Spurs spring the trap door for Spartak

Tottenham Hotspur FC flirted with disaster at White Hart Lane, but recovered from going 2-0 down against FC Spartak Moskva to ease into the UEFA Cup Round of 32.

Near miss
Goals from Luka Modrić and Tom Huddlestone helped Tottenham make amends in the second half after Artem Dzyuba struck twice before the interval to revive the Russian side's hopes of progressing. Had Spartak kept a clean sheet, Tottenham would have been out of the competition on goals scored away from home, with NEC Nijmegen winning 2-0 against Udinese Calcio in the evening's other Group D game.

Defensive blunder
Michael Laudrup's Spartak rocked the hosts in the first half, with huge centre-forward Dzyuba causing endless problems. His backheel allowed Vladislav Ryzhkov to fire at Heurelho Gomes from the edge of the area, and then took advantage after Gilberto misjudged a pass from Gareth Bale, stealing in to put the ball between the goalkeeper's legs and score.

Dzyuba denied
Dzyuba's second goal ten minutes later, in the 33rd minute, was also one Tottenham would rather forget as he tapped the ball past Didier Zokora, skipped beyond the Tottenham defence, rounded Gomes and put the ball into an empty net. Things could easily have been worse for the English side, with Gomes then parrying a deflected Dzyuba effort to deny the striker a first-half hat-trick.

Second-half rally
Tottenham emerged chastened after the break, with Stipe Pletikosa forced to make a save from Fraizer Campbell's header, but Dzyuba was to have another chance to score – firing straight at Gomes after Zokora's clearance went directly to him – before Modrić beat fellow Croatian international Pletikosa from substitute Aaron Lennon's pull-back. Huddlestone headed the leveller on 74 minutes, with Bale delivering a fine cross after David Bentley had sent the Welshman free down the left.

San Siro to welcome Beckham

David Beckham will get plenty of headlines when he arrives in Milan on Saturday but his new temporary employers will probably be wishing he could take to the pitch against Udinese a day later rather than watching the game from the stands.

AC Milan have been beset by injury problems to key players this season and are sweating over the return of Kaka ahead of this weekend's match. And with Andrea Pirlo forced off at half-time during Wednesday's 2-2 UEFA Cup draw against VfL Wolfsburg, and Gennaro Gattuso out probably for the rest of the season, now would be a good time to blood the former England captain.

However, Beckham cannot start playing for Milan until the January transfer window opens, and in the meantime, coach Carlo Ancelotti shows no sign of letting up his complaints about injury problems. "This is a difficult time for us because we've been decimated by injuries, which prevents us from taking to the pitch with the team we want to or from playing our best," said Ancelotti.

As well as Pirlo coming off against Wolfsburg, on-loan Switzerland centre-back Philippe Senderos lasted only eight minutes. "Senderos had a classic back spasm, Pirlo felt a muscle problem and, given the current emergency, it was better not to risk him after the break, and on top of that (Clarence) Seedorf (who played the full 90 minutes) hurt his knee.

"We need to stand strong and deal with these problems and the next few days will be very important to prepare for the Udinese challenge. Individually everyone is giving their all, but it's very difficult to play under these conditions because we're forced to play several players out of position."

Sober assessment
However, Kaka, Pirlo, Seedorf and even France midfielder Mathieu Flamini all look likely to be fit at the weekend, leaving only long-term absentees Alessandro Nesta, Gattuso, Marco Borriello and now Senderos missing. But while Ancelotti has bemoaned his sick-list, midfielder Massimo Ambrosini had a more sober assessment of Milan's predicament. "If we want to win things, this team has to overcome this difficult period," he said.

Sunday's visit of Udinese is thus a must win game for Milan, although with a nine point deficit to champions, leaders and bitter city rivals Inter Milan, every match will be until they have drastically shortened the gap.

The plus side for Milan is that Udinese are the team in the worst current form in Serie A, having not won in seven matches since topping the table in early November. However, they did show glimpses of returning to form by sprinting out to a 3-0 lead over Lazio last week, before their defensive frailties came back to haunt them and they were pegged back to 3-3.

In other matches, Inter travel to Siena on Saturday night while second-placed Juventus face a trip to Bergamo to play Atalanta. AS Roma defend an eight-game winning run, including five in Serie A, as they travel to Sicily to face Catania hoping to put more pressure on the teams holding European qualification places.

Third-placed Napoli have a tricky trip to Torino, while fifth-placed Fiorentina travel to Genoa to face Sampdoria. That match will pit Serie A joint-top goalscorer Alberto Gilardino against Sampdoria captain and mercurial genius Antonio Cassano, a challenge Gilardino is looking forward to.

"Antonio Cassano is an exceptional talent, a player who in any moment can produce something incredible. In my opinion he should be in the Italy squad," said the former Parma and AC Milan forward.

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David Beckham will get plenty of headlines when he arrives in Milan on Saturday but his new temporary employers will probably be wishing he could take to the pitch against Udinese a day later rather than watching the game from the stands.

AC Milan have been beset by injury problems to key players this season and are sweating over the return of Kaka ahead of this weekend's match. And with Andrea Pirlo forced off at half-time during Wednesday's 2-2 UEFA Cup draw against VfL Wolfsburg, and Gennaro Gattuso out probably for the rest of the season, now would be a good time to blood the former England captain.

However, Beckham cannot start playing for Milan until the January transfer window opens, and in the meantime, coach Carlo Ancelotti shows no sign of letting up his complaints about injury problems. "This is a difficult time for us because we've been decimated by injuries, which prevents us from taking to the pitch with the team we want to or from playing our best," said Ancelotti.

As well as Pirlo coming off against Wolfsburg, on-loan Switzerland centre-back Philippe Senderos lasted only eight minutes. "Senderos had a classic back spasm, Pirlo felt a muscle problem and, given the current emergency, it was better not to risk him after the break, and on top of that (Clarence) Seedorf (who played the full 90 minutes) hurt his knee.

"We need to stand strong and deal with these problems and the next few days will be very important to prepare for the Udinese challenge. Individually everyone is giving their all, but it's very difficult to play under these conditions because we're forced to play several players out of position."

Sober assessment
However, Kaka, Pirlo, Seedorf and even France midfielder Mathieu Flamini all look likely to be fit at the weekend, leaving only long-term absentees Alessandro Nesta, Gattuso, Marco Borriello and now Senderos missing. But while Ancelotti has bemoaned his sick-list, midfielder Massimo Ambrosini had a more sober assessment of Milan's predicament. "If we want to win things, this team has to overcome this difficult period," he said.

Sunday's visit of Udinese is thus a must win game for Milan, although with a nine point deficit to champions, leaders and bitter city rivals Inter Milan, every match will be until they have drastically shortened the gap.

The plus side for Milan is that Udinese are the team in the worst current form in Serie A, having not won in seven matches since topping the table in early November. However, they did show glimpses of returning to form by sprinting out to a 3-0 lead over Lazio last week, before their defensive frailties came back to haunt them and they were pegged back to 3-3.

In other matches, Inter travel to Siena on Saturday night while second-placed Juventus face a trip to Bergamo to play Atalanta. AS Roma defend an eight-game winning run, including five in Serie A, as they travel to Sicily to face Catania hoping to put more pressure on the teams holding European qualification places.

Third-placed Napoli have a tricky trip to Torino, while fifth-placed Fiorentina travel to Genoa to face Sampdoria. That match will pit Serie A joint-top goalscorer Alberto Gilardino against Sampdoria captain and mercurial genius Antonio Cassano, a challenge Gilardino is looking forward to.

"Antonio Cassano is an exceptional talent, a player who in any moment can produce something incredible. In my opinion he should be in the Italy squad," said the former Parma and AC Milan forward.

United power past Asian champions

Gamba Osaka 3-5 Manchester United FC
Substitute Wayne Rooney scored twice to fire Manchester United FC through to the final of the FIFA World Club Cup after defeating Asian champions Gamba Osaka 5-3 in an entertaining semi-final at the International Stadium in Yokohama.

Vidić strikes
Sir Alex Ferguson named a strong side as United began their bid to add to the intercontinental title they won in 1999, and they went into the break 2-0 in front thanks to headers from Nemanja Vidić (28) and Cristiano Ronaldo (45), the latter having struck in similar fashion in United's UEFA Champions League final triumph against Chelsea FC last May.

Rooney double
Osaka had created chances of their own in the first half and they briefly forced their way back into the game in the second when Masato Yamazaki fired past Van der Sar on 74 minutes. Their celebrations were short-lived, however, as United hit back with three goals of their own in the next four minutes. Within seconds of Yamazaki scoring, Rooney restored United's two-goal cushion, despite having only come on a minute earlier for Carlos Tévez. Three minutes after that, Darren Fletcher headed in Patrice Evra's cross to make the score 4-1, before Rooney added his second eleven minutes from the end.

Osaka revival
Osaka rallied and pulled a goal back through Yasuhito Endo from the penalty spot on 85 minutes, after Gary Neville had handled Ryuji Bando's cross, and they still had time to add a third through Hideo Hashimoto in the first minute of stoppage time. United will meet Copa Libertadores winners Liga Deportiva Universitaria de Quito in the final in Yokohama on Sunday.

Robinho in doubt for West Brom clash

Manchester City's star Brazilian striker Robinho is a doubt to play West Brom in Sunday's Premiership fixture after injuring his ankle in the 3-1 UEFA Cup defeat by Racing Santander. The former Real Madrid front man was hampered by the injury when he was surprisingly named in the starting eleven by manager Mark Hughes, though City had already qualified for next year's Round of 32 knockout stage.

Hughes said: "Robinho was not able to continue so he is a big doubt for the weekend. It is his ankle again. We are staying here overnight so we will check everyone in the morning. He has made a great impression on everyone in Manchester, scoring eight goals in the Premier League. We are delighted with his impact. In the last three games he has been struggling with an injury and that was a concern to him tonight. We are pleased with what he has produced."

Even though City's campaign in the group stages ended in disappointment, they advance to the knockout stages in top spot. That means they will face a third-placed side in one of the other groups when the draw is made on Friday.

Manchester City's star Brazilian striker Robinho is a doubt to play West Brom in Sunday's Premiership fixture after injuring his ankle in the 3-1 UEFA Cup defeat by Racing Santander. The former Real Madrid front man was hampered by the injury when he was surprisingly named in the starting eleven by manager Mark Hughes, though City had already qualified for next year's Round of 32 knockout stage.

Hughes said: "Robinho was not able to continue so he is a big doubt for the weekend. It is his ankle again. We are staying here overnight so we will check everyone in the morning. He has made a great impression on everyone in Manchester, scoring eight goals in the Premier League. We are delighted with his impact. In the last three games he has been struggling with an injury and that was a concern to him tonight. We are pleased with what he has produced."

Even though City's campaign in the group stages ended in disappointment, they advance to the knockout stages in top spot. That means they will face a third-placed side in one of the other groups when the draw is made on Friday.

Liverpool Win

Steven Gerrard's first-half goal, on his return from injury, proved enough to deliver a 1-0 win over Marseille at Anfield on Wednesday evening that ensured the Reds will join Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the competition.

It was also a night to remember for Liverpool's manager. Benitez's 66th European match in charge of the club saw him eclipse Bill Shankly's record, while a 39th victory on the European stage saw him draw level with Bob Paisley on that count.

But the Spaniard acknowledged that his side had not been at their best and had lived dangerously at times, as Marseille pressed in search of an equaliser that would have kept their own campaign alive. The French side's commitment to attack ensured an open contest, but Liverpool failed to display their usual cutting edge on the counter-attack with the final ball designed to release Fernando Torres repeatedly mislaid.

Worryingly for Benitez, Wednesday's performance had echoes of the below-par display in Saturday's goalless draw with Fulham which cost his side the chance to pull clear of Chelsea at the top of the Premier League. "Clearly we need to improve our possession, to keep and pass the ball better," Benitez said. "We are giving the ball away too easily."

Gerrard, who has now scored five goals in his five Champions League appearances this season, also admitted it had been a frustrating night for a squad that appears to have gone off the boil since their victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge a month ago.

"It was a nervy match but still a job well done," said the Liverpool captain. "We wanted all three points and a clean sheet and we got both of those, but it was a frustrating second half for us. We lost control a bit and there are a few things that need looking at. They are organised and fighting to stay in the competition. We knew that it would be a difficult tie, but we stuck together and hopefully in a few days the second-half performance will be forgotten."

After a two-week lay-off, Gerrard returned at the expense of Robbie Keane and revelled playing in the slipstream of Torres. "Playing behind Fernando is great for me," Gerrard said. "His runs are great. Tonight I scored the goal but I'm sure if the manager keeps playing us together I will provide him with a few."

Gerrard's deployment in an attacking role allows Xabi Alonso to pull the strings in midfield, and it was the Spaniard's well-judged cross that allowed Gerrard to steal in unchallenged at the back post to head Liverpool's winner mid-way through the first half.

Marseille had a string of chances after the break but could not quite manage to find the final pass or moment of inspiration that would have delivered an equaliser. "We'll have a few regrets because we had chances up to the last minute, but the only thing that makes me unhappy was the result," said Marseille coach Erik Gerets. "I was quite happy with the performance. For the first time in a long time, we played as a unit and with the kind of desire that everyone said we were missing."

Marseille will now aim to take something from their final match, at home to Atletico, to ensure they edge out PSV Eindhoven for third place in the group and a spot in the UEFA Cup. Ultimately it was the sloppy marking that allowed Gerrard to score that snuffed out Marseille's last chance of progress to the last 16. But Gerets' men could also count themselves unfortunate not to have enjoyed the breaks that would have enabled them to take something from the match.

Arsenal Win

Arsene Wenger has expressed delight and relief following his Arsenal side's last-gasp win over Dynamo Kiev in the UEFA Champions League. The Gunners qualified from Group G with a match to spare thanks to Nicklas Bendtner's late goal at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

But after three defeats in four matches, the storm of controversy generated by William Gallas's rant against his team-mates and the France defender's subsequent replacement as captain by Cesc Fabregas, Wenger was more concerned with the positive effect on the team's morale.

With Dynamo just three minutes from holding on for a point that would have left Arsenal without a goal for three games and looking as bereft of inspiration as they ever have under Wenger, Fabregas launched a sublime pass to Bendtner, who lashed his shot past Stanislav Bogush. As Wenger celebrated the goal, he saw not only a chance for Arsenal to extend their European campaign, but a cathartic moment for his players.

"It is the first step for us. What the team needs is reassurance and at least we have that now," he said. "We left it late and we were more steady than spectacular, but it was important to come back and win. Nicklas scored a great goal. It was not handball as Kiev claimed. You can watch it on the replay. It was a fantastic ball from Fabregas, good composure and a good finish. I am very happy for him because I felt he had showed a lack of confidence recently."

Wenger's decision to restore Gallas to the starting line-up so soon after his outburst was just about vindicated despite some shaky moments from the France defender. More significantly, Fabregas made a positive impression in his first game as skipper.

"Cesc was very good for me. He was focused for 90 minutes, worked hard defensively and offensively. It wasn't easy in midfield. Overall he had a very good game. William's focus was great. He wanted to do well and you could see he was completely committed. I was very happy that the fans responded in a positive way to him."

Now that Arsenal's progress is assured, Wenger will turn his attention to hauling his side back into the Premier League title race. It would take a remarkable run of results to make up the ten-point deficit to leaders Chelsea, but the Gunners have the perfect chance to put a dent into that gap when they travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Wenger is keeping his fingers crossed that he can take a more experienced team across London than the youthful eleven that eventually saw off Dynamo. He said: "Before the Dynamo game we had nine injured players. We have three, Sagna, Nasri and Adebayor, who we hope will play on Sunday. All three are 50-50."

Judging by this display, Wenger will need all the options he can get to win at the Bridge. Gallas's woeful week nearly took a turn for the worse when his under-hit backpass let in Ismael Bangoura, but he could breathe again as the striker's effort cannoned back off the near post. And Gallas was the fall guy again early in the second half, when Robin van Persie's shot appeared to be creeping in until Gallas inadvertently blocked it.

Just as Arsenal looked to have run out of ideas, Fabregas provided the moment of inspiration they had been lacking with a superb long pass that picked out Bendtner and allowed the substitute to gallop clear and break the deadlock.

That triggered a Dynamo meltdown, and Olexandr Aliyev was sent off after shoving referee Alain Hamer while trying to take a quick free-kick. "We were more or less equal with Arsenal and we played well, but the result is what counts," Dynamo coach Yuri Semin said.