Villareal stuns Atletico Madrid 1-0

Atletico Madrid 0-1 Villarreal: Late strike from Luciano Vietto sinks Diego Simeone's side at the Vicente Calderon

Atletico Madrid were beaten at home to Villarreal on Sunday with an 85th minute strike from Luciano Vietto.

The 21-year-old striker broke past Diego Godin and placed the ball beyond Miguel Angel Moya sixminutes from time in a game that Diego Simeone's side struggled to get a grip of.

The result means the defending La Liga champions were unable to capitalise upon Barcelona's goalless draw with Getafe on Saturday.

A win would have seen Diego Simeone's side go level with Barca in second place, but the visitors produced an organised display to pull off the shock victory.

Villarreal were denied a penalty in the first half when Gabi appeared to nudge the ball out of the way of Ikechukwu Uche on the stroke of half time with his arm.

In truth Atletico had the better of the chances, but Villareal denied them too many clear-cut opportunities during a lack-lustre first half.

And the visitors began the second half spiritedly, as the lively Vietto ran at Atletico's defence on 52 minutes and shot narrowly wide from the edge of the area.

Mario Mandzukic then had a header ruled out for an innocuous challenge on defender Mario as Atletico looked to hit back at Villarreal's pressure.

But it was the visitors who stole victory when Vietto beat Godin and finished stylishly to secure the three points. 

Hellas Verona scored a come from behind win over Udinese 2-1

Udinese 1-2 Hellas Verona

Lazaros Christodoulopoulos inspired Hellas Verona to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory at Udinese on Sunday as they ended a three-match losing run in Serie A.

Udinese captain Antonio Di Natale put the hosts ahead in the 31st minute before Christodoulopoulos set up Luca Toni for the equaliser before half-time.

The Greece international then put Hellas in front for good with his first goal of the season two minutes after the restart.

The Verona outfit held on for their fourth league win of the campaign, their first since October 4.

The outcome, Udinese's second loss at home this season, lifted Hellas to 13th place, five points clear of the drop zone.

Udinese, meanwhile, remain eighth but could fall further down the table if Fiorentina beat Cesena later on Sunday.

Christodoulopoulos sent an early warning when he forced Udinese goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis to fully stretch to clear his 20-yard bullet strike.

Hellas produced a good chance to break the deadlock in the 26th minute but Toni's close-range header from Emil Hallfredsson's cross went wide.

At the other end, Emmanuel Agyemang-Badu drilled a right-footed shot from outside the area that forced Hellas goalkeeper Francesco Benussi to fully stretch to clear.

Udinese went in front in the 31st minute when Di Natale got past his marker and headed Bruno Fernandes' cross past a helpless Benussi.

Hellas reacted and got back on level terms on the stroke of half-time when Christodoulopoulos. spotted Toni in the box and his left-footed shot towards the near post beat Karnezis.

The visitors picked up where they left off after the restart and were.rewarded when Christodoulopoulos. burst into the Udinese penalty area and unleashed a right-footed shot to beat Karnezis.

Udinese wasted a good chance to pull level before the hour but Giovanni Pasquale's dangerous cross failed to find a team-mate in the box.

The home side continued to press forward and were almost successful four minutes from time.

However, Benussi made sure his team took all three points when he made a vital save from Silvan Widmer's close-range effort.

Manchester United ruthless against Liverpool 3-0

Premier League: Manchester United beat Liverpool 3-0 as David De Gea excels

David De Gea produced a man-of-the-match performance as Manchester United extended their winning run in the Premier League to six games with a 3-0 victory over Liverpool at Old Trafford.

First-half goals from Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata and a third after the break from Robin van Persie saw Louis van Gaal’s side consolidate third in the table and close to within five points of second-placed Manchester City.

However, their defensive frailties were all too apparent throughout the game and they were hugely indebted to De Gea, who produced no fewer than six excellent saves in a superb performance.

Liverpool had little trouble creating chances against United’s porous back three, but defensive errors of their own and a mistake from the officials for Mata’s goal ensured they remain ninth in the table, seven points adrift of the top four.

Sterling thwarted

Brendan Rodgers's side started with pace and intensity and should have taken the lead when Adam Lallana slipped in Raheem Sterling after 12 minutes, but the England winger saw his low left-footed shot saved by the alert De Gea.

United immediately went down the other end and scored through Rooney, who side-footed home from the edge of the penalty area after Antonio Valencia eased past Joe Allen on the right wing and cut the ball back beautifully.

The goal settled the hosts down and they enjoyed more possession, yet it was Liverpool who continued to create the better opportunities. After Steven Gerrard had seen a right-foot strike from distance deflected into the arms of De Gea, the Spanish goalkeeper produced another point-blank save after 23 minutes to once again deny Sterling, who had skipped past a static Phil Jones in the left channel.

The visitors were then made to pay for their profligacy when Mata doubled the lead by nodding home unmarked at the back post on 40 minutes, although they were not helped by the officials failing to spot that Van Persie had flicked Ashley Young’s left-wing cross on to the Spaniard, rendering him a couple of yards offside.

Liverpool started quickly once again in the second half and should have been level within six minutes. However, Jordan Henderson sent a free header in the box inexplicably over, before De Gea produced yet another superb piece of goalkeeping to block a low shot from Sterling, who had pounced on a tame backpass from Ashley Young and was through one-on-one.

Balotelli disbelief

But De Gea’s best save was kept for half-time substitute Mario Balotelli, who looked stunned when he saw the United goalkeeper tip his goalbound shot on to the crossbar after 67 minutes.

Liverpool appeared buoyed by the chances they were being afforded, but all belief then drained out of them when Van Persie added United’s third after 71 minutes.

Dejan Lovren made a horrible mess of clearing Rooney’s cross and presented the ball straight to Mata, who could have shot but instead spread the ball right for the unmarked Dutchman to side-foot home.

De Gea’s virtuoso display was not yet over, though, because he denied Balotelli twice more, first clawing a low shot out of the bottom corner eight minutes from time and then blocking the disbelieving striker’s effort when through one on one five minutes later.

Nainggolan goal wins it for Roma over Genoa

Nainggolan, the hero for Garcia's men 

The Belgium international scored the only goal of the game to help his side to a crucial away victory as they capitalised on Juventus' draw earlier on Sunday

Roma recorded a vital 1-0 win over Genoa in Sunday's Serie A encounter at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

Adem Ljajic missed a spot kick at the half-hour mark, but Radja Nainggolan did open the scoring shortly before the half-time whistle to help Roma to the full three points. 

The visitors survived a late scare as the hosts had an injury-time equaliser ruled out for offside, meaning Rudi Garcia's men took full advantage of Juventus' draw against Sampdoria.

The guests started the match the better side of the two and came close to breaking the deadlock after 17 minutes of play when Gervinho was denied by Mattia Perin, before Miralem Pjanic blasted the rebound into a defender.

Genoa were dealt a huge blow at the half-hour mark, however, when the referee awarded Roma a penalty and sent off Perin after the goalkeeper fouled Nainggolan. Ljajic stepped up to take it, but substitute Eugenio Lamanna saved the Serbian attacker's attempt.

Garcia's men did go 1-0 up in the 40th minute. Maicon sent in a dangerous cross from the right andNainggolan did well to find the net with an acrobatic volley.

Alessandro Matri tested Morgan De Sanctis in the dying seconds of the first half, but he failed to really trouble the Roma goalkeeper. 

Pjanic tried his luck early in the second half, yet the midfielder aimed too high and the chance went begging. Gervinho then nearly doubled Roma's lead in the 72nd minute after being set up by Davide Astori, only to see his shot go just wide.

Genoa threatened shortly after via Diego Perotti after the Argentine picked up a loose ball, but the winger's shot went over the crossbar.

The guests kept on pushing for a second goal and Pjanic came close to making it two in the closing stages of the game. The midfielder received a pass from Jose Holebas before unleashing a powerful effort, but his shot went just wide.

The home side thought to have levelled the scoring well into stoppage time, but Tomas Rincon's goal was disallowed for offside.

Roma remain second in Serie A following this weekend's results, but have closed the gap with leaders Juventus to one point. Genoa, meanwhile, sit fifth in the table.

Manchester City punch a ticket to knockout stages, beats Roma 2-0

Champions League: Manchester City conquer Roma to make last 16

Manchester City progressed to the last 16 of the Champions League after beating Roma 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday night.

Second-half goals from Samir Nasri and Pablo Zabaleta secured a win which, coupled with Bayern Munich’s 3-0 home victory against CSKA Moscow, means that Manuel Pellegrini’s side qualified as runners-up behind the Bavarians in Group E

The visitors made the breakthrough thanks to Nasri’s long-range strike on the hour mark, before a late goal by right-back Zabaleta confirmed the result.

However, the Premier League champions still needed captain Joe Hart to produce a number of word-class saves before their victory was sealed.

The result means City finish Group E on eight points and are in the hat for Monday's draw, where the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid could be lying in wait.

It was the home team who started the brighter of the two sides, and none more so that their pacy forward Gervinho, with the former Arsenal player causing Zabaleta all kinds of problems down the left wing.

After one neat move early on involving both Gervinho and Roma skipper Totti, the ball was fed through for Jose Holebas to have a clear sight of Hart’s goal, only for the England goalkeeper to do well to come quickly off his line and smother the Greek's close-range shot.

City were not without their own moments of promise in the opening period though, with James Milner in particular testing Roma goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis with one effort from the edge of the area.

Meanwhile, the England international was then unlucky not to put the visitors ahead six minutes before the interval, only for the Giallorossi shot stopper to keep his shot out at the near post after good approach play by the lively Jesus Navas.

However, after Milner had been denied by De Sanctis, Gervinho immediately broke broke clear of the City back line, with Hart again needing to produce a brilliant fingertip save to stop his low shot from finding the bottom corner of the net.

The second period mainly belonged to the English side with City’s nerves - already calmed by news of Bayern having taken the lead against the Russian champions at the Allianz Arena - soothed even more by Nasri’s brilliant opener.

Picking up possession of the ball some 20 yards out on the left-hand edge of Roma’s penalty area, the mercurial Frenchman decided to try his luck from distance with few other alternatives to aim for in the box.

And it proved to be the right decision, with the midfielder’s powerful drive leaving De Sanctis with no chance in the Roma goal as the ball flew into the back of the 'keeper’s net off the inside of the post for what was his first goal of the season.

City, though, still needed to rely on both Bayern holding firm in Bavaria and their own goalkeeper to seal their place in the knockout phase of Europe’s premier club competition, with the latter’s contribution absolutely vital to their victory.

The England No 1 firstly turned aside Miralem Pjanic's shot from the edge of the area, then kept out Rajda Nainggolan’s long-range piledriver after 65 minutes, before the City skipper did even better to get his fingertips on to Konstantinos Manolas’s header, with the post also helping keep the effort out.

And from the resulting corner, much-maligned centre-back Martin Demichelis was in the right place at the right time to block substitute Mattia Destro’s close-range effort on the goal line as Roma’s hopes began to fade.

In fact, the hosts' hopes were extinguished with just four minutes to go when Nasri played in the marauding Zabaleta on the right-hand channel of the area before the Argentinian kept his cool to fire City into the knockout phase.

Jamie Carragher's verdict

"It was a proper European performance that we’ve been looking for from City not just this year, but in years gone by. It doesn’t mean they played free-flowing football or they were fantastic on the eye – they weren’t.

"After the first 15 minutes they came through the scares and grew into the game. At times it wasn’t pretty to watch and it wasn’t great football. But they made it difficult for Roma and grew into the game. It comes off the back of a lot of big players missing, like Kompany and Aguero."

Barcelona stars score in a 3-1 come from behind win over Paris Saint Germain

Barcelona finish top of their Champions League group for the eighth season in a row

Neymar scored a spectacular goal as Barcelona came from behind to defeat Paris St-Germain at the Nou Camp and finish top of Group F.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave PSG the lead with a low finish from 10 yards after being teed up by Blaise Matuidi.

But Barcelona equalised through Lionel Messi, his 75th goal in the competition coming after Luis Suarez's low cross.

Neymar's sublime 25-yard finish and Suarez's close-range effort sealed PSG's fate, but they still go through.

Neymar's goal was a wonderful effort, the Brazil striker bursting away from the PSG defence before producing a dipping, swerving shot from distance that flew past Salvatore Sirigu.

Then in the second half Sirigu parried Neymar's shot and former Liverpool star Suarez pounced to score his second goal since moving to Spain. The victory means Barcelona have finished top of their Champions League group for the eighth season in a row.

However, the French side missed several good chances and their profligacy resulted in their first Ligue 1 or Champions League defeat of the season. PSG striker Edinson Cavani also had a shot cleared off the line by Barcelona defender Marc Bartra.

"We have improved as a group a lot," said Uruguay striker Suarez."We know that together we can go places, and that's what we're doing."

Barcelona finish with 15 points from six games, two more than Paris-St Germain, who will be unseeded in next Monday's last-16 draw.

PSG head coach Laurent Blanc praised Barcelona's finishing.  "The best players don't need much to convert a tiny chance into a goal,'' he said. "That is what happened for Barcelona's first two goals.''

Arsenal blasts Galatasaray 4-1, qualifies to the next round

Galatasaray 1 Arsenal 4: Aaron Ramsey and Lukas Podolski doubles ease the pressure on Arsene Wenger

By Jeremy Wilson, Turk Telekom Arena

11:22PM GMT 09 Dec 2014

After the boos, jeers and abuse in Stoke on Saturday, this match will be remembered for an authentic wonder goal from Aaron Ramsey that actually prompted gasps, cheers and applause from both sets of fans.

Ramsey may have as many as 15 years left in front of him at this level but it is doubtful whether he will ever strike a ball more sweetly than the 35-yard first-time left-footed volley that put Arsenal 3-0 up. Typically understated, Ramsey was content to agree that it was “up there with my best” as he left Istanbul on Tuesday night.

The ball was still rising when it hit the back of Sinan Bolat’s goal and, after a brief pause to compute what had happened, the spontaneous appreciation from many of the Gala­tasaray supporters told its own story.

Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, later admitted that Ramsey was so far out that he had initially not even wanted him to shoot. “I felt at the time it was not the right decision, but he proved me wrong,” he said.

The wider significance was of Ramsey showing further clear signs of his best form. His goal on Saturday against Stoke had been his first in 18 games and, after both he and Lukas Podolski had earlier put Arsenal into a 2-0 lead, his spectacular second here was also sufficient to effectively seal victory in only the 29th minute.

Following recent stutters, a 4-1 win will help to ease tensions among the club’s fan base although, this being Arsenal, there was an inevitable caveat. Ramsey and Mathieu Flamini both came off at half-time with respective tightness in their hamstring and groin, with Wenger at pains to stress that his two fit remaining central midfielders should be fine for the match against Newcastle United on Saturday.

Wenger was also delighted by what he called a “strong response” to the 3-2 defeat by Stoke City on Saturday although the “Arsene, thanks for the memories but it’s time to say goodbye” banner did also make its way to Istanbul on Tuesday night.

Arsenal were guaranteed their place in the last 16 of the Champions League for a 15th successive season before Tuesday night’s match. Having finished as runners-up in Group D, they again face the prospect of meeting one of the tournament favourites when the draw is made in Nyon on Monday. Real Madrid, Porto, Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, Monaco and Paris St-Germain are among the potential opponents.

The usual intimidation and electric atmosphere of any match against Galatasaray in Istanbul was rather compromised on Tuesday night by the sight of a half-empty Turk Telekom Arena. Galatasaray’s poor form earlier in the competition had meant they were unable to lift themselves off the bottom of the group even in victory but, after replacing Cesar Prandelli with Hamza Hamzaoglu as interim manager, they had gone into the match on the back of consecutive wins. They had lost only four of their previous 20 home matches in Europe but the lethargy of the crowd was soon evident in the players’ performances.

Arsenal, by contrast, had begun with nine full internationals even while leaving the likes of Alexis Sánchez, Danny Welbeck, Olivier Giroud, Kieran Gibbs and Santi Cazorla back in London. In fielding a front three of Lukas Podolski, Joel Campbell and Yaya Sanogo, Wenger had also selected people with much to prove.

Podolski has been the most vocal of those Arsenal players demanding more of a first-team opportunity and, within three minutes, he had his chance. Ramsey had made a powerful run from midfield and, with Galatasaray right-back Tarik Camdal having wandered out of position, fed Podolski in space just inside the penalty area. The angle was tight but there are few footballers in the world who can generate more power than Podolski and before Bolat could even set himself, he had smashed his finish into his near-post top corner.

With nothing to play for, Galatasaray were willing to keep pushing forward in fairly kamikaze style and, while Hakan Balta missed a wonderful chance to level, they were hopelessly open to Arsenal’s attacks.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was looking far more effective playing from a central midfield position and, after Podolski made a rare tackle to win back possession, had the chance to run at the Galatasaray defence. It created further space, with Ramsey peeling off to the left and side-footing his finish beyond Bolat.

The chances kept coming. Podolski was again given time and space to unleash his thunderbolt of a left-foot shot and he rattled the crossbar after being fed by Ramsey.

The Wales midfielder then created a chance for Campbell that was deflected over and another opportunity for Podolski, who forced a fingertip save from Bolat. Campbell took the resulting corner and it appeared to have been headed to safety deep inside the Galatasaray half. Step forward Ramsey, who smashed his spectacular volley into the top corner.

Ramsey himself even looked shocked by the quality of his finish and simply began laughing rather than celebrating.

The ease with which Arsenal were creating chances prompted eyes to turn to Dortmund, where a draw would allow Wenger’s team to top Group D if they won by six goals. Wenger admitted that at half-time he felt it was still possible but the need to rest Ramsey and Flamini ensured a loss of momentum. “It was too much for us to hope we could score six but I have no regrets with the players I left at home,” Wenger said.

Ramsey and Flamini were to be replaced by two academy midfielders in Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Gedion Zelalem. The experience will benefit the 17-year-olds but Arsenal did lose their control of midfield. Only a brilliant block from Per Mertesacker denied Umut Bulut but Galatasaray got the goal that their second-half dominance had merited when Wesley Sneijder curled an 88th-minute free-kick past Wojciech Szczesny. The three-goal lead was then almost immediately restored with Podolski’s second of the night.

Liverpool exits Champions League after Basel draw 1-1

Liverpool crash out of Champions League after meek show against Basel

At least in that frenzied late assault, after Steven Gerrard had equalised and the team in red gave absolutely everything to add another occasion to their all-time list of great comebacks, we saw a few glimpses of the old Liverpool spirit. Yet the damage had already been done and for the majority of this match it had been mystifying to see them play with so little drive and momentum when anything but a win meant dropping into the clunky Thursday-night-Sunday-afternoon cycle of Europa League football.

It was a pulsating finale and Liverpool’s late attempt at escapology was certainly commendable given they had to contend with Lazar Markovic, a half-time substitute, being sent off barely a quarter of an hour after coming on. Their 10 men threatened the most improbable ending but the awkward truth is it had been another night to expose the scale of Liverpool deterioration before Gerrard’s 81st-minute free-kick arced into the top corner.

Liverpool might have nicked it in those impassioned final moments but a match is judged over 90 minutes, not 10, and at times it felt as though Brendan Rodgers’s players had temporarily forgotten what is expected of them on the big European nights, under the floodlights, in front of their own crowd. Instead, they had been politely ushering themselves to the door. Of all the disappointments, that was probably the most perplexing.

It is just a shame for Liverpool that they left it so late before finding any real belief and found it beyond them when it was even numbers.

They had set out knowing only a win would suffice and yet the sense of urgency that might have been anticipated during the opening exchanges never materialised. The crowd were strangely subdued and as Basel sized up their opponents, then elegantly took control, it was strange to be at Anfield for one of these important fixtures and find a team doing so little to turn up the volume.

Basel had a boisterous following but they also had the knowledge they had beaten English opposition, including Chelsea twice last season, on their previous four encounters. They quickly showed their tactic would not be conservatism and fully deserved the half-time lead courtesy of Fabian Frei’s firecracker of a shot after 25 minutes.

Liverpool in those moments had looked what they now are: a Europa League side. More than anything, they seemed stripped of confidence. In one revealing moment out by the touchline, Jordan Henderson, Joe Allen and Lucas Leiva all left a dropping ball to one another and the nearest opponent, Taulant Xhaka, was completely unchallenged with his header.

When Raheem Sterling had Liverpool’s first opportunity his diminished assurance was plain in the way he declined the chance and tried a pass that was never on. Liverpool were teetering, ragged, dispirited and barely recognisable from the side that had bewitched Anfield last season.

What happened in the second half was unorthodox in many ways. Markovic had replaced the peripheral Rickie Lambert during the interval and in his brief time on the pitch he did at least inject a touch more drive into Liverpool’s attack. Then, as the game ticked past the hour, he and Behrang Safari went for the same ball. Markovic was slightly ahead of his opponent and the Liverpool player did swing back his right hand. Yet it was the merest of touches, barely a flick of fingertips against Safari’s nose, and almost certainly meant as a hand-off rather than something more violent. Safari was probably the game’s outstanding performer but his reaction was exaggerated in the extreme and undoubtedly helped to convince the Dutch referee, Bjorn Kuipers, it merited a red card. Liverpool were entitled to be aggrieved and Rodgers’s anger went as far as saying it should have been Safari who was sent off.

José Enrique had also been replaced at half-time and the double substitution was a measure of how alarmed Rodgers must have been about Basel’s superiority. “We just weren’t good enough,” he said. “We weren’t anywhere near where we wanted to be, not even close.”

Yet the paradox was that Liverpool, a man down, improved considerably when everything seemed lost. Sterling, now operating in the centre-forward role, started to flicker with menace. Gerrard reminded everyone of his qualities, lifting the crowd with a thunderous challenge on the impressive Xhaka, then running clear and was denied only by a fine save from Tomas Vaclik, diving at his feet.

Gerrard’s equaliser came shortly afterwards and it was a dramatic ending as the ball ricocheted around the Basel penalty area and the crowd roared for someone to apply a decisive touch. Overall, though, Basel used the ball with greater expertise and, as Rodgers acknowledged, looked the more rounded team.

The move for Frei’s goal was a case in point, featuring a crisp exchange of passes, a clever one-two with Luca Zuffi just outside the penalty area and then a 20-yard shot, left-footed and with the minimum of back lift, to pick out the spot just inside Simon Mignolet’s left-hand post.

The Swiss league leaders had several other chances in the first half, whereas Vaclik barely had a scrap of mud on his kit during the same period. Liverpool, with five points out of six games, left it too late and will be jealous onlookers when the Champions League resumes in February. 

Dortmund draw Anderlecht 1-1, qualifies to knockout stages

Dortmund draw to finish top; Leverkusen limp through in second

After leading Dortmund to a win against Hoffenheim on Friday night in the Bundesliga, Jürgen Klopp made six changes to his starting eleven against Anderlecht - the most notable of which was the first start of the season for Nuri Sahin.

With Arsenal taking an early lead in Turkey, Dortmund knew a defeat would tip the scales for top spot out of their favor. Ciro Immobile's shot on the turn forced a good save out of Anderlecht goalkeeper and captain Sylvio Proto, before Dortmund's own goalkeeper, Langerak made a smart one-on-one save to deny Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Proto was on hand again to first deny Shinji Kagawa with a fine reflex save, before denying Immobile again. In tune with the nature of the game, then Anderlecht had another chance on goal - Sasa Kljestan firing over with Langerak seemingly beaten. The first half ended with Ibrahima Conte looking for a penalty after a challenge from Nuri Sahin, but he was denied one and the first 45 minutes ended without any goalscorers.

Ilkay Gündogan continued to pull the strings in midfield, but Proto kept responding to keep Anderlecht level. That was until just before the hour mark when a smart pass from Sahin was tucked away by Ciro Immobile - the Italian's fourth Champions League goal in five games.

As frustrated a figure as Proto was, he returned to making saves - twice denying a confidence-sapped Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Dortmund's inability to take their chances came back to haunt them again though when Anderlecht got an equaliser in the final 10 minutes. Great work on the right wing by Anthony Vanden Borre ended in a cross that Aleksandar Mitrovic headed in from close range.

There was no late drama as Dortmund held onto a draw that saw them finish top of their group for the second consecutive year.

Lyon scores a dramatic win over Evian Thonon Gaillard 3-2

Lyon snatch late win at Evian

Lyon had to twice come from behind before snatching a 3-2 Ligue 1 victory over Evian in injury time.

Cedric Barbosa put Evian 1-0 and 2-1 up but Alexandre Lacazette, whose free-kick led to the first equaliser from Yassine Benzia, scored twice in the final 10 minutes to turn the game Lyon's way.

Lacazette's shot led to Reims goalkeeper Johnny Placide's own goal which handed Lyon another stoppage-time winner on Tuesday and the Ligue 1 top scorer's late intervention here returned his side to third in the table.

Home goalkeeper Jesper Hansen was the star of the first half, keeping out Steed Malbranque's shot after the midfielder was set up by Lacazette and then producing a fine double save from Benzia.

Against the run of play, Evian were awarded a free-kick in the 28th minute and Barbosa - leading the line in the absence of key man Daniel Wass - fired the ball into the top corner to leave keeper Anthony Lopes helpless.

And they could have gone in at half-time two goals to the good, but Modou Sougou steered Clarck Nsikulu's cross just wide of the post.

As it was, though, Lyon levelled shortly after the hour. Again the goal came from a free-kick, Lacazette's effort saved by Hansen but Benzia following up to score.

Barbosa quickly restored Evian's lead as Nsikulu crossed to Sougou, who teed up the fast-arriving Barbosa for a left-foot finish.

Hansen made a stunning save when Lacazette headed Nabil Fekir's cross goalwards.

But he was beaten in the 81st minute when Rachid Ghezzal swung a corner to the far post and Lacazette controlled before firing ferociously under the crossbar to level the scores.

Sougou and Fekir missed chances to win the game for their respective sides but Lyon were handed their chance from the spot in stoppage time.

Adrien Thomasson was harshly adjudged to have handled Christophe Jallet's cross and Lacazette, who missed a penalty in last week's 3-0 defeat to bitter rivals St Etienne, held his nerve this time to send Hansen the wrong way and notch his 13th league goal of the season.

Messi lead Barcelona in thrashing local rival Espanyol 5-1

Messi reminds Espanyol who's boss in Barcelona

Barcelona used a strong second half to power past city rivals Espanyol 5-1 on Sunday night at the Camp Nou.

One day after Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat trick for Real Madrid, Lionel Messi achieved the same feat in leading Barcelona back from an early 1-0 deficit. Gerard Piqué and Pedro also added goal for the home side.

With a key Champions League clash looming in midweek, manager Luis Enrique elected to rest midfielder Andres Iniesta and defender Jeremy Mathieu as the pair started on the bench. In front of goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, it was a back four of Dani Alves, Piqué, Javier Mascherano and Jordi Alba. Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and Xavi formed the midfield and up front it was the trusted South American trio of Luis Suárez, Messi and Neymar.

As they have done so often before, Espanyol took the Camp Nou pitch and showed no fear against their more illustrious city rivals. Their assertive attitude was awarded in the 13th minute as Sergio García shocked the home fans by opening the scoring. Felipe Caicedo dispossessed Busquets, and García simply swooped in, charged into the Barcelona area, waltzed past Piqué and then swung a left-footed shot past Bravo to make it 1-0 to the Pericos.

The goal shook Barcelona from their doldrums and soon enough the home side were hunting for the equalizer. Messi issued a warning in the 30th minute when his free kick banged off the crossbar. Nine minutes later it was Messi serving up an inch-perfect cross into Alba but the fullback was denied twice by Espanyol goalkeeper Casilla. However, if not for the intervention of Bravo in the 42nd minute, Víctor Sánchez would have doubled Espanyol’s advantage on a counter attack that the Chilean stopper managed to thwart at the last second.

Bravo’s stop proved pivotal as Barcelona were able to draw level a minute before halftime and who else but Messi to get it done. The Argentine collected a ball from Xavi at the top of the area, moved to his left and had just enough room to release a left-footed shot that somehow found its way through a sea of legs and skipped between the post and Casilla and into the net.

Barcelona had a shout for a penalty in the early going of the second half when Neymar went down in the Espanyol area after a supposed push from Eric Bailly, but the referee

waved for play to continue while the Brazilian sat on the turf dumbfounded. However any feeling of injustice dissipated thanks to another piece of genius from Messi. Suárez centered for Messi, who took two quick touches before firing in a right-footer to make it 2-1 in the 50th.

Poor marking from Espanyol enabled Barcelona to then extend their lead to 3-1 as Rakitic’s corner found Piqué, who had slipped inside Bailly to smack a header past Casilla in the 53rd minute.

The hosts cemented the victory in the 78th minute on an absolutely sensational long ball up from Alba that connected with substitute Pedro, who only had to collect the ball and shoot past Casilla to make it 4-1 to Barcelona. Four minutes later Messi capped his epic night by scoring his third goal through a simple one-two combination with Pedro, thus matching the hat trick scored by his long-time Clásico rival Ronaldo one day prior. It is Messi’s 21st career hat trick in La Liga.

Barcelona will now return to Champions League action on Wednesday with a decisive encounter against Paris Saint-Germain at the Camp Nou.

Hutton scores as Aston Villa edged Leicester City

Premier League: Alan Hutton scores first Aston Villa goal to secure victory over Leicester City

Aston Villa won at home for only the second time this season as they came from behind to beat Leicester City 2-1.

Leonardo Ulloa gave the visitors the lead after 13 minutes when he tapped in from close range after a mistake from Brad Guzan, but Villa were soon level as Ciaran Clark headed home Ashley Westwood’s free-kick a few minutes later.

Westwood was carried off on a stretcher before half-time after a challenge from Jamie Vardy but Villa secured victory when Alan Hutton fired a low shot past Kasper Schmeichel in the 71st minute.

Leicester ended the game with 10 men after Paul Konchesky was shown a straight red card following an altercation with Hutton.

The win moves Villa up to 11th in the Premier League table while Leicester remain bottom.

Both sides made two changes from their midweek matches, Charles N’Zogbia and Carlos Sanchez coming in for Villa and Danny Simpson and Liam Moore starting for Leicester.

The Foxes had struggled for goals on their travels this season – scoring just three in their previous seven matches – but they were given a helping hand for the opener by Guzan.

The Villa goalkeeper should have gathered Riyad Mahrez’s low shot in the 13th minute but looked to be wrong-footed and instead could only deflect it out for Ulloa to tap in.

Fortunately for the American it did not take his side long to respond as just four minutes later Westwood curled in a fine free-kick that Clark stooped to head home from eight yards out.

Buoyed by the goal, Villa looked the better side for the rest of the half as they worked the ball around well without creating too many chances.

Guzan was also largely untroubled at the other end but did narrowly avoid conceding a penalty when he came rushing out to try to beat Vardy to a ball over the top and just got there ahead of the forward.

The half ended on a sour note for Villa when Westwood had to be carried off on a stretcher after a tackle from Vardy.

Leicester were also forced into a change at the interval after Ulloa picked up a knock late in the half and was replaced by David Nugent.

Both sides went close during a bright start to the second half as Tom Cleverley and Jeffrey Schlupp failed to hit the target from promising positions.

Christian Benteke then spurned an excellent opportunity to give Villa the lead when he was played in by Kieran Richardso only to be foiled by Schmeichel who came diving out at his feet.

Schmeichel saved from Agbonlahor a few minutes later while at the other end Guzan also had to make a sharp stop to palm Nugent’s dipping half-volley over the bar.

A few minutes later Villa found the winning goal when Agbonlahor broke away down the left and passed inside for Benteke, who clipped a pass over the top for Hutton as he came charging up from right-back.

The defender had not scored for four years but showed good composure to take a touch and volley a low shot past Schmeichel.

It was the first time Villa had scored in the second half since April 5 but their efforts to add to their lead were thwarted by Schmeichel, who saved well from a Benteke header and then kept out another effort from the following corner.

Leicester's task was made more difficult when Konchesky was shown a straight red card in the 80th minute following a clash with Hutton.

It was unclear whether the defender was dismissed for the challenge or the following altercation with Hutton, but Leicester could not stage a late comeback with 10 men as their run without a victory extended to 10 matches.

Newcastle dealt Chelsea its first Premier League loss 2-1

Newcastle 2-1 Chelsea: Papiss Cisse scores twice as Toon end Premier League leaders' unbeaten start to the season

Jose Mourinho always said it was mission impossible and so it proved. No-one, it seems, goes unbeaten in England throughout a season these days. Arsene Wenger still has at least one up on his nemesis.

Alan Pardew’s Newcastle United, the team which two months ago looked an abject parody of a Premier League side, achieved what many believed to be impossible – and they did so in some style.

They survived a torrid opening thirty minutes, when Chelsea looked to be at their formidable best; they survived losing their goalkeeper at half-time and bringing on a 21-year-old debutant; and they survived playing out the closing exchanges with 10 men. 

And when the fourth official Robert Madley signalled for six minutes of stoppage time at the end, there were howls of protest around an indignant St James’ Park. It was entirely understandable. A famous victory looked to be in doubt. The sense that, given enough time, Chelsea would rectify the deficit, was inescapable. And given how well Newcastle had played, that would have been hard to bear.

Quite how Pardew had turned around the shambolic team that looked so dreadful when they lost at Southampton is one of the season’s mysteries. It wasn’t that they clung on to a win; they matched Chelsea and, while having periods where they had to defend, at times were the better team.

The discipline, shape and determination were exemplary – Papiss Cisse will take the plaudits for is two goals after coming off the bench, but it is the engine room comprised of Jack Colback, Moussa Sissoko and – enjoying an authentic champagne moment – Cheick Tiote who provided the platform for this win.

It didn’t look to be shaping up that way early on. There is something a little ominous about Chelsea when they slowly move through the gears and began to open up the throttle. The opening 30 minutes had that feel. Slowly, surely, they were overhauling Newcastle. The sheer speed of the passing, the quality of the link-ups looked to have the home side on the back foot. 

There was the shot from Willian just wide on 11 minutes, which came after the slickest multi-pass build imaginable, with Chelsea simply weaving their way through their opponents. Eden Hazard dashed down the left wing on 14 minutes, causing consternation, but shot wide. John Terry then headed just over from a Cesc Fabregas corner.

Willian then had a delightful curling shot just wide on 19 minutes and Fabregas was tipped away by Rob Elliot. Chelsea test every facet of your game. Be it skill or physicality, strength in the air or sheer power, they stretch you in all departments. It seemed only a matter of time before they unpicked Newcastle.

And yet, Alan Pardew’s team hung on in. Sissoko and Colback in particular refused to give the game up for lost. Bit by bit, they worked their way back into the game. They never lost their shape, each and every player pressing when required and strong in the challenge when necessary.

Eventually, their endurance began to pay some dividends. On 33 minutes they produced a delightful moment when Sammy Ameobi played in a ball for the impressive Ayoze Perez. The Spaniard held the ball up and played it in for Colback who was through on goal, only for Thibaut Courtois to rush from his line to smother the ball.

Newcastle’s progress might have been undone at half-time, however, with keeper Elliot, already a stand in for Tim Krul, unable to continue. On came Jak Alnwick, 21 and the brother of Ben, for a debut in the most testing circumstances imaginable. He started well, however: flattening Diego Costa as he came for his first punch.

Newcastle continued to hold their own, though John Obi Mikel should have put Chelsea ahead on 56 minutes, heading wide from a Fabregas free-kick with a clear sight of goal.

But slowly the limited vulnerabilities of Chelsea begun to show – and they can be penetrated when confronted by the quickest of attackers. Sissoko led the charge on 57 minutes, sprinting away before releasing Ameobi on the right. His cross should have been cut out by Gary Cahill but he allowed it through to Cisse, who had only been on the pitch for four minutes, to score from close range with his first touch.

Chelsea tried to respond. Certainly in terms of possession they were impressive. But despite sending on Didier Drogba, the chances never came. On 77 minutes, Eden Hazard hit the post, which was as close as it got. And yet within a minute, they were further behind.

Colback, hugely impressive, first won the ball in midfield and then drove on to release Sissoko, who was through on goal. Courtois came out to block but the ball deflected into the path of Cisse, on hand, to steer in his second of the game.

Finally, a subdued St James’ Park erupted. This was turning into an outstanding performance; and then Steven Taylor, in his eagerness, jeopardised it, scything through Andre Schurrle in the 81st minute. It was a clear red card, and barely a protest was registered. From the free-kick on 83 minutes, Fabregas curled the ball in and Alnwick, excellent until then, failed to come and collect, and Drogba simply headed home.

Alnwick would redeem himself – saves from Costa and Felipe Luis in the dying minutes saved his team. His day, his manager’s day was complete. Newcastle earned their win – and Mourinho’s invincibles are no more.