Djokovic stunned by sensational Ferrer

While Nadal's place in the semi-finals is still in doubt after his thrashing at the hands of Roger Federer on Tuesday, world number five Ferrer made sure he will be around at the weekend with a 6-3 6-1 defeat of the year's outstanding player.

In the day's other match, Czech Tomas Berdych saved a match point against Djokovic's fellow Serb Janko Tipsarevic to seal a 2-6 6-3 7-6 victory which means the calculators may be needed to decide who finishes runner-up in Group A on Friday.

The complications mean Djokovic could beat Davis Cup team mate Tipsarevic, a stand-in for injured Briton Andy Murray, and still fail to go through while a defeat, providing Ferrer beats Berdych, would see him survive.

Whatever the maths, Djokovic said he would need to play "50 per cent" better in his next match.

"I have no words to explain this match," said Djokovic, who went on a 41-match winning rampage at the start of the year and claimed three of the year's four Majors.

"Nothing was going well. I don't play at least 50 per cent better than I did tonight, I don't think I'll have any chance. You always hope that tomorrow will bring something better."

In front of another sell-out crowd in the 17,500-capacity arena, Djokovic began solidly enough as the first six games of the match went with serve.

However, when the terrier-like Ferrer raced across court on break point to whip a forehand down the line that caught his opponent flat-footed at the net, the match ceased to become a real contest as the 29-year-old from Valencia ran way with it.

He broke the Djokovic serve again to win the opening set and he needed nothing spectacular in the second set as Djokovic offered little resistance. The Serb's mounting unforced error tally spoke volumes.

"I'm embarrassed to look at the stats," Djokovic, who made 33 unforced errors, said. "All credit to my opponent, he played a great match but, you know, I wasn't there."

In Group B Federer has already guaranteed a top-two place and he will be joined in the semis by the winner of Nadal and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who face off on Thursday evening.

Frenchman Tsonga is expecting a backlash from Nadal after his humiliating 6-3 6-0 defeat by Federer.

"Rafa is a champion, he has pride," Tsonga told Reuters.

"Such a defeat will be stuck in his throat. He's hit but not sunk. It's like when you hunt. If you miss the boar, you just run away."

Barca edge five-goal thriller in Milan

A Mark van Bommel own goal gave Barcelona the lead after 14th minutes, but six minutes later Zlatan Ibrahimovic levelled in his first appearance against the European champions since leaving the Camp Nou in 2010 following to the breakdown of his relationship with Pep Guardiola.

Lionel Messi put Barca back in front before half-time with a twice taken penalty after an incident that should have seen Alberto Aquilanidismissed for Milan. Amazingly it was also Messi's first ever competitive goal against Italian opposition.

However, less than 10 minutes after the restart a stunning individual effort from Kevin-Prince Boateng levelled matters again, but Messi slipped in Xavi for what ultimately proved to be the winner in the 63rd minute.

With both teams already ensured qualification to the knock-out stage some predicted that this match might lack an edge, but a blistering first-half dispelled all of those doubts.

A fizzing atmosphere in the stands was matched by a bright start from the hosts but Barcelona soon grabbed the initiative and took the lead in the 14th minute.

The opener came about when Thiago Alcantara did superbly well to chase down his own header after Gianluca Zambrotta was caught napping; he checked the ball back to Messi who put a wonderful ball over the defence and into the stride of the onrushing Seydou Keita. The Mali midfielder then put in a low cross that was impossible to defend and Van Bommel bundled the ball into his own net with Xavi on hand to tap it in behind him if needed.

Milan's keeper Christian Abbiati, who was in inspired form all night, then had to save from close range to deny Cesc Fabregas three minutes later, moments before Robinho somehow managed to blaze over from just three yards out after a low cross from Boateng at the other end.

Two minutes after that though, and Milan did indeed find an equaliser, with Ibrahimovic getting some level of revenge against his former employers as he swept home past Victor Valdes after Robinho rolled a ball into his path.

The relentless action continued and in the 22th minute it was Messi's turn to inexplicably miss from six yards out after he blasted Fabregas's check-back onto the crossbar.

Messi did put Barcelona in front again from the spot in the 31st minute, but in keeping with the match, there were many façades to the incident than just a mere goal.

The penalty was given when Xavi was bundled over by Aquilani when trying to finish off a one-two with Fabregas. The Spanish international went down easily but there was contact and Aquilani seemed destined to be sent-off for stopping a clear goal scoring chance, especially as he had already been booked.

However, the German referee Wolfgang Stark inexplicably booked Alessandro Nesta instead, as Milan somehow continued with 11 men on the pitch.

The drama was not finished there either, as Messi was booked and forced to retake the penalty after stopping just before initially rolling the ball in, but he smashed the second attempt into the corner of the net.

There were a couple of more chances at either end before the conclusion of the half, with both defences looking as vulnerable as their respective attacks looked dangerous, but Barcelona were always showing just a little more creative nous which made them they more threatening team.

Milan replaced Robinho with Pato at half-time but when they equalised in the 54th minute the goal did come against the run of play.

It was a wonderful piece of individual brilliance that restored parity though as Boateng put his foot up high to control the ball on the edge of the box and then in one movement produced a little drag heel to glide past Eric Abidal before firing a shot into the corner of the net at the near post. Valdes should have done better in attempting to save the shot but it was still super quality from the former Portsmouth man.

However, Barcelona always looked like they could move up an extra gear if required and when they went in front for the third time, it really did seem to finally kill off Milan.

The goal came in the 63rd minute and it was another gem, with Messi completely flat-footing the Milan defence with one killer pass that found the onrushing Xavi who then calmly placed it past Abbiati.

With plenty of time still on the clock, there was hope that Milan could muster up another stirring comeback but they did not have it in them this time, as Barcelona mixed dominant passing with spoiling time-wasting tactics that were just on the right side of legal to see the game out without any drama.

Both sides showed that they will be formidable opponents come the knock-out stage but the fact that keeper Abbiati was arguably Milan's best player, proves that Barcelona deserved their win and the defending champions again look the side to beat in this season's competition.

Van Persie brace sees Arsenal top group

After a frenetic first half which produced little, Van Persie gave his side a 49th minute lead with a clinical header after fine work out wide from the inspired Alex Song, before the Arsenal captain doubled his tally from close range four minutes from time.

Shinji Kagawa pulled a consolation goal back for Dortmund in stoppage time, but it was an entirely efficient victory for the hosts as they sealed their place in the last 16 of the competition by topping Group F.

Arsene Wenger named an unchanged starting line-up as his side attempted to secure their passage through to the knockout stages withLaurent Koscielny continuing at right-back while the returning Abou Diaby was handed a spot on the substitutes' bench.

Starlet Mario Goetze, a reported £30 million target for the Gunners, started for the Germans, who needed a win to realistically keep alive their slim hopes of making the second round, and the midfielder was at the forefront of everything in what was a frantic opening.

Arsenal were forced to play on the break for much of the early stages, and Theo Walcott nearly punished the visitors as he surged through on goal to latch on to Aaron Ramsey's pinpoint through ball, but Roman Weidenfeller was swiftly off his line and made an impeccable challenge.

Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp had to make two enforced changes in the opening half hour as Sven Bender clashed with Thomas Vermaelen in innocuous fashion and had to be replaced by Moritz Leitner, while Goetze could not shake off an early knock with Ivan Perisic his replacement.

The visitors missed the dynamism of the two midfielders as Arsenal began to dictate much of the play, albeit without being able to muster more than one shot in the first half as the match as a whole lacked a cutting edge.

Aaron Ramsey was typically inventive in the midfield while Walcott posed a threat from the right, but Weidenfeller was frequently on hand to alleviate any danger in the Dortmund half as his side pressed incessantly.

Arsenal made a sluggish start to the second half as first Per Mertesacker was almost caught dallying on the ball by Perisic, before a slick one-two between Kagawa and Robert Lewandowski saw the Japanese midfielder fly through on goal, only for Wojciech Szczesny to make a fine stop with his legs at his near post.

But just seconds later, Arsenal went in front: Song distinguished himself as he jinked his way past two challenges out on the left and dinked a pinpoint delivery to the back post, where Van Persie was on hand to head past Weidenfeller with a clinical finish. It was his 16th Champions League goal for the Gunners.

Gervinho really ought to have doubled Arsenal's lead on the hour mark as he stole in behind the Dortmund back four to latch on to Ramsey's precise through ball, but he never looked convincing and dallied long enough to allow Mats Hummels to make a timely last-ditch challenge.

Lucas Barrios was introduced to further bolster Dortmund's attacking options midway through the second half as Klopp made his final substitution, but Arsenal defended stoutly to restrict the visitors to speculative efforts.

Van Persie capped yet another match-winning display with a close range finish after Vermaelen had expertly flicked on Arteta's inswinging corner, and his 38th goal in 41 games for the calendar year ensured his side all three points.

Kagawa pulled a goal back for the intrepid visitors in the final minute of play following an aberration from the hosts at the back, but it was nothing more than a mere consolation for the German side as Arsenal were left to celebrate becoming the first English team to seal their place in the last 16 this season.

UEFA Champions League results Wednesday 23 Nov 2011

17:00 Zenit St. Petersburg - Russia          0 : 0     Apoel Nicosia - Cyprus
18:00 FC BATE Borisov - Belarus           0 : 1       FC Viktoria Plzen - Czech Republic
19:45 Arsenal FC - England                      2 : 1    BV Borussia Dortmund - Germany
19:45 AC Milan - Italy                              2 : 3     FC Barcelona - Spain
19:45 Valencia - Spain                              7 : 0   KRC Genk - Belgium
19:45 Bayer 04 Leverkusen - Germany       2 : 1   Chelsea FC - England
19:45 Olympique de Marseille - France      0 : 1  Olympiacos CFP - Greece
19:45 FC Shakhtar Donetsk - Ukraine       0 : 2      FC Porto - Portugal

ANELKA MISSES CHELSEA TRIP

Nicolas Anelka did not travel for Chelsea's Champions League game at Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, fuelling speculation he was close to agreeing a January move from the club.

The French striker was left back in London on the day it emerged he had been made a lucrative offer to join Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua.

Right-back Paulo Ferreira also stayed at home, as did the ineligible Romelu Lukaku, with long-term injury victim Michael Essien the only other absentee.

Chelsea (from): Cech, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Alex, Cole, Luiz, Mikel, Romeu, Ramires, Lampard, Mata, Malouda, Meireles, McEachran, Torres, Drogba, Kalou, Sturridge, Turnbull, Hilario.

BARCA PRESIDENT CALLS FOR REVAMP

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell says he wants the Premier League to be reduced in number so the Champions League can be expanded.

And Rosell says the big clubs may break away and form their own competition if his demands are not met.

Rosell, who is vice-chairman of the European Club Association (ECA), said: "We would like to have a Champions League with more teams.

"This would mean, in the future, we could play Barcelona versus Manchester United on a Saturday or Sunday, at the quarter-final stage, for example.

"In Spain we have four clubs in the Champions League. If you increase that to eight, the other four would be in favour. First, we have to convince the Premier League to reduce from 20 to 16 teams as well.

"We would like to increase the Champions League under the umbrella of UEFA. If not, the ECA is entitled to organise their own champions competition."

Rosell added: "We have to review completely the calendar of UEFA and FIFA.

"They use our players for about 120 days every two years and need to reduce their calendar, especially taking out friendlies."

INTER, BAYERN AND REAL TOP CL GROUPS

Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich all sealed top spots in their Charmpions League groups on Tuesday night.

Real Madrid wrapped up Group D in emphatic fashion, thrashing Dinamo Zagreb 6-2 at the Bernabeu.

The Spanish giants stormed into a 3-0 lead inside nine minutes with goals from Karim Benzema, Jose Callejon and Gonzalo Higuain, and Mesut Ozil made it four before 20 minutes were up.

Callejon and Benzema struck again after the interval and Madrid could have had even more goals, while late strikes from Dinamo's Fatos Beqiraj and Ivan Tomecak gave a merely cosmetic effect to the scoreline.

Bayern Munich beat Villarreal - who have now lost all five of their Group A games - 3-1 to move unassailably clear of their Group A rivals after Napoli beat Manchester City.

Franck Ribery and Mario Gomez netted in the opening 23 minutes to give Bayern a flying start and Ribery then wrapped up the scoring with his second after Villarreal had pulled a goal back through Jonathan De Guzman.

Inter Milan bagged top spot in Group B with a 1-1 away draw with Trabzonspor on Tuesday.

The result lifts Inter to 10 points from five matches, four more than their Turkish hosts who move into second spot thanks to their hard-earned point.

Inter had already progressed to the knockout stage of the premier European club competition prior to the game because of Lille's 2-0 victory over CSKA Moscow in Russia, but the Nerazzurri headed into the clash in Trabzon to garner maximum points.

And Claudio Ranieri's side went ahead at the Huseyin Avni Aker after 18 minutes when Ricardo Alvarez slotted the ball past Tolga Zengin from close range after playing a brilliant one-two with Diego Milito.

However, the Turkish hosts came back strongly and restored parity just five minutes later when Halil Altintop's ferocious effort from distance took a deflection off Walter Samuel and beat Julio Cesar.

Both sides had chances to add to their respective tallies during the remainder of the game, with Adrian Mierzejewski heading against the Inter post in the second half, but eventually had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

Ajax all but booked their place in the last 16 after a battling goaless draw on the road at Lyon.

Both sides had opportunities to win an entertaining encounter at Stade Gerland but at the final whistle it will have been the French side who were the more aggrieved, with the visitors indebted to two superb Kenneth Vermeer saves late on.

The result means the sides remain separated by three points heading into the final round of fixtures, with second-placed Ajax needing to avoid defeat at home to Group D winners Real Madrid on matchday six to be sure of progressing.

Lyon can still go through if Ajax lose against Madrid and they beat group minnows Dinamo Zagreb by a hatful.

Basle kept their qualification hopes alive with a 3-2 win overOtelul Galati.

And should they beat Manchester United on December 7 at St Jakob-Park, Basle will pip the English champions to a last-16 spot.

That is the remarkable position which Heiko Vogel's team are in, after first-half goals from Fabian Frei, Alexander Frei and Marco Streller at the National Stadium in Bucharest kept up their Group C challenge.

A late rally from Otelul Galati brought about two goals, but an equaliser was beyond the home side, who remain without a point after five matches of their first Champions League campaign.