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Atiba Hutchinson and Dame NDoye scored Sunday to lead FC Copenhagen to a 2-0 win over FC Midtjylland and retain second place in the Danish league.

Hutchinson gave the defending champions a fifth-minute lead after receiving a pass from William Kvist. NDoye secured the win with an 88th-minute goal from a pass by Oscar Wendt.

FC Copenhagen is second with 34 points from 17 games. Odense, which will play Koge on Monday, leads with 35 points after 16 games.

Earlier Sunday, Randers FC drew 0-0 with SonderjyskE and Silkeborg beat FC Nordsjalland 1-0 after a goal by Christian Holst in the 77th minute.

On Saturday, Esbjerg drew 1-1 with Aalborg to stay third in the standings with 32 points.

Defending champion Bordeaux beat Nancy 3-0 to go top of the French league on Sunday.

Bordeaux, which bounced back from two straight league losses, leads the standings with 28 points from 14 matches, two clear of Lyon, which drew 1-1 with mid-table Rennes.
Despite missing France playmaker Yoann Gourcuff due to a groin injury, Bordeaux took the lead in the 25th minute in Nancy, Yoan Gouffran pulling the ball back for Fernando Menegazzo to score with a low shot.

Brazilian midfielder Geraldo Wendel skipped past two Nancy defenders before chipping goalkeeper Gennaro Bracigliano for Bordeauxs second in the 61st minute and Gouffran sealed the win with an angled shot which flew in off the post in the 75th.

Nancy slipped to 16th place with 17 points.

In Lyon, Asamoah Gyan took advantage of a missed interception from Jean-Alain Boumsong to collect a through ball from Guinea forward Ismael Bangoura and put Rennes ahead with a low angled drive in the 15th minute. Gyans eighth goal of the season made him the leagues second highest scorer, one goal behind Monacos Nene.

Lyon stepped up the pressure on the Rennes defense with a long-range effort from Cris in the 25th minute and a free kick from Bosnia midfielder Miralem Pjanic in the 29th, both of which sailed wide.

Pjanic then beat the offside trap in the 34th to go clear on goal, only to be denied by Rennes keeper Abdoulaye Diallo.

Argentine forward Lisandro Lopez made up for his teammates poor finishing with a pinpoint curling free kick from 25 meters to equalize for Lyon in the 42nd minute and raise his league tally to five goals.

Either side could have won the match in the closing minutes. France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris saved Lyon from defeat in the 82nd when he stopped a close-range shot from Bruno Cheyrou with his leg.

Lyon nearly won the match in the 89th but Diallo tipped Bafetimbi Gomiss powerful strike against the bar.

Meanwhile, Saint-Etienne was held 1-1 at Le Mans.

Anthony Le Tallec equalized with a 73rd minute header for Le Mans after Brazilian striker Araujo Ilan tucked home a cross from Bakary Sako in the 18th to open the scoring for Saint-Etienne.

Le Mans ended a four-game losing streak with the draw but remained in the relegation zone with nine points, five behind Saint-Etienne.

Auxerre lost top spot with a 1-0 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday. Jeremy Clements second-half goal ended Auxerres seven-match winning streak.

Auxerre, now third, is level on points with Lyon while PSG has moved up to 12th with 19 points from 13 matches. But PSG paid a high price for the win as goalkeeper Gregory Coupet was carried off on a stretcher in the 85th minute after breaking his left ankle.

Coupet underwent surgery Sunday and will be sidelined for at least three months, the club said on its Web site.

Also Saturday, it was: Lorient 2, Grenoble 2; Lens 1, Marseille 0; Lille 4, Valenciennes 0; Sochaux 1, Nice 0 and Toulouse 1, Boulogne 0.

Monacos match against Montpellier was postponed after an outbreak of swine flu hit the Montpellier squad.

Didier Drogba scored twice as Chelsea maintained its five-point Premier League lead with a 3-0 victory at Arsenal on Sunday, while Liverpools monthlong search for a league win ended with a 2-0 victory at Everton.

Drogba scored toward the end of each half to total 10 goals in nine games against Arsenal, whose defender Thomas Vermaelen also turned the ball into his own net at a rain-soaked Emirates Stadium.
We are playing really well with great team spirit and we need to continue this, Chelsea captain John Terry said. We soaked up the pressure, and going forward the midfielders and attackers were exceptional.

On Saturday, second-place Manchester United maintained the pressure on Chelsea by beating Portsmouth to go four points ahead of third-place Tottenham.

After a second straight loss, Arsenal is a point further adrift in the fourth Champions League spot, with Liverpool two points behind after Joseph Yobos own-goal and Dirk Kuyts late strike settled the 212th Merseyside derby at Everton.

Catching Chelsea is proving a tough task for the chasing pack, with a fifth straight league win strengthening its title bid.

While Arsenal dominated the first half of the London derby, Arsene Wengers injury-hit side failed to take its chances.

We lacked a little bit of the power in the final third, said Arsenal manager Arsenal Wenger, whose side also lost at Sunderland last weekend. We have nothing to be ashamed of our performance today … they have in Drogba an exceptional player.

With the break approaching, Ashley Cole crossed for Drogba to flick in his ninth goal in as many games off the far post in the 41st minute.

Arsenal barely had time to recover before John Terry combined with Ashley Cole, whose cross ricocheted off Vermaelens knee past his own goalkeeper and went in off the post again.

Arsenal playmaker Andrei Arshavin put the ball in the net from close range in the second half, but it was ruled out because Eduardo da Silva was adjudged to have kicked the ball out of Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cechs hands.

And Chelseas emphatic win was rounded off in the 86th when Drogba side-footed a free kick past goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.

Liverpools victory at Goodison Park owed much to Yobos errors. The Everton center back inadvertently diverted Javier Mascheranos 30-meter (yard) strike past goalkeeper Tim Howard in the 12th minute, and another late mistake from Nigeria international led to Kuyts goal.
Yobos error on an attempted clearance in the 80th allowed Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard to seize the loose ball and tee up Albert Riera for a shot that was parried by Howard but then kicked into the net by Kuyt.

Liverpools first league victory since Oct. 25 against Man. United was secured without injured striker Fernando Torres, and it helped lift some of the gloom surrounding the club in the wake of its elimination from the Champions League.

It was an important game to move up the league, Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said. Weve not performed as well as wed have liked this season. But were the ones who can change that, with a couple of wins hopefully we can do that, but we still have a long way to go.

Evertons third straight loss leaves it two points above the relegation zone.

I thought the players did a good job, Everton manager David Moyes said. Ive got encouragement from today but it doesnt change our position.

Everton striker Jo did find the back of the net twice but he was correctly judged to be offside both times.

Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina almost handed Everton a soft goal when he fumbled Steven Pienaars long-range shot and the ball dropped behind him before he quickly recovered it.

Reina made two crucial saves from Tim Cahills header and Marouane Fellainis follow-up.

Also Sunday, Lee Bowyer scored in the third minute to give Birmingham a 1-0 victory over Midlands rival Wolverhampton, which is in the relegation zone.

Arsenal forward Robin van Persie has been ruled out for up to five months after the club said Saturday he will need surgery on the ankle injury he sustained during international duty.
The lengthy recovery will leave Arsenal without Van Persie until the final matches of the season, which also means his playing time will have been limited before going to the World Cup in June with the Netherlands.

The 26-year-old forward tore ankle ligaments during the international friendly against Italy on Nov. 11 and was initially expected to return to action within six weeks.

But new tests showed that the damage was more extensive, with three ligaments ruptured in the right ankle, and he is likely to be out until the final weeks of the Premier League season.

Following reconstructive surgery next week in Amsterdam, a full recovery will take between four and five months, Arsenal said.
It is so frustrating to be out for months, Van Persie said. I was having a super season with the team. I had never felt as strong and powerful as this year. Apart from, I think, two matches, I either scored or made goals in all the games we played this season.

I was getting so strong, that I felt nobody could stop me anymore. That is the greatest feeling you can have as a player. It is such a pity that great run has been stopped for the time being by one kick in a friendly international match.

Van Persie defended his decision to visit a Belgrade clinic to see Marijana Kovacevic, who has a reputation as a miracle healer for sports injuries by using horse placenta.

If I had known at the time what I know now, I would have been operated (on) immediately, Van Persie told Arsenals Web site from Rotterdam. We have all been steered in the wrong direction. I have never wanted to go for alternative medical help before. Normally I am too cool for that kind of thing.

But because I wanted to grab every opportunity to get fit again and to be back on the pitch with Arsenal, I decided to have a go … (it) is not a bizarre thing. I did not have anything injected in my body.

Van Persies absence is a major blow to manager Arsene Wenger, who is without forward Nicklas Bendtner for about another two weeks following groin surgery.

Eduardo da Silva and Carlos Vela will be relied on for goals to end Arsenals five-year trophy drought.

But Eduardo has sustained various niggles since returning earlier this year from a broken leg and Vela, who has also been plagued by injury problems, has not been tested consistently in the Premier League.

Wenger may choose to deploy Theo Walcott as a central striker, a role the England international used to play in the second tier at Southampton. But Walcott has just returned from an injury that left him sidelined since the preseason.

Wolves midfielder Karl Henry has issued a rallying cry on the eve of Sundays crucial showdown with local rivals Birmingham at Molineux.

Mick McCarthys side have slipped into the Premier League relegation zone after seven games without a win.
They are five points adrift of Birmingham, who were promoted alongside them last season, and allowing that gap to increase to eight points is unthinkable in the home camp.

Wolves head into the match having conceded a total of eight goals in their last two games against Arsenal and Chelsea, but a defiant Henry said: Our confidence hasnt taken a knock from the last two defeats.

Arsenal and Chelsea are among the top teams in Europe and, while you give it your best and obviously try and pick up a result, its always going to very difficult.

Weve still got the belief that we can climb the table and theres still been a positive mood about the place this week.

We know Birmingham will be another tough game. Its a local derby and theyve picked up some decent results in recent weeks.

But weve played some good stuff this season and just need to turn those performances into more points on the board.

If we perform as we know we can then we have every chance of winning the game and thats what well be striving to do.

Henry is convinced Wolves can show they are at home in the top flight and that all they need is one good result to turn their season around.

He has taken heart from the success Stoke had as Premier League new boys last season, and added: I think we have taken to this league and not looked out of place.

But we have to prove that we can stay in this league and build on that next season like Stoke City.

They had a fantastic season last season, are looking more and more like a mid-table team and are trying to push on.

You have to stabilise first and that is what we are trying to do.
It will be a massive season for us if we can stay in this league.

I feel the club could then really kick on next season and go from strength to strength.

Birmingham will pose a major test for Wolves as only three teams - Chelsea, Manchester United and Aston Villa - have conceded fewer goals than Alex McLeishs City side this season.

But Wolves defender Richard Stearman believes the team should look no further than Hull to see how quickly things can turn around.

Two wins and a draw in their last three games have revived Hulls season, and Stearman said: Not so long ago it was doom and gloom at Hull.

But they have put some good performances together and you can see what a difference it has made to them.

They have jumped out of the relegation zone by stringing a few results together and that is what we are aiming to do.

We have just played two of the big hitters in back-to-back games but this match against Birmingham is one we are looking to get points from.

Wolves boss McCarthy will recall striker Kevin Doyle after he was rested for last weekends 4-0 defeat at Chelsea following his exertions for the Republic of Ireland.

Right-back Kevin Foley is also on alert to start after French defender Ronald Zubar suffered an ankle ligament injury in training.

European soccer leaders have unanimously backed a proposal to limit participation in future Olympic Games to players under the age of 21.
The International Olympic Committee wants to keep the status quo of under-23s plus three overage players, which allows countries to bolster their teams with star talent and enhances the appeal and credibility of the Olympic tournament.

But UEFAs strategy council of clubs, national associations, leagues and players unions unanimously agreed Thursday that the mens Olympic tournament should be changed to under 21.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has previously suggested dropping the age limit, or even abolishing the limit altogether but barring players with World Cup experience. Europes top clubs dont want to lose players for preseason training and Champions League qualifying matches.

FIFA and the IOC have been struggling to reach an agreement on player eligibility since current rules nearly prevented Barcelona star Lionel Messi from leading Argentina to the gold medal in Beijing last year. In that instance, it was a club versus country dispute.

UEFA has eight delegates on FIFAs 24-member ruling executive, which will discuss the issue in South Africa next week. FIFA will then send a report to the IOCs executive board, which meets Dec. 9-11.

Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas insists being handed the captains armband has not changed his style of play for the Gunners.
The Spain international has excelled this season, helping the Gunners to third in the league with an impressive six goals.

Fabregas does not feel pressured by the extra responsibility after he inherited the armband from defender William Gallas.

There is extra responsibility but nothing changes for me, he told Football Punk magazine.

Sometimes I play badly but I always try to give everything in every game.

Ive learned a lot. I know my responsibility. I know my job as a captain now and everyone is helping me.

If I have to say something now, I feel more capable than maybe a year ago.

Stoke captain Abdoulaye Faye says he will not be upset if he drops to the bench for the Potters clash with Blackburn on Saturday.

The Senegal centre-back has been a regular in the heart of Tony Pulis back-four this season but had to miss Sundays 1-0 win over Portsmouth after being sent off against Hull.

Robert Huth moved into the centre to partner stand-in skipper Ryan Shawcross as Faye watched from the stands, with Andy Wilkinson deputising at right-back.

After an impressive performance, Wilkinson has been touted to keep his place in the side with Huth staying at centre-back when Pulis side travel to Ewood Park.

And Faye insists he will gladly give up his starting role if the back-four continue to produce the type of performance that earned them a clean sheet against Pompey.

I am happy for the defence. If I stay on the bench then thats OK. Thats no problem for me, he told The Sentinel.

I dont want to have a big head. The manager will decide.

Faye has tipped Shawcross, who he regards as his protg, for a future call-up to the England squad.

I think Ryan is the best this season. I like him and I say hes my son, he added.

I have said maybe in the future he is going to the England team. That is possible now. Hes very strong and has confidence. I am very proud of Ryan.

The 31-year-old also took time to pay tribute to his former boss Sam Allardyce, who will not be present for Saturdays clash due to a heart operation.

Faye said: He is a good lad and a very good manager. I respect him and we will have a very tough game against Blackburn because they are doing very well.

When you play his team, it is like Tony Puliss. He doesnt like the team to keep the ball. It is two passes and then you play forward. It will be a tough game and he is a tough manager.

Javier Mascherano insists Liverpool will put everything into their Europa League campaign after crashing out of the Champions League.

A 1-0 win in Debrecen was not enough to save their flagging European campaign as Fiorentinas defeat of Lyon ensured Liverpools demise.

Critics of Rafael Benitez have been given further fuel to throw on the fire in light of the most crushing of eliminations.

With Liverpool also badly underperforming in the league the pressure is mounting on everyone associated with the Merseyside outfit.

But midfielder Mascherano insists Liverpool will be strong in the face of adversity and not let this latest setback ruin the rest of their season.

Its a strange feeling for everyone at the club, he told the Liverpool Echo.

The Champions League is a special competition for us but its gone and we must keep going.

Now we are in another competition and we will do all we can to win that. There will be no problem with motivation. The motivation is simply to play for Liverpool.

Liverpool deserve more from us and that is why we will do our best to win the Europa League.

The Argentine believes Liverpool can soon get back on track, starting with Sundays crunch derby with Everton.

We know it is going to be very difficult on Sunday but this is a really important game for us and for our supporters and we have got to start winning in the league again by beating Everton.

Real Madrid, AC Milan and Marseille remain locked in a battle to advance from the same group after not a single team clinched qualification in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Madrid tops Group C with 10 points after Gonzalo Higuain scored in a 1-0 win over FC Zurich that saw the return of Cristiano Ronaldo from nearly two months out with an ankle injury.

Milan drew 1-1 with Marseille to be next with eight points, one more than the French club. Marco Borriellos 10th-minute goal for the Italians was canceled out six minutes later by Lucho Gonzalez.

If Marseille beats Madrid by a two-goal margin on Dec. 8, the Spaniards will still qualify even if Milan defeats last-place Zurich.

Still, Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini is concerned that his team is not playing well.

Of course, Im worried. The team somehow does not really end up playing properly on the field, the Chilean said. Its not the football the team needs to be playing - but were winning.

Madrid will hope to have Ronaldo back to full fitness to play Marseille. The Portugal winger replaced Raul Gonzalez in the 70th against Zurich in his first club appearance since scoring twice against Marseille on Sept. 30.

Juventus is in danger of elimination after losing 2-0 to Bordeaux, which secured top spot in Group A. Fernando Menegazzos header put Bordeaux ahead shortly after halftime, and Marouane Chamakh sealed the win with another header in stoppage time.

Bordeaux had already clinched qualification and tops the group with 13 points. Juventus remains second with eight points, one more than Bayern Munich, which beat Maccabi Haifa 1-0 courtesy of Ivica Olics second-half strike off a rebound.

Juventus will face Bayern in two weeks for a spot in the knockout stage.

It was a very important game for us. I hope we can now do it in Turin, Olic said.

Chelsea clinched top spot in Group D by beating FC Porto 1-0 after Nicolas Anelka headed in from close range in the 69th minute in a largely uneventful match between two teams that had already qualified.

Atletico Madrid and Apoel Nicosia, who are battling for third place and a spot in the Europa League, drew 1-1 in Cyprus. Atletico has three points, one more than APOEL.

Besitkas upset Manchester United 1-0 to end the Red Devils home Champions League unbeaten streak at 23 matches. United, last seasons runner-up, had already qualified from Group B and was beaten by Rodrigo Tellos 30-meter deflected shot in the 20th.

United, which will secure top spot with a draw at Wolfsburg on Dec. 8, leads the group with 10 points. Wolfsburg and CSKA Moscow each have seven points after CSKA beat the German team 2-1 in Moscow. Besiktas has four points.