Owen hat-trick takes Liverpool to facile victory

Michael Owen struck a hat-trick against Spartak Moscow to move Liverpool nearer a place in the second phase of the Champions League. Owen he...

Michael Owen struck a hat-trick against Spartak Moscow to move Liverpool nearer a place in the second phase of the Champions League.

Owen helped Liverpool come from behind to beat Spartak 3-1 and the English Premiership leaders moved to seven points, three behind Valencia in Group B after the Spanish champions were held to a 2-2 draw by surprising Swiss side Basel.

Greek tragedy: AEK Athens fight back to hold Real

Defending champions Real Madrid went 2-0 up with two goals for English mid-fielder Steve McManaman but AEK Athens stormed back to grab a point with two goals in the last fifteen minutes. First, Konstantinos Katsouranis was allowed a free header from a corner after 74 minutes before substitute Walter Centeno slotted home a right-wing cross from Ilija Ivic with four minutes left. McManaman gave the Spanish giants a deserved lead in the 20th minute when he latched on to a cross from Argentina mid-fielder Esteban Cambiasso. Ronaldo’s magic created Real’s second goal. He first of all released Guti before taking the return pass and his delightful shimmy and stepover drew the AEK defenders before he rolled the ball to McManaman who made no mistake but Real let it slip. They lead Group C with eight points.

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With their next match away to reigning champions Real Madrid, Roma’s qualification could hinge on their final match at home to AEK.

Lyon and Inter Milan fought out a thrilling 3-3 draw in Group D and AS Roma and Genk of Belgium produced a goalless stalemate in Group C.

In Moscow, Owen banished memories of his early-season lack of goals by hitting his first goals in European competition this season and his second hat-trick in a month.

Eighteen-year-old striker Alexander Danishevsky fired Spartak into a 23rd-minute lead but six minutes later Owen pulled the visitors level, beating Ukrainian international goalkeeper Maxim Levitsky with a downward header from Jamie Carragher’s precise cross. Owen grabbed his second in the 70th minute, sweeping in are bound after Danny Murphy’s left-sided free-kick. And as Spartak pushed up, Owen scored his third one minute into injury time, when he stroked home a cross from Murphy.