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Arsenal earn winning relief

Group B: Arsenal FC and FC Thun both earned weekend wins but there was misery for AC Sparta Praha and AFC Ajax who both lost to traditional rivals.

Arsenal FC 1-0 Manchester City FC

A Robert Pirès penalty was enough to give Arsenal maximum points against Manchester City FC. Pirès had the chance to score a second spot-kick ten minutes after converting his 61st-minute effort, only to concede a free-kick after attempting to stroke the ball to team-mate Thierry Henry.

"He [Pirès] decided to do that because he was a bit insecure about taking the second penalty," reasoned manager Arsène Wenger. "It has never happened to him and he was scared to miss it. We got away with it because we won the game. I am very happy with the three points but we were a little bit flat physically."

The win kept Arsenal in eighth position, though they are still 12 points adrift of leaders Chelsea FC. Ashley Cole (foot), Fredrik Ljungberg (hamstring), Aleksandr Hleb (knee), Sol Campbell (hamstring) and José Antonio Reyes (ribs) all missed the game through injury.

SK Slavia Praha 4-1 AC Sparta Praha

Sparta crashed to their fourth league defeat in five games with a humiliating 4-1 defeat at the hands of SK Slavia Praha at the Strahov stadium – their worst derby result since 1989. Sparta coach Stanislav Griga selecting an attacking-looking lineup, with Libor Došek and Miroslav Matušovič leading the front line instead of the suspended Miroslav Slepička, while right-back Pavel Pergl dropped to the bench.

The tactics initially paid dividends when Matušovič gave the visitors the lead after just four minutes. Došek could have doubled the lead soon after but shot straight at the goalkeeper before Tomáš Poláček fired the rebound over the crossbar. Sparta goalkeeper Jaromír Blažek saved a penalty on 15 minutes but when Dušan Švento did find the net just after the half-hour mark, there was no looking back for Slavia.

The home side scored three goals in six second-half minutes to complete a stunning win that leaves Sparta languishing in mid-table, and Griga was quick to blame his back line, saying: "I thought that attack was our main problem, but it's not. We’re poor in defence."

FC Perly-Certoux 1-7 FC Thun

Thun booked their place in the last 16 of the Swiss Cup after sauntering to an emphatic win at fifth-division side FC Perly-Certoux. Urs Schönenberger’s side went into the game without injured midfield pair Tiago Bernardi and Andres Gerber but never looked like struggling after two goals in three minutes midway through the first half from Silvan Aegerter and Nelson Ferreira.

Ferreira added another four minutes before the interval and there was still time for Armand Deumi to give Thun a 4-0 half-time lead. Perly-Certoux pulled one back before the visitors scored three goals in the last ten minutes through Mauro Lustrinelli, substitute Adriano Luis Spadoto and Aegerter with his second goal of the game.

Thun defender Selver Hodzic said: "It's very good that we have won so convincingly, that was an important reaction to the loss in Amsterdam. Despite playing a lot on the European stage, we want to do well in both domestic competitions. We want to go as far as possible in the cup."

PSV Eindhoven 1-0 AFC Ajax

A tenth-minute penalty from Timmy Simons subjected Ajax to their third defeat of the season away to fellow UEFA Champions League contenders PSV Eindhoven. Simons converted from the spot after Urby Emanuelson had been adjudged to have fouled Jefferson Farfán, and despite earnest pressure thereafter, the Ajax attack – spearheaded by Ryan Babel as Markus Rosenberg and Yannis Anastasiou were rested – could not regain parity.

Ajax could have fallen further behind after a strong PSV finish but it matters not as they none the less fell eight points behind new league leaders PSV and saw them stretch their winless run in Eindhoven to eleven years. Coach Danny Blind was without long-term casualties Angelos Charisteas (Concussion), Edgar Manucharyan (thigh), Maxwell, Nicola Mitea and Kenneth Vermeer (all knee), while Juanfran was suspended.

Blind said: "We fought back after the opening 15 minutes, created some chances and gave little away. It was the same in the second half, but we lacked accuracy."

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