English Premier League outfit Tottenham had to settle for a third straight Europa League draw yesterday when they were held 1-1 at Slovenia’s Maribor.
Midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson rescued a point to keep the Londoners in touch with Group J leaders Lazio, who could only manage the same scoreline at Panathinaikos.
Spurs trail the Italians by two points after a poor showing at the Stadion Ljudski, where last season Maribor were not good enough to see off second tier English Championship side Birmingham.
Robert Beric fired in from close range three minutes before the break for Maribor but Spurs’ boss Andre Villas-Boas sent on Spaniard Iago Falque and he whipped over the cross which ultimately saw Sigurdsson convert in a goalmouth melee.
Of some consolation to Spurs was Jose Verdu Nicolas’s last-gasp leveller for Panathinaikos which denied Lazio a win which looked to be there for the taking for the Romans after Georgios Seitaridis had put through his own goal in the first half.
In other early action, Genk of Belgium made it three wins in three by defeating Sporting Lisbon 2-1 while Hungary’s Videoton are second after beating Swiss side Basel in Group G.
Former European champions Inter lead Group H after Rodrigo Palacio netted the only goal against Partizan Belgrade with only two minutes to go but Russia’s Rubin Kazan edged Neftci of Azerbaijan by the same score to stay level on points with seven from three games.
Lyon thanked a Jimmy Briand goal on 86 minutes for a third straight win – 2-1 over Group I tailenders Athletic Bilbao and Sparta Prague lie second after a 3-1 win over Israel’s Hapoel Kiryat Shmona.
Gabriel Obertan’s first goal of the season maintained Newcastle's challenge as the Ameobi brothers joined forces to see off Brugge 1-0.
Shola, 31, and 20-year-old Sammy combined in breathtaking style three minutes into the second half to set up the Frenchman to secure the narrowest of vict-ories that left the Magpies on the brink of qualification for the last 32.
A superb strike from Stewart Downing saw Liverpool claim victory over Anzhi Makhachkala 1-0 at Anfield and move into top spot in Group A.
Downing cracked home an unstoppable effort from outside the box in the 53rd minute after coming in from the left flank.
The win was no less than the Reds deserved having been the better side for much of the contest, and they now lead the group with six points from three games.
In the other match from the group, Raul Bobadilla continued his recent hot streak as he fired a hat-trick to revive Young Boys’ hopes with a 3-1 home win over Udinese.
Bobadilla had the Swiss side cruising with goals after four and 72 minutes but Udinese threatened a comeback when Andrea Coda headed in moments later.
But Bobadilla eased any home concerns when he coolly converted an 82nd-minute penalty to grab his hat-trick.
Ukrainian side Dnipro earned a third win in as many games when they saw off Napoli 3-1 to top Group F at the midway stage.
Artem Fedetskiy's early goal and Matheus’ header shortly before half-time gave the hosts a comfortable interval lead.
It was extended by Victor Giuliano before Napoli substitute Edinson Cavani netted a consolation goal from the penalty spot.
Yesterday’s results...
Group A: Liverpool vs Anzhi 1-0; Young Boys vs Udinese 3-1.
Standings: Liverpool 6; Anzhi, Udinese 4; Young Boys 3.
Group B: Hapoel Tel-Aviv vs Viktoria Plzen 1-2; Atletico Madrid vs Coimbra 2-1.
Standings: A. Madrid 9; V. Plzen 6; Coimbra, Hapoel 1.
Group C: AEL Limassol vs Fenerbahce 0-1; Bor. M’gladbach vs Marseille 2-0.
Standings: Fenerbahce 7; Mar-seille, Borussia M’gladbach 4; AEL Limassol 1.
Group D: Maritimo vs Bordeaux 1-1; Newcastle vs Club Brugge 1-0.
Standings: Newcastle United 7; Bordeaux 4; Club Brugge 3; Maritimo 2.
Group E: Stuttgart vs FC Copenhagen 0-0; Steaua Bucarest vs Molde 2-0.
Standings: S. Bucharest 7; Copenhagen 4; Molde 3; FC Stuttgart 2.
Group F: Dnipro vs Napoli 3-1; PSV vs AIK Solna 1-1.
Standings: Dnipro 9; PSV 4; Napoli 3; AIK Solna 1.
Group G: Genk vs Sporting Lisbon 2-1; Videoton vs FC Basel 2-1.
Standings: Genk 7; Videoton 6; Basel 2; S. Lisbon 1.
Group H: Rubin Kazan vs Neftchi 1-0. Inter vs Partizan Belgrade 1-0.
Standings: Inter, Rubin Kazan 7; Neftchi, P. Belgrade 1.
Group I: Lyon vs Athletic Bilbao 2-1; Sparta Prague vs Hapoel Kiryat Shmona 3-1.
Standings: Lyon 9; S. Prague 6; H.K. Shmona, A. Bilbao 1.
Group J: Maribor vs Tottenham 1-1; Panathinaikos vs Lazio 1-1.
Standings: Lazio 5; Maribor 4; Tottenham Hotspur 3; Pana-thinaikos 2.
Group K: Rapid Vienna vs Bayer Leverkusen 0-4; Rosenborg vs Metalist Kharkiv 1-2.
Standings: M. Kharkiv, Bayer Leverkusen 7; Rosenborg 3; R. Vienna 0.
Group L: Levante vs FC Twente 3-0; Helsingborgs vs Hanover 1-2.
Standings: Hanover 7; Levante 6; FC Twente 2; Helsingborgs 1.