Chelsea and Arsenal made it two wins out of two in the European Champions League on Tuesday in contrasting style.
The Premier League champions Chelsea were rarely troubled in a 2-0 victory over Olympique Marseille from John Terry and Nicolas Anelka’s first-half goals.
Arsenal prevailed 3-1 at 10-man Partizan Belgrade from late goals by Marouane Chamakh and Sebastien Squillac as each club failed to convert a penalty.
Victory was sweet for the London rivals who had both lost in the Premier League on the weekend. They were joined on a maximum six points by Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Spartak Moscow and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Last season’s runners-up Munich rallied to win 2-1 at Swiss side Basel and the record champions Real Madrid prevailed 1-0 at AJ Auxerre. Spartak defeated MSK Zilina 3-0 and Shakhtar won 3-0 at Sporting Braga.
Former winners Ajax Amsterdam and AC Milan drew 1-1 and Roma edged CFR Cluj 2-1.
Chelsea and Spartak Moscow command Group F into their first meeting in Russia next month.
The Blues got a quick lead in the seventh minute when Terry’s tight-angle flick found its way across the line between a defender and the near right post.
Anelka got his third goal in two games in the 28th from the penalty spot after Stephane Mbia handled Michael Essien’s cross.
In Group E, Munich’s domestic woes appeared to continue when Alexander Frei curled home Basel’s 18th-minute lead. But Schweinsteiger was on target with a 55th-minute penalty and then tapped in Holger Badstuber’s freekick for an 89th-minute winner.
Philippe Mexes and Marco Borriello struck within two minutes in the 69th and 71st minute as Roma beat Cluj in the other game, with both sides on three points behind Munich (six). Basel are last with zero points.
Auxerre are yet to win in the French league and also failed to create a Group G upset against Real, who were lucky when Pepe headed against his own crossbar before they snatched a late winner.
Substitutes Mesut Oezil and Di Maria connected for the winner in the 82nd minute, with Di Maria firing home a low shot.
In Amsterdam, former Ajax players Clarence Seedorf and Zltatan Ibrahimovic spoilt a home party as Milan are now unbeaten in five games against the Dutch since losing the 1995 final against them.
Seedorf, who played for Ajax in the game 15 years ago, fed Ibrahimovic for the 37th-minute equaliser after Mounir el Hamdaoui had put the hosts 1-0 up in the 23rd.
Real lead the way with six points, Milan have four, Ajax one and Auxerre zero. In Belgrade, Arshavin gave Arsenal a 15th-minute 1-0 lead in a classy one-two move with Jack Wilshere. But Partizan were back in the match in the 32nd from Cleo’s penalty after Denilson’s handball.
Arsenal were not so lucky from the spot in the 56th when Vladimir Stojkovic saved Arshavin’s penalty. Marko Jovanovic had brought down Marouane Chamakh and was sent off for the last-man foul. Marouane Chamakh in the 71st and Sebastien Squillac’s header in the 82nd clinched victory for Arsenal after all and Cleo then also failed to convert a penalty for Partizan in the 84th.
Donetsk matched Arsenal six points in the other Group H game with the win in Braga from Luiz Adriano and Douglas Costa. Partizan and Braga are yet to pick up a point.
