Champions League Tuesday Night (Match Day 3)

The Blues returned to the scene of their 2008 final defeat by Manchester United but left the Luzhniki Stadium with all three points courtesy of a 2-0 success to continue their 100 per cent record and Arsenal can also boast nine points from nine after having little difficulty in overcoming Shakhtar 5-1 at Emirates Stadium, with former Gunners striker Eduardo making an emotional goalscoring return to North London.

Yuri Zhirkov'sstunning strike set Chelsea on their way to a 2-0 victory over Spartak Moscow as they pushed their last visit to the Luzhniki Stadium to the back of their minds.

Zhirkov unleashed a spectacular left-foot volley from outside the box which gave goalkeeper Andriy Dykan no chance in the 23rd minute as the Blues put themselves on the brink of qualification from Group F.

Nicolas Anelka added a second before the break after good work from Michael Essienand although Spartak came back strongly after the break, Carlo Ancelotti's men held firm to secure a third win from three.

Perfect

Arsenal can boast an equally perfect record with Shakhtar Donetsk the latest to be undone by Arsene Wenger's side in continental competition this campaign, with the first goal in their 5-1 defeat an absolute gift.

Goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov inexplicably failed to deal with a routine ball into the box and Alex Song was on hand to pounce from close range, although he was almost embarrassed after some unnecessary showboating with his finish. Song then crossed for Samir Nasri to double the Gunners' lead before the break as the in-form France international showed superb skill to control the ball, spin away from the defender and lash beyond a helpless Pyatov. Returning captain Cesc Fabregas lashed home a third from the penalty spot after Luiz Adriano was penalised for attempting to put Johan Djourou into a headlock, before being brought off just as former team-mate Eduardo took to the field to a very warm reception. But Eduardo and his team-mates could only look on in admiration as Jack Wilshere made it 4-0 after playing a slick one-two with Tomas Rosicky before Marouane Chamakh added a fifth soon after. However, there was still time for the Croatia international to earn a generous standing ovation from the home supporters as he produced the kind of finish all-too rarely soon during his injury-hit stay with the club.

Braga picked up their first victory of the campaign against Partizan Belgrade in the clash between Group H's also-rans as Lima curled a sweet free-kick over the wall and beyond Vladimir Stojkovic's despairing dive, before Matheus added a second at the death.

Marseille got off the mark in Group F as they inflicted a third successive defeat on MSK Zilina as Lucho Gonzalez's corner was headed home by Souleymane Diawara, although Martin Dubravka could have done more to keep it out.

Heavyweights

Real Madrid came out on top in the clash of European heavyweights at Santiago Bernabeu as AC Milan were left reeling with two goals in as many minutes in the opening quarter of an hour. The Milan wall opened up to allow Cristiano Ronaldo's tame free-kick to beat a static Marco Amelia, with the visiting goalkeeper helpless again soon after as Mesut Ozil's shot took a huge deflection off Daniele Bonera.

Ajax moved level on four points with Massimiliano Allegri's men although they were left hanging on for their 2-1 victory over Auxerre in Amsterdam. Stunning strikes from Demy De Zeeuw and Luis Suarez put the hosts in control, but Andre Ooijer's second half red card allowed Valter Birsa to reduce the arrears with a great free-kick from the edge of the box. But their hopes of a comeback were ended with the late dismissal of Dennis Oliech, while substitute Jean-Pascal Mignot also saw red despite not even making it onto the field.

Bayern Munich are in firm control at the summit of Group E but they were given a huge helping hand from CFR Cluj as the Romanian visitors contrived to score two own goals. Corin Cartu's side stunned the Bayern fans by forging head in the 28th minute thanks to Cadu's far post header, but the Cluj skipper then inadvertently turned the ball past his own keeper four minutes later. The generosity did not end there, with Cristian Panin turning a corner beyond his own bemused goalkeeper Eduard Stancioiu, before Cadu's attempted clearance struck Mario Gomez to end the game as a contest in the 77th minute, with Juan Culio's late second for Cluj not enough.

The race for second place in Group E is tight after Basel claimed their first victory with a surprise 3-1 success away to Roma. Alexander Frei's blistering opener was swiftly cancelled out by Marco Borriello's assured finish, only for Samuel Inkoom to again silence the Stadio Olimpico moments before the interval and Adilson Cabral to seal the victory in the closing seconds.

Best Regards,

Tauqeer Ahmed

"Roma was aweful. Looking for a better Milan performance."