Arsenal turned a potential ordeal into an exhibition. Porto cannot have been pitted against many opponents so constantly incisive as Andrey Arshavin. Despite having a deficit to overcome, Arséne Wenger's team were relaxed and quick-witted in this Champions League tie.

The merriment extended all the way to stoppage time, when a much-doubted Nicklas Bendtner took his hat-trick from the penalty spot after Fucile had brought down the substitute Emmanuel Eboué.

The recovery that has seen Arsenal mount a challenge in the Premier League had its impact on the European scene, too, even if it has to be conceded that Porto presented no real obstacle. The fixture went so smoothly that even a couple of bookings did not afflict anyone who was a caution away from missing the opening match in the quarter-finals.

The match could hardly have had a more encouraging start for Arsenal. They not only opened the scoring in the 10th minute to ease ahead on the away-goals rule, but they also did so in a fashion that suggested deep vulnerability in the visitors. It is not, after all, Wenger's way to depend on kick-outs from Manuel Almunia as an attacking strategy.

The manager would not have anticipated either that the diminutive Arshavin was capable of winning a header and taking a return from Samir Nasri to break through. A collision with the goalkeeper Helton and Fucile ensued, with the ball rolling loose for Bendtner to finish. After the Dane's misses in the weekend victory over Burnley he would have appreciated so elementary a goal.

The degree of difficulty had barely risen when Bendtner put them 2-0 ahead. Arshavin outstripped three opponents on the left before delivering the low ball that his team-mate converted. Porto are scarcely the steely force they were under José Mourinho's command, yet the ease with which they had been opened up was a little surprising.

Arsenal had been under-strength in the first leg and despite outplaying Porto for much of the evening, the goals they conceded in the 2-1 defeat could be blamed, in differing ways, on the second-string goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.

Almunia was between the posts last night, but the visitors did not seem to be confronted by quite the degree of outfield prowess, with Cesc Fábregas missing through injury, that had seen them trounced 4‑0 on this ground as recently as September 2008.

With William Gallas injured, Porto should have had more hope both of containing Arsenal and of posing a threat to them last night. In these circumstances Wenger had put the accent on experience and Theo Walcott, despite his goal against Hull, was among the substitutes.

There was still an abundance of energy and verve. Arshavin looked uncontainable, but few of his attacking team-mates were shackled either. The frequency with which Porto were torn open reduced some of the concern over an Arsenal defence in which Sol Campbell continued to look cumbersome as he deputised for Gallas.

Helton was regularly occupied and tipped a Nasri effort behind in stoppage time of the first half. Arsenal's endeavour must have been pleasing to Wenger. There was an air of enjoyment to the moves. Nobody could have told at a glance that this tie was only marginally in their favour at that moment. If that sort of confidence and verve were retained on the domestic scene, hopes for a Premier League title would also climb.

There was, of course, no reason for Wenger's men to find their thought straying to such matters at half-time. Porto, after all, were merely a goal away from tying the aggregate score. Despite the necessity of scoring, there was no obvious indication that Jesualdo Ferreira's squad contained the essential incisiveness.

Arsenal also had the good sense, whenever possible, to sustain their attacking at the start of the second half. There was little option in view of the misgivings about the effect prolonged Porto pressure might have on the 35-year-old Campbell. There was a glimpse of that when Cristian Rodríguez ran free of him and directed a low ball to Falcao, whose shot was saved at the second attempt by Almunia.

In bringing on Eboué for Tomas Rosicky, Wenger might have had in mind his brawn as well as his dynamism, even if the substitute would go on to score Arsenal's fourth of the evening. It was the preceding goal, though, that ended the tie in a blaze of virtuosity.

After 63 minutes Nasri broke into the penalty area from the right, going past Raul Meireles, Rodríguez and Alvaro Pereira before firing past Helton. Eboué's goal did not contain quite that degree of virtuosity, but it was still exciting. He had broken on the counter-attack and took a pass from Arshavin to round the goalkeeper and finish. It was a goal that epitomised the effortless threat of Arsenal.

A stunning strike from Arjen Robben fired Bayern Munich into the quarter-finals of the Champions League at the expense of an unlucky Fiorentina at a wet and windy Stadio Artemio Franchi. The final score after the two legs was 4-4 but Bayern went through on the away goals rule.

The Germans, leading 2-1 from the first leg, were second best for long periods of the game and had looked to be on their way out of the competition when Juan Vargas and Stevan Jovetic scored the game's opening two goals to put the hosts ahead in the tie for the first time.

But Jovetic's strike sparked a manic 11-minute period during which four goals were scored and Bayern took an unlikely grip on the game.

Mark Van Bommel levelled the tie with a low drive on the hour only for Jovetic to score his second four minutes later.

That provoked wild celebrations from the home bench, but only 72 second later Robben, who had been well marshalled until that point, broke free of his markers to unleash an unstoppable 30-yard strike to settle the contest on away goals.

The Bayern manager, Louis van Gaal, handed the 17-year-old David Alaba a first start as a makeshift left-back in place of the injured Diego Contento while Robben returned after recovering from a cold.

The home side had the advantage of a strong wind at their backs in the first half and Vargas tried to make use of it early on with an ambitious 40-yard free-kick that just flew over.

The Peruvian was an early menace and his cross soon after appeared to strike Daniel van Buyten's hand in the penalty area, although the home side did not make much of their appeal.

In the 22nd minute Bastian Schweinsteiger earned a caution that will rule him out the first leg of Bayern's quarter-final after he fended off the chasing Jovetic with a hand to the face.

Fiorentina went ahead in the 28th minute when Vargas pounced on a weak clearance from Bayern goalkeeper Hans-Jörg Butt and found the net with an expert finish under pressure from a tight angle.

Bayern then lost the striker Mario Gómez with a leg injury on the half-hour with Miroslav Klose his replacement.

The Germans should have gone level after 34 minutes when the ball broke for Robben who blasted a shot from 12 yards only to see Sébastien Frey make a superb reaction save.

It was a rare attack for Bayern whose forward threat was in effect snuffed out by the hosts who consistently double marked wingers Robben and Franck Ribéry to cut the supply.

Fiorentina's grip on the game strengthened further when Jovetic fired home after 54 minutes, following a superb backheel from Alberto Gilardino, to send the hosts 3-2 ahead on aggregate.

But the match was turned on its head in the next 11 minutes as the goals flew in. Bayern grabbed their lifeline on the hour when Ribéry outpaced three markers before sliding a pass to the top of the area where Van Bommel drilled a low shot in at the left post.

Four minutes later La Viola were ahead in the tie again when Gilardino again fed Jovetic, this time with a header, and the young Montenegrin outmuscled Van Buyten and forced home from close range.

Fiorentina thought they had done enough but a minute later they were staring elimination in the face when Robben cut inside before unleashing an unstoppable drive that flew in the top-left corner from 30 yards.

Fiorentina still had time to find a reply, but now deflated they never threatened to find a way back into the game and Bayern increased their unbeaten run in all competitions to 19 games.

• In-form striker back after knee injury
• Wes Brown ruled out for four to six weeks

Sir Alex Ferguson promised a fully-committed, attacking performance from his side in tomorrow's Champions League first knock-out round second-leg against Milan, where they will be protecting a 3-2 advantage from the first meeting at San Siro.

They will be aided by the return of Wayne Rooney, who missed Saturday's 1-0 Premier League win over Wolverhampton Wanderers with a knee problem. But Ferguson confirmed that Wes Brown, who was injured in that game, will be out for four to six weeks.

"He is fit," Ferguson said of Rooney. "There is a rapid improvement from Saturday morning because on Friday evening I didn't think he had any chance. It's good news. He is a threat to anyone at the moment."

Ferguson insisted that his side would not simply seek to defend the advantage gained in the first leg. "We're going to play our normal game and that includes attacking and always has," he said. "I don't think we should be confused by the 3-2. It's a very difficult game for us, and we'll treat it as such. We're hoping to kill the tie by our own attacking abilities but Milan have to score, which should make it a more open match."

Ferguson also suggested he was disappointed to win the first leg by just a single goal, after Clarence Seedorf scored for Milan with five minutes remaining. "The first 15 minutes was the good spell for them and the bad spell for us," he said. "Once we recovered we played very well and should maybe have killed the match in the second half."

Ferguson did not specify the nature of Brown's injury, but the full-back was known to have hurt his foot after a challenge with the Wolves midfielder Matt Jarvis, and left Molineux wearing a protective boot. There have been rumours that the England international had suffered a broken metatarsal.

The four-to-six-week timescale is at least good news for England, with Brown widely expected to be part of Fabio Capello's squad for the World Cup after playing at right-back against Egypt last week.

"Unfortunately, his career has been blighted with injury," said Ferguson. "He has got another one and will be out for four to six weeks but I hope I can get him back for some of the season."

In addition to Brown, Anderson (knee), Ryan Giggs (arm) and John O'Shea (leg) are also out of tomorrow's game.

• Claims that unlicensed go-between helped set up 2005 deal
• FA investigating, with fines or even points deduction possible

The Football Association is considering whether Shaun Wright-Phillips and Chelsea could face charges for dealing with an unlicensed agent, Mitchell Thomas, when Wright-Phillips moved to Stamford Bridge from Manchester City in July 2005. The investigation by the FA follows the outcome of a case brought by the Law Society against a solicitor, Timothy Drukker, who signed off the paperwork in the Wright‑Phillips deal but paid Thomas part of the £1.2m fee which Chelsea paid him.

If the FA does find that Thomas, the former Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town defender, was involved in negotiating the deal, they could bring charges against Wright-Phillips and Chelsea. Penalties range from warnings to fines and even points deductions.

The Wright-Phillips transfer is the 17th deal, previously unidentified, handed over to the FA by Quest, the investigators the Premier League hired to conduct the so-called "bungs inquiry" into transfers by its clubs between 1 January 2004 and 31 January 2006. Quest cleared all the other deals, but said more inquiries should be made into No17. At the time, the Wright-Phillips deal was not identified because the Law Society had begun proceedings.

They only reached their conclusion in January, with a finding by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal that Drukker was guilty of "conduct unbecoming a solicitor" during the transfer and in "misleading" Quest when they made inquiries. He was fined £15,000, the tribunal having decided there was no dishonesty on his part but that Drukker's actions "had resulted in the undermining of the Fifa regulations".

Drukker himself told the tribunal he had been asked by "parties close to Shaun Wright-Phillips" to act as his agent when the details of the move to Chelsea had been agreed. Drukker was paid a fee understood to be £1.2m, did not keep any of it and paid it to others including Thomas.

The FA has been taking a strong stance against unlicensed agents in recent years, because it sees licensing as crucial to its ability to regulate the multimillion-pound flows of money in transfers. Chelsea paid City £21m for Wright-Phillips, a huge sum that summer and vital for City who were struggling financially.

Any FA charges would be brought against Wright-Phillips and Chelsea, not Thomas, since the FA cannot take action against unlicensed agents because they are operating outside football's rules. An FA spokesman said: "We are aware of the outcome of these proceedings and are considering what action, if any, may be appropriate in relation to football rules."

Chelsea and Wright-Phillips both denied that Thomas had been involved in the transfer and said that Drukker himself had conducted the negotiations. "We believe we acted appropriately at all times," a Chelsea spokesman said.

After almost four months and 14 Premier League games without a win Sunderland's bleak midwinter finally ended last night. As the thermometer dropped to freezing point it did not exactly seem like spring but Steve Bruce's suddenly relaxed body language was that of a man who has just felt the sun's warmth on his back for the first time in a very long while.

Like Bolton, who began brightly enough but faded badly, Sunderland have not yet banished relegation fears but, thanks to Darren Bent's hat-trick and Fraizer Campbell's opener, their manager now has no reason to feel trepidation when he attends a scheduled formal meeting with his boss this morning.

More than an hour before kick-off Bruce stood in the centre circle deep in conversation with Ellis Short, Sunderland's owner. Given Fabio Capello's recent experience with bugging, perhaps it was the one place the pair felt confident of not being overheard as they presumably discussed the reasons behind the team's lack of victories since beating Arsenal in November.

Small wonder then that relief was writ large across Bruce's and Short's face as Campbell's first Premier League goal gave Sunderland a 44th-second lead. When Bolton only semi-cleared Anton Ferdinand's deep cross, Lorik Cana sent another ball back into the area for Campbell to latch on to before beating Jussi Jaaskelainen courtesy of a controlled, close-range volley.

It proved the cue for the recently underwhelming Cana, Campbell and Steed Malbranque in particular to recapture their early-season spike and sparkle.

"It's been a long time, a long winter," said Bruce. "The early goal gave everyone the confidence we needed. It's been tough and I'm not just talking about the north-east weather. I just feel relieved." And his tête-à-tête with Short? "I went outside to get some fresh air and who did I bump into but the owner," added Sunderland's manager before extolling the Texan's "supportive" stance.

Fears that Bruce would require post-match consolation receded when Malbranque, excellent on the left, helped create the second goal, playing in the hitherto disappointing Cattermole who slipped a lovely ball to Bent. Surging forward, he held off a clutch of markers to shoot powerfully, right-footed, past Jaaskelainen from just inside the penalty area. It was the sort of defender-confounding finish to make you think Bent should be on England's summer flight to South Africa after all. "Darren must be in Fabio Capello's thoughts," said Bruce. "He's a natural goalscorer."

It got worse for Bolton and even better for Bent. First Sam Ricketts was sent off for a second yellow-card offence, namely the gentle shove which sent Bent tumbling, thereby conceding a slightly controversialpenalty. Next the victim dusted himself down and converted that kick before subsequently completing a first Sunderland treble by shooting his 19th goal of the season through a crowded area after playing a lovely one-two with Campbell.

Despite enjoying a fair amount of possession and forcing several set pieces, Bolton rarely threatened Craig Gordon – even if Lee Chung-yong might have done better than shoot wildly over the bar when he might have equalised.

"With conceding so early and then going down to 10 men everything conspired against us," said Owen Coyle, Bolton's manager, who thought the already booked Cana should have been sent off for a heavy, knee-high, tackle on Vladimir Weiss and disputed both the penalty award and Ricketts's red card. "I thought we were very unfortunate."

If only his team had been as feisty.

• Capello conversations secretly recorded before Egypt game
• Football Association warns media not to make them public

The Football Association has moved to stop the contents of bugged conversations between players and coaching staff becoming public after a recording was offered to media outlets.

Conversations between the England coach, Fabio Capello, and the squad are understood to have been secretly recorded ahead of last week's friendly against Egypt. The FA has launched an investigation into how they were made and warned newspapers and broadcasters not to make them public.

The incident is the latest blow to hit Capello's World Cup build up, in the wake of the media frenzy that surrounded John Terry's alleged affair with the ex-girlfriend of his international team-mate Wayne Bridge.

The recording, believed to be several hours long, is alleged to contain conversations between coaching staff and players at the Grove Hotel in Hertfordshire ahead of the 3-1 victory over Egypt at Wembley last Wednesday.

Although they have not officially commented, the FA's lawyers have contacted media organisations warning that publication of the contents of the recording would be illegal and a breach of the Data Protection Act and Press Complaints Commission rules.

Section 10 of the PCC code states: "The press must not seek to obtain or publish material acquired by using hidden cameras or clandestine listening devices; or by intercepting private or mobile telephone calls, messages or emails; or by the unauthorised removal of documents or photographs; or by accessing digitally held private information without consent."

It is understood that the FA's lawyers have also been in touch with the Daily Star, which hinted at the content of the conversations but did not reproduce them, in order to try to ascertain who was offering the recordings for sale and how they were made.

It has been suggested that the content of the tapes could give away Capello's tactical secrets but it is likely that whoever is responsible was hoping for more blockbuster revelations about the England players' private lives or evidence of the effect of the Terry story on the mood within the camp.

It is understood that the recordings were offered to several Sunday newspapers, which turned them down. Capello is believed to be concerned about the breach but the FA is confident that tight security around the England team at their remote Rustenburg training camp at this summer's World Cup will prevent a repeat.

Make that six to go for Walter Smith and Rangers. Smith's players have gone a full calendar year and 38 games while suffering just one defeat in the Scottish Premier League. It would be folly, therefore, to put much faith in them not collecting the six wins from 10 games that are now required to retain the championship. Even that total of victories will not be needed if Celtic continue dropping league points.

It took an improved second-half showing to win in Ayrshire, Steven Whittaker and Kenny Miller scoring the goals which saw off Kilmarnock's challenge.

"Kilmarnock were the better team in the first half," said Smith. "The first 25 minutes of the second half really won it for us because we had been poor before that."

The manager acknowledged the SPL record of his players, with a defeat at Aberdeen last November the only one in 12 months. "It is a fair achievement for a team that doesn't get a lot of credit for many things," Smith added. "To show that sort of consistency is fantastic."

Monday's confirmation that David Murray is in talks with the London-based property developer Andrew Ellis about selling his controlling stake in Rangers finally shed some light on what has been a protracted takeover saga. It remains to be seen whether Ellis's overtures will result in a formal bid, let alone a takeover, but the mere existence of interest offers solace for supporters during an uncertain period for the club.

Rangers enjoyed the better of the early play here, without forcing the Kilmarnock goalkeeper Cammy Bell into serious action. Kris Boyd volleyed narrowly over from 20 yards for the visitors before Kilmarnock almost snatched an unlikely lead.

Allan McGregor prevented that with a fine, point-blank save from Mehdi Taouil. Yet the attack roused Kilmarnock, who had ruined Robbie Keane's debut with a victory over Celtic here last month.

Boyd watched a shot kicked off the hosts' line by Jamie Hamill five minutes into the second period, but Rangers were struggling to impose themselves before shoddy defending allowed Whittaker his opportunity. The full-back scored his 11th goal of the season after stealing in at the back post, Kilmarnock having failed to deal with a Sasa Papac cross.

That intervention proved crucial in settling the flow of this game. Miller then slammed home from close range after Bell had spilled a Steve Davis shot, prompting premature claims of a title triumph from the Rangers following. Only a minor miracle would prevent better-justified jubilation in the not-too-distant future.

If West Bromwich Albion go on to win automatic promotion, it is entirely possible that this win, only their second in their last seven matches, will prove to have been the most important of the season.

Heavy-legged and lacking in ideasfor the best part of an hour, Roberto Di Matteo's team summoned up a burst of energy and inspiration that culminated in Robert Koren's beautifully struck 25-yard winner, and revitalised their flagging campaign.

"We made a number of chances after the break, but we probably needed a strike like that to win the game," said Di Matteo, who defended his decision to start with Koren, the Slovenia captain, on the bench. "We were a little bit nervous and edgy in the first half, but we stayed patient. The table still looks very tight, though – everybody's fighting for something."

The chances in an appalling first half could be numbered on the fingers of one hand, and neither goalkeeper had to make a save. The best efforts came from Albion's Chris Brunt, who scissor-kicked a volley a couple of feet wide against his former club, and Wednesday's Jermaine Johnson, who robbed Marek Cech but saw his ambitious attempt to chip the Albion goalkeeper Scott Carson drift over the bar.

Albion finally put Lee Grant to the test when Jonas Olsson met Graham Dorrans's cross with a downward header that the Wednesday goalkeeper reacted sharply to block. The substitute Ishmael Miller, whose introduction had given the Baggies some much-needed physical presence up front, and James Morrison, also saw headers well saved, and Dorrans a thumping 30-yard drive tipped over the bar. Just when it seemed the Owls might hang on, however, a move begun by Albion deep in their own half ended in Koren driving a diagonal shot beyond Grant.

"I felt we were coping with the pressure, but there was a moment of brilliance from a top-quality player in this division," said the Wednesday manager, Alan Irvine, whose side have won once in five attempts in the league. "I'm not too concerned about being in the bottom three at this stage. If we can win five more games, we'll be fine."

• Forward says Real Madrid can overturn Lyon deficit
• 'At the Bernabéu, Madrid are the boss' says Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo believes that the task ahead of his team tomorrow night is simple: to show Lyon that they are Real Madrid. That, though, could be precisely the problem and they need to be careful how they approach the game. Madrid are synonymous with the European Cup but their recent record has been disastrous, eliminated at the first knockout phase for five consecutive years. Tomorrow they must overcome a 1-0 deficit to prevent it being six and then reach the final in their own stadium. The pressure is intense.

Or at least it should be. For Madrid, this season is defined by the Champions League, even more than ever before. And yet there are few signs of nerves. Instead there is bullishness. Madrid may be without the suspended Xabi Alonso and Marcelo, they may have underestimated their opponents in the first leg and they may have been fortunate to depart the Stade Gerland having only been beaten 1-0 but there is strikingly little fear. The prevailing mood is that Lyon are just not that good. And Madrid are.

Once bitten twice shy is not the prevalent mood in the Spanish capital. Madrid are ready to bite Lyon back. Only the coach, Manuel Pellegrini, appears to be counselling caution. "We now know Lyon are a good side but we're at home and I am confident that we will go through," Ronaldo said. "At the Bernabéu, Madrid are the boss. It would be a huge disappointment to go out but I'm sure we will progress. We have to go out there with the intention of scoring lots of goals and be as offensive as possible – but that depends on Pellegrini."

The defender Sergio Ramos was predicting a 3-0 scoreline. "We're going to live another magical night at the Bernabéu," he said. His reference points were clear. At the weekend, Madrid came back from two down to defeat Sevilla 3-2 and move to the top of La Liga. And comebacks – remontadas – form part of their history. In 1984, Madrid defeated Anderlecht 6-1 having lost the first leg 3-0. The following year, they turned round a 5-1 defeat against Borussia Mönchengladbach then knocked out Inter despite losing 3-1 away, the winger Juanito adopting cod-Italian to warn his opponents that 90 minutes in the Bernabéu is a long time.

Tomorrow night's match has been billed as a continuation of that tradition, another chapter in the legend. Lyon will face "an inferno", ran one headline. "The spirit of Juanito has returned," declared another. Madrid will tear into them. The stage appears to be set for drama and goals – and lots of them. If Lyon were to score, there would need to be: Madrid would find themselves obliged to score three.

But if there is a bullishness about the players, the coach is different. Pellegrini, whose Villarreal side reached the semi-final in 2006 almost by stealth, tonight hinted that he was more convinced of the need to prevent Lyon from getting the away goal that would complicate the tie than to blitz them into submission. "We're not going to find an easy opponent in the Champions league and we need to play well to go through" he said. "But nor do we need to embark upon an epic comeback."

• Next year's season ticket money 'ring-fenced and safe'
• Uefa likely to prevent any Europa League appearance

The administrators running Portsmouth have revealed that the club is still paying out £4m a month in wages but promised fans that any revenue collected for next year's season tickets will be placed in a ring-fenced account.

The joint administrator Michael Kiely, of UHY Hacker Young, said money will not be used to meet ongoing costs and will be returned in the event that the club goes to the wall.

It also emerged yesterday that Portsmouth are unlikely to be able to enter the Europa League next season if they win the FA Cup because they have not applied for a Uefa club licence. Given Pompey's financial situation, it is unlikely they would qualify for one in any case.

Portsmouth have debts estimated at £70m-£80m and still owe £8m to other clubs in transfer instalments, Kiely told a meeting of fans on Saturday. According to the minutes of the meeting, he reiterated to the representatives of the various groups present that the administrators are "completely independent" of the club's owner, Balram Chainrai, and his company Portpin. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs has queried the links between the administrator and Chainrai, after it emerged that they shared a solicitor in Balsara & Co.

According to the minutes, the administrators had "no previous dealings with Balram Chainrai until two weeks ago, when [Kiely] received a call while on a skiing holiday about this matter".

In response to questions from supporters, Kiely said the administrators were confident that they could satisfy the queries of the Revenue when the case returns to the high court next week.

Redundancies among the club's workforce will not be announced until the case is settled. The Premier League has also ruled that all arguments about whether the club should be allowed to sell players outside the transfer window, or whether they should be docked the requisite nine points for going to administration, will not be dealt with until after the case.

Kiely also revealed that Mark Jacob, the former executive director employed to run the club under the former owner Ali al-Faraj and Chainrai, was continuing to work for the club despite no longer being paid. He previously worked as a solicitor for Fuglers, where the club's client account was held, but the company said last month he had "ceased to be employed" by it.

"Mark Jacob is not on the payroll of Portsmouth FC. However, it is believed his experience can add value to the administration process, although he is effectively doing that for free and not with Portsmouth FC's money," said the minutes.

Kiely admitted the administrators had yet to fully go over the accounts but promised a "forensic examination" of Portsmouth's tortuous ownership saga, even if a quick sale was agreed.