Drogba back on target

Chelsea went back to the top of the Premier League with a comfortable 2-0 win over rock-bottom West Brom at Stamford Bridge.

First-half goals from Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard gave Chelsea their first home league win in four games.

The Blues took just three minutes to go in front with Drogba, making his first league appearance since the end of September, heading home a cross from Joe Cole.

It was the Ivorian's second goal of the season and his first in the Barclays Premier League this term.

In the ninth minute Lampard tried his luck with a 35-yard free-kick which Albion keeper Scott Carson did well to hold at the first attempt.

Drogba's goal allowed Chelsea the luxury of playing without the nervousness that had accompanied their last three league games at the Bridge.

A defeat by Arsenal and draws with Newcastle and West Ham had stunted their title charge in recent weeks.

Lampard should have done better in the 19th minute when Ashley Cole found him unmarked inside the Albion penalty area.

But the England midfielder, captain in the absence of the suspended John Terry, sent his shot wide of the target.

Moments later Chelsea carved out a fine move down the right flank but a cross from Jose Bosingwa eluded everyone in the six-yard box.

In the 32nd minute, Carson had to be alert to keep out a low drive from Michael Ballack as Chelsea increased the tempo.

Ten minutes before the break, Joe Cole fed namesake Ashley on the left but the defender saw his shot tipped onto the post by Carson.

The ball rebounded back to Ashley Cole but Carson also saved his second effort, even though it was going wide.

Chelsea's biggest threat was coming from the rampaging runs of Bosingwa on the right.

The full-back was virtually ever-present in attack such was Albion's lack of a cutting edge.

Chelsea made it two in first-half injury time when Joe and Ashley Cole linked up to provide Lampard with the chance to beat Carson from close range.

Chelsea replaced Bosingwa with Juliano Belletti at half-time and he was quickly into the action, but a neat combination of passes with Drogba ended with an attempted chip over Carson going far too high.

Anelka and Drogba were starting a game together for the first time this season but Scolari had kept faith with his 4-3-3 formation.

That meant Anelka found himself out on the left flank for large periods of the game - a position he disliked under former coach Avram Grant last season.

But it was clear Drogba offered Chelsea more power in the central role and in the 53rd minute his trickery and muscle opened up the Albion defence sufficiently for him to test Carson with a powerful shot.

Lampard should have scored his second of the game in the 58th minute but he was far too cavalier with his effort.

Anelka, for once in a central position, supplied the England midfielder with a perfect pass but Lampard's attempted chip was easily dealt with by Carson.

Three minutes later Ballack found Drogba in space on the right side of the penalty area but the Ivorian sent his shot swerving into the crowd as he looked for a second goal of the afternoon.

Moments later Drogba squandered another chance after a fabulous run from Anelka presented him with a clear-cut opportunity.

The Chelsea striker was foiled by Carson who punched away Drogba's effort. It was the Ivorian's last contribution as seconds later he was replaced by Florent Malouda.

Eight minutes from time Anelka tried his luck from 20 yards but sent his shot straight at Carson.

Malouda snatched wildly at a chance four minutes from the end of normal time but the France international hit the side netting.

Keane double boosts Liverpool

A Robbie Keane double helped Liverpool regain the lead at the top of the Premier League after a 3-0 win over Bolton at Anfield.

Rafael Benitez's men had dropped to second after Chelsea's win over West Brom earlier, but Keane's brace and a first-half strike from Albert Riera was enough to see off Gary Megson's side.

Liverpool put the opposition under intense pressure from the kick off and took the lead after 25 minutes when Riera tapped home a Steven Gerrard corner.

Keane scored his second goal in two games when he coolly slotted past Jussi Jaaskelainen after being played through by Gerrard.

It took Keane only five minutes to get himself on the scoresheet again as he latched onto a Yossi Benayoun through ball and drove past Jaaskelainen to put the game beyond doubt.

Serie A: Amauri double leaves Milan trailing

Juventus beat a disorganised AC Milan 4-2 in an enthralling Serie A encounter on Sunday to go clear in second place.

Striker Amauri scored twice to put Juve six points behind leaders Inter Milan, who earlier defeated bottom side Chievo 4-2, while Milan now trail their city rivals by nine after 16 matches.

Driving rain made conditions in Turin difficult but Italy's two most successful teams of the last 20 years still put on a hugely enjoyable show.

Alessandro Del Piero gave the hosts the lead with a 16th-minute penalty after being brought down by Marek Jankulovski, who touched the ball with his sliding tackle.

Milan, without the injured Kaka, levelled on half an hour when Kakha Kaladze released Ronaldinho and the Brazilian set up compatriot Alexandre Pato to crash home from close range.

Juve went in front again just four minutes later when defender Giorgio Chiellini found space to head in a corner and Brazilian-born Amauri exposed more loose Milan defending when he nodded in Paolo De Ceglie's excellent cross.

The visitors introduced Andriy Shevchenko at halftime and they pulled one back on 56 minutes through Massimo Ambrosini's deflected shot but their hopes ended when former Juve defender Gianluca Zambrotta was sent off for a second booking.

Amauri then squeezed in his second in the 69th minute to leave Milan in joint third with Napoli, who beat Lecce 3-0 on Saturday.

Zola's happy return

Gianfranco Zola returned to Stamford Bridge and saw his side battle to a 1-1 draw which kept Chelsea off the top of the Barclays Premier League.

Zola's struggling side had stunned Chelsea with a 33rd-minute opener from Craig Bellamy but Nicolas Anelka rescued the Blues with his 16th goal of the season five minutes after the break.

It was Chelsea's fourth domestic home game without a win and their failure to take all three points cost them the chance to overtake Liverpool at the top of the table.

Chelsea fans had given coach Zola and assistant Steve Clarke a rapturous welcome as they emerged from the tunnel to take their places in the visiting dugout.

But West Ham soon found themselves under pressure from a home side determined to build on its midweek Champions League victory over CFR Cluj.

In the sixth minute a superb combination between former West Ham players Joe Cole and Frank Lampard almost provided them with an opener.

Cole looked set to score when Lampard's precise pass found him bearing down on the edge of the six-yard box, but his effort was deflected to safety by Scott Parker.

Chelsea started the game at a frantic tempo and after Jack Collison had fouled Ashley Cole on the left flank, Lampard's 16th minute free-kick was headed wide by Alex.

West Ham did exceptionally well to weather the early storm and in the 20th minute John Mikel Obi was booked for bringing down Carlton Cole in full flight.

It gave Zola's side the chance to test Petr Cech with a free-kick some 30 yards out, but Mark Noble elected to chip the ball into the area and Michael Ballack headed clear.

Chelsea's woeful home record took a turn for the worse in the 33rd minute when Zola's struggling side went ahead against the run of play and in controversial circumstances.

Noble looked to have used his arm before crossing the ball for Bellamy to fire the visitors in front from 12 yards.

Ballack was incensed by Mike Riley's decision to allow the goal to stand and was shown a yellow card for protesting.

West Ham, their confidence clearly boosted, enjoyed their longest spell of possession as the interval approached.

In the 45th minute, Anelka finally tested Robert Green with an 18-yard shot that was dealt with comfortably by the West Ham goalkeeper.

Chelsea were booed off at half-time and TV replays showed that Noble had used his shoulder to control the ball instead of his arm in the build-up to West Ham's goal.

Scolari, clearly frustrated with Chelsea's lack of a cutting edge, replaced Ballack with Didier Drogba at the interval.

Drogba hardly had time to get into the game before top scorer Anelka supplied the equaliser in the 50th minute.

For once Chelsea's neat approach play paid off with Mikel and Drogba combining before Lampard chipped the ball neatly into the path of Anelka, who coolly slotted the ball underneath the advancing Green for his 16th goal of the season.

Chelsea were now on top and when Matthew Upson failed to clear a cross, Lampard sent the rebound into Green's midriff from the edge of the penalty area.

West Ham, for the first time in the game, had little option but to defend ever deeper.

The visitors were happy to soak up the pressure on the edge of their own penalty area but that only invited Chelsea to try their luck from distance.

In the 64th minute Lampard let fly from 25 yards and his dipping shot had to be held at the second attempt by Green.

Three minutes later Green pulled off a magnificent save to deny Drogba after he had volleyed Lampard's corner towards the near post.

Salomon Kalou replaced the lacklustre Joe Cole in the 73rd minute and his first contribution was to fire a 20-yard shot straight at Green.

West Ham escaped in the 78th minute when Green punched a Lampard corner towards his own goal but it was headed off the line by Parker.

However, Green was the hero seconds later when he flung himself across goal to keep out a header from Alex.

Referee Riley then failed to award Chelsea a penalty when Lampard was tripped by Lucas Neill but it needed a superb save from Petr Cech at the other end to deny Carlton Cole an injury-time winner.

Late Barca goals seal Clasico win

Late goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi gave Barcelona a dramatic win over bitter rivals Real Madrid in a tense derby encounter at the Nou Camp tonight.

Madrid - in their first league match under new coach Juande Ramos - frustrated the league leaders for long periods and looked set to snatch a point after Iker Casillas saved Samuel Eto'o's penalty with 20 minutes remaining.

But the Cameroon frontman finally gave the Catalans the lead with seven minutes remaining and Lionel Messi smashed home a second in stoppage time to move Pep Guardiola's side 12 points ahead of their fierce rivals after 15 rounds of the championship.

Eto'o returned from suspension to take his place in the centre of Barcelona's three-man forward line, between Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi.

Sergio Ramos was given the unenviable task of marking the Argentina forward and made his intentions clear when he scythed down the youngster after just two minutes.

The Nou Camp faithful were furious and Ramos was lucky to get away with a yellow card.

Messi did manage to get away from his marker four minutes later and tested Casillas with a fierce right-footed effort, but the Madrid goalkeeper responded with a fine one-handed save.

That sparked a period of Catalan domination, but with Messi shackled by Ramos, Barca were forced to look elsewhere for inspiration.

And it almost came from an unusual source as defensive midfielder Yaya Toure twice dribbled through the heart of the Madrid defence, only to see his shots blocked on both occasions as he bore down on goal.

Barcelona were struggling to impose themselves, though, and the wet conditions appeared to suit the visitors.

As the game wore on, Madrid began to improve and Wesley Sneijder saw his powerful drive tipped over by an alert Victor Valdes after he was set up by fellow Dutchman Roysten Drenthe.

And Ramos' side missed a glorious chance to take the lead after 26 minutes when Raul put through Drenthe, but the unmarked winger saw his low effort well saved by Valdes.

The former Feyenoord man should have scored, but despite his miss, Madrid continued to grow in stature and Gonzalo Higuain volleyed just over the bar a minute later.

At the other end, the visitors continued to resort to negative tactics to stop Messi and Ramos was finally booked for a shocking late tackle on the Argentinian.

Sneijder, who had been doubtful for this game, was then forced off through injury eight minutes before the break.

The Holland midfielder was replaced by youth-team player Miguel Palanca.

With Ruud van Nistelrooy, Mahamadou Diarra, Gabriel Heinze, Ruben De La Red, Pepe and Miguel Torres are out injured and Marcelo missing through suspension, Madrid were down to the bare bones.

But the champions were coping well against the league leaders, despite their horrific injury list, and went in on level terms at the break.

Following a disappointing first half, things livened up again after the interval.

Barca continued to dominate possession, but Madrid were still looking dangerous on the break and Raul glanced a header wide from Guti's corner after 50 minutes.

Eto'o then blasted a volley over the bar as the hosts continued to press for an opening goal.

And the African seemed certain to score when the home side were awarded a penalty after 68 minutes, when Michel Salgado clattered into substitute Sergio Busquets in the area.

However, Eto'o looked nervy as he stepped up to take the kick and saw his effort brilliantly saved by Casillas.

Two minutes later, the Spain goalkeeper denied Eto'o once again with another fantastic stop and picked himself up quickly to save from Messi on the rebound.

The goal was remaining elusive for Barcelona and Madrid almost capitalised with 12 minutes remaining, when Palanca found himself one on one with Valdes.

But the Barca keeper saved the day once again as he stood tall to deny the young striker.

And just when they appeared to be running out of ideas, the home side finally went ahead after 83 minutes.

Captain Carles Puyol headed on from a corner and the ball fell to Eto'o, who poked home somewhat clumsily from close range before Palanca could clear.

The scrappy strike provoked scenes of sheer joy in Europe's biggest stadium as Eto'o ran halfway down the pitch to celebrate with the coaching staff, ball boys and the rest of his team-mates.

Messi wrapped up a deserved Barca victory as he crashed a left-footed shot towards goal and Fabio Cannavaro's despairing lunge only served to help the ball into the net.

The win sees Barca move provisionally eight points clear at the top, while the champions could drop to sixth tomorrow if Atletico Madrid beat Real Betis.

Tigers shock Anfield

Liverpool struggled to their third successive home league draw as Premier League new boys Hull produced another accomplished away performance for a 2-2 draw.

Hull had already won at Arsenal and Spurs and scored three in defeat at Manchester United.

And if not for Steven Gerrard they would have ended Liverpool's season-long unbeaten home record.

Hull were two ahead through Paul McShane and a Jamie Carragher own goal before Gerrard scored twice in eight minutes, taking his tally for the season to 11.

Gerrard was among the players returning after being rested from the Champions League win over Eindhoven in midweek, along with Jose Reina, Dirk Kuyt and Xabi Alonso.

Manager Rafael Benitez reverted to the same side which won at Blackburn last weekend, which meant Robbie Keane was on the bench and Sami Hyypia preferred to Daniel Agger.

Hull made just one change from the side which beat Middlesbrough last Saturday, Bernard Mendy taking over from Dean Marney, who was on the bench.

And although Hull were put under instant pressure, they soon started to confront Liverpool all over the pitch, working out that Andrea Dossena has limited pace and Reina does not take kindly to being pressured.

Hull could have been ahead after five minutes when full-back Sam Ricketts burst down the line, brushing Yossi Benayoun aside, and fed Nicky Barmby on the Hull left.

There were loud appeals for a penalty when the former Liverpool man's cross looked to have struck the arm of Javier Mascherano as he slid in to clear for a corner.

The appeals were waved away but it was no surprise when Hull took the lead after 12 minutes.

A Geovanni free-kick on the right sailed right across the box and was knocked back into the danger area by Marlon King, where McShane rose to head into the top corner.

Hull were full of pace, drive and desire and after 22 minutes they scored again.

After switching the play from left to right, via King's long ball, Mendy went past Dossena once more and pulled the ball back into the six-yard box, where Carragher turned it high into his own net.

Just a minute later however, Liverpool pulled one back. Kuyt surged down the right and fired in a low cross which fell for Gerrard to clip home from six yards.

McShane was booked for body-checking Gerrard and never seemed to recover from the blow, being replaced two minutes later by Marney.

And in what was now a tremendous match, Liverpool were level after 32 minutes, again through Gerrard.

Carragher's cross was headed down by Kuyt for Benayoun to hook on, giving Gerrard a 10-yarder for the equaliser.

Marney was booked for a foul on Hyypia two minutes after the break, the game continuing at the same rip-roaring pace.

Liverpool almost took the lead after 59 minutes when Hyypia's downward header from Gerrard's corner hit the foot of a post.

Then Albert Riera saw a swerving effort punched away by Boaz Myhill.

Hull were more content to defend and hit on the break, with Geovanni seeing one run end with a low drive that went wide of the far post.

Alonso curled a 20-yarder just over the bar, with Liverpool sending on Moroccan winger Nabil El Zhar for Benayoun after 74 minutes. Three minutes later Dean Windass came on for Barmby in only his fourth league appearance of the season.

Myhill then saved well from El Zhar, diving on the ball to halt Gerrard in the six-yard box. After 82 minutes Liverpool sent on Ryan Babel for Riera, before El Zhar was booked for a foul on Kamil Zayatte.

Lucas came on for Mascherano with four minutes left, the Argentinian having failed to stamp his usual authority on the match but Liverpool were unable to find a winner.

Harry and Fergie praise Gomes

Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes believes he has turned the corner in his fledgling Spurs career.

He said: ''I think everyone here helped me (early in the season). It was a difficult game for me today, but I think now I am in great form.''Defender Michael Dawson praised his goalkeeper for his late save, adding: ''It's an excellent save in the final few minutes. He has kept us in it today.''To get a point off Manchester United is great, but full credit has to go to the big fella.''Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes believes he has turned the corner in his fledgling Spurs career after helping Harry Redknapp's side claim a goalless draw at home to Manchester United tonight.Gomes has had a torrid time at White Hart Lane since arriving from PSV Eindhoven in the summer, but has seemingly regained his confidence following the arrival of Redknapp in October. He said: ''I think everyone here helped me (early in the season). It was a difficult game for me today, but I think now I am in great form.''Defender Michael Dawson praised his goalkeeper for his late save, adding: ''It's an excellent save in the final few minutes. He has kept us in it today.''To get a point off Manchester United is great, but full credit has to go to the big fella.''Redknapp was also full of praise for Gomes, although he did not rule out the possibility of the club bringing in a new goalkeeper during the January transfer window.''He (Gomes) was excellent tonight,'' Redknapp said. ''Tony Parks has worked very hard with him in training and I think he has brought him out of himself.''We have seen a big lift in his performance.''People were wondering whether he was a world-class goalkeeper and I think now he is starting to show his quality.''I've got confidence in him. Whether we bring in another goalkeeper during January is another matter. I'm not saying we won't bring one in, but if he keeps producing those types of performances then we haven't got a problem.''Redknapp had seen his defensive plans thrown into chaos early in the match with Jonathan Woodgate forced off injured.With Ledley King also out, Redknapp was forced into a reshuffle with Dawson and Vedran Corluka a makeshift central defensive pairing.''We showed great character after that,'' Redknapp added. ''In the end I think it was a fair result. It was a good point.''''Any time you get a result against Manchester United you have done well.''United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was left frustrated by the result as his side failed to take advantage of Liverpool and Arsenal both being held to draws earlier today.''It is frustrating. I think we dominated the game, but we just needed a little bit of luck,'' Ferguson said.''Their goalkeeper made two fantastic saves at the end.''But you have to be worried about the counter-attack that you could lose it also. (Luka) Modric had a terrific shot near the end that just glanced over that could have embarrassed us.''He added: ''Tottenham are not an easy team to play, they are on a high at the moment. Since Harry has come in they have been rejuvenated.''It's not the worst result but I would have liked to have got an extra two points as that makes a huge difference.''After the draws today you hope to take advantage, but now hopefully there will be a draw tomorrow at Chelsea.''

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Saturday, December 13

Middlesbrough	1
Arsenal	1	Final

Stoke City	0
Fulham	0	Final

Sunderland	4
West Bromwich Albion	0	Final

Aston Villa	4
Bolton Wanderers	2	Final

Liverpool	2
Hull City	2	Final

Manchester City	0
Everton	1	Final

Wigan Athletic	3
Blackburn Rovers	0	Final

Tottenham Hotspur	0
Manchester United	0	Final

United wait on Rooney report

Manchester United face an anxious wait to discover whether UEFA will take action after Wayne Rooney was accused of stamping on an Aalborg opponent during Wednesday's 2-2 Champions League draw.

The England striker, whose second-half equaliser secured the point which ensured United qualified for the knockout stages as Group E winners, was accused by Kasper Risgard of making a dangerous tackle.

The first-half clash went unpunished by the referee, but the fiery frontman was also involved in a later skirmish with Aalborg defender Michael Jakobsen.

If UEFA decide to take action, Rooney could be banned for the start of the knockout stages which begin in February.

"I do not think the referee saw it," claimed midfielder Risgard.

"Anywhere else but this place (Old Trafford) it would have been a red card.

"I have some big marks and I do not think it looks good on television.

"There was also another incident with Rooney where he threw an arm and hurt one of our players.

"But these challenges happen in football and he did come and apologise to me after the game."

However, United boss Sir Alex Ferguson claimed nobody had over-stepped the mark in what he conceded was a feisty match at times.

The veteran manager singled out Aalborg midfielder Jeppe Curth for criticism following a challenge on Carlos Tevez.

"Aalborg are not short of tackles are they?" he said. "They got stuck in and the one on Carlos was a blatant attack. Probably what saved him was that Carlos got straight up.

"But other than that I don't think it was such a game that you could say it was a filthy match."

Strachan rues previous slips

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan was left to rue previous dropped points after they ended their Champions League group stage campaign with 2-0 win over Villarreal.

The Bhoys were already resigned to finishing at the bottom of Group E and missing out on qualification for the last 16 or even the UEFA Cup after failing to win any of their previous five games.

But first-half goals from Shaun Maloney and Aiden McGeady ensured the Scottish champions signed off in style.

"We had a penalty at home against Aalborg and (if we scored) we win the game and that's three points," reflected Strachan.

"We did enough in Aalborg to win the game, everybody in this room whom I met has said we deserved to win.

"We had a smashing performance against Villarreal away and we were six minutes away from beating against Manchester United here, although we obviously had our backs to the wall.

"If you look at that then you can count up a few points that went missing.

"But the longer we stay as a group the better it is for everybody.

"If we stay together and don't have to sell anybody, then that will be smashing."

Fergie rues wasteful United

Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he is concerned by Manchester United's inability to turn chances into goals after they were held to a 2-2 Champions League draw by Danish side Aalborg.

In their final group game and with qualification for the knockout stages already assured, United totally dominated the first half at Old Trafford only to trail 2-1 at half-time.

Carlos Tevez had put the home side into a third minute lead, before a dominant United took their foot off the gas and conceded twice on the break.

Wayne Rooney's second-half equaliser secured the point which ensured Ferguson's side progressed as Group E winners.

"It is a concern," admitted the veteran manager. "It could be carelessness, it could be anything but we are missing too many chances and we have done it again tonight.

"If we don't start taking these opportunities at some point we are going to get embarrassed.

"Fortunately it didn't happen tonight, but if we are not careful we will get a defeat when we need a win."

Meanwhile, Ferguson admitted that Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov are both injury doubts ahead of Saturday's trip to their former club Tottenham.

Both players missed Wednesday evening's final Champions League group stage game with niggling injuries.

Rafa rules out Keane exit

iverpool manager Rafa Benitez has dismissed rumours suggesting he is set to sell struggling Republic of Ireland international striker Robbie Keane next month.

Since his £20.3million summer transfer from Tottenham, the 28-year-old has found the net only twice in 15 Premier League appearances for the Reds, prompting speculation that he may be sold in the January transfer window.

Keane was left out of Benitez's starting line-up for Saturday's victory at Blackburn, but the Liverpool manager insisted: "Robbie's future is to be ready, to score goals and to work for the team.

"In football we know we have signed a good player, you cannot guarantee anyone's position. In some games he has to work hard.

"The challenge is there for him. When you sign a player for a lot of money, that is it. He becomes another player in the squad and he has to fight for his position.

"I do not know whether his confidence has been affected, we will see against PSV.

"Clearly he has to show character, and show he is a good player. When we decided to sign him we knew he was a good player.

"I do not need to talk too much on this. A lot of top clubs have very expensive players, they have four of them on the bench every week.

"He has to know he needs to fight and work hard. But he has a future here, why not?

"I have a lot of patience, with everybody. He will be here after the January window, it is not my idea to sell him.

"We are always working with the players, explaining and clarifying what they need to do for the team. Robbie is no different."

Ronaldo returns to training

Cristiano Ronaldo was able to return to training on Tuesday morning and could be involved in Manchester United's Champions League clash with Aalborg at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

The Portugal international had to be substituted after picking up a hip injury in Saturday's victory against Sunderland and had been thought to be a major doubt for the final Group E clash against the Danish side.

However, Michael Carrick, Patrice Evra and Daniel Welbeck did not take part in the training session, increasing speculation that John O'Shea, who has been struggling with a hamstring injury, could return to the starting line-up.

Meanwhile, veteran defender Gary Neville has admitted that his continuing injury problems are starting to frustrate him.

The 33-year-old has struggled to regain full fitness since injuring ankle ligaments against Bolton Wanderers in March 2007.

He made only one substitute appearance in the whole of the 2007-08 campaign and, despite returning to the first team this season, has not made a Premier League start for over a month.

He told United's official website: "To be honest, I've not been able to stay fit enough, or produce consistently good enough performances, to stay in the team, simple as that.

"You've got to be realistic and honest with yourself. The first thing you've got to do is stay fit.

"If you do that over a long period of time, you get the opportunity to get your level of performance to something that's acceptable for this club."

Reds enjoy Dutch delight

Liverpool qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League as Group D winners following a comfortable 3-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven.

Ryan Babel's header clawed a below-par Reds side back on level terms on the stroke of half-time, before second-half goals from Albert Riera and David N'Gog secured the points needed to knock Atletico Madrid off the top of the group.

Rafael Benitez's side could now be handed a slightly easier last 16 tie as they will be paired with a side who finished runners-up in their group.

The Reds were already assured of their place in the next stage so Benitez opted to rest the likes of Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Jose Reina in a much-changed starting line-up.

In a low-key opening to the game it was the home side who showed first when Diego Cavalieri was forced to palm away a powerful 20-yard strike from Timmy Simons after 16 minutes.

Liverpool were seeing plenty of the ball but looked short of ideas in the final third, with N'Gog and Babel both guilty of giving possession away cheaply.

PSV duly took advantage as they grabbed the lead in controversial circumstances after 36 minutes.

Liverpool felt the corner which led to the goal should have gone their way and the visitors' mood was not helped when Javier Mascherano failed to head the set-piece clear.

The ball dropped to Danko Lazovic and he steered a shot from the corner of the six-yard box under the diving keeper to the delight of the home fans.

Riera was booked for claiming there was a handball in the build-up to the goal and the perceived injustice seemed to inspire the Reds to up their efforts.

N'Gog wasted their best chance of the first half as he meekly headed a pinpoint Andrea Dossena cross straight at the keeper from 12 yards.

But first-half stoppage time brought an equaliser when a previously out-of-sorts Babel leapt highest to glance a lofted Lucas free-kick past the diving keeper from ten yards.

After the interval it was all Liverpool despite the home side knowing a win could see them qualify for the UEFA Cup via third place in the group.

N'Gog wasted a couple of half-chances before Riera settled the visitors' nerves with a stunning strike on 68 minutes.

The Spain winger light up a low-key night with a sensational left-foot shot from 25 yards which found the top corner past a flat-footed keeper.

Liverpool made sure of the points and top spot in the group when the previously anonymous N'Gog was played in on goal by a superb Robbie Keane through ball and he dispatched a low angled shot past the keeper from 15 yards.

Pompey crash out of Europe

David James' second-half howler sent Portsmouth crashing out of the UEFA Cup following a 3-2 defeat to Wolfsburg in Germany.

Tony Adams' side needed three points to keep their Group E hopes alive after failing to win either of their two opening games.

But with the match deadlocked at 2-2 and with 15 minutes remaining on the clock, James gifted the Bundesliga side their winner when he allowed Zvjezdan Misimovic to disposes him and roll the ball into the empty net.

The England goalkeeper partially atoned when he saved a penalty from the same player just minutes later, but by then the writing was on the wall for Pompey's first-ever season in European competition.

Adams had made four changes from the side that started last weekend's 3-2 Premier League victory over Blackburn Rovers.

Captain Sol Campbell returned from injury in defence, while Arnold Mvuemba, Niko Kranjcar and Sean Davis were drafted into midfield and Jermain Defoe was preferred to Peter Crouch as a lone frontman.

Pompey found themselves a goal down after just three minutes when highly-rated Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko was picked out by Christian Gentner's low cross and he flicked the ball past James from close range.

But to the visitors' credit they hit back in devastating fashion and found themselves ahead with two goals in the space of three minutes.

The first came when Armand Traore surged down the left flank and sent over a cross which the keeper could only palm away to Defoe, who found the net with a scuffed shot.

But if the first goal was fortuitous, then the second was as a result of a neat passing move as Glen Johnson and Davis combined to set up Mvuemba and his deflected shot from 20 yards found the corner of the net.

Defoe diverted a close-range shot marginally wide moments later and Pompey were made to pay as the home side levelled an entertaining clash midway through the first half as Gentner's cross-cum-shot found its way past James.

James did better on the stroke of half-time as he got down well to turn Misimovic's shot just past the post.

Pompey looked bright at the start of the second half and Kranjcar rattled the crossbar with a free-kick on the hour-mark.

Adams sent on Crouch in the 66th minute as the visitors went on the offensive and reverted to their regular two-man frontline.

But after James' mistake there was no way back for the Premier League side, who could have finished further adrift had the keeper not parried Misimovic's 79th minute spot-kick when Campbell brought down the impressive Dzeko in the box.

Given plays down Spurs link

Goalkeeper Shay Given insists he is happy at Newcastle United and has dismissed reports of a potential move to Tottenham.

The long-serving Republic of Ireland international is reported to be a target for Spurs, with newly-installed manager Harry Redknapp keen to find a replacement for error-prone current keeper Heurelho Gomes.

Portsmouth's current England number one David James has also been linked with a January move to White Hart Lane.

But despite speculation linking him with a move away from Tyneside, Given claims he is happy to remain at St James' Park.

Speaking about Spurs, he said: "They have spent money on a goalkeeper already so I don't think they are going to spend any more.

"I'm sure that when Heurelho Gomes gets his confidence back he'll be a very, very good goalkeeper again.

"I wouldn't want to leave Newcastle anyway. I'm very happy where I'm at."

Fergie: No January signings

Sir Alex Ferguson doesn't expect to add any new faces to his Manchester United squad in January, but believes neighbours Manchester City will be busy in the transfer window.

Ferguson concluded his transfer business with the £30million signing of Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham Hotspur in the last transfer window at the beginning of the current campaign.

But the veteran Scot believes City will be active in the new year following the investment his counterpart Mark Hughes has received after the club was taken over by the Abu Dhabi United Group earlier in the season.

The Citizens set a new British transfer record with their £32million capture of Robinho back in August and continue to be linked with some of the world's leading players.

"There definitely won't be anyone coming here but I'm pretty sure City will do some business," he told the club's official magazine Inside United.

"You don't talk about having all this money and then not use it.

"They'll have plenty of ideas - the fact that they tried to buy four or five players in an hour on deadline day gives you an indication of what they want to do.

"But at the end of the day you can't buy them all."

Gunners grateful to Bendtner

Troubled Arsenal clinched their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League for the sixth successive season with an unconvincing 1-0 win against Dynamo Kyiv.

A scrappy game seemed certain to end goalless until substitute Nicklas Bendtner snatched a controversial winner with three minutes left.

The Ukrainian side were furious that the goal was allowed to stand after Cesc Fabregas appeared to have taken a free-kick before they were ready, but it later transpired that the Spaniard had benefited from a dropped ball.

Successive defeats against Aston Villa and Manchester City as well as captain William Gallas' outburst had led to a wave of depression enveloping the Emirates Stadium with Arsene Wenger's critics having a field day.

Wenger responded by handing the captain's armband to Fabregas, but Gallas returned to the starting line-up after missing the Eastlands defeat.

However, the injured Samir Nasri, Abou Diaby, Kolo Toure, Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Eboue, Tomas Rosicky, Bacary Sagna, Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo all missed out.

In Kyiv two months ago, Gallas had grabbed a late goal as the Gunners hit back to draw 1-1 against a Dynamo side that is currently three points clear at the top of the Ukrainian league table.

And the controversial Frenchman was again in the thick of the action as he single-handedly tried to add some spice to an otherwise mundane game.

After an incident-free opening 39 minutes Gallas' awful week almost hit a new low when his casual back-pass was picked up by Ismael Bangoura, who fired a shot from a tight angle against the outside of a post.

On the stroke of half-time, Gallas had the ball in the net only to correctly be ruled offside and three minutes after the interval he contrived to block Robin van Persie's goalbound shot on the Kyiv line.

The visitors looked the more likely winners in the second half and, with 13 minutes left, Artem Milevski found himself completely free inside the area but Manuel Almunia did superbly to block the Ukrainian striker's shot.

Play quickly switched to the other end and a clever pass by Fabregas allowed van Persie to fire the ball along the six-yard box, but Bendtner was unable to get a touch to it with the goal gaping.

There was still time for the Denmark international to snatch the winner though and Kyiv ended the match with ten men when Alexander Aliev was sent off in the last minute after appearing to push the referee.

Stalemate sends United through

Manchester United eased through to the knockout stages of the Champions League by securing a goalless draw away to Spanish side Villarreal.

Tomasz Kuszczak was handed a rare start in goal for United, while Cristiano Ronaldo shook off a knock to feature for Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

The opening minutes of the game saw little in the way of goalmouth action, although Wayne Rooney did have the ball in the net, but an offside flag cut any celebrations off before they had started.

Seventeen minutes in Villarreal knocked the ball around well and the attack ended with Santi Cazorla testing Kuszczak with a stinging drive from 25 yards out.

United took until ten minutes to go to half-time before they forged a meaningful opening, with Ronaldo teeing up Darren Fletcher, but his shot from the edge of the area was straight into the gloves of Diego Lopez.

Four minutes before the break Rooney laid the ball back into the path of the arriving Ronaldo and his deflected drive from 30 yards was tipped superbly onto the crossbar by the alert Lopez.

Ronaldo's low 25-yard free-kick then forced a save from Lopez as United ended the first half in the ascendancy.

Early in the second period Ronaldo broke away down the right and fired in a crisp, low shot which Lopez parried. Rooney arrived and fell on the floor looking for a penalty and was lucky to escape a caution.

That was the only clear opening for much of a disappointing second half, but United finally came close to breaking the deadlock ten minutes from time.

Rooney got clear down the left and his deflected cross was about to drop in under the crossbar before Joan Capdevila made a superb headed clearance.

However, Spain left-back Capdevila blotted his copybook soon after when he was shown a somewhat harsh red card for a late lunge on Ronaldo.

The closing minutes were surprisingly quiet as neither side seemed to have the necessary intent to find a winner, but both teams celebrated a place in the last 16 when the final whistle sounded.

Gallas dropped and stripped of captaincy

France Football claim that the outspoken defender has paid the price for his verbal attack on his Arsenal team-mates and will not appear in Saturday's trip to Manchester City and will be forced to relinquish the armband to either Gael Clichy or Manuel Almunia.

While the reports have not been confirmed by the Gunners it would not come as a surprise if Arsene Wenger had run out of patience with the 31-year-old after a series of incidents have brought Gallas' leadership qualities into question.

On Thursday Gallas said the Arsenal side was ''not brave enough in battle'' and claimed the squad was being undermined by the attitude and actions of one unruly player.

The central defender followed that on Friday with a fierce critique of his international team-mates in his autobiography. Gallas reports unrest in the France camp during their disastrous Euro 2008 finals, singling out a player who he felt was disrespecting older members of the squad. It led to a training-ground confrontation between the pair.

''I was also 20 years old once. I would never have allowed myself to speak in this tone to a footballer who was older than me,'' Gallas wrote. ''The youngsters from the Euros seem cheeky, very sure of themselves. They think they know it all, but they don't know anything.

In October Gallas reacted angrily when Arsenal surrendered a 4-2 lead with just two minutes remaining in the north London derby and drew the game 4-4.

His histrionics were reminiscent of his behaviour at the end of last season's away game at Birmingham City when striker Eduardo broke his leg and the Gunners squandered the three points after conceding a late penalty to draw 2-2.

Former England manager Graham Taylor believes Wenger would be wrong to retain Gallas as his captain after his verbal attack.

''I would have thought by now a manager of Arsene Wenger's calibre knows what makes a good captain, and I'm somewhat surprised that he still has stuck with Gallas even after that Birmingham situation,'' said Taylor.

Meanwhile former Arsenal stalwart Nigerl Winterburn believes Wenger faces a difficult decision over Gallas' future.

''Wenger is very loyal, he protects his players because he believes in them. 'It's a difficult decision. If he takes the captaincy away he's almost saying he doesn't trust him as a player and then maybe he shouldn't be playing within the team.

''Behind closed doors he'll be very, very disappointed. Whether he'll let us know that is a different matter.''

Messi and Keita stretch Barca lead

Barcelona opened a three-point lead at the top of the Primera Liga on Sunday after goals from Lionel Messi and Seydou Keita gave them a 2-0 win at struggling Recreativo Huelva.

Spain midfielder Xavi fooled the Recreativo defence by playing a short ball to Messi from a freekick and the Argentine smashed the ball into the roof of the net for his seventh league goal of the season.

Thierry Henry shot against the bar and a post before Keita sealed the win near the end with a simple tap-in from Samuel Eto'o's mishit shot.

Earlier, Villarreal twice surrendered the lead to draw 2-2 at Malaga, Diego Forlan scored two second-half goals as Atletico Madrid thumped visiting Deportivo Coruna 4-1 and Sevilla won 2-0 at Getafe.

Sunday's victory extends Barcelona's winning streak in the league to nine and the Catalans have 28 points from 11 matches ahead of unbeaten Villarreal on 25.

Real Madrid and Valencia both missed opportunities to take provisional top spot on Saturday.

Fourth-placed Real's poor run of form continued when they lost 1-0 at Real Valladolid and Valencia were beaten 3-2 at home by Sporting Gijon and are in third.

Real, Valencia and Sevilla all have 23 points, with the Andalusians in fifth on goal difference, and Atletico are one place behind Sevilla on 17.

Last-placed Osasuna are still without a win after they lost 2-0 at fellow strugglers Athletic Bilbao thanks to goals from Joseba Garmendia and Fernando Llorente.

The defeat for the Pamplona club leaves them stuck on five points and increases the pressure on coach Jose Antonio Camacho, while Athletic move up to 18th with nine points, two ahead of Recreativo in 19th on seven.

Messi said it had been a struggle to overcome Recreativo's stubborn resistance.

"The whole squad is responsible for the win and I am very happy," Messi said in a pitch-side television interview.

LATE EQUALISER

In Malaga earlier, former Manchester United striker Giuseppe Rossi opened the scoring for Villarreal in the seventh minute when he fired a powerful low shot from the edge of the area that squirmed under keeper Francesc Arnau.

Portuguese midfielder Duda equalised with a superb long-range freekick with just under half an hour gone and Robert Pires put Joseba Llorente through shortly after halftime, the striker's shot flashing between Arnau's legs.

Helder Rosario snatched a late equaliser with a glanced header from a corner.

Deportivo's defenders were at fault for John Heitinga's opener for Atletico at the Vicente Calderon when they failed to cut out Simao Sabrosa's corner and allowed the Dutchman to chest the ball into the net.

Uruguay striker Forlan galloped through to score the home side's second through the legs of Depor keeper Daniel Aranzubia just after halftime and captain Maxi Rodriguez grabbed a third with just over 20 minutes left.

Forlan got his second with a smart finish in the 81st minute and Filipe scored Depor's consolation just before the end.

Lucky penalty helps Milan close gap

Kaka scored a contested penalty to help AC Milan cut the gap on Serie A leaders Inter Milan to a point with a 1-0 home win over lowly Chievo on Sunday.

The Brazilian playmaker netted after appearing to be tripped just outside the box by Simone Bentivoglio on 15 minutes.

Napoli also scored thanks to a dubious spotkick but failed to join Milan on 26 points after two late goals gave Atalanta a 3-1 home win in an incident-packed match in Bergamo.

Champions Inter won 2-0 at Palermo on Saturday thanks to Zlatan Ibrahimovic's superb double while Juventus, now third on 24 points from 12 games, beat Genoa 4-1 on Thursday.

Fifth-placed Lazio missed the chance to move above Juve when they lost 1-0 to struggling AS Roma in a lively Rome derby.

Julio Baptista headed home Francesco Totti's cross on 50 minutes to give Roma only their third league win this term and put last season's runners-up three clear of the drop zone with a game in hand.

Lazio had several opportunities during the late match and were close to equalising despite having Cristian Ledesma dismissed for two yellows 20 minutes into the second half. Roma's Simone Perrotta also received a second booking late on.

EXCELLENT DISPLAY

Milan drew 1-1 at Lecce last weekend after conceding in stoppage time and they risked a similar outcome at the San Siro by failing to find a second goal to kill off a plucky Chievo.

Carlo Ancelotti's side just about edged the game with Alexandre Pato and Marek Jankulovski going close to doubling their lead late on.

"It was a foul, but only the video replay can establish if it was in our out, while the human eye cannot," Ancelotti told reporters when asked about Kaka's penalty.

"On the pitch we always suffer, maybe we defended a bit too deep."

Chievo's defeat in Domenico Di Carlo's second game in charge sent them to the bottom after struggling Reggina produced an excellent display to win 1-0 at sixth-placed Udinese.

Franco Brienza volleyed in a ball which dropped quickly over his head to seal a deserved victory over an off-colour Udinese, who badly missed top striker Antonio Di Natale.

Fiorentina also lost ground with the leading pack after another debatable penalty handed Cagliari a 1-0 home win over Cesare Prandelli's side.