Cup Winners Face Anxious Wait For Future

Matchday five in the Europa League and a lot of very close games which mean that similar to the Champions League, the hopes for many will rest on their final games but for some an easy week awaits after wins this week.

A
Kuban kept up hopes of advancing with a 4-0 win over St Gallen with a Melgarejo brace accompanied by a goal from Ignajev and a late addition from Kabore, Swansea who face the Russian's in the final game know a positive result will see them through but could have advanced earlier had they not fallen to a 1-0 defeat to Valencia with Parejo hitting the winning goal.

B
Chornomorets sealed a 2-1 win over Dinamo despite going behing to a Bequiraj strike on 20 minutes but a leveller from Antonov in the 78th minute and a last-gasp winner from Didenko claimed the three points. Ludogorets confirmed top spot with a 2-0 home win against 10-man PSV thanks to a Bezjak double whose side benefited from Bruma being dismissed for the visitors when 1-0 down.

C
Salzburg who had already qualified beat Elfsborg 1-0 with a winner from Meilinger in the 39th minute and will battle to claim top spot next time out against Esbjerg who like the Austrians had already sealed a safe passage to the next stage and continued their good run with a 2-1 victory over Liege with Van Buren hitting a brace sandwiching an equaliser from De Camargo.

D
Wigan missed the chance to seal a place in the knockout stage by losing 2-1 to Zulte and need to win their last game to go though but after leading through Barnett hopes were high but a Hazard leveller and a late goal from Adje saw the Latics slip to third and looking for a favour from Rubin next time out. The Russian side already qualified, rested players and looked on for a win after Natcho put them 1-0 up at the break but a late leveller from Mezga shared the points.

E
Dnipro already qualified sent the fight for top spot down to the wire with a comfortable 4-1 win over Pandurii with Kalinic and Zozulya putting them two up only for Pereira to pull one back from the spot but the Ukranian's confirmed the win with late strikes from Shakhov and Kravchenko. Fiorentina missed the chance to confirm top spot after drawing 0-0 with Pacos who will challenge Pandruii in the final game to try and avoid finishing bottom.

F
APOEL and Maccabi Tel Aviv drew 0-0 and it was a missed opportunity for the visitors who would have qualified had they won but face a final game against Bordeaux who will be hoping to avoid finishing bottom so both will be full strength surely, Boredaux remain bottom after losing 1-0 to Frankfurt after an 83rd minute winner from Lanig ensured that the Germans will top the group.

G
Genk defeated Dynamo Kyiv 3-1 despite the Ukraninan side leading through Yarmolenko after nine minutes but a Vossen penalty brought them level within ten minutes and Kumordzi and De Ceulear both struck before the break as the Belgians sealed top spot.

H
Sevilla all but qualified barring a goal-difference disaster next time out after they drew 1-1 with Estoril who still have hopes of advancing themselves after a Fernandes strike cancelled out Gameiro's opener. Freiburg claimed a 2-1 win over Liberec with Ginter and Coquelin putting them two up with Rybalka pulling one back late on which only served as a consolation.

I
Lyon qualified with a 1-0 victory over Betis courtesy of a Gomis strike in the 66th minute while Rijeka and Guimares drew 0-0 with both setting up different possibilities for the final game, Guimares need to beat Lyon to have a chance of going through but need Rijeka to surprise Betis and one outcome is that the Portuguese side could even finish bottom.

J
Legia look like setting a new record of being the only side not to score in the group stage as they lost 2-0 to Lazio who take the fight for top spot down to the wire with goals from Perea and Gomes. Trabzonspor currently sit top after a 4-2 win over Apollon who now know they will finish third, Adin and Ayogdyu put the Turks 2-0 up at the break with Adin hitting his second and Trabzon's third before Guie pulled one back and Sangoy hit a penalty to make it 3-2 but Adin completed his hat-trick with seven minutes remainining to confirm the win.

K
Tottenham kept up their 100% record with a 2-0 win against Tromso with the Norweigian side handing them the lead thanks to a Causevic own goal with Dembele adding a second in the 75th minute to keep up the Londoner's hopes of a perfect campaign that has also seen them conceded only once while scoring ten. Anzhi join them in the next stage after drawing 1-1 with Sheriff despite going behind to a Mustafa strike which soon saw them level through Epuraenu and finish with a man advantage as Mendes was dismissed late on for the visitors.

L
Maccabi Haifa lost 2-0 to AZ with an own goal from Dzidic and a late strike from Kitsiov sealing the win for the already qualified Eredivisie side, PAOK matched them with a 2-0 win over Karagandy with goals from Gudelj and Gudmundsson setting up a battle for top spot next time out.

So a mixed night for results with a lot of teams going into the final game still with something to play for be it qualification or avoiding finishing bottom of their group.

 

Manchester Marvels While Madrid Are Magic

The penultimate games of the group stage this week in Matchday five saw some sides rest stars with qualification already sealed while others went full strength and secured safe passage with a game to go.

A
 Manchester United needed a win to secure qualification and did so in style with a 5-0 drubbing over Leverkusen with Valencia and a Spahic own goal putting them 2-0 up at the break while goals from Evans, Smalling and an 88th minute strike from Nani completed the rout.

Shakthar hammered Sociedad 4-0 to keep up their qualification hopes with goals either side of the break from Adriano and Teixeira with Costa adding two more to condemn the Spaniards to the bottom of the group.

B
 Real Madrid continued their unbeaten run with a 4-1 home win over Galatasaray but found themselves down to ten just before the half-hour with Ramos sent off but Bale and Bulut each scored to send them into the break level, Arbeloa put Madrid in front with Di Maria making it three after the hour and Isco struck late on to complete the win.

Juventus kept up hopes of qualifying for the next stage with a 3-1 win over Copenhagen with Arturo Vidal scoring two penalties either side of the break sandwiching an equaliser from former Juve defender Olof Mellberg, Vidal completed his hat-trick minutes after his second penalty to complete the win.

C
 Already safely qualified, PSG rested players but still won  2-1 win with Ibrahimovic opening the scoring in the seventh minute, Verrati was sent off a minute into the second half for the Ligue 1 side but it took until the 80th minute for Olympiakos to take advantage with Manolas levelling but their hopes of a draw were dashed in the final minute by a winning strike from Cavani.

Benfica sent the race for second place in their group down to the final game with a hard fought 3-2 win away to Anderlecht with the Belgians taking the lead through Mangulu with Matic equalising to send them in level at the break. Mangulu scored at the wrong end early in the second half and Bruno equalised in the 76th minute with Rodrigo striking the winning goal in the final minute.

D
 Bayern made it a record 10th consecutive win in the competition with a 3-1 victory away to CSKA, Robben and Gotze put them 2-0 up with Honda pulling one back from the penalty spot only for Muller to hit a penalty for the Germans three minutes later to seal the win.

Manchester City had already qualified for the next stage but wanted to top the group to avoid a tough opponent and as such went with a strong lineup but found it tough at home to Plzen even though they won 4-2. Aguero put City ahead from the spot with Horava levelling just before the break,Nasri put City ahead again but Tecl equalised minutes later, Negredo gave them a third lead before Dzeko comfirmed the win in the final seconds.

E
 Basel completed a double over Chelsea with Salah scoring late on to repeat his heroics in the reverse meeting while Steaua and Schalke drew 0-0.

F
Arsenal all but qualified barring a disaster in week six with a 2-0 win over Marseille with a brace Wilshere in the 1st and 65th minutes sealing the win, Dortmund secured a 3-1 win over Napoli 
with a Reus penalty and Blaszczykowski putting them 2-0 up with Insigne pulling one back before Aubemeyang sealed the win twelve minutes from the end.

G
Porto came from behind to draw 1-1 with Austria Vienna after Kienast gave the away and 11th minute lead with Martinez equalising for the home side early in the second half  while Atletico Madrid scored at both ends to draw 1-1 with Zenit with Adrian giving them the lead in the 53rd minute but an own goal from Alderweireld ensured a share of the points.

H
Ajax shocked Barcelona with a 2-1 win with Serero and Hoesen putting them 2-0 up at the break with Veltman sent off in the 48th minute resulting in Xavi converting from the spot but the Eredivisie side held on for the win while Celtic were humbled 3-0 at home to AC Milan with goals from Kaka, Zapata and Balotelli confirming the SPL side would finish bottom of the group.

So a matchday for high scores but also one that means for a change, the final set of games will include teams fighting for qualification so some full strength lineups will feature as the competition enters a winter break until February.

Mixed Fortunes For City Rivals

The International break has passed one again thankfully meaning a returning focus to the league which had some surprising results including 10 goals across two derby games.

Arsenal retained top spot with a 2-0 win at home to in-form Southampton with a Giroud brace comprising a late penalty and an opener gifted to him by Saints 'keeper Boruc who made a huge error by failing to clear with Giroud pressurising him.

 In the early kick-off, Everton and Liverpool shared the points in the Merseyside derby which started as close as it ended with Coutinho and Mirallas scoring in the opening ten minutes and Suarez putting the visitors in control until a brace from Lukaku in the 72nd and 82nd minutes set the Blues up for victory but continuing tradtion in the derby, a late goal from Sturridge set up a frantic finish and salvaged a point.

Swansea secured a 2-1 win away to Fulham with a Hughes own goal setting them on their way, Parker replied for Fulham with Shelvey hitting the winner ten minutes from the end. Crystal Palace celebrated naming Tony Pulis as their new manager with a 1-0 win away to Hull despite losing Bolasie to a red card in the 78th minute, they hit a winner minutes later through Bannan.

Newcastle piled the pressure on Norwich with a 2-1 win which saw Remy strike in the second minute with Gouffran following up seven minutes from the break, Norwich pulled one back through Fer ten minutes from the end but couldnt hit an equaliser.

Stoke claimed a 2-0 win at home to Sunderland with a goal from Adam on the half hour handing them the lead but six minutes later, Brown saw red for Sunderland leaving the visitors with an uphill task but they held on until nine minutes from time when N'Zonzi sealed the win.

Chelsea defeated West Ham 3-0 in the evening kick-off with former Hammer - Frank Lampard opening the scoring from the penalty spot with Oscar adding a second just after the half-hour, Lampard hit a second with eight minutes to go to wrap up the win.

Super Sunday surpassed all expectation as Manchester City demolished Tottenham 6-0 even more shocking when both sides had a similar amount of chances just that City were far more potent. Navas put them in front after 14 seconds and thoughts of their recent thrashings worried the visiting fans but Spurs contributed to their own downfall as Sandro hit into his own net just after the half-hour, Aguero added a third to put City in control at the break. A quick double from Aguero andNegredo made it 5-0 with Spurs day ended in the final minute by Navas' second goal.


In the second game, Manchester United travelled to face Cardiff and when Rooney handed them a 15th minute lead, worries appeared that Cardiff could face a backlash but they showed spirit and equalised just after the half-hour through Campbell but United went 2-1 up on half way through Evra and held on in the second half only to be pegged back right at the end as Kim scored a last-gasp leveller to send the home fans wild and dent United's hopes of moving into the top four.

The final game of the weekend saw a Birmingham derby between West Brom and Aston Villa with the home side taking a 2-0 lead inside 12 minutes thanks to Long's early double but Villa came back in the second half to secure a draw with goals from El Ahmadi and Westwood.

So it's advantage Arsenal as they pull away at the top thanks to Liverpool and Southampton failing to win and at the bottom, Palace's win takes them off the bottom and allowed them to close up on West Ham and Fulham.
 

Liverpool And Southampton Capitalise On Rivals Demise

As the International break looms this weekend, the teams knew it was paramount to go into the break on a high and for some it was a low when a high would have been a certainty.

Aston Villa went into the home game against Cardiff having not scored in seven hours and struck lucky with two goals in eight minutes on the way to a 2-0 win with the goals coming from a superb free-kick from Bacuna and a header from Kozak.

Chelsea needed a controversial injury time penalty from Hazard to spare their blushes as they went from 1-0 up to 2-1 down in the space of eight minutes, they took the lead through Eto'o on halfway with the Baggies levelling and taking the lead through Long and Sessegnon before the 70th minute but when Ramires looked to go down easy, Chelsea got a penalty and Hazard hit the equaliser.

Crystal Palace and Everton drew 0-0 while Merseyside rivals Liverpool thrashed Fulham 4-0, the first coming thanks to Fulham defender Amorebieta with Skrtel adding a quick second and a double from Suarez completing the rout and putting them only two points behind table toppers Arsenal.

Southampton joined Liverpool in closing the gap to Arsenal with a 4-1 demolition of Hull with the newly England call-ups getting in on the action as Lambert and Lallana added to an early opener from Schneiderlin with Lambert hitting his 33rd penalty to keep up his perfect record, Sagbo pulled one back for Hull but Davis confirmed the win late on.

Norwich faced West Ham in the late kick-off and despite going behind to a 32nd minute opener from Morrison came back to win 3-1 with a equalising penalty from Hooper soon joined by a Snodgrass strike and a last minute sealer from Fer.

Super Sunday saw a hat-trick of games and shockingly three surprise results as Tottenham, Man City and Arsenal all lost to their lower positioned opponents, Tottenham started the afternoon with a 1-0 home defeat to Newcastle who ruined a good week for the home side with a 12th minute winner courtesy of Loic Remy.

Sunderland made it three wins in a week and a fourth consective defeat of Man City with a 21st minute winner from Bardsley for a 1-0 win even more important as they had kept a first clean sheet of the season against a City side who had scored 12 in two games (Norwich/CSKA).

Manchester United got the better of Arsenal to end the Gunners unbeaten run and propelled themselves up the table thanks to a winning goal headed in by Robin Van Persie in the 27th minute.

The game of the day ironically was the only one not televised as Swansea and Stoke shared the points in a six-goal thriller, Stoke took a 2-0 lead with strikes from Walters and Ireland who put them in control going into the break but a Bony brace either side of a Dyer goal put Swansea 3-2 up with four minutes remaining but Stoke salvaged a draw through a last-gasp penalty from Charlie Adam.

So an exciting weekend at both ends of the table with some real shocks going into the international break but the top three could be very different come 5pm on the 23rd as Liverpool meet city rivals Everton in the Merseyside Derby and could top the table while 1st plays 3rd as Arsenal host Southampton.

Man City Advance While Rivals Wait

Matchday four saw a number of top sides advance to the next stage including defending champions Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester City.

A
 Manchester United have to wait to qualify after drawing 0-0 against Real Sociedad while group rivals, Shakthar and Leverkusen also drew blank in a 0-0 draw.

B
Copenhagen won 1-0 against Galatasaray with an early goal from Braaten in the sixth minute sealing the win while Real Madrid and Juventus drew 2-2 with the Italians leading with a Vidal penalty at the break but a quick double from Ronaldo and Bale gave Madrid the lead with Llorente levelling five minutes later to seal a draw.

C
Olympiakos claimed a 1-0 win over Benfica with a winning strike from Manolas in the 13th minute with PSG and Anderlecht drawing 1-0 with the Belgians taking the lead through De Zeeuw with Ibrahimovic levelling two minutes later but they failed to capitalise on the late dismissal of Anderlecht's Kjestan and had to settle for a point.

D
Manchester City and Bayern Munich both secured qualification with wind with the Germans winning 1-0 away to Plzen thanks to a goal from super-sub Mandzukic in the 65th minute while City continued their rich scoring form with a 5-2 victory over CSKA Moscow with an early Aguero brace and Negredo strike setting them on their way with a Doumbia goal on half time giving the Russians hope. Their hope was soon dashed with Negredo's second giving City a 4-1 lead but Doumbia struck from the spot to make it 4-2 with Negredo completing his hat-trick in the final minute.

E
Chelsea sealed a 3-0 win over Schalke with a brace from Eto'o and a late goal from substitute Demba Ba while Basel and Steaua drew 1-1 with Piovaccari giving the Romanian's the lead but a last-gasp leveller from Sio shared the points.

F
Arsenal beat Dortmund 1-0 courtesy of a strike from Ramsey while Napoli and Marseille played out a five-goal thriller with the Italians winning 3-2 despite going behind to Ayew's opener but Inler levelled and Higuain gave them the lead into the break, Marseille equalised through Thauvin but Higuain's second in the 75th minute sealed the win.

G
Zenit and Porto drew 1-1 with Lucho giving the away side the lead but former Porto hero Hulk levelled to ensure a share of the points while Atletico Madrid won 4-0 over Austria Vienna with goals from Miranda, Garcia, Luis and Costa.

H
Barcelona sealed qualification with a 3-1 win over Milan with Messi opening the scoring with a penalty and Busquets adding a second but Milan go one back with Pique scoring an own goal just on half time but Messi's second completed the win. Ajax defeated Celtic 1-0 thanks to a Schone goal to keep up hopes of qualification.

So a few mixed results in the reverse meetings from Matchday four mean some top sides have to wait to qualify with some still with the prospect of going out of European competition completely.

 

Spurs Advance While Swansea/Wigan Wait

Matchday Four saw a lot of clean sheets and low scoring games but for eight teams, it was of little importance as they secured qualification to the next stage including Tottenham, Fiorentina,  Dnipro and surprise packaged Ludogorets.

A
Valencia secured qualification with a 3-2 win over St Gallen after an early double from Platti and Besle saw the sides level at the break and the home side took a lead via Karanovic but Platti's second and a late strike from Canales sealed the win.

Swansea have to wait to qualify after conceding late on against Kuban for the second consecutive meeting but things started well with a ninth minute lead by Bony but despite losing Reame to a dismissal, Kuban levelled in the final minute through Balde for 1-1.

B
Ludogorets sealed qualification with a 1-1 draw against Chornomorets after taking the lead through Quixada they were pegged back by Gai in the 65th minute but held on to top the group while PSV beat Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 with goals from Maher and Toivonen to keep up qualification hopes.

C
Salzburg and Esbjerg both qualified after wins with the Austrians winning 3-1 away to Liege after taking a 2-0 lead at the break after goals from Svento and Kampl and despite M'Poku pulling a goal back, minutes later Alan made it three for Salzburg who held on to top the group.

Esbjerg sealed qualification with a 1-0 win over Elfsborg with a winning goal from Rohden in the 71st minute and meant the Swedes remain on a single point with Liege.

D
Rubin qualifed after beating Wigan at home 1-0 after Kuzmin goal in the 22nd minute but the Latics are still second and with a great chance to qualify after Zulte beat Maribor 1-0 via a Hazard penalty to ensure all three teams have the chance to join Rubin in the next stage. 

E
Dnipro qualified via a 2-0 win over Pacos with goals from Matheus and Konoplyanka while Fiorentina also go through to the next stage after a 2-1 win over Pandurii with a late show after going behind to Pereira's 32nd minute opener but an 86th minute equaliser from Ryder and a late minute winner from Valero sealed the win.

F
APOEL secured a 2-1 win over Bordeaux with goals from Alexandrou and Morais sandwiching a Sane leveller while Maccabi Tel-Aviv shocked Frankfurt with a 4-2 win which saw them 3-0 up at the break through Zahual and an Itzhaki double but a double in the 63rd and 67th minutes from Lakic and Meier gave the Germans and chanace but the win was sealed in the final minute by a Zahual penalty.

G
Dynamo Kyiv sealed a 2-0 win away to Thun with goals from Schneckel and Yarmolenko while Rapid and Genk drew 2-2 with the Belgians taking the lead with a Mbodj penalty but a quick double from Boyd gave the Austrian's a 2-1 lead with Buffel levelling on the hour to secure a point.

H
Estoril and Freiburg drew 0-0 despite the Germans finishing with nine men and Sevilla drew 1-1 with Liberec with Perotti giving the home side the lead with a 71st minute leveller coming from Pavelka.

I
Lyon drew 1-1 with Rijeka with both sides scoring inside 25 minutes with the French side opening the scoring through Plea on 14 minutes with Kramaric levelling in the 21st minute while Betis beat Guimares 1-0 with a last minute winner from Chuli.

J
Lazio won 2-1 against Apollon with an early double from Floccari enough to seal the win despite Paopoulis pulling a goal back for the Cypriot side while Trabzonspor secured a 2-0 win over Legia with an own goal by Junior and a goal from Adin.

K
Tottenham secured qualification with a 2-1 win over Sheriff with Lamela's first Spurs goal handing them the lead and Defoe adding a penalty with Isa's goal for Sheriff being only a consolation. Anzhi kept up hopes of qualifying with a 1-0 win over Tromso with a late goal from Mkrtchyn.

L
AZ claimed a 1-0 win over Karagandy to keep up their qualification hopes with a strike from Ortiz while Maccabi Haifa and PAOK drew 0-0.

So eight sides through and eight more to join them either in the next round of matches or in a tense finish in Matchday six.

F1 India/Abu Dhabi Results

City Hit Seven As Arsenal Go Five Clear

November is barely three days in and what a spectacular start in the Premier League with shock and surprises aplenty.

Saturday's early kick off started the shocks with Newcastle winning 2-0 at home to Chelsea who themselves were in great form, the Magpies sealed the win with Remy scoring in the 89th minute after Gouffran had opened their account in the 68th minute to stun the travelling Blues.

Manchester United propelled up the table with a 3-1 win at Fulham and led 3-0 inside 23 minutes after Valencia's opener was added to by Van Persie and Rooney but Fulham clawed one through Kacaniklic just after the hour mark but it was only a consolation.

Hull won a fiery tempered game at home to Sunderland 1-0 thanks to an own goal from Cuellar in the 25th minute and surprisingly failed to capitalise on the fact that Sunderland had to play half of the game with nine men as Cattermole and Dossena were both dismissed in first half injury time.

Manchester City dropped error-strewn Joe Hart in favour of Castel Pantilmon it seemed not to matter as they smashed seven past Norwich and a 7-0 demolition which began with a Johnson own goal in the 16th minute and was swiftly followed by a quick double from Silva and Nastasic, Negredo made it 4-0 at the break and Toure swept in a superb free-kick on the hour for a fifth, Aguero and Dzeko completed the rout.

Stoke and Southampton have both had good defensive records so far this season but no one predicted the opening goal which came after 13 seconds by Asmir Begovic whose wind assisted clearance from 100 yards out  bounced in front of the Saints centre backs and flew over the Polish stopper for a famous goal to make him only the fifth goalkeeper to score in the Premier League, the joy was soured by a leveller from Rodriguez who headed over Begovic just before the break and ensured a share of the points.

West Brom secured a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace with a goal just before the break from youth star Saido Berahino and completed the win with a late strike from McAuley while West Ham and Aston Villa drew 0-0.

SNF saw Arsenal and Liverpool face-off with the Gunners going five points clear at the top with a 2-0 win with strikes from Cazorla and Ramsey keeping their unbeaten run intact.

Super Sunday saw Everton and Tottenham draw 0-0 in a very tight game which saw a bad coming together between Lukaku and Lloris which saw both badly injured causing nine minutes of added time but neither side could capitalise and in the first ever PL Welsh derby, Cardiff claimed the bragging  rights with a 1-0 win thanks to a Caulker goal with Swansea's mood dampened by the late dismissal of 'keeper Vorm.

So its as you were at the top with Arsenal clear of the chasing pack and Sunderland still at the bottom but with United next for the Gunners their unbeaten run will be put to the test while Liverpool and Chelsea will look to cut the gap.