Inter hit four as Lyon, United and Barcelona move clear

FC Internazionale Milano scored four goals for the second matchday running to keep their UEFA Champions League defence on track on a night when Olympique Lyonnais maintained their perfect start.

Inter defeated SV Werder Bremen 4-0 in their first Group A home encounter last time out and they matched that tally within 35 minutes against Tottenham Hotspur FC tonight – a blistering spell of play in which Javier Zanetti became the competition's oldest scorer and the visitors had Heurelho Gomes sent off after conceding the penalty for the second goal. A Gareth Bale hat-trick after the break then made it 4-3 and Spurs remain second in the section, three points behind Inter and two ahead of FC Twente and Bremen, who drew 1-1 after the home side had held a brief lead.

On Tuesday night FC Bayern München, Chelsea FC, Real Madrid CF and Arsenal FC all moved on to nine points; today it was Lyon's turn, with their 2-0 victory against ten-man SL Benfica a third win from three games in Group B. FC Schalke 04 are second after beating point-less debutants Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC 3-1.

FC København had not dropped a point in Group D before tonight but they have now after a 2-0 loss to two Lionel Messi goals at FC Barcelona. FCK trail Barcelona by a point but are respectively four and five clear of FC Rubin Kazan and Panathinaikos FC after that pair drew 0-0 in Greece.

A seventh-minute Nani strike proved enough for Manchester United FC to beat Bursaspor 1-0 at Old Trafford, inflicting a third successive defeat on the newcomers and opening up a two-point Group D lead for the English side over Rangers FC, held 1-1 by Valencia CF. All these fixtures will be reversed when the group stage resumes on 2 November.