Anelka’s winner secures top spot for Chelsea but Man Utd crash at home

Nicolas Anelka’s single second half strike gave Chelsea a fantastic 1 – 0 away win against Porto in the UEFA Champions League.

Despite Chelsea being not at their fluent best, the Frenchman’s 69th minute effort ensured Chelsea would be crowned winners of Group D in the competition.

The impressive result also means Carlo Ancelotti’s side have guaranteed themselves a top seeding position in the draw for the knockout stages, which begin in February.

The goal came when Deco passed wide to Florent Malouda who ran down the by-line then picked the perfect cross for Anelka to head home from just two yards out.

Chelsea now sit on top with an unassailable four-point lead over second placed Porto with just one match left to play in the group stages.

It was a different story for Manchester United however, as they crashed to a 1 – 0 home defeat to Turkish outfit Besiktas.

Manager Sir Alex Ferguson took a gamble by playing some of his youngsters for European experience. But the move backfired as their defeat was their first at home in the Champions League for 23 matches.

Besiktas’ winning goal came on 19 minutes when Rodrigo Tello’s long-range effort found the back of the net with the help of a deflection from Rafael.

United must avoid defeat against their next opponents Wolfsburg to ensure winning Group B and securing a top seeding for the knockout draw.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Hull City held their nerve for a much needed three points, beating Everton 3 – 2 at home.

The home side were three goals up within half an hour but Everton fought back in the second half – but it was to no avail as Hull climbed to 14th in the table.

Fulham moved into the top half of the table brushing aside Blackburn Rovers 3 – 0 at Craven Cottage.

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