Winners move closer to knockout round

Lyon, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Celtic, CSKA Moscow and Milan all won yesterday to move a step nearer the knockout rounds of the Champions League as the group phase reached the half-way point.

Lyon maintained their perfect start in Group E with a 3-0 win over Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine, to move on to nine points from their three matches, while Kiev's hopes all but vanished with their third successive defeat.

Real Madrid came back from their first domestic league defeat of the season at the weekend to win 4-1 at Steaua Bucharest and look set to also qualify from the same section. They have six points from their opening three games.

Manchester United look sure to progress from Group F after a 3-0 win over FC Copenhagen at Old Trafford, their third straight win.

Paul Scholes's first goal since the end of last year set United, with Wayne Rooney as captain, on their way. Victory was secured by second-half goals from John O'Shea and substitute Kieran Richardson.

Danish champions Copenhagen caused the home side some moments of concern in the opening half hour at Old Trafford but once Scholes struck six minutes before the interval the outcome was never in doubt.

The former England international missed four months of last season with a serious eye injury but he showed perfect vision to beat the impressive Jesper Christiansen to kill off any prospect of an upset.

Celtic beat Benfica 3-0 in Glasgow and have emerged as the favourites to progress with United from the same group. They are five points clear of Benfica and Copenhagen who both have one point each.

CSKA Moscow moved to the top of Group G at the expense of Arsenal who they beat 1-0 in Moscow to climb to seven points from their three matches. Arsenal slipped to second on six points, just two ahead of Porto who beat Hamburg 4-1 at home.

Arsenal's winning run in the Champions League came to an abrupt end after Brazil's Daniel Carvalho fired CSKA Moscow to victory over last season's finalists.

CSKA's Brazilian playmaker blasted the ball home in the 24th minute but Arsenal were left to rue an 86th minute strike by captain Thierry Henry that was disallowed and led to the French striker being booked.

Henry's 'arm control'

Henry was judged to have used his arm to control the ball as he brought it down, making it the third effort of the game to be disallowed.

Team-mate Gilberto was denied by an offside position for Kolo Toure minutes earlier while CSKA's Vagner Love had a strike disallowed for offside in the first half.

Milan stayed top of Group H with seven points after their 1-0 win at Anderlecht, with Lille moving on to five points after their 3-1 home victory over AEK Athens, who have now played 21 Champions League matches without ever winning one.

A second-half strike from Kaka helped 10-man Milan squeeze past Anderlecht. The Brazilian midfielder popped up in the 58th minute to rifle home superbly from 25 yards to save Milan's blushes and keep his side top of the table with seven points from three outings. Anderlecht have two points.

But the home side could have snatched an equaliser on at least two occasions late in the game.

First, Milan goalkeeper, Dida saved smartly at the feet of Mohamed Tchite, before Anderlecht defender Roland Juhasz struck the crossbar with a header with just three minutes remaining.

Milan played for the most of the second half with 10 men after defender Daniele Bonera was red carded for a second bookable offence when he kicked the ball away in anger after a decision by Spanish referee Luis Medina Cantalejo.