UEFA CUP WRAP: Darren Bent grabbed a hat-trick against Dinamo Zagreb as Tottenham's revival under Harry Redknapp continued with UEFA Cup victory.
Tom Huddlestone had a hand in all of Bent's goals and added a stunning volley himself in a 4-0 win at White Hart Lane.
Spurs lost their opening Group D match 2-0 at Udinese a fortnight ago, and the Serie A high-flyers continued their 100 percent record on Thursday to move clear at the pool summit with a 2-1 triumph over Spartak Moscow.
Fabio Quagliarella put Udinese ahead in the 12th minute and, although Clemente Rodriguez levelled five minutes later, the Italy international coolly struck a spot-kick home on the hour mark to ensure the Friuli outfit all three points.
A stunning stoppage-time strike by substitute Ronaldinho saw AC Milan snatch a 1-0 win over Braga in Group E.
Ronaldinho replaced Alexandre Pato in the 63rd minute and unleashed an unstoppable shot in the 93rd minute to put the Rossoneri top of their pool.
Edin Dzeko struck twice as Wolfsburg started its Group E campaign in fine fashion with a thumping 5-1 home win over Heerenveen.
The hosts had gone behind when Mika Vayrynen struck in the 31st minute, but Heerenveen's joy was shortlived as Wolfsburg notched twice in the next eight minutes - through Dzeko and Grafite - to take a lead it would never look like relinquishing.
Zvjezdan Misimovic added a third eight minutes after the interval and when Dzeko completed his brace on the hour mark the game was safe. Jacek Krzynowek rounded out the scoring in the 71st minute.
Manchester City got its Group A campaign off to a winning start with a 3-2 triumph over FC Twente.
Robinho proved he is a class act by curling a shot from just inside the penalty area over goalkeeper Sander Boschker in the 56th minute.
Shaun Wright-Phillips and Benjani Mwaruwari were also on target but Twente responded with goals from Eljero Elia and Robbie Wielaert.
Despite having played only one game, Mark Hughes' side lie second in the pool, a point behind Schalke which drew 1-1 at Racing Santander in its second match.
Summer acquisition Orlando Engelaar rescued a point for the German side after Mohamed Tchite's close-range 57th-minute opener.
Vagner Love was again the star of the night as his brace sent CSKA Moscow two points clear at the top of Group H following a 3-1 victory at Feyenoord.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst put through his own net in the 14th minute to give CSKA the lead but he made amends with a goal at the right end to level matters just before the half-hour mark.
However, Love was on hand five minutes before half-time and he sealed the match in the 81st minute with his fifth goal in four games in Europe this season.
The only dark point for the visitors was the dismissal of Eugeni Aldonin two minutes later.
Also in Group H, Moncef Zerka salvaged a 2-2 draw for Nancy with an equaliser nine minutes from time against Lech Poznan.
Chris Malonga cancelled out the opener scored by Lech striker Slawomir Peszko in the fifth minute, but the hosts looked like they were going to take maximum points when Nancy goalkeeper Gennaro Bracigliano carried Semir Stilic's free-kick into his own net under no pressure in the 22nd minute.
However, Zerka secured a draw for the Lorraine club and it now has four points from two games, following its 3-0 win over Feyenoord on matchday one.
European competition again brought the best out of Standard Liege as the Belgian champion began its Group C campaign with the notable scalp of Sevilla.
Standard impressed during its European encounters against English giants Liverpool and Everton earlier this season, and it followed that up by downing 2006 and 2007 UEFA Cup winner Sevilla 1-0 thanks to Dieudonne Mbokani's first-half strike.
In the same pool, Mario Gomez notched two goals in three minutes to hand Stuttgart its first victory - 2-0 against Partizan Belgrade.
Gomez fired the Bundesliga outfit ahead after 77 minutes before doubling his tally just moments later.
Stuttgart's Bundesliga rival Hertha Berlin, meanwhile, was fortunate to escape with a 0-0 draw in its Group B clash with Metalist Kharkiv in Ukraine.
Galatasaray extended its lead at the top of Group B to four points with a 2-0 win at Benfica.
Playing its first competitive game in Portugal, the Turkish side - without injured star Harry Kewell - scored twice in the second half through Emre Asik and Umit Karan to maintain its 100 percent record in the competition.
Luis Suarez scored the only goal of the game as Ajax revived its European ambitions with a 1-0 win over Zilina in Group F.
The Uruguayan forward was suspended for the Amsterdammers' 2-0 win over FC Twente last weekend, but returned to the line-up to score four minutes from half-time.
Marco van Basten's team lost its opener 2-1 at Aston Villa last time out, and Martin O'Neill's side clinched another win on Thursday - this time 1-0 at Slavia Prague.
John Carew's fortuitous goal midway through the first half was enough to see Villa become the first team to beat Slavia at its new Eden Stadion.
In Group G, St Etienne scored three times in 17 second-half minutes against Rosenborg to all but secure progression into the UEFA Cup's last 32 and ease the pressure on under-fire coach Laurent Roussey.
Les Verts struggled in the first half but were sensational after the break, Araujo Ilan, Paulo Machado and substitute Kevin Mirallas grabbing the goals in the 3-0 win.
The French outfit ended the evening five points clear at the top of the pool, with all four other teams on just one point after Valencia could only draw 1-1 against FC Copenhagen at the Mestalla.
Los Che, having had a blank week in the opening round of fixtures, had looked set to take all three points thanks to Fernando Morientes' 60th-minute tap-in, but Cesar Santin's goal five minutes from the end saw the spoils shared.
Group A
Manchester C. 3
Phillips 2, Robinho 57, Mwaruwari 62
FC Twente Enschede 2
Elia 17, Wielaert 65
Racing Santander 1
Tchit 59
Schalke 1
Engelaar 61
Group B
Metalist Kharkiv 0
Hertha BSC 0
Benfica 0
Galatasaray 2
Asik 52, Karan 69
Group C
Stuttgart 2
Gomez 76, 80
Partizan Belgrade 0
Standard Liege 1
Mbokani 38
Sevilla 0
Group D
Spartak Moscow 1
Rodriguez 17
Udinese 2
Quagliarella 12, 60p
Tottenham H. 4
Bent 30, 33, 70, Huddlestone 59
Dinamo Zagreb 0
Group E
Wolfsburg 5
Dzeko 34, 60, Grafite 39, Misimovic 53, Krzynowek 71
SC Heerenveen 1
Vyrynen 31
AC Milan 1
Ronaldinho 90
Braga 0
Group F
Ajax Amsterdam 1
Suarez 41
Zilina 0
Slavia Prague 0
Aston Villa 1
Carew 26
Group G
Saint-Etienne 3
Ilan 58, Machado 63, Mirallas 76
Rosenborg 0
Valencia 1
Morientes 61
FC Copenhagen 1
Santin 84
Group H
Lech Poznan 2
Peszko 5, Stilic 21
Nancy 2
Ntsayi 8, Zerka 81
Feyenoord Rotterdam 1
Bronckhorst 29
CSKA Moscow 3
Berezutski 13, Love 40, 81
Spurs lost their opening Group D match 2-0 at Udinese a fortnight ago, and the Serie A high-flyers continued their 100 percent record on Thursday to move clear at the pool summit with a 2-1 triumph over Spartak Moscow.
Fabio Quagliarella put Udinese ahead in the 12th minute and, although Clemente Rodriguez levelled five minutes later, the Italy international coolly struck a spot-kick home on the hour mark to ensure the Friuli outfit all three points.
A stunning stoppage-time strike by substitute Ronaldinho saw AC Milan snatch a 1-0 win over Braga in Group E.
Ronaldinho replaced Alexandre Pato in the 63rd minute and unleashed an unstoppable shot in the 93rd minute to put the Rossoneri top of their pool.
Edin Dzeko struck twice as Wolfsburg started its Group E campaign in fine fashion with a thumping 5-1 home win over Heerenveen.
The hosts had gone behind when Mika Vayrynen struck in the 31st minute, but Heerenveen's joy was shortlived as Wolfsburg notched twice in the next eight minutes - through Dzeko and Grafite - to take a lead it would never look like relinquishing.
Zvjezdan Misimovic added a third eight minutes after the interval and when Dzeko completed his brace on the hour mark the game was safe. Jacek Krzynowek rounded out the scoring in the 71st minute.
Manchester City got its Group A campaign off to a winning start with a 3-2 triumph over FC Twente.
Robinho proved he is a class act by curling a shot from just inside the penalty area over goalkeeper Sander Boschker in the 56th minute.
Shaun Wright-Phillips and Benjani Mwaruwari were also on target but Twente responded with goals from Eljero Elia and Robbie Wielaert.
Despite having played only one game, Mark Hughes' side lie second in the pool, a point behind Schalke which drew 1-1 at Racing Santander in its second match.
Summer acquisition Orlando Engelaar rescued a point for the German side after Mohamed Tchite's close-range 57th-minute opener.
Vagner Love was again the star of the night as his brace sent CSKA Moscow two points clear at the top of Group H following a 3-1 victory at Feyenoord.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst put through his own net in the 14th minute to give CSKA the lead but he made amends with a goal at the right end to level matters just before the half-hour mark.
However, Love was on hand five minutes before half-time and he sealed the match in the 81st minute with his fifth goal in four games in Europe this season.
The only dark point for the visitors was the dismissal of Eugeni Aldonin two minutes later.
Also in Group H, Moncef Zerka salvaged a 2-2 draw for Nancy with an equaliser nine minutes from time against Lech Poznan.
Chris Malonga cancelled out the opener scored by Lech striker Slawomir Peszko in the fifth minute, but the hosts looked like they were going to take maximum points when Nancy goalkeeper Gennaro Bracigliano carried Semir Stilic's free-kick into his own net under no pressure in the 22nd minute.
However, Zerka secured a draw for the Lorraine club and it now has four points from two games, following its 3-0 win over Feyenoord on matchday one.
European competition again brought the best out of Standard Liege as the Belgian champion began its Group C campaign with the notable scalp of Sevilla.
Standard impressed during its European encounters against English giants Liverpool and Everton earlier this season, and it followed that up by downing 2006 and 2007 UEFA Cup winner Sevilla 1-0 thanks to Dieudonne Mbokani's first-half strike.
In the same pool, Mario Gomez notched two goals in three minutes to hand Stuttgart its first victory - 2-0 against Partizan Belgrade.
Gomez fired the Bundesliga outfit ahead after 77 minutes before doubling his tally just moments later.
Stuttgart's Bundesliga rival Hertha Berlin, meanwhile, was fortunate to escape with a 0-0 draw in its Group B clash with Metalist Kharkiv in Ukraine.
Galatasaray extended its lead at the top of Group B to four points with a 2-0 win at Benfica.
Playing its first competitive game in Portugal, the Turkish side - without injured star Harry Kewell - scored twice in the second half through Emre Asik and Umit Karan to maintain its 100 percent record in the competition.
Luis Suarez scored the only goal of the game as Ajax revived its European ambitions with a 1-0 win over Zilina in Group F.
The Uruguayan forward was suspended for the Amsterdammers' 2-0 win over FC Twente last weekend, but returned to the line-up to score four minutes from half-time.
Marco van Basten's team lost its opener 2-1 at Aston Villa last time out, and Martin O'Neill's side clinched another win on Thursday - this time 1-0 at Slavia Prague.
John Carew's fortuitous goal midway through the first half was enough to see Villa become the first team to beat Slavia at its new Eden Stadion.
In Group G, St Etienne scored three times in 17 second-half minutes against Rosenborg to all but secure progression into the UEFA Cup's last 32 and ease the pressure on under-fire coach Laurent Roussey.
Les Verts struggled in the first half but were sensational after the break, Araujo Ilan, Paulo Machado and substitute Kevin Mirallas grabbing the goals in the 3-0 win.
The French outfit ended the evening five points clear at the top of the pool, with all four other teams on just one point after Valencia could only draw 1-1 against FC Copenhagen at the Mestalla.
Los Che, having had a blank week in the opening round of fixtures, had looked set to take all three points thanks to Fernando Morientes' 60th-minute tap-in, but Cesar Santin's goal five minutes from the end saw the spoils shared.
Group A
Manchester C. 3
Phillips 2, Robinho 57, Mwaruwari 62
FC Twente Enschede 2
Elia 17, Wielaert 65
Racing Santander 1
Tchit 59
Schalke 1
Engelaar 61
Group B
Metalist Kharkiv 0
Hertha BSC 0
Benfica 0
Galatasaray 2
Asik 52, Karan 69
Group C
Stuttgart 2
Gomez 76, 80
Partizan Belgrade 0
Standard Liege 1
Mbokani 38
Sevilla 0
Group D
Spartak Moscow 1
Rodriguez 17
Udinese 2
Quagliarella 12, 60p
Tottenham H. 4
Bent 30, 33, 70, Huddlestone 59
Dinamo Zagreb 0
Group E
Wolfsburg 5
Dzeko 34, 60, Grafite 39, Misimovic 53, Krzynowek 71
SC Heerenveen 1
Vyrynen 31
AC Milan 1
Ronaldinho 90
Braga 0
Group F
Ajax Amsterdam 1
Suarez 41
Zilina 0
Slavia Prague 0
Aston Villa 1
Carew 26
Group G
Saint-Etienne 3
Ilan 58, Machado 63, Mirallas 76
Rosenborg 0
Valencia 1
Morientes 61
FC Copenhagen 1
Santin 84
Group H
Lech Poznan 2
Peszko 5, Stilic 21
Nancy 2
Ntsayi 8, Zerka 81
Feyenoord Rotterdam 1
Bronckhorst 29
CSKA Moscow 3
Berezutski 13, Love 40, 81
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