Barcelona Overwhelm United

Barcelona line-up: Valdes, Alves (Puyol, 86'), Pique, Abidal, Xavi, Iniesta, Mascherano, Busquets, Villa (Keita, 86'), Messi, Pedro (Afellay, 90')
Manchester United line-up: Van Der Sar, Evra, Ferdinand, Vidic, Fabio (Nani, 69'), Giggs, Park, Carrick (Scholes, 76'), Valencia, Rooney, Hernandez

Wembley hosted the 2010/2011 UEFA Champions League final between Barcelona and Manchester United. On the paper the teams couldn't be closer; both teams had previously won three European Cup trophies, both teams won their first trophy at Wembley and they had identical goals scored/goals conceded records in their European history. The big news was that Mascherano would play centre back in replace of the injured Puyol who was on the bench. As for United, Berbatov was not even included in the squad and the disconsolate Bulgarian left the stadium.

United made it three finals in four seasons, Barcelona's second but Barcelona beat United in the 2009 final. The match started in the same vain as in Rome with United enjoying the early parts of the game. They pressured Barcelona for the opening ten minutes and forced mistakes. But it didn't take long for Barca to get a stronghold and start barraging the retiring Van Der Sar's goal. The opening goal was coming and Xavi fed in Pedro, who had slipped in between Vidic and Evra, to tap in past the Dutchman to make it 1-0 after twenty-seven minutes. United were able to regain some control following the goal and equalised seven minutes later; United pressuring Barcelona from their throw-in, Rooney stole the ball and played a couple of one-twos before Giggs played it back to him and Rooney smashed it home. There was the slightest hint of offside when Giggs received the ball but the goal stood in a move that Barcelona would have been proud of.

United came out earlier before the second half, but it did them no good whatsoever. Barcelona took full control after the restart and their second goal was just as imminent. It came nine minutes into the half when Messi was given time to turn and blast his shot past the surprised Van Der Sar from twenty five yards out, the ball nestled into the back of the net. United still couldn't get into the game and Fabio had to be replaced due to an injury. This saw Nani enter the fray with Valencia now at right back. Nani's first involvement was to defend a short corner, he failed to get rid of the ball when he had the chance before the ball fell to David Villa who placed a fantastic shot into the top corner to end the game and give Barcelona their fourth European crown.

Six Of The Best For United

With Manchester United carrying a 2-0 lead into their Champions League semi-final second leg, Schalke were already all but out. The German side needed nothing short of a miracle but, with Chelsea in mind, Ferguson made nine changes to his side from the first leg with only Van Der Sar and Valencia staying put.

Much like the first leg, United looked in control but Schalke did pressurise their defence and mid-field a lot more. But Schalke's miracle was forthcoming and United took the lead after 26 minutes when Darron Gibson played a beautiful through ball into Valencia's path who slotted neatly through Neuer's legs. It was the young German keeper's most impressive night as United were 2-0 up five minutes later when Gibson fired a shot that hit Neuer's leg before bouncing in. Schalke did get a consolation ten minutes before half-time when United failed to deal with the ball before Jurado fired it into the top corner.

Although, Schalke's goal wasn't the biggest surprise of the night because after, many months of waiting, Anderson fired United 3-1 ahead with a nice swivel shot into the bottom corner after 72 minutes. As the saying goes; you wait for one and two come along at once, and that's exactly what happened as Berbatov played a square ball along the box for Anderson to tap into the empty net four minutes later. United win 4-1 on the night and 6-1 on aggregate to set up that Wembley final against Barcelona.

Nou Camp Stalemate Sees Barca Through

Last night saw the final El Classico of the season as Barcelona hosted Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final second leg. After the poor performances and the backlashes of last week's anticlimactic first leg, no-one really wanted to see this match especially with Barcelona having a 2-0 aggregate lead.

Although there were no real 'hairy' moments in this leg, both teams were doing all they could to earn free-kicks via theatrics. The first half saw Barcelona own the ball and mount countless attacks on Casillas' goal but they couldn't find that breakthrough. But, as expected, Barca did the break the deadlock nine minutes into the second half with Pedro sinking Real's chances of a comeback. Marcelo equalised on the night ten minutes late but the Spanish giants played out the draw with Barca through to the Wembley final, expectant to see Manchester United there as they hold their 2-0 aggregate lead advantage at Old Trafford tonight.

Deja Vu Wednesday

Like on Tuesday, yesterday saw a Champions League semi-final first leg and a rescheduled Premiership match. But both games had the same results as Tuesday's matches. Man United beat Schalke 2-0 away from home on Tuesday and yesterday it was Barcelona's turn at the Bernabeu in the latest El Classico.

Fireworks had began before the match had even kicked off with Mourinho playing mind games and unusually Pep Guardiola took the bait and ended swearing in his television interview. Unfortunately the game was much like the press conferences, two teams making snide remarks, although this resulted into a half-time bust up with Arbeloa upsetting Barca's sub keeper Jose Pinto who reacted and was sent off. However Real Madrid were then down to ten men just after the hour when Pepe went in high and with studs showing on Alves. Whether referee Wolfgang Stark was going to send him off before the Barca players surrounded is unknown but Pepe was shown red, Mourinho followed after showing his disgust to the decision. The deadlock was broken on 76 minutes with Messi tapping in a low cross from sub Afellay. Messi then finished off the match and possibly the tie with another spectacular solo goal three minutes from time.

Tuesday saw Stoke beat 3-0 at home, yesterday saw Fulham beat Bolton 3-0 at Craven Cottage. It's quite telling that in the last two games Sturridge has been missing, Bolton have lost 8-0 on aggregate. Clint Dempsey put Fulham ahead after fifteen minutes before doubling Fulham's lead three minutes into the second half. Brede Hangeland finished it off after 65 minutes to see Fulham move up to ninth, Bolton are four points ahead in eighth.

Champions Win For United, Costly Win For Stoke

The Champions League semi-finals kicked-off yesterday with Schalke entertaining Manchester United in Gelsenkirchen. There were a few omens surrounding the game with United not having a great record against German sides and Rooney was famously sent off there in 2006, with a certain winking Ronaldo causing riots. But, surprisingly, the match turned out to be one of the most one-sided semi-finals ever. For sixty-six minutes, though, it was United versus Manuel Neuer who impressed throughout the game and boosted is already growing reputation of being one of the best up and coming keepers. In the first half United had countless chances with Rooney, Hernandez, Giggs and Fabio all missing great chances, mostly due to some fantastic saves by Neuer. But Schalke's surprising invisibility throughout the match made it far too easy for United and the English side finally broke Neuer's resistance after 67 minutes; Giggs scoring after being put through by Rooney, the Welshman became the oldest goalscorer in the Champions League and is still impressing at the age of 37. After waiting for one, two came at once with Rooney making it 2-0 two minutes later after being put through by Hernandez. Neuer has hinted at a move to Bayern Munich which would halt Fergie's attempts of buying him, but the good news is Van Der Sar may end up staying one more year despite announcing that he would retire at the end of the season.

Back in England there was also Premiership action as Stoke hosted Wolves in their game that would have took place the weekend before last except for Stoke's FA Cup semi-final win over Bolton. The momentum looks to have carried forward as Stoke seemed comfortable against the struggling Wolves; the opener came after just sixteen minute through Kenwyne Jones. Then Wolves were hit with a sucker punch with Shawcross making it 2-0 just before half-time, making Mick McCarthy's team-talk that much harder. The job was completed six minutes into the second half with Jermaine Pennant scoring the third, the bad news for Stoke though is that Matthew Etherington had to be substituted with a hamstring problem and looks like he'll miss the FA Cup final. Wolves remain nineteenth but still only a point from safety, Stoke have moved into ninth and looking to cement a top-half finish.

Real and Schalke Preserve Leads

The remaining Champions League quarter final second legs took place last night, although the ties were already finalised. Real Madrid led 4-0 going into their second leg at White Hart Lane against Tottenham. Despite Harry Redknapp and co stating miracles can happen, everyone knew it was a case of damage limitation for the English side and they coped rather well against Madrid. The first half saw Tottenham have a good penalty appeal turned down and a goal correctly ruled out for offside. The only goal of the game came five minutes into the second half with Ronaldo scoring thanks to another Gomes blunder. Real Madrid coast through with a 5-0 aggregate win and will meet Barcelona in the semi-final.

Schalke also had to just preserve their aggregate with five away goals after their 5-2 win over Inter Milan. Any chance of a comeback was crushed in first half injury time when Raul broke the deadlock for the German side. Inter equalised on the night through Thiago Motta five minutes into the second half. But Schalke wanted to win on both legs and made it 2-1 on the night, 7-3 on aggregate nine minutes from time with Benedikt Howedes getting the goal. Schalke will meet Manchester United in the semi-finals.

City Lose, United Win, Barca Round Off Tie

Monday Night Football last night as Liverpool hosted Manchester City at Anfield. City were struck a double blow with a crushing defeat and Tevez being forced off with a torn hamstring, as for Liverpool a new era may have materialised. It took Liverpool thirteen minutes to break the deadlock when Andy Carroll scored his first ever Reds goal. Dirk Kuyt made it 2-0 eleven minutes before half-time and then Carroll sealed the win with his second just a minute later. Liverpool now move four points clear of Everton in sixth while City remain three points ahead of Tottenham in fourth.

Manchester City's FA Cup semi-final opponents on Saturday will be their neighbours Manchester United, who were at Old Trafford tonight playing their Champions League quarter final second leg against Chelsea. With United leading 1-0 on aggregate, the first goal was always going to be the most crucial. Hernandez thought he had it after heading a Rooney cross home but the linesman flagged for the marginal offside decision. But it was Hernandez who did break the deadlock two minutes before half-time, this time tapping in a low Giggs cross. It was a tense second half but it looked to be all over when Ramires received a second yellow card for a late, clumsy challenge on Nani with twenty minutes to go. But half-time substitute Drogba took full advantage of some slack defending before slotting the ball past Van Der Sar seven minutes after going a man down. It was set to be a nervy final fifteen minutes but within thirty seconds of equalising on the night, Park found the ball inside the Chelsea box and fired it past Cech to make it 2-1 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate. United look to face Shalke in the semi-finals as they have a three goal cushion at home to Inter tomorrow.

The other Champions League tie tonight saw Barcelona nurse their 5-1 aggregate lead in the Ukraine. The only goal of the game also came two minutes before half-time with Lionel Messi making it 6-1 on aggregate and look to set up the all Spanish affair with Real Madrid who are 4-0 ahead going into tomorrow's game at Tottenham.

Barca Through, United Gain Advantage

After Tuesday's abnormally high scoring quarter final first legs. No-one really knew what to expect in last night's first legs. Although in the end both results could have been predicted.

Barcelona hosted Shakhtar Donetsk in a match that was predicted to be a blood bath for the Ukrainians. That was what materialised and it took just two minutes for Iniesta to break the deadlock. Dani Alves made it 2-0 before the break, after 37 minutes. The game looked practically over just eight minutes into the second half when Pique made it 3-0 but Shakhtar pulled a goal back six minutes later through Yaroslav Ratikskiy. That seemed the anger the Spaniards and it was 4-1 a minute later with Seydou Keita getting the goal on the hour. Xavi rounded off the rout four minutes from the end to already seemingly set up an all Spanish semi-final against Real Madrid. Iniesta may have been a little clever by getting booked to see him suspended for the second leg to make sure he'll be available for the encounter with Real.

The other quarter-final is the only one that isn't already potentially determined. Chelsea entertained Manchester United in a game that had two scripts written for it; either Torres was break his duck and give Chelsea the advantage or Rooney was going to silence his critics by giving United the advantage without swearing down any camera. As luck would have it, one of the scripts came to life with Rooney getting the only goal of the game after 24 minutes. Chelsea came closest to the game's second goal when Torres firstly hit the post before Evra cleared Lampard's shot off the line before half-time. Torres then had a second half header superbly saved by the veteran Van Der Sar. Chelsea also had a late penalty appeal turned down when looked to have brought Ramires down in the box. But United come away from Stamford Bridge with an advantage and maybe more importantly an away goal.

San Siro Shocker, Spurs' Spanish Spanking

Usually a Champions League quarter final first leg is quite cagey and settled by the odd goal or two. Well yesterday saw two of the quarter final first legs and there was eleven goals between them with two sendings off.

In Italy, Inter Milan hosted Shalke in what could be one of the shocks of the tournament so far. Although the reigning champions took the lead in the opening minute of the tie when Dejan Stankovic volleyed a Neuer clearance from just inside the Shalke half into the back of the net. That was ruled out by Joel Matip who secured Shalke's away goal after seventeen minutes. Diego Milito then regained the lead for Inter after 33 minutes but again Shalke equalised, this time through Edu seven minutes later. After equalising twice, Shalke then took the lead in the second half when Raul rolled back the years eight minutes after the restart. It was 4-2 just five minutes later when Andrea Ranocchia scored an own goal. It got worse for Inter when Christian Chivu received his second yellow card two minutes after the hour before Edu potentially finished Inter off, making it 5-2 after 75 minutes.

Tottenham's European dream also seems to be all but over after a thrashing at the Bernabeu. Spurs were met by a few familiar faces in ex-Chelsea boss Mourinho, ex-Arsenal and current Man City player Adebayor and of course ex-Man United Ronaldo. It was possibly their biggest rival, Adebayor, who opened the scoring after just five minutes. Tottenham's night was seemingly cut short when Crouch received a second yellow moments after his first for two silly tackles within a quarter of an hour. They paid the price in the second half and Adebayor made it 2-0 with his second header twelve minutes after the restart. Angel Di Maria put the game to bed after 72 minutes but Ronaldo may have put the tie to bed with Real's fourth, three minutes from the end.

Champions League Quarter Final and Semi Final Draws

Real Madrid will face Tottenham in the quarter finals. There could then be an all Spanish semi final as the winners of that match will face the winners of Barcelona against Shakhtar Donetsk. Gary Lineker drew out an all English quarter final as Chelsea host Manchester United in the first leg. The winner of the English battle will face either champions Inter Milan or Shalke in the semi-finals.

Chelsea Coast Through, Real Cruise Through

The final two Champions League quarter-final places were clinched last night as the final second legs took place. Chelsea held a 2-0 aggregate advantage before kick-off at Stamford Bridge against Copenhagen. There wasn't any real trouble from Copenhagen as the omens were there from the start; Chelsea have never lost a Champions League home match by more than two goals, Copenhagen have never won a Champions League away match by more than two. The Danes did hit the post but that was about it as they were looking more like a damage limitation side. But there was to be no more damage as Chelsea didn't really test Wiland with Torres still proving one of the most expensive flops (a la Shevchenko?), so the game petered out to a 0-0 with Chelsea comfortably making it three English sides in the last eight.

The other match was finely poised at the Bernabeu as Real Madrid hosted Lyon, the aggregate scoreline was 1-1 and could still go either way. Lyon weren't impressive at all in the first half and only managed one shot at goal. So no surprise that they found themselves 1-0 down at half-time with Marcelo scoring the goal after 37 minutes. The game wasn't over though as an equaliser would bring extra time, but that never looked like materialising and Real took a 2-0 lead after 66 minutes with Benzema scoring through the legs of his former teammate Lloris. Angel Di Maria finished the game off ten minutes later to make it 3-0 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate.

United Struggle Through While Inter Spring Shock Comeback

With half of the Champions League quarter-final places being taken last week, yesterday saw four more teams battle it out for two of the remaining places. Barcelona, Tottenham, Shalke and Shakhtar Donetsk are all in Friday's draw and are awaiting their possible opponents.

Old Trafford saw Manchester United host Olympique Marseille, with the aggregate goalless, Marseille knew that a the away goal would be priceless. But it was United who came out flying and grabbed the early goal, Rooney shooting wide along the box only for Hernandez to tap home from about six yards. Marseille were never out of the game and after the goal United seemed to step right off the gas and let the French team enjoy possession. They also had decent chances but both Gignac and Diawara missed clear cut chances to equalise. There was some bad news in the first half for United though, John O'Shea had to be replaced due to a hamstring injury. The second was very cagey and United looked settled on the 1-0 win, possibly due to Marseille's stronghold in attack. But still Marseille failed to test Van Der Sar by missing chances and also failing to take advantage of their superior average height. United then dealt Marseille a sucker punch with Giggs this time rolling the ball across the box for Hernandez to tap home again to make it 2-0 with fifteen to go. But United weren't happy with a comfortable 2-0 scoreline and gave a corner in the last seven minutes which Brown seemed to get an ambiguous touch into the net, despite Scholes' effort to keep it out. United held on though to progress with the 2-1 aggregate win.

The other tie was at the Allianz Arena where Bayern Munich were looking to hold onto their 1-0 aggregate lead against reigning champions Inter Milan. But Inter equalised on aggregate almost instantly on the night with Samuel Eto'o breaking the deadlock after three minutes, to produce the only scoreline that would bring extra time. Mario Gomez equalised on the night after 21 minutes to give Munich the lead again, before Thomas Muller made it 2-1 ten minutes later to gain full control of the tie at 3-1 on aggregate. The tie wasn't over though as Inter equalised through Wesley Sneijder three minutes after the hour to pull one back. The next goal was going to be the ultimatum and Igor Pandev scored it for Inter two minutes from time to make it 3-2 on the night but 3-3 on aggregate, but the champions progress via the away goal rule.

Spurs Protect Lead, Shalke Beat Valencia and Everton Earn Draw

Barcelona and Shakhtar Donetsk were joined by two more teams into the Champions League quarter finals yesterday and there was also Premiership action at Goodison Park. Tottenham returned to White Hart Lane last night with a 1-0 aggregate lead over AC Milan. After viewing Arsenal's departure from the night before, Harry Redknapp vowed to attack Milan and put the tie to bed. That wasn't quite the case although they did shoot more than Arsenal did (although that wasn't particularly hard). But, in truth, AC Milan looked the more dangerous and came very close in the first half but Robinho's deflected, scuffed shot was blocked off the line by Gallas. Despite Milan's countless attacks, Tottenham held on and managed to grind out a goalless draw to see that they progress into the quarter finals.

In Germany, Shalke hosted Valencia with the first leg finishing 1-1 in the Mestalla. Valencia equalled the away goal by breaking the deadlock with Ricardo Costa scoring after seventeen minutes, making it 2-1 on aggregate. Jefferson Farfan equalised on both accounts five minutes from half-time to produce the only scoreline that would bring extra time. But extra time wasn't going to be needed as Shalke took the lead seven minutes after the restart through Mario Gavranovic. Shalke guaranteed their quarter final slot in injury time with Farfan scoring his second of the night.

Back in the Premiership, Everton entertained Birmingham in the latest rescheduled match. Birmingham took the lead after seventeen minutes with Jean Beausejour heading the ball home. But Everton earned themselves a point and equalised ten minutes before half-time with Johnny Heitinga getting the goal. The draw sees Birmingham move out of the relegation zone by goal difference but still have a game in hand over the rest of their rivals, although it is against Chelsea. Everton move up to ninth, providing the meat in a Tyne-Wear sandwich, a point ahead of Newcastle but a point behind Sunderland.

Three For Chelsea, Three For Barca and Three For Shakhtar

Monday Night Football returned this week with the action coming from Bloomfield Road where Blackpool entertained Chelsea. Chelsea were fresh from their big mid-week win over Manchester United and with the leaders slipping up to Liverpool, they were looking to close in further at the top. They got off to the best start with captain Terry heading from a corner after twenty minutes. Chelsea had to wait to seal the game with Lampard making 2-0 from the spot after 62 minutes, he then made it three just four minutes later. Blackpool did get a consolation via Puncheon four minutes from the end but it did little to dampen Chelsea's rejuvenation.

Tuesday saw the first couple of Champions League second round second legs. Arsenal nursed a 2-1 lead into the Nou Camp but Messi broke the deadlock just before half-time to make it 2-2 on aggregate with Barcelona going through via away goals. But Arsenal equalised eight minutes into the second half when a Nasri corner was headed by Busquets into his own net to make it 3-2 on aggregate. Barcelona nearly scored straight away but brave goalkeeping by substitute Almunia on Villa kept it at 1-1. News got worse for Arsenal though, Van Persie was flagged offside three minutes later and carried on to take a shot shortly after. The referee harshly judged it to be kicking the ball away and brandished a second yellow card to Van Persie to reduce Arsenal to ten men. They paid the price when Xavi made it 2-1 (3-3 on aggregate) after 69 minutes which would have forced extra time. But the tie was won in the allotted time when Koscielny lost his head and brought down Pedro in the box just two minutes later, Messi stepped up and converted the penalty to send Barcelona through, 4-3 on aggregate.

The other Champions League tie saw Shakhtar Donetsk protect a 3-2 lead at home to Roma. Shakhtar opened the scoring with Tomas Hubschman after eighteen minutes to extend their advantage to 4-2. Roma's chances of a comeback got even slimmer when Mexes received a second yellow four minutes before half-time. Shakhtar took full advantage with Willian making it 2-0 after 58 minutes and Eduardo finished the tie off three minutes from time. Shakhtar won 3-0 on the night and 6-2 on aggregate to progress into the quarter finals for the first time in their history.

Three Games, Two Competitions, Two Goals

Last night saw the final couple of Champions League second round first legs and another rescheduled Premiership match. It was a clash of last year's final with Inter Milan hosting Bayern Munich while Manchester United headed to France to take on Marseille. Back home, the Premiership action was at the Emirates where Arsenal hosted Stoke.

Inter Milan took the Champions League trophy from Munich last May but Bayern were looking to gain revenge, starting off at the San Siro. They waited until injury time for the deadlock to be broken but Mario Gomes scored the crucial goal to give Munich the lead and the crucial away goal.

Manchester United looked much more positive against Marseille in France than against Crawley but still failed to show any danger in front of goal. The second half saw Marseille show more promise and looked a little more dangerous in front of goal with the likes of Valbeuna and Cheyrou entering the fray. However the match played to a 0-0 bore draw which may favour United but the away goal rule could come back to haunt them again, although they still have only conceded once in the Champions League this season.

In the Premiership, only one goal was needed to decide the outcome between Arsenal and Stoke. It only took eight minutes before Sebastien Squillaci put Arsenal ahead and ultimately win the game. This moves Arsenal to within one point of United, who play their game in hand next Tuesday against Chelsea, but Walcott and Fabregas picked up injuries that should see them miss the Carling Cup final on Sunday.

Chelsea Still Danegerous, Lyon Earn Real Draw and Blackpool Earn Their Spurs

The third couplet of Champions League second round first legs took place yesterday with Chelsea in Denmark against Copenhagen and Lyon hosting Real Madrid. There was also action at Bloomfield Road where Blackpool hosted Tottenham in the latest rescheduled Premiership match.

With Chelsea out of the FA Cup and their title hopes have all but slipped away, all they have left to focus on in terms of silverware is the elusive Champions League. Their opponents Copenhagen shouldn't have the quality to match Chelsea despite having former Chelsea player Jesper Gronkjaer playing for them. The dilemma for Chelsea was who to play up front, Ancelotti went with Anelka and Torres with Drogba on the bench. It may have been half of the right choice as Anelka gave Chelsea the lead after seventeen minutes. Anelka then wrapped the game up nine minutes into the second half to put Chelsea in a commanding position going into the second leg.

The other tie is finely poised after Lyon managed to get a draw at home to Real Madrid. Former Lyon star Karim Benzema came back to haunt his birthplace and original club with a goal after 65 minutes. Bafetimbi Gomis equalised for Lyon with seven minutes to play to earn the draw but Madrid have the advantage going into the second leg with the away goal.

This time last week Tottenham were in dreamland after another magical night at the San Siro. This week Harry Redknapp must be issuing extra training after a defeat to Blackpool at Bloomfield Road. Tottenham had great chances to take the lead but it was Blackpool who broke the deadlock with Charlie Adam converting a penalty after eighteen minutes. Tottenham still had chances to equalise but were caught on the counter attack just before half-time which resulted in DJ Campbell making it 2-0. The game was finished off ten minutes from time when Brett Ormerod made it three but Pavlyuchenko made it 3-1 with his consolation coming in injury time. So overall a good night for Chelsea with the win and with Tottenham staying only two points ahead, Blackpool now move up to twelfth after catching up with all their games in hand.

Arsenal Rock Barca, Shakhtar Rock Roma and Bolton Rock Wigan

The second quarter of the Champions League first legs took place yesterday along with a FA Cup fourth round replay. The first of the Champions League ties was in the Stadio Olimpico where under threat Claudio Ranieri saw his team Roma host Shakhtar Donetsk. It was Roma who took the lead after 28 minutes when Simone Perrotta scored. The lead only a minute when Shakhtar equalised through Jadson. The Ukrainians then took the lead nine minutes from half-time when Douglas Costa scored it was 3-1 five minutes later when Adriano rolled back the years. Roma pulled one back just after the hour through Jeremy Menez but Roma will have it all to do in Ukraine.

After Tottenham's win in Milan on Tuesday, the English sides continued to impress with Arsenal winning against Barcelona at the Emirates. Barcelona had countless chances to win the game and took the lead after 26 minutes through David Villa. Arsenal fought hard and found their equaliser in the form of Robin Van Persie twelve minutes from time. Arsenal continued their late show with Arshavin making it 2-1 five minutes later. Although Arsenal will have the lead going into the second leg, I can't see them keeping a clean sheet and despite Gerard Pique being suspended, it'll be hard for Arsenal to score.

The FA Cup fourth round replay at the DW Stadium threw up questions over team's integrity in the cup. Wigan hosted Bolton in a match watched by just over seven and a half thousand, but you can't blame so few for turning up when you know that Wigan made nine changes from the weekend and Bolton made six. It was Bolton who scored the only goal of the match through Ivan Klasnic after 66 minutes to set up a fifth round tie against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Sunday.

Tottenham and Shalke Score Away Goals While Newcastle Win in the Prem

The Champions league returned yesterday with the first two second round first leg matches. There was also the latest rescheduled Premiership match from the winter postponements. Tottenham's first ever Champions League knock-out round match was featured a ground they had already become familiar with. After losing 4-3 against Inter Milan earlier in the group stage, AC Milan now had their turn to host the Champions League debutants. But Spurs held their own in a match where Milan were clearly not at their best and even managed to nick a late winner; Aaron Lennon springing a counter attack before squaring to Crouch in the box and the striker tapped it in with ten minutes left. The big drama came after the final whistle however, Gennaro Gattuso has a volatile reputation which ended up seeing him receive a booking in the match, this mean he'll miss the second leg. But when the match had ended he squared up Spurs' assistant Joe Jordan and headbutted him! UEFA are looking into it and Gattuso has apologised for his actions.

The other Champions League tie saw Valencia host Shalke in the Mestalla. It was the hosts who took the lead with Roberto Soldado giving Valencia the lead after seventeen minutes. Shalke equalised and more crucially scored an away goal with Raul scoring after 63 minutes, this makes Raul the all-time leading European scorer. Shalke were also reduced to ten men in second half injury time when Lukas Schmitz received a second yellow card which means he will miss the second leg in Germany.

Back in England Birmingham hosted Newcastle in the rescheduled Premiership match. Life without Andy Carroll is going rather well and Peter Lovenkrands emphasised it with a goal after just two minutes. Leon Best sealed the victory for Newcastle five minutes into the second half to see the Magpies move up to ninth. Birmingham languish in fourteenth, just three points ahead of relegation.

Champions League Round of 16 Draw

The first knock-out round in Europe's biggest tournament was draw today in Switzerland. There were some 'easy' ties for both sides as AS Roma will play Shakhtar Donetsk which is a great opportunity for both teams to make a place in the quarter finals. Valencia will play Shalke in the other match that is a good tie for both teams. After facing Inter Milan in the group phase, Tottenham have been drawn against AC Milan, rivals Inter will have a re-run of last season's final against Bayern Munich. Lyon have an extremely tough tie against Real Madrid which Mourinho will be looking for progression into the quarter finals. Arsene Wenger said in his post-match interview against Braga that he would like to face Barcelona, well be careful what you wish for Arsene because Arsenal have been drawn against Barcelona. Chelsea and Manchester United will be looking ahead to the quarter finals after Chelsea were drawn with FC Copenhagen whereas United will play Olympique Marseille.

Champions League Round-Up 8/12/10

As the groups stages come to end we now know the sixteen teams who have progressed into the knockout rounds, with the draw next Friday (17th December). We also know the other four teams who will be entering the Europa League.

Group E: With Bayern Munich already through, their opponents Basle knew they had to win in Germany to give themselves any hope of qualifying for the knockout phase. Munich stuck to their task and took the lead ten minutes before half-time through Ribery. Tymoshchuk made it 2-0 two minutes later to destroy Basle's hopes of qualifying. Ribery added a second and Munich's third just four minutes into the second half to round it all off.

Roma just did enough to progress by drawing with Cluj. The visitors only needed that point to be guaranteed qualification and Marco Borriello gave the Italians the lead after 21 minutes. Cluj equalised two minutes from time through Lacina Traore. Final Table:
1.Bayern Munich 16
2.AS Roma 10
3.FC Basel 6
4. CFR Cluj-Napoca 2
Group F: Chelsea's poor league form seeped into Europe as they lost 1-0 in France to Marseille. Chelsea still win the group despite Brandao's 81st minute winner.

Zilina failed to earn a single point in the competition after going 1-0 ahead to lose 2-1 to Spartak Moscow. Tomas Majtan gave Zilina the lead three minutes into the second half but Alex equalised six minutes later. Ibson scored the winner for Moscow after 61 minutes but then got sent off seventeen minutes later. Final Table:
1.Chelsea 15
2.Olympique Marseille 12
3.Spartak Moscow 9
4.MSK Zilina 0
Group G: Real Madrid finished off their group campaign emphatically with a 4-0 victory over Auxerre. Karim Benzema was the star of the show and opened the scoring after eleven minutes. Ronaldo doubled the lead four minutes into the second half before Benzema scored his second on 72 minutes. Benzema then completed his hat-trick two minutes from time for Madrid to win the group in some style.

Ajax secured Europa League football ahead of Auxerre by beating AC Milan 2-0 in the San Siro. Demy De Zeeuw opened the scoring twelve minutes into the second half before Toby Alderweireld won the game nine minutes later. Final Table:
1.Real Madrid 16
2.AC Milan 8
3.Ajax 7
4.Auxerre 3
Group H: Arsenal played poorly but still managed to beat Partizan 3-1 at The Emirates. Van Persie gave Arsenal the lead from the penalty spot after half an hour before Cleo equalised seven minutes into the second half. Walcott made it 2-1 after 73 minutes with the in form Nasri adding the third four minutes later. Bacary Sagna also got sent off for Arsenal four minutes from time and will therefore miss their second round fixture.

Arsenal failed to make it all four English clubs winning their groups as Shakhtar beat Braga 2-0. Razvan Rat opened the scoring after 78 minutes before Adriano made it 2-0 five minutes later. Final Table:
1.Shakhtar Donetsk 15
2.Arsenal 12
3. SC Braga 9
4.FK Partizan Belgrade 0