The reigning Premier League champions had a first-half Inigo Martinez own goal to thank on Wednesday night, as victory over the San Sebastian outfit keeps them top of Group A.

Manchester United handed manager David Moyes a timely boost as they continued their unbeaten Champions League run with a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

United, eighth in the Premier League table, took the lead in rather fortuitous circumstances, as Inigo Martinez lashed the ball into his own net after a dazzling run and shot from Wayne Rooney had bounced back off the woodwork.

The Red Devils failed to extend their lead despite dominating possession, leading to a nervous second period, but held on to claim all three points and cement their place at the top of Group A.

Moyes opted to rest striker Robin van Persie due to niggling toe and groin complaints meaning Chicharito was handed an opprtunity in attack, while, for the visitors, experienced midfielder Xabi Prieto earned his first Real start for a month at the expense of Ruben Pardo.

The home side had failed to win in their last two appearances at Old Trafford, dropping points against West Brom and Southampton, but any tension around the ground was blown away early on when Martinez put through his own goal to launch a frantic opening period.

Patrice Evra tenaciously won possession on the left flank before Rooney bamboozled the away defence and unleashed a fierce strike against the upright. Martinez made the worst possible job of attempting to clear, instead diverting the ball home.

Rooney was at the heart of much of United’s good work and he drew an excellent reaction save from Claudio Bravo when he met Rafael’s 14th-minute cross
MAN UNITED LATEST
La Real finally threatened as the half-hour mark approached, with David De Gea clawing Haris Seferovic’s deflected effort away from the top corner, and the visitors came closer still just before half-time when Antoine Griezmann’s 25-yard free kick cannoned back off the underside of the crossbar.

The visitors displayed plenty of intent after the break as the tension at Old Trafford began to ramp up; when a bout of penalty box pinball almost resulted in Jonny Evans putting through his own goal, it became clear that the momentum was shifting.

Phil Jones then powered an unmarked header towards goal from another well-worked short corner to draw a sharp stop from Bravo but, in an increasingly stretched contest, De Gea’s crossbar came to his rescue again when Real full-back Alberto De la Bella skewed a left-wing cross just before the hour.

United then hit the woodwork themselves, as Antonio Valencia latched on to Rooney’s delightful pass before drilling the ball against the base of the far post. Kagawa saw his follow-up blocked and the ex-Borussia Dortmund player was then denied by a last-ditch tackle from Carlos Martinez having errantly chosen not to strike first time.

Valencia returned the favour to Rooney moments later with a flick-on that his team-mate blasted over, before the England striker scuffed a late chance following a whipped delivery into the box. While United failed to add gloss to the scoreline, the result all but ends winless Real’s qualification hopes.

According to Goal

The Portuguese scored both his goals before the break, either side of Fernando Llorente’s equaliser, before Giorgio Chiellini was sent off three minutes after half-time

Cristiano Ronaldo starred as Real Madrid defeated 10-man Juventus to put one foot in the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday.

Ronaldo scored twice in the first half – his sixth and seventh goals of the competition this season – either side of Fernando Llorente’s equaliser, before Juve saw Giorgio Chiellini sent off for an alleged elbow on the Portugal international.

Chiellini, who conceded the penalty that handed Ronaldo his second, was shown a straight red card three minutes into the second period when it looked as though he had done nothing more than fend off the forward with his arm.

Carlo Ancelotti made four changes from Saturday’s 2-0 win over Malaga, including the return of Iker Casillas in goal and Karim Benzema up front.

For Juventus, Martin Caceres was in action for the first time since suffering a knee injury in early September, the defender one of three changes from Sunday alongside Angelo Ogbonna and Arturo Vidal.

The visitors threatened as early as the second minute – Claudio Marchisio stinging the palms of Casillas with a rasping drive from 25 yards.

However, two minutes later Ronaldo put Madrid in front with a well-taken goal. The Portuguese forward was slipped in by Angel Di Maria, before rounding Gianluigi Buffon and slotting home.

Midway through the half, Juventus drew level as Llorente fired home a rebound from six yards after Casillas had kept out Paul Pogba’s back-post header from Caceres’ cross.

Parity lasted for just seven minutes as Ronaldo netted his second of the night from the penalty spot.

Chiellini was adjudged to have brought down Sergio Ramos inside the area while defending a free kick and Ronaldo placed the resulting set piece high to Buffon’s right.

Five minutes later Andrea Pirlo wasted a chance to equalise for a second time, blazing over from a tight angle following a scramble in the box.

Ronaldo then fired narrowly wide having being fed by Benzema four minutes before the break as the contest continued at a furious pace.

Two minutes after the interval, the visitors were dealt a cruel blow when Chiellini was shown a straight red card for what the referee deemed to be an elbow on Ronaldo, although replays suggested the decision was harsh.

Benzema should have put Madrid further ahead on the hour, somehow turning the ball over from point-blank range after being picked out by Alvaro Arbeloa.

Sami Khedira was next to threaten in the 72nd minute, sending a tame chip into the arms of Buffon when clear on goal but it did not matter as Madrid made it three wins from as many European matches this season.

According to Goal

Franck Ribery grabbed a double as Bayern ran riot against the visitors having 35 attempts on goal to Plzen’s one.

Bayern Munich maintained their 100 per cent record in Champions League Group D by thrashing Viktoria Plzen 5-0 at the Allianz Arena.

Franck Ribery scored twice to take his tally to three goals in his last two Champions League games as the European champions sent out another message of intent.

Pep Guardiola’s side dominated from start to finish, with David Alaba, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mario Gotze also on target as Czech champions Plzen were totally outclassed.

Free-scoring Bayern have scored 11 goals in their first three Group D matches and they will take some stopping on this evidence, while Plzen are yet to pick up a point.

Ribery (ankle) was passed fit to return to Bayern’s starting line-up as Thomas Muller dropped to the bench.

Guardiola drafted in left-back Diego Contento to partner Daniel Van Buyten at the heart of the Bayern defence in the absence of Dante (ankle) and Jerome Boateng (suspension).

Plzen, meanwhile, were boosted by the return of defender David Limbersky from a calf injury after a month on the sidelines.

The Germans wasted no time in putting the Czech champions on the back foot and Arjen Robben should have scored just five minutes in, when Mario Mandzukic nodded the ball into the Dutch winger’s path, but he failed to hit the target from six yards out.

Plzen were struggling to contain the European champions and they fell behind after 26 minutes, when Robben waltzed into the penalty area and was upended by Roman Hubnik.

Ribery cooly placed the resulting spot-kick into the bottom-right corner of the net for his second Champions League goal of the season.

It was one-way traffic, and Bayern and could have had a second goal two minutes later as the lively Robben released Mandzukic and the Croatia striker dragged the ball back inside, only for goalkeeper Matus Kozacik to come out to narrow the angle and deny him.

Kozacik then kept out a Van Buyten header from close range, but he could do nothing to prevent Alaba doubling Bayern’s lead eight minutes before half-time when the Austrian full-back cut inside and found the bottom corner.

Plzen looked mesmerised by Bayern’s slick movement and another fine spell resulted in Ribery crossing for Mandzukic to slot home from close range, but the striker was adjudged to be offside.

France winger Ribery then opted to go it alone after 61 minutes, when he turned his marker inside out on the edge of the box before dinking the ball over the advancing Kozacik and into the net.

Three minutes later, Gotze made an instant impact after coming off the bench as he laid on a fourth goal for Schweinsteiger, who turned sharply and produced a clinical finish.

Gotze then got his name on the scoresheet in time added on when he converted Robben’s inviting cross to seal the win.

According to Goal

The former Liverpool striker scored twice before Eden Hazard added extra gloss to the win in Gelsenkirchen late in the game.

Fernando Torres starred with a double as Schalke were beaten 3-0 at home to Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The Spain striker, making his 100th start for Chelsea, opened the scoring with an early header and was on target again in the second half to take his tally to five goals in his last five Champions League games.

And Eden Hazard put the icing on the cake with a third goal three minutes from time as Schalke pressed forward.

Jose Mourinho’s side did not have things all their own way in Gelsenkirchen on Tuesday, but the victory ensured they are now joint top of Group E along with their German opponents.

Schalke won their opening two matches in the group and had not conceded a goal before facing Chelsea, but a lack of cutting edge in the absence of injured duo Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Jefferson Farfan was evident.

Mourinho made five changes to the Chelsea side that beat Cardiff City in the Premier League on Saturday, with Cesar Azpilicueta starting in an unfamiliar left-back role as Ryan Bertrand dropped to the bench.

Huntelaar (knee) and Farfan (groin) were sidelined for the hosts, but they did welcome back midfielders Kevin-Prince Boateng and Jermaine Jones along with goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand.

Torres was another player recalled to Chelsea’s line-up and he took less than two minutes to make his presence felt, turning sharply in the box and unleashing a shot that was deflected for a corner.

And the Spain striker opened the scoring three minutes later when Frank Lampard’s corner was flicked on by Branislav Ivanovic and Torres stooped unmarked at the back post to head home.

Schalke started to get into their stride and marauding right-back Atsuto Uchida burst into the Chelsea penalty area but blazed high and wide at full stretch after 26 minutes.

Boateng stung Petr Cech’s palms with a long-range drive seven minutes before half-time and from the resulting corner the Chelsea keeper had to be alert once again to tip over Roman Neustadter’s towering header.

Torres was unfortunate not to double Chelsea’s lead five minutes after the break when he met Lampard’s inviting free kick with a glancing header that struck the bar.

The 29-year-old then got on the end of another Lampard corner but headed wide at the far post from close range before Cech palmed away a shot from Benedikt Howedes at the other end.

Howedes had another great chance but headed wide after 66 minutes and he was made to pay when Chelsea extended their advantage three minutes later.

Schalke were caught in possession in midfield and Chelsea broke sharply, with Oscar racing down the right and finding Torres, who took a touch to round Hildebrand before slotting into the empty net.

And Hazard added a third three minutes from time when he raced through on goal and produced a clinical left-foot finish into the far corner.

According to Goal

The Argentina international restored parity after Robinho’s opener to save a point for the Catalans at San Siro on Tuesday.

Lionel Messi struck his sixth goal against Milan in the Champions League to earn Barcelona a 1-1 draw in their Group H clash with AC Milan at San Siro on Tuesday.

The hosts took the lead early in the match with a well-worked move that saw Kaka set-up his Brazilian team-mate Robinho to give Milan an eighth-minute lead.

But Messi, who was making his first start since recovering from a thigh problem, saved a point for the Catalans.

Robinho and Adriano Correia both missed excellent opportunities to secure all three points in the second half, but neither could force either goalkeeper into action.

Marco Amelia replaced Christian Abbiati in goal for the hosts, while Mario Balotelli was fit enough to take his place on the bench after recovering from thigh problem of his own.

Messi returned to the Barcelona starting line-up after coming on a substitute in Barca’s goalless draw with Osasuna at the weekend, although Carles Puyol was rested.

Milan started well and looked threatening with Kaka and Robinho, and the latter opened the scoring in the ninth minute.

The Brazilian pair linked up well on the counter attack and, when Kaka rolled a perfect pass across the penalty area, Robinho made no mistake as he fired past Victor Valdes.

Barcelona raised their game after being stunned by the former Real Madrid striker’s goal and began to control large spells of possession, Messi going close to an equaliser from a free-kick before he did level the scores midway through the first half.

Messi drifted in off the right to receive a pass from Iniesta, beat his defender and rifled the ball into the bottom corner to give Amelia no chance.

Both sides had chances to take the lead before half-time, but both Philippe Mexes and Alexis Sanchez missed from close range.

The hosts should have retaken the lead seven minutes into the second half only for Robinho to miss when unmarked inside the penalty area.

Milan broke on the counter attack as Sulley Muntari was released down the left and he delivered an early cross into the penalty area that evaded Gerard Pique and left the Brazilian with the simple task of firing home, but he missed his kick and the ball rolled to safety.

With twenty minutes remaining, Adriano could have scored for the Liga side but wasted a fantastic opportunity. The Brazilian was picked out perfectly by Messi, after escaping the attentions of Kaka, but fired wide from close range.

The result leaves Barcelona top of Group H with seven points, two clear of Milan after their opening three matches.

According to Goal

Henrikh Mkhitaryan opened the scoring for BVB before Olivier Giroud equalised, but the Polish striker had the final say with a late finish at the Emirates.

Robert Lewandowski’s late goal condemned Arsenal to their first defeat since the opening day of the season in a 2-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Arsene Wenger, who celebrated his 64th birthday on Tuesday, saw his Arsenal side start slowly and the Premier League leaders were quickly punished when Henrikh Mkhitaryan shot past Wojciech Szczesny.

Olivier Giroud was on hand to draw Arsenal level shortly before the break, as he took his tally for the season to nine, before Robert Lewandowski grabbed the winner for last season’s beaten finalists eight minutes from time.

The hosts brought former Dortmund midfielder Tomas Rosicky in for the injured Mathieu Flamini, while Ramsey regained his starting spot ahead of Santi Cazorla, having come off the bench to score his fifth Premier League goal of the season against Norwich City on Saturday.

Jurgen Klopp served the second and final game of his touchline ban after being sent to the stands against Napoli in September and he made three changes from Saturday’s 1-0 win against Hannover.

Mats Hummels returned in defence along with Marcel Schmelzer, who made his first start for the club since September following a thigh injury.

Jakub Blaszczykowski was preferred ahead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Assistant coach Zeljko Buvac took Klopp’s place in the dugout and saw Dortmund enjoy more possession early on, but were unable to test Szczesny, with Kevin Grosskreutz and Hummels both firing well over in the opening six minutes.

Marco Reus powered an effort just past Szczesny’s right-hand post before the Germany international dispossessed Ramsey well to allow Mkhitaryan a sight on goal after 16 minutes.

Robert Lewandowski then played the loose ball into the Armenia international, who fired low past a helpless Szczesny to put the visitors in front with his first Champions League goal for the club.

Arsenal’s first attempt came six minutes later, with Laurent Koscielny heading a Mesut Ozil free kick over Roman Weidenfeller’s bar before Jack Wilshere almost got on the end of a clipped Rosicky through-ball, only for it to get away from him and roll behind for a goal kick.

The home side continued to grow into the game and were almost rewarded when Rosicky’s shot was blocked on the line by Neven Subotic, with Weidenfeller beaten, eight minutes from the break.

The Premier League leaders were level just three minutes late, however, courtesy of Giroud’s close-range finish after a defensive mix-up from the visitors.

Bacary Sagna’s delivery clipped Subotic, causing Weidenfeller to fumble, with Giroud on hand to level in emphatic fashion as he scored his second in as many Champions League matches.

Grosskreutz had the first chance of the second half for the visitors, but he saw his sidefooted effort saved easily by Szczesny before substitute Cazorla hit the angle of post and bar with a curled effort from outside the area.

Dortmund got the crucial goal after 82 minutes, courtesy of Lewandowski’s 10th strike of the season.

The Poland international ghosted in at the far post to calmly stroke home Grosskreutz’s delivery and ensure Dortmund ended Arsenal’s 12-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

According to Goal