Fenerbahçe find feet as others slip

Fenerbahçe SK earned a stunning last-gasp derby win at Besiktas JK but UEFA Champions League Group E challengers AC Milan and PSV Eindhoven both suffered rare defeats on their travels while FC Schalke 04 were held at home.

FC Schalke 04 1-1 Hertha BSC Berlin

Schalke fell further off the pace in the Bundesliga after being held to a goalless draw by ten-man Hertha in Gelsenkirchen. Ralf Rangnick's side needed to win to keep pace with league leaders FC Bayern München, and their chances looked to have been augmented when the visitors had Gilberto sent off midway through the first half. But they encountered Hertha goalkeeper Christian Fiedler in inspired form and were held to their third successive Bundesliga draw.

Schalke coach Rangnick went into the match without long-term absentees Marco van Hoogdalem (hip), Tim Hoogland (ankle), Mimoun Azaouagh and Christian Pander (both knee). Instead he handed new Brazilian signing Rafinha his first start, although neither he nor his team-mates could find the net and Schalke now lie six points adrift of Bayern after just five matches.

"We wanted to win the game and we played strongly in the first 30 minutes," Rangnick said. "But after Gilberto had been sent off Hertha defended brilliantly, although at the end we were unlucky not to score the winning goal. However, my players showed good fight after our disappointing [1-0 defeat by PSV] in Eindhoven."

UC Sampdoria 2-1 AC Milan

Alberto Gilardino's first competitive strike for Milan was not enough to propel the side to victory as Sampdoria came from behind to earn a battling home win. The match, which saw Paolo Maldini equal Dino Zoff's record of 570 Serie A games, started on a very different note as Andrea Pirlo and Andriy Shevchenko combined to create a superb strike by Gilardino on 18 minutes. But the UEFA Cup contenders responded well and goals from Emiliano Bonazzoli and Max Tonetto earned them the points.

Although only long-term absentee Filippo Inzaghi (ankle) and Marek Jankulovski (foot) were unavailable, Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti opted to field a weakened side for the game. Alessandro Nesta as Massimo Ambrosini dropped to the substitute's bench, as Dutch defender Jaap Stam and Clarence Seedorf returned to the starting XI.

Ancelotti admitted that it was in defence that his side struggled: "We played well in the first half but Sampdoria were luckier. We will be working to fix our defensive problems. It's a shame because we played fairly well - we showed off the aggressiveness and commitment we lacked recently. We were determined but just a bit unlucky."

Besiktas JK 1-2 Fenerbahçe SK

Tuncay Şanlı scored a last-gasp winner as Fenerbahçe edged a thrilling Istanbul derby against Besiktas to keep the pressure on Galatasaray SK at the Turkish Superleague summit. The visitors looked to be on course for victory when on 18 minutes, French striker Nicolas Anelka collected a fine pass from Ghanaian Stephen Appiah - who had been declared fit to play just hours before the game – and struck a blistering shot from an acute angle.

Anelka won a penalty in the second half but with the chance to seal victory, Brazilian substitute Márcio Nobre missed the target. Nobre's compatriot Kleberson looked to have made him pay for that miss when his sublime 35-metre free-kick arced in to level the scores on 90 minutes but there was still time for Nobre to atone for his mistake, playing a clever one-two with Tuncay, who finished with aplomb.

Tuncay was carried off on a stretcher after the goal but the injury is not thought to be serious and did not take the gloss off the match for team-mate Anelka: "I'm satisfied with my own performance but it is even better when the team are playing well too. We have the quality and power to reach our targets in both the league and the Champions League."

FC Groningen 1-0 PSV Eindhoven

PSV suffered their first defeat of the season at the Oosterpark stadium as Yuri Cornelisse's stunning strike took goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes by surprise on the stroke of half-time. The visitors fought back, and Jefferson Farfán and Robert both missed good chances as PSV suffered their first away defeat for 23 games, falling two short of AFC Ajax's Dutch record.

The result leaves the Eredivisie champions fully five points off the pace set by leaders AZ Alkmaar, Feyenoord and RKC Waalwijk. The match could also have a more lasting effect on PSV's season after defenders Michael Reiziger (thigh) and Michael Ball (groin) both had their afternoon's work cut short. The pair will undergo further examination but are likely to join Mika Väyrynen (ankle), Alex and John de Jong (both knee) on the sidelines.

Nevertheless, PSV coach Guus Hiddink's disappointment was not with his defence but rather his attack. "The match seemed a typical 0-0 game, and was decided by a once-in-a-lifetime shot from Cornelisse. We were not able to counter that, and nor were we able to create any danger. After the euphoria of last season I already said we have to be realistic and that we will have a punch on the nose every now and then. But the most disappointing thing is that we did not create anything."