LONDON, Oct 20: After Manchester took top billing in the Champions league on Tuesday it was London’s turn on Wednesday when Chelsea and Arsenal recorded impressive, though contrasting, victories as the Premier League again flexed its muscles.
Chelsea hammered Racing Genk 5-0 at Stamford Bridge to stay top of Group ‘E’ while Arsenal moved top of Group ‘F’ after Aaron Ramsey’s stoppage-time goal earned a 1-0 victory at Olympique Marseille.
There were also the expected wins for Barcelona and AC Milan, who, at the halfway point of the group stage, both already look sure to progress from Group ‘H.’
Less predictable was APOEL Nicosia’s 1-1 draw at last year’s Europa League winners Porto, which kept the Cypriot outsiders top of Group ‘G.’
Manchester United and Manchester City each recorded their first wins of the campaign on Tuesday and still have work to do to make sure of progress but Chelsea can start planning for the last 16 after equalling their record Champions League win againstan outclassed Genk.
Fernando Torres, gradually rediscovering his sharpness after a difficult eight months in west London, got two goals while Raul Meireles, Branislav Ivanovic and substitute Salomon Kalou were also on target.
The game was effectively over after Meireles fired home from 25 metres and Torres tucked in from close range inside the first 11 minutes.
With Genk missing key players through injury and on a poor run of domestic form, Chelsea went on to record their biggest home win in the competition and equal their best overall - a 5-0 success at Galatasaray in 1999. “Everybody wants to play.
He has been out for a long period but is keeping his form well,” Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas said of Torres, currently suspended domestically after a red card against Swansea City.
Chelsea have seven points, one ahead of Bayer Leverkusen after the Germans came from behind to beat third-placed Valencia.
Valencia led at the interval through Jonas but Andre Schuerrle smashed in the equaliser in the 52nd minute and Sidney Samscored the winner four minutes later as Leverkusen secured their first win over a Spanish side in the last eight attempts.
Having won their first two games without conceding, Marseille seemed content to play for a goalless draw once their early efforts came to nothing, and they paid a heavy price.
Arsenal, who like the home side have been struggling domestically, continued to look for the winner and got it in injury time when substitute Ramsey was left alone in the box.
Results: At Leverkusen, Germany:Bayer Leverkusen (GER) 2 Valencia (ESP) 1
At London:Chelsea (ENG) 5 Genk (BEL) 0
At Marseille, France:Marseille (FRA) 0 Arsenal (ENG) 1
At Piraeus, Greece:Olympiakos (GRE) 3 Borussia Dortmund (GER) 1
At Donetsk, Ukraine:Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) 2 Zenit St Petersburg (RUS) 2
At Oporto, Portugal:Porto (POR) 1 APOEL Nicosia (CYP) 1
At Barcelona, Spain:Barcelona (ESP) 2 Viktoria Plzen (CZE) 0
At Milan, Italy:AC Milan (ITA) 2 BATE Borisov (BLR) 0—Reuters