Real Madrid stepped confidently back into Champions League contention on Tuesday as the British clubs involved in the competition made it a winning night of soccer all round.
Real, humbled 2-0 two weeks ago by French champions Lyon, put in an exemplary performance against Dynamo Kiev which ended in a 5-1 win.
Two goals apiece from Ruud van Nistelrooy and captain Raul Gonzalez, and one from Jose Antonio Reyes, gave Real their best win in continental competition since their 6-0 win over Genk in 2002.
PHOTO: AFP
Despite their performance up front, Real coach Fabio Capello admitted his side still have to work on their defense.
"There were some things I didn't like but on a night like this I can't complain too much," said Capello who guided Milan to the Champions League title in 1994.
The result left Real in second place in group E as the impressive French champions Lyon waltzed away from Bucharest with three points and a 3-1 victory over Steaua.
PHOTO: AP
Brazilian forward Fred gave Gerard Houllier's men a half-time breather with the opener two minutes before the interval.
Only 10 minutes after the restart, Tiago doubled their lead to which was added another goal in the last minute of regulation time by late substitute Karim Benzema.
Lyon now top the group and Houllier will be hoping his side can now build the momentum to finally make it past the quarter-finals.
"I think we've got half of our ticket for the last 16 in our pocket because we've got four matches left and if we get six points from them then we're qualified," he said.
Former champions Manchester United had French striker Louis Saha to thank for the three points which were secured by his game-winning goal in the 1-0 win away at Benfica.
United thus avenged their defeat to the Lisbon team, who knocked the English side out of the competition last season.
Sir Alex Ferguson's side are now top of group F on six points following their 3-2 win over Celtic in their group opener at Old Trafford a fortnight ago.
Ferguson said afterwards: "It was a magnificent strike by Louis. It was a good bit of football down the channel. He came in on his left foot -- marvelous goal. I think it was a good performance by us. We showed good pace in our game."
Celtic, still buoyant after their 2-0 domestic win over arch rivals Rangers on Saturday, held on against FC Copenhagen to claim a 1-0 win and their first three points of the competition.
Kenny Miller scored from the penalty spot, the Scotland striker claiming his second goal for the club after his first against Rangers on Saturday.
Last year's beaten finalists Arsenal meanwhile had Thierry Henry to thank after the Frenchman scored one goal and helped create another as the Londoners sent former champions FC Porto packing with a 2-0 defeat.
Henry claimed his 50th goal in European soccer when he opened the scoring with a superbly taken header shortly before half time and then he set up the second for Alexandr Hleb three minutes after the interval.
Arsenal coach then had the temerity to suggest that Henry should score more goals with his head.
"He has really good timing to anticipate when the cross will come. I would like him to do it more often because he is very powerful in the air," said Wenger, who nevertheless gave credit where it is due.
"If you look for the players who have scored as many goals in Europe as him you won't find many. The numbers don't lie," he added.
Wenger's side have now won four consecutive matches after a slow start to the season and look odds-on to qualify comfortably from a group they lead after two wins.
Elsewhere AC Milan had a night to forget when they were held to a scoreless draw away at French side Lille, who are playing Champions League matches at the stadium of neighbors Lens.
The Italian giants still top group H with four points and a two-point lead on both Lille and Anderlecht of Belgium. AEK Athens, who drew 1-1 with Anderlecht in Athens, are bottom of the group with just one point.
Earlier, CSKA Moscow beat SV Hamburg 1-0 to secure second spot in group G two points behind Arsenal.
England's Football Association (FA) have upped the ante in their efforts to control unruly agents by fining and banning the man who represents former Arsenal defender Ashley Cole.
Cole's agent, Jonathan Barnett, was fined ?100,000 (US$189,000) and had his license suspended after being declared a "prime mover" in fixing the infamous meeting between the England defender and Chelsea.
It is the first time an agent has had his license suspended in connection with illegal approaches for players, and the FA hope the tough sentence will act as a deterrent to others.
Barnett's ban is for 18 months from Oct. 16, with the second nine months suspended on the condition he does not breach any other FA rules.
The punishments were imposed by an independently-chaired FA disciplinary commission for two misconduct charges relating to Cole's meeting with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and chief executive Peter Kenyon in London's Royal Park Hotel in January last year.
The agent denied the charges but the commission found that he breached Premier League rule K5 regarding illegal approaches and that he was guilty of failing to respect the rights of a third party, namely Arsenal.
Barnett has already appealed the ban through his solicitor Graham Shear, who said in a statement: "Following the sanction arrived at by the Football Association disciplinary tribunal today I can confirm that I am instructed to lodge an appeal on the grounds that in the circumstances it is both excessive and disproportionate.
"It is hoped that this appeal will be heard as quickly as possible."
Chelsea, Cole and Mourinho were all fined by the Premier League last year -- and the full-back finally moved from Arsenal to Stamford Bridge last month after a protracted transfer saga.
The disciplinary commission, chaired by Peter Griffiths QC, issued a statement explaining their findings: "We are wholly satisfied that there is need in this case for an element of deterrence in the sanction we are to impose. We are also wholly satisfied that Mr Barnett was a prime mover in the setting-up of the meeting."
"We consider this a most serious case of its kind -- involving as it did a leading English international player contracted to one of England's premier clubs, namely Arsenal FC, and also involving the chief executive and manager of another leading English premier club, namely Chelsea FC," the commission said.
Pini Zahavi, the Israeli "super-agent" who acts for Chelsea in many transfers, was also at the meeting -- but the FA have no jurisdiction over him.
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