Tottenham back on track, Shakhtar lose their way
Sunday, March 13, 2016
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Tottenham Hotspur injected fresh momentum into their title bid while Shakhtar Donetsk slipped off the summit in Ukraine as the last-16 clubs handled affairs at home.
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Tottenham Hotspur and Sevilla both grabbed valuable wins ahead of Thursday's UEFA Europa League last-16 deciders, but it was a different story for Shakhtar Donetsk as they dropped out of first place in Ukraine.
Looking to reignite their Premier League bid following three games without a win in all competitions, Spurs secured a 2-0 victory at bottom side Aston Villa. Harry Kane struck twice to lift his team within two points of leaders Leicester City – who tackle Newcastle on Monday – and raise morale ahead of their return encounter against Dortmund.
The German giants hold a 3-0 lead in the tie and won again on Sunday by dispatching Mainz 2-0 to remain five points behind Bundesliga pacesetters Bayern München. That is also the distance between fourth-placed Villarreal and fifth-placed Sevilla in Spain, where UEFA Europa League holders Sevilla won their tussle 4-2 to boost hopes of a top-four finish.
Elsewhere in the Spanish top flight, Athletic saw off Real Betis 3-1 and Valencia succumbed 1-0 to derby rivals Levante – their pain matched by Shakhtar, who went down 4-1 at Dnipro and thus surrendered top spot in the Ukrainian Premier League to Dynamo Kyiv. As for Manchester United, they narrowly avoided disappointment of their own in a 1-1 FA Cup quarter-final draw at home to West Ham, Anthony Martial ensuring a replay late on.
SUNDAY
Anderlecht 3-0 Kortrijk
Athletic 3-1 Betis
Basel 4-2 St Gallen
Belenenses 3-0 Braga
Dortmund 2-0 Mainz
Fenerbahçe 1-0 Kayserispor
Lazio 2-0 Atalanta
Leverkusen 1-0 Hamburg
Liverpool not in action
Man. United 1-1 West Ham (FA Cup quarter-finals)
Sevilla 4-2 Villarreal
Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham
Dnipro 4-1 Shakhtar
Sigma 0-2 Sparta Praha
Levante 1-0 Valencia
