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Manchester United crisis grows worse after Lille defeat

Manchester United's hopes of advancing to the knockout stages of the Champions League suffered a blow on Wednesday when they were beaten 1-0 at French club Lille in a Group D match.

Meanwhile, Robin van Persie scored twice as Arsenal maintained their 100 per cent record in Group B and booked a place in the knockout stages alongside Real Madrid and Olympique Lyon with a comfortable 3-0 defeat of Sparta Prague.

Thierry Henry got the other goal for the Gunners. Ajax Amsterdam defeated FC Thun 4-2 in the other Group B match to move into second on seven points, five adrift of the Gunners.

Barcelona are also all but guaranteed a place in the last 16 after a Samuel Eto'o hat-trick helped the Spanish giants demolish Panathinaikos 5-0 in Group C.

Incredibly, there were more goals in the other group match where Werder Bremen defeated Udinese 4-3 with the Italians finishing the game with 10 men following the dismissal of Giampiero Pinzi.

Barca top Group C with 10 points, followed by Bremen, Udinese and Panathinaikos all on four ponts. Juventus drew level with Bayern Munich at the top of Group A thanks to a 2-1 defeat of the Germans in Turin.

David Trezeguet put the home side in front on 62 minutes but Sebastian Deisler equalised for Bayern from a free kick four minutes later.

However, Juve were not to be denied against a sluggish Bayern as Trezeguet struck again from eight metres with five minutes remaining.

Juve and Bayern now both have nine points, followed by Club Brugge, who move on to six points thanks to a 3-2 defeat of Rapid Vienna.

However, all eyes were on sruggling United, who went down to a goal from former Tottenham Hotspur player Milenko Acimovic shortly before half-time as Lille hung on for three points to revive their hopes of reaching the last 16.

"We are not in the best form and we must fight through this. No one will help us in that respect, we must help ourselves, we don't want to feel sorry for ourselves," United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said.

The result leaves United tied on goal difference with Lille on five points, one point behind Villareal, who won 1-0 at Benfica.

It completed a bad week for United after their humiliating 4-1 defeat at Middlesbrough and the outspoken nature of captain Roy Keane's reported criticism of the team in an interview which never made it to the club's television station, MUTV.

Captain Keane did not play because of a broken bone in his foot, while Paul Scholes was suspended and Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville were both still out through injury, so manager Sir Alex Ferguson gave Ruud van Nistelrooy the honour of being captain for the first time in his United career.

United can consider themselves unlucky not to get at least a point after Ronaldo's second-half header, which appeared to come of Van Nistelrooy's arm, hit the bar and was then cleared off the line.
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