Champions League Results

Man Utd huffed and puffed to a stalemate with Villareal at the Madrigal – the fourth consecutive Champions League 0-0 between the two clubs. With both sides needing just a draw – bar freak results – to qualify, this was never going to be one for the purists.

Utd had the best of it, with Diego Lopez denying Ronaldo, Rooney, Anderson and Fletcher – but a draw was a fair result in a dull overall contest. A rare moment of excitement came with Capdevila’s dismissal for an attack on Ronaldo – if only he had actually injured him…

Giuseppi Rossi looked lively for the home side and Marcos Senna was impressive in midfield, but they were disappointing. However, with results elsewhere, it was enough to see both sides comfortably through to the knockout stages.

That progress was facilitated by poor Celtic‘s defeat in Denmark, making it 17 defeats from 18 away Champions League games. They had far the best of it against a poor Aalborg side, with Samaras (twice) and Nakamura missing golden chances, but ultimately lost 2-1.

Celtic broke the deadlock with a fine Scott Brown header in the 54th minute, and from there threatened to overrun the home side. However, a heavily deflected long range shot from Caca restored parity for the Danes against the run of play, and as both sides went for the win in the closing stages it was Celtic hearts that were broken, a Glenn Loovens clearance riocheting off Gary Caldwell and into the net.

If Celtic cannot win a away game against poor oppostion, with the best of the play, and by far the better chances, will they ever win one?

To finish the British sides, Arsenal got back on track with a late Nicklas Bendnter goal. It was a deserved victory, and one that got Cesc Fabregas’ captaincy off to a winning start. William Gallas was warmly received by the Arsenal fans upon his return, showing that there is some sympathy for his sentiments. He was at the heart of everything, nearly gifting Kiev a goal and having one disallowed himself.

The win sent Arsenal safely into the knockout stage, alongside Porto, who secured passage by beating Fenerbahce 2-1.

In the other groups, Lyon and Bayern Munich both won and are both through, and Real edged past BATE to join Juventus in qualifying from Group H.

Click here for the full results and scorers from the BBC – and here for all the goals.