Champions League round-up - wins for Barca & Fiorentina

Vargas (left) was one of Fiorentina's stand-out performers

Fiorentina endured a frantic final five minutes as they held on for a 1-0 victory over Lyon, confirming Liverpool's exit from the Champions League.

BBC Sport rounds up all the action from across Europe in the fifth round of group games.

GROUP E

Fiorentina moved to the top of Group E following a tense win over French side Lyon.

The Italian club - without Romania striker Adrian Mutu - made the more convincing start, twice striking the upright in the space of 30 seconds through Mario Santana and Alberto Gilardino.

But the Viola took the lead when Peruvian Juan Vargas slotted in a 28th-minute penalty after Marco Marchionni was brought down by Aly Cissokho.

Lyon fought back admirably in the second half as Miralem Pjanic threatened Sebastian Frey's goal with a series of long-range strikes.

And the France international goalkeeper ensured Fiorentina took all three points by denying Jean Makoun and substitute Lissandro in the dying seconds.

The victory sealed Liverpool's exit from the competition, despite a 1-0 win over Debrecen in Budapest.

GROUP F

Barcelona moved two points clear at the top of Group F following a commanding 2-0 victory over Inter Milan.

Despite the absence of star forwards Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Spanish champions took the lead on 10 minutes through defender Gerard Pique.

And Pedro Rodriguez doubled the lead in the 26th minute as a below-par Inter failed to match their opponent's creativity.

Russian champions Rubin Kazan missed an excellent opportunity to move into an automatic qualifying spot following a 0-0 draw at home against bottom side Dynamo Kiev.

GROUP H

Unirea Urziceni enhanced their hopes of a first-ever appearance in the last 16 following a 1-0 win over group leaders Sevilla.

Defender Ivica Dragutinovic headed the ball past his own keeper Javi Varas on the stroke of half time.

Unirea have a two-point lead over Stuttgart, who confirmed Rangers' exit from the competition following a 2-0 victory in Glasgow.

Teenager Sebastian Rudy opened the scoring in the 16th minute before Zdravko Kuzmanovic's second-half strike sealed the three points.

GROUP H

Arsenal maintained their unbeaten run in the Champions League following a 2-0 win over Standard Liege at the Emirates Stadium.

First-half goals from Samir Nasri and Denilson secured Arsene Wenger's side the three points, although Liege struck the upright on two occasions.

Olympiakos missed out on the opportunity to seal their place in the last 16 after a 0-0 draw against bottom side AZ Alkmaar.

The Greek side need a point to guarantee their place in their final match of the group campaign against Liege.

Arsenal 2 - 0 Standard Liege

Arsenal sealed their passage into the last 16 of the Champions League in convincing fashion with a comfortable win against Standard Liege at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsene Wenger's side needed only a point to seal qualification for the knockout phase for a seventh consecutive season - but they never looked in serious danger of clinching anything less than three as they dominated the Belgians for long periods.

Samir Nasri took advantage of Landry Mulemo's slip to put the Gunners ahead after 35 minutes and Denilson struck a spectacular, swerving second from 30 yards in first-half injury time.

Only ill-fortune and Arsenal's own carelessness prevented the scoreline from wearing a more realistic appearance, especially in the first half, with Andrey Arshavin even inadvertently clearing off the line from team-mate Thomas Vermaelen after Carlos Vela struck an upright in one goalmouth melee.

But Standard carried a threat of their own, backed by a vociferous following, with Dieudonne Mbokani and Gohi Bi Cyriac hitting the woodwork in each half.

Standard's disappointment was complete in the closing stages when Mehdi Carcela-Gonzalez was sent off after a touchline clash with Cesc Fabregas.

Arsenal boss Wenger will now hope his side can take their impressive form in the group stage forward and go one step further than last season's Champions League campaign, when they exited against Manchester United in the semi-final.

Wenger demanded an instant response to Saturday's Premier League defeat at Sunderland - and he got it in the shape of silky first-half display full of the usual Arsenal trademarks of passing and fluidity.

Nasri and Fabregas pulled the strings in the centre of the action as Arsenal took complete control from the first whistle to put the visitors under ceaseless pressure.

Fabregas was picked out by Nasri after only five minutes but his effort was saved by Sinan Bolat, while Felipe was forced to block bravely as Carlos Vela closed in on goal.

Standard then somehow survived a series of goalmouth escapes in the same incident when Arshavin had a shot saved by Bolat and Vela hit the post before Vermaelen's goal-bound shot struck the Russian on head on the goal-line and rebounded to safety.

Arsenal almost paid for their lack of a killer touch in front of goal after 22 minutes when powerful striker Mbokani beat Manuel Almunia with a rising drive that struck the angle of post and bar.

It was a brief interruption to what was a story of complete Arsenal supremacy, and William Gallas headed over from eight yards as Standard were exposed by another Fabregas cross.

Gallas collided with the unfortunate Arshavin as he made the header, and both required lengthy treatment. The reduced numbers did not have an adverse effect on Arsenal as they took the lead 10 minutes from half-time with Arshavin still waiting to return to the action.

Mulemo was unfortunate to slip as he went to deal with Vermaelen's routine long ball, allowing Nasri to race clear and bury an emphatic finish beyond Bolat.

Nasri scored his second goal of an injury-disrupted season

Nasri then set Arshavin up for a finish that flashed just wide before Arsenal doubled their lead in spectacular fashion.

Bolat looked to be badly at fault as he was beaten by Denilson's effort from 30 yards, but the ball swerved viciously in the air and credit must go to the Brazilian.

Standard had been second best by some distance, but they wasted a chance to give themselves hope six minutes after the break when Axel Witsel could only turn a tame effort into the arms of Almunia from six yards after Arsenal failed to clear a free-kick.

The hosts were still in charge, without enjoying the same domination as in the first period, and Wenger made a change on the hour, sending on Theo Walcott for the excellent Nasri.

And he almost announced his arrival with a goal, but his shot across the face of goal flew narrowly wide with Bolat beaten.

Arsenal, who lost Gallas to a head injury at half-time, had eased off in the second half and Standard almost snatched a goal that could have given the home side anxious moments in the closing stages when Cyriac's low drive hit the post.

And the Belgians were reduced to 10 men with four minutes remaining when Carcela-Gonzalez motioned his head towards Fabregas as they clashed and was rightly sent off by referee Konrad Lautz.

There was a concern for Arsenal in the dying seconds when Kieran Gibbs was forced to limp off after making a clearance - but in all other ways it was a satisfactory night for the Gunners.

Barcelona 2 Inter Milan 0: match report

Sir Alex Ferguson is right; Barcelona are still favourites to win the Champions League. Barcelona made light of the absence of Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and lighter work of the Italian league leaders.

Are you watching Cristiano? If he was, Ronaldo might want to rethink his La Liga comeback here on Sunday. Barca had the shirts off Inter’s backs and the Italian side did not even notice. And this was supposed to be a crisis, the night the Catalan giants joined the Europa League.

The draw earned by Dynamo Kiev in Kazan beforehand eased Barcelona’s plight, taking the edge off the mathematical guillotine that had threatened doom. But that does not account in full for the majesty of this performance. Jose Mourinho will need a stiff drink watching the tapes, particularly of the first half, which was a humiliation for him and Serie A.

The only respect Barcelona showed Inter was the acclaim for Samuel Eto’o before the kick-off. Thereafter it was a sobering night for Italy. Well almost. Internazionale were true to the club credo fielding 11 non-Italians. No word yet about this from Uefa’s chief of police Michel Platini. Mind you, the Frenchman earned a fortune in the service of Juventus in Serie A, so his tolerance is perhaps understandable.

No quibble with Barcelona, who fielded seven Spaniards in their starting line-up, which tells you that the impaired Messi and Ibrahimovic began the evening as honourable members of the bench.

You would not have known it the way Mourinho was busily filling his little black book with notes. Get a tackle in and stop giving the ball away must have been among the first entries. Full-back Maicon was guilty on both counts. Why is it that Brazilians look leaden footed and a yard slower minus a yellow shirt?

From a defensive point of view Barcelona’s opening goal was a shocker. Gerard Piquet could not have had more room had he been standing in a bus bay. No opponent should cut a lone figure when a team is defending a corner. Thierry Henry flicked on for Piquet to club the ball home unchallenged from the edge of the six yard box. Jose was not happy.

No pass is too short for Barcelona, no man ever marked. The Nou Camp is a one-touch wonderland. When embroidery is required Andres Iniesta gets the sewing kit out and threads it all together.

In the first half Inter gave a fair impression of Hull, which takes some doing with Eto’o and Lucio in the side. When the second goal went in Eto’o was almost signalling to the Barca bench asking for his old job back.

It was some entry into the Nou Camp goal pageant, not so much the finish as the construction. Xavi must sleep with a protractor under his pillow. The angled ball to Daniel Alves took the left side of Inter’s defence out of the game at a master stroke. Pedro Rodriguez galloped in to supply the finish at the far post.

In less than half an hour Mourinho’s game plan was fish and chip paper. As Manchester United and Chelsea discovered last season, banking men behind the ball is no impediment to Barcelona. They exist in a state of perpetual motion. To challenge them you must match first their industry and then their imagination. Inter did neither, reinforcing the negative perceptions attached to Mourinho’s teams.

In saying that there was no lack of artistry in the response of Diego Milito to the iron footed lunge of Carles Puyol. The Argentine striker jumped chest first into Puyol’s back. Then came the shotgun collapse and ankle hugging roll. The referee took Puyol’s name. Milito took the Michael.

Henry was the one Barcelona player to disappoint. If the plan was not to attract attention to himself, he played a blinder. Apart from a header at the start of the second half, Henry was a peripheral presence.

With 10 minutes to go Mourinho introduced Ricardo Quaresma for the lamentable Milito. None would have noticed had he kept Milito on. It might have evened the game since Inter gave the impression of being a man down all night.

Guardiola responded by removing Xavi, which indicated where his priorities lay. The focus shifts to Sunday’s classico against Real Madrid. The three points leave Barcelona top of Group F. What is more they got there without the need to risk their own magic man. Messi versus Ronaldo. Sorry lovers of Arsenal and Chelsea. But that duel eclipses all.

Rangers 0 - 2 VfB Stuttgart

Rangers crashed out of Europe with a game to spare as Stuttgart consigned the Ibrox side to a third home defeat in Champions League Group G.

Sebastian Rudy slotted the visitors in front early on and Zdravko Kuzmanovic powered in a header on 59 minutes.

Kris Boyd squandered a great chance to level when he headed over from close range but Rangers produced little else.

And the margin of victory could have been much greater but for a string of good saves from Allan McGregor.

Manager Walter Smith fielded an adventurous line-up in a game Rangers had to win but the hosts were hemmed back for most of the game as Stuttgart played with real vim and vigour.

With Alexander Hleb at the heart of everything, the German side fizzed first-time passes across the rain-sodden pitch, cutting through the home ranks with alarming ease.

Following heavy defeats to Sevilla and Unirea Urziceni at Ibrox, Rangers' deficiencies at this level were again cruelly exposed.

Smith's defenders could not live with the pace of Stuttgart's lively forwards, while they were offered little protection from an insipid midfield.

McGregor needed to make a fine flying save to tip away a sharp shot on the turn from Brazilian-born forward Cacau.

But the Rangers goalkeeper had no answer on 16 minutes when Rudy was on hand to slot the visitors in front.

Hleb linked with marauding full-back Arthur Boka and the former Arsenal man's cutback was missed by Pavel Pogrebniak right in front of goal, only for the ball to fall kindly for his team-mate at the back post.

Stuttgart had the ball in the net again moments later when Zdravko Kuzmanovic's free-kick went straight in off the post but Matthieu Delpierre had strayed offside as the kick was taken, much to the relief of the Ibrox fans.

The frustration of the home side threatened to boil over as Boyd was booked for leading with an elbow and Kevin Thomson saw yellow for a late lunge.

Cacau fizzed an angled shot narrowly wide before Rangers began to assert themselves in the final 15 minutes of the first half.

Boyd went close with a raking strike from 20 yards before the striker missed a glaring chance to level.

Kenny Miller intercepted a slack pass and picked out his team-mate with an excellent whipped delivery from the right only for Boyd to head over from eight yards.

The visitors were again the brighter side at the start of the second half, although Steven Davis twice threatened to open up the Stuttgart defence with smart passes.

However, Rangers fell further behind on the hour when the unattended Kuzmanovic met a great cross from Rudy and planted a firm header beyond McGregor.

Soon after, McGregor kept out a stinging effort from Cacau and did brilliantly to stick out a leg and divert Pogrebniak's scuffed follow-up, with the big Russian striker allowed to carry on from a clearly offside position.

Pogrebniak then hit the post from close range after the impressive Hleb had robbed teenage defender Danny Wilson in the Rangers penalty area.

Rangers threw on substitutes Nacho Novo and John Fleck in a bid to liven up their frontline but the changes did not nothing to alter the pattern of a very one-sided match.

In the final five minutes the busy McGregor had to make saves from Stuttgart replacements Julian Schieber and Thomas Hitzlsperger, while the latter also saw a fierce shot headed away from goal by Davis.

Stuttgart will now battle it out with Unirea Urziceni for the remaining qualifying spot, with the Germans looking forward to a home tie against the Romanians, who stunned Sevilla 1-0 to move two points clear in second place.

The Spaniards have already secured their passage to the last 16 and will host Rangers, who have picked up two points on their travels, on 9 December.

Debrecen 0 - 1 Liverpool

Liverpool limped out of the Champions League despite victory over Debrecen as Fiorentina beat Lyon in the other Group E match to seal a place in the last 16.

Rafael Benitez's side knew only a win would give them any hope of reaching the knockout stages, and David Ngog clipped in early to secure the victory.

But it was a tame display from the Reds that typified their recent poor form.

Debrecen even had chances to draw, but in the end it mattered little and the Reds now drop into the Europa League.

It is the first time the 2005 champions have missed out on the knockout stages since the 2002-2003 season, but they can have little complaint.

The damage to their Champions League campaign had been done long before the game in Hungary, with defeats by Fiorentina and Lyon ensuring they needed a huge turnaround in the final two fixtures to make the last 16.

Even so, Liverpool's laboured victory over a side lying sixth in the Hungarian league only served to underline just how out of sorts the Mersersiders are this season.

Coming into the match with only one win in their previous 10 matches, it was perhaps to be expected that they would be somewhat nervous.

They could hardly have hoped for a better start, as Fabio Aurelio's cross found Jamie Carragher at the back post, and the defender's header across goal was bundled in by Ngog from close range.

But despite almost completely dominating the ball, it did not settle the Reds as Benitez may have hoped and an oddly disjointed display rarely set the pulse racing.

Dirk Kuyt should have done better when he failed to make contact with a Gerrard cross and Ngog brought a flying save out of Vukasin Poleksic with a 20-yard curling snap-shot.

However, Liverpool's lack of conviction in the final third, combined with news of Juan Vargas's penalty goal for Fiorentina in the other Group E match which was announced over the stadium's public address system, allowed Debrecen to gradually abandon their defensive approach and grow in confidence as the match wore on.

The best of their chances fell to Gergely Rudolf, who headed Laszlo Bodnar's fabulous cross wide when unmarked from eight yards out.

And only a smart block from Carragher prevented the same striker striding clear of the defence from Zoltan Szelesi's through-ball midway through the second half.

Liverpool were still dominating, and Gerrard forced a superb block by Norbert Meszaros when he was set clear by Lucas's pass.

But a distinct lack of zip and self belief betrayed their approach, and Rudolf forced a smart stop from Pepe Reina at the other end when his cross-come-shot flew towards the top corner, while Adamo Coulibaly almost snatched Debrecen's first ever Champions League point with a late snap-shot.

The game petered out, with Liverpool's eyes and ears immediately drawn to the result of Fiorentina's match against Lyon.

The news soon filtered through that the Italians had won 1-0, with many Reds players watching the final stages of the match on a television in the tunnel.

And the Merseysiders' mood will not be helped by the knowledge that the last time they dropped out of the Champions League after the group stages, they went on to finish fifth in the Premier League.

Tottenham 9 - 1 Wigan

Jermain Defoe scored five second-half goals as Tottenham humiliated Wigan to record their highest top-flight win.

Peter Crouch headed Spurs ahead, while Defoe scored from six yards after the break and then from a tight angle.

An unmarked Paul Scharner replied but Defoe notched from eight yards and Aaron Lennon scored with a low strike.

Defoe scored with two more crisp finishes, while Chris Kirkland scored an unfortunate own goal and Niko Kranjcar smashed home the ninth.

It is the first time a team has scored nine in a Premier League fixture since Manchester United thrashed Ipswich 9-0 at Old Trafford in 1995.

I was looking for more - Defoe

Defoe becomes only the third player to score five in one Premier League match after Alan Shearer and Andy Cole - and his exploits cannot have harmed his England prospects.

The first three of Defoe's goals came in a seven-minute burst shortly after the break - the second fastest hat-trick in the history of the Premier League. The quickest remains Robbie Fowler's for Liverpool against Arsenal in 1994.

And although Defoe was clinical in front of goal, Lennon was exceptional on the right flank - and he left the field to a deserved standing ovation when he was replaced by David Bentley after 79 minutes.

Tottenham, who move level on points with third-placed Arsenal after their biggest win in 32 years, led 1-0 at the break but the visiting Latics, playing in their awful orange away strip, were simply blown away in the second half.

Some of the Wigan defending was atrocious, with players gifting far too much time and space to the opposition in dangerous areas.

The Latics have now conceded 13 goals in their last two away fixtures - a real concern for boss Roberto Martinez. The result is Wigan's record league defeat - the previous being a 6-1 reverse against Bristol Rovers in 1990.

The visiting team were under the cosh from the opening minute, as Lennon burst into the box and sent a low ball across the six-yard box that Crouch stabbed wide.

Lennon, restored to the side after an ankle injury, ensured Wigan left-back Erik Edman, a former Tottenham player, endured a particularly torturous afternoon.

It was a cross from Lennon that Crouch converted for Tottenham's opener after nine minutes - although the striker should have already opened his account by then having also headed wide from a Wilson Palacios cross.

Kirkland saved from Palacios and Lennon, and deflected a Defoe strike on to his crossbar while Tom Huddlestone was inches wide.

Redknapp praises 'top-class' Spurs

For a while it seemed inevitable Tottenham would add to their lead but as the half wore on Wigan, previously overrun in midfield, began to assert a measure of control.

A low strike from Jason Scotland forced a sharp save from Heurelho Gomes, while an ambitious effort from out wide by Charles N'Zogbia glanced against the crossbar.

Even so, Spurs almost struck in first-half injury time when a jinking run from Defoe culminated with a strike that Kirkland, who despite the scoreline did make several world-class saves, tipped over.

Tottenham's pressure eventually told when a brilliant low cross whipped in from a deep position by Lennon was stabbed home by Defoe after 51 minutes. And from that moment on Wigan crumbled.

Three minutes later Defoe sealed victory with a smart low finish after some horrific Wigan defending failed to clear Palacios's optimistic pass from midfield.

Scharner gave Wigan the briefest of lifelines when he controlled a cross from the left before smashing the ball beyond Gomes.

The Austrian appeared to use his hand to control the ball but any anger Tottenham felt soon abated when they restored their three-goal advantage - Defoe tucking home yet another cross from Lennon.

It completed the second hat-trick of the season for Defoe after his triple in the 5-1 win at Hull.

Kirkland saved a Crouch header - a truly superb reaction stop -but could not stop Lennon scoring his deserved goal after Wigan stood off the winger to make it 5-1.

Manner of defeat unacceptable - Martinez

Through balls from Corluka and Kranjcar were both converted by the rampant Defoe, the striker drilling the ball beyond Kirkland with each finish. Defoe has now scored 15 goals this season for Tottenham and England and is the top scorer in the Premier League.

Kirkland's misery was almost complete when a Bentley free-kick struck the woodwork and rebounded into the net off the Latics keeper.

There was just time for Kranjcar, allowed too much space in the Wigan area, to turn and smash the ball into the top corner deep in injury time.

Valencia fire, Nilmar double

Valencia swept aside Osasuna 3-1 away with a trio of impressive goals to move back into the Champions League places in La Liga on Sunday.

David Villa kept up his great scoring run.

• Saturday's round-up
• La Liga Gallery

Spain striker David Villa set them on their way with his ninth of the campaign, acrobatically prodding home Carlos Marchena's lob over the defence in the 12th minute.

David Albelda and then Marchena both scored from outside the area with superb shots, and Osasuna, although they pulled one back through Masoud midway through the second half, finished in disarray with nine men on the pitch.

Brazil striker Nilmar scored twice to lead Villarreal to a 3-1 home win over Real Valladolid that moved them up to 11th in La Liga on Sunday.

The in-form Nilmar, who scored in Brazil's recent friendlies against England and Oman, headed the opener after seven minutes and looped in a second header just after the restart. Italy's Giuseppe Rossi made it 3-0 before Diego Costa pulled one back for the visitors, but Ernesto Valverde's side continued their steady climb up the table after being rooted to the bottom last month.

Real Mallorca maintained their 100% record at the Ono Estadi with a 3-1 victory over Almeria, but it needed two late strikes from Victor and Gonzalo Castro, who bagged his second of the game, to secure all three points. Mallorca are sixth with 20 points.

Getafe struck two late goals to beat Espanyol in the Primera Division and get the better of the Catalans once again after recently knocking the Barcelona-based outfit out of the Copa del Rey.

Espanyol were keen to gain revenge following that cup exit and had most of the play in this match, but the Catalans were unable to avenge that disappointment with goals and Getafe took all three points thanks to strikes from Francisco Javier Casquero and Pedro Rios in the last 12 minutes.

Xerez remain rooted in the Primera Division relegation zone following a goalless home draw against Sporting Gijon. Both sides hit the woodwork twice, the hosts through a Sidi Keita shot and an Antonito header and the visitors through an early Jose Angel free-kick and a Miguel de las Cuevas blast. But neither team could find the target and the sides left with a point each which means Xerez remain second from bottom while Sporting stay seventh.

Malaga continue to prop up the Primera Division standings after playing out a fiery draw with fellow strugglers Real Zaragoza in a match which saw both teams finish with 10 men. Zaragoza took the lead just after half-time when substitute Ewerthon slotted home from the penalty spot but Malaga salvaged a point thanks to debutant Ivan Gonzalez's towering header in the 74th minute.

In between those two goals, both teams lost a player to early baths, with Zaragoza defender Javier Paredes picking up his second yellow card in the 59th minute and Malaga centre-back Weligton following him two minutes later after being shown a straight red. On top of those dismissals, there were also nine other yellow cards in a match that threatened to boil over towards the end.