumphant return to Gelsenkirchen, the scene of their 2004 UEFA Champions League final win, that Porto had envisaged. Even when the isolated López did receive possession he was usually met by the imperious Mladen Krstajić, and Schalke continued to drive forward. Sensing a weakness, the vulture-like Kuranyi kept drifting on to the right wing and escaped the beleaguered Fucile time and again. Only once, though, did he force a save from Helton, whose goal was again threatened when Ivan Rakitić fired just over just before half-time.

Porto balance
By then Fucile had switched with João Paulo, the latter announcing his presence on Porto's troubled left flank with an ill-advised back heel 25 metres from his own goal that almost proved costly. But the visitors began the second half with much better shape, getting up in numbers to support their attackers, and only Fabian Ernst's timely intervention prevented López's pass finding its way through to Lucho González soon after the restart.

Jones spark
Schalke still looked the more likely side to score and, just before the hour, Kuranyi almost made it two but failed to get purchase on Jones' exquisite arcing cross with the goal at his mercy. It was the sort of profligacy home coach Mirko Slomka spoke of before the game as being his side's downfall over recent weeks and, as the game wore on Porto, sought to expose the wound again. Raul Meireles tested Manuel Neuer with a swerving long-range effort before López miscued from point-blank range and Schalke held on.

Arsenal five points Ahead

Goals at the start and the finish of the match earned Arsenal FC a 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers FC which extended their lead in the Premier League to five points.

Making sure
Arsène Wenger's men enjoyed the perfect opening at the Arsenal Stadium when Philippe Senderos rose unattended to head in a fourth-minute corner. The north London club were in a position to enhance a two-point advantage over second-placed Manchester United FC, and they made sure of the win as the game entered stoppage time. Aleksandr Hleb played the ball into the feet of Emmanuel Adebayor who finished adroitly past Blackburn goalkeeper Brad Friedel. It was Adebayor's 19th league goal of the season. Hleb had hit the post earlier in the second half, while half-chances for Roque Santa Cruz and Benni McCarthy could not prevent a first top-flight defeat of 2008 for ninth-placed Blackburn.

Golden chance for Arsenal

Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC played out a scoreless draw after Manchester City FC won 2-1 at Manchester United FC to complete a Premier League double over their city rivals.

Few chances
In a tight game at Stamford Bridge, Liverpool had the best opportunities with Peter Crouch passing up a trio of first-half chances. Chelsea, who could have gone to within a point of second-placed Manchester United after the latter's loss earlier in the day, could not find a way through the disciplined away defence and did not have an effort on target during the first period.

Ballack effort
Chelsea stepped up a gear in the second period and nearly won the game ten minutes from the end as Michael Ballack's volley drifted just wide. However, the draw leaves the London side five points behind league leaders Arsenal FC while Liverpool rise from seventh to fifth.

Home setback
There was a minute's silence before the Manchester derby in memory for the victims of the Munich air disaster, which happened fifty years ago this week. Once the game got under way, first-half goals from Darius Vassell and debutant Benjani Mwaruwari inflicted United's first home league reverse of the season, putting a serious dent in their title ambitions. An added-time goal from Michael Carrick was scant consolation for United, who have now lost four league games this term, two of which have come against their near neighbours.

Benjani glee
The visitors took the lead midway through the opening period when Vassell slotted in the loose ball after Edwin van der Sar had first denied Stephen Ireland and then Vassell himself. United threatened the Manchester City rearguard on a number of occasions but Sven-Göran Eriksson's team held firm and added a second moments before the interval when Benjani's glancing header from a Martin Petrov cross found the bottom corner.


Phil Jagielka's header was enough to give fourth-placed Everton FC a 1-0 win against Reading FC and open up a three-point gap to Aston Villa FC, who won 4-1 at home to Newcastle United FC with John Carew scoring a hat-trick.

Reading slump
Everton went into their game against Steve Coppell's strugglers unbeaten in five league games and looking to surge four points clear of their Merseyside rivals Liverpool FC ahead of their game at Chelsea FC tomorrow. Jagielka's header on 62 minutes proved decisive and saw Reading slip into the bottom three after suffering a seventh straight league defeat.

Carew treble
Aston Villa got off to the worst possible start when Michael Owen (4) headed in for Newcastle but Wilfred Bouma's equaliser after 48 minutes kick-started a string of goals for the home side. Carew headed in Ashley Young's left-wing corner then added another to confirm the points 18 minutes from time before converting a late penalty to complete his hat-trick.

Diarra stars
Lassana Diarra's 81st-minute strike was the difference between Portsmouth FC and hosts Bolton Wanderers FC and saw Harry Redknapp's team move into seventh spot while second-half goals from Robbie Keane, Younes Kaboul and a Dimitar Berbatov penalty gave Tottenham Hotspur FC a 3-0 win at basement side Derby County FC. The remaining three games all had implications at the bottom end of the table.

Relegation struggle
Middlesbrough FC moved above north-east rivals Newcastle as Jérémie Aliadière gave them a 1-0 win against Fulham FC. Dickson Etuhu and Daryl Murphy were on target as Sunderland AFC leapfrogged opponents Wigan Athletic FC and pulled five points clear of the drop zone while Birmingham City FC jumped out of the bottom three as James McFadden's penalty earned them a 1-1 draw at West Ham United FC. The other game tomorrow sees Manchester United FC entertain Manchester City FC.

Roma continue pursuit of Inter

AS Roma cut FC Internazionale Milano's lead at the top of Serie A to five points via a 2-0 win against Reggina Calcio while Atalanta BC and ACF Fiorentina shared four goals.

Roma response
Roma were desperate to make amends for last week's shock 3-0 setback at AC Siena and made the breakthrough on 21 minutes when Christian Panucci headed Francesco Totti's cross past the Reggina goalkeeper Andrea Campagnolo. The victory was confirmed with 15 minutes remaining when Ludovic Giuly's drive rebounded into the path of Mancini and the Brazilian made no mistake to leave Reggina rooted in the bottom three. Inter can re-establish their eight-point cushion at the summit if they win at Calcio Catania tomorrow.

Muslimović double
Elsewhere, Fiorentina's hopes of securing a place in next season's UEFA Champions League suffered a setback after Zlatan Muslimović's added-time equaliser rescued a point for Atalanta. The Viola opened the scoring through former Atalanta academy product Giampaolo Pazzini on 29 minutes, but their joy was short-lived as Muslimović levelled a minute later. Fiorentina regained the lead on the hour mark when Franco Semioli headed in a cross from Zdravko Kuzmanović, but Muslimović had the final say when he equalised for the Bergamo club just prior to the final whistle. Fiorentina are now five points clear of fifth-placed AC Milan, who have two games in hand, while Atalanta remain in seventh spot.

Barcelona bid held up by Sevilla

FC Barcelona's bid to close to within one win of leaders Real Madrid CF proved unsuccessful as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sevilla FC but Villarreal CF remain on course for a UEFA Champions League berth.

Inspired Valdés
The Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium was always going to be a difficult place for Barcelona to win at in their quest to haul themselves within three points of Madrid and the Catalan club were on the back foot from the start. Víctor Valdés was forced to make two good early saves from a Daniel Alves free-kick and Luis Fabiano's header and had to be at his best to keep out a volley from Frédéric Kanouté after a deep Diego Capel cross.

Capel opener
But the goalkeeper was finally beaten on 35 minutes when Capel scored his first goal in the Primera División by turning in a cross from Jesús Navas at the far post. The visitors improved after the interval and Xavi Hernández equalised with 15 minutes left as he poked in after a sublime pass from Lionel Messi. Sevilla's Seydou Keita was then sent off after picking up a second booking for a foul on Messi. Madrid could move eight points ahead of their rivals if they overcome Real Valladolid CF tomorrow.

Late winner
Villarreal rose to third in the table after a last-gasp goal gave them a 1-0 win at lowly Real Murcia CF in an uneventful match. The home side seemed set for a point that would have taken them out of the bottom three until Guille Franco struck to move the away side three points ahead of RCD Espanyol. Finally, RC Deportivo La Coruña earned a vital point with a 1-1 draw at home to Getafe CF as the visitors' Ikechukwu Uche (68) cancelled out Mario's own goal.

Bayern hold Bremen to maintain lead

FC Bayern München preserved their three-point lead over Werder Bremen after coming from behind to draw 1-1 against their second-placed rivals while FC Schalke 04 gained ground courtesy of a 3-2 Ruhr derby victory against BV Borussia Dortmund.

All square
With Werder slipping up last week against VfL Bochum 1848, the UEFA Cup contenders knew three points would draw them level with Bayern once more. And they got off to the perfect start at the Fußball Arena München when Diego struck after just six minutes.

Spot-kick save
Bayern squandered the chance to draw level shortly after when Luca Toni's penalty kick was saved by Tim Wiese, who was one of nine players cautioned in a feisty contest. But Ottmar Hitzfeld's charges deservedly equalised just after the half-hour mark when Zé Roberto grabbed his third Bundesliga goal of the season.

Ernst winner
Elsewhere, Schalke left it late to overcome local rivals Dortmund as Fabian Ernst scored an 82-minute winner. Gerald Asamoah put the UEFA Champions League hopefuls ahead 19 minutes into the first half, but the hosts were back on level terms within two minutes when Giovanni Federico equalised. However, Schalke hit back ten minutes later when Martin Amedick scored an own goal, but Dortmund once more responded through Mladen Petrić who scored five minutes after the break. Ernst’s winner lifts Schalke into third, five points behind Bayern.


Neither Bayer 04 Leverkusen or Hamburger SV could make up significant ground on the top two in the Bundesliga after sharing the points at the BayArena but champions VfB Stuttgart lost again.

All square
With FC Bayern München and Werder Bremen meeting tomorrow, victory for either Leverkusen or Hamburg would have given them renewed title hope. Rafael van der Vaart's tenth league goal of the season on 28 minutes put the visitors ahead, but Manuel Friedrich levelled on the hour.

Late goal
Jan Rosenthal's goal three minutes from time saved Hannover from defeat at home to Karlsruhe. Hanno Balitsch's strike a minute before the interval had put the hosts in front but two goals in three second-half minutes from Joshua Kennedy and Tamas Hajnal looked like earning Karlsruhe the points until Rosenthal's intervention.

Stuttgart woe
Stuttgart's disappointing season shows no sign of abating after a 3-1 home reverse at the hands of Hertha BSC Berlin. The hosts fell behind early on when Marko Pantelić struck but Stuttgart levelled on 40 minutes through Mario Gómez. This provided false hope though as Pantelić scored again and Rafael added a further goal in the second half.

Wolfsburg mobile
Elsewhere VfL Wolfsburg are up to ninth after a 2-1 win against strugglers MSV Duisburg. Claudiu Niculescu (26) gave the visitors the lead but Marcel Schäfer ten minutes later and Grafite nine minutes after the break turned the game round for Wolfsburg.

Energie comeback
FC Energie Cottbus came from two goals down to rescue a point at VfL Bochum 1848. Bochum were two goals up through Kristijan Ipsa's own goal and Stanislav Sesták's strike but Energie responded through Michal Papadopulos before the break. Benjamin Auer (68) then restored the two-goal advantage but Ervin Skela a minute later and Branko Jelić (79) earned Energie a point. In day's other fixture 1. FC Nürnberg and FC Hansa Rostock drew 1-1.

Newcastle 1-1 Middlesbrough

A Robert Huth header four minutes from time earned Middlesbrough FC a 1-1 draw at Newcastle United FC in the English Premier League.

Disallowed goal
Newcastle had taken a second-half lead through Michael Owen but centre-back Huth's looping effort from a Julio Arca cross gave Middlesbrough a share of the points. The hosts started the game brightly and had an early goal disallowed after Owen was penalised for a foul on away goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer. However, the rest of the half was a cagey affair and neither side carved out a clear-cut opportunity.

Owen strike
After an hour, though, Newcastle struck when a Charles N'Zogbia set-piece was headed in by Owen for the Magpies' first goal in manager Kevin Keegan's second stint leading the club. However, Middlesbrough got a deserved equaliser through Huth and then nearly won it in injury time when a Stewart Downing free-kick hit the post with Jérémie Aliadière's follow-up ruled out for offside. Today's later game sees Fulham FC host Aston Villa FC.

Arsenal top as rivals falter

Two goals from Emmanuel Adebayor and an Eduardo da Silva strike handed Arsenal FC victory at Manchester City FC to take Arsène Wenger's side to the top of the Premier League while their rivals Manchester United FC and Chelsea FC both dropped points.

Form striker
Adebayor struck for the eleventh time in eight matches, nine minutes into Arsenal's trip to Manchester when he fired in from close range and they looked to be cruising when Eduardo acrobatically volleyed past Joe Hart 17 minutes later. The hosts did pull a goal back almost immediately through Gelson Fernandes but Arsenal wrapped up the points two minutes from time when Adebayor pounced on a loose ball in the penalty area.

United beaten
The victory gave Wenger's side a two-point advantage over Manchester United, who were held to a 1-1 draw at Arsenal's north London neighbours Tottenham Hotspur FC - Dimitar Berbatov opening the scoring at White Hart Lane on 21 minutes before Carlos Tévez snatched a last-minute equaliser. Meanwhile, Chelsea are six points adrift after they could only draw 1-1 at Portsmouth FC.

Everton denied
Elsewhere, Everton FC were denied the chance to tighten their grip on fourth after a 0-0 draw away against Blackburn Rovers FC. It allowed Liverpool FC to move to within a point of their Merseyside rivals after a 3-0 victory against Sunderland FC, with Peter Crouch, Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard all on target. In other games, bottom side Derby County FC collected their second point this week with a 1-1 draw at Birmingham City FC, Reading FC slipped down to 17th after 2-0 defeat against Bolton Wanderers FC and Wigan Athletic FC moved out of the relegation zone with 1-0 victory against West Ham United FC.

Napoli dent Udinese top-four bid

SSC Napoli denied Udinese Calcio the chance to close the gap on the top four with Serie A victory, on a day when US Città di Palermo moved up to seventh with three points against AS Livorno Calcio.

Disasterous start
Udinese started the day four points adrift of fourth-placed ACF Fiorentina but had a disasterous start at Napoli's Stadio San Paolo when Cristian Zapata put the ball in his own net with just three minutes played. Simone Pepe restored parity five minutes later however and before the interval the hosts were down to ten men following Paolo Cannavaro's dismissal.

Lavezzi double
Just short of the hour it became ten-a-side though following a straight red card for Pepe and two goals in as many minutes by Ezequiel Lavezzi (74&75) proved decisive in securing victory for Napoli. It was a win that moved the hosts up to ninth, while Palermo also moved in the right direction following a 1-0 victory against Livorno - Fabrizio Miccoli scoring the game's only goal on 77 minutes.

Bayern still on Top

Hamburger SV missed the chance to close on second-placed Werder Bremen after being held by Hannover 96 and slipped to fourth after a Simon Rolfes inspired Bayer 04 Leverkusen edged out FC Energie Cottbus.

All-square
With Werder, who are three points behind FC Bayern München after the Bavarian club's 2-1 success at FC Hansa Rostock last night, not playing until tomorrow, Hamburg could have moved to within a point of second. However Szabolcs Huszti's 40th minute penalty gave Hannover a half-time lead and looked liked proving decisive until Ivica Olić (70) replied for the UEFA Cup hopefuls.

Late victory
Leverkusen meanwhile, are now ahead of Hamburg on goal difference after a late victory at Energie. Michal Papadopulos' first-half effort put the home side in front, but Rolfes just before the hour mark and Dmitri Bulykin turned the game in Leverkusen's favour. Energie then levelled through Christian Bassila 13 minutes from time, but Rolfes' second of the match gave Leverkusen the points.

Squandered lead
It looked being a profitable afternoon for MSV Duisburg, who threw away a two goal lead at home against BV Borussia Dortmund. The hosts were two goals to the good inside half-an-hour through Iulian Filipescu and Tobias Willi. Sebastian Kehl then reduced the arrears on 50 minutes but Mihai Tararache's penalty kick eight minutes later restored Duisburg's two goal cushion. However two Diego Klimowicz strikes (68 & 90) rescued a point for Dortmund, who remain in mid-table, while Duisburg stay bottom.

Fenin joy
Fellow strugglers 1. FC Nürnberg were beaten 2-0 at Karlsruher SC, two goals in seven second-half minutes from Christian Eichner and Joshua Kennedy earning Karlsruhe the points. In the afternoon's other fixtures, Martin Fenin's hat-trick gave Eintracht Frankfurt a 3-0 success at Hertha BSC Berlin, while VfL Wolfsburg triumphed 1-0 away at DSC Arminia Bielefeld.

FC Bayern München midfielder Franck Ribéry is a doubt for France's friendly against Spain on Wednesday due to a hamstring injury sustained in last night's 2-1 Bundesliga win against FC Hansa Rostock.

Hamstring pain
"I felt some hamstring pain during the first half," said the 24-year-old who was withdrawn at half-time after scoring the opener in the victory which took Bayern three points clear of Werder Bremen at the Bundesliga summit. Ribéry, who has been capped 24 times by France, may now miss the match in Malaga against fellow UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers Spain. He may also be in danger of sitting out Bayern's UEFA Cup Round of 32 first leg encounter against Aberdeen FC on 14 February.

Impressive Almería shock Real Madrid

UD Almería brought Real Madrid CF's Primera División winning streak to a halt with a deserved victory at the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos on Saturday night.

Winning run
Bernd Schuster's team had won their last eight top-flight fixtures, opening up a commanding lead at the top of the table. However Almería paid little regard to their visitors' achievements as the hosts struck in either half to shock the champions. Juanito scored the hosts' first after 16 minutes, turning a free-kick from the left over the line, despite the best efforts of Iker Casillas.

Van Nistelrooy woe
Real Madrid were second best for much of the first period, and their problems deepened when Ruud van Nistelrooy went down clutching his right ankle. The Dutch forward was replaced at half-time by Gonzalo Higuaín and within seconds of the restart Alvaro Negredo doubled Almería's lead from the penalty spot after a foul by Fabio Cannavaro. Almería are now seventh in the standings after their fourth successive victory, while Madrid's lead can be reduced to six points if FC Barcelona overcome CA Osasuna tomorrow.

Deportivo joy
Meanwhile, Saturday's only other game was focused on the other end of the table as RC Deportivo La Coruña claimed back-to-back victories for the first time this season with a 1-0 win at Real Betis Balompié. Pablo Amo scored the winner nine minutes before the break after turning in a right-wing cross at the far post. Deportivo missed a chance to make it 2-0 in the second half when Ricardo saved Juan Rodríguez's penalty but they held on to claim a win that moved them out of the relegation zone into 17th, just two points behind Betis.