Barca captain Messi opened the scoring with a "Panenka" penalty chipped straight down the middle in the 17th minute after Luis Suarez was fouled in the area, putting the home side ahead in the tie after a goalless first leg in France.
Michael Owen has stuck the boot into Arsenal's Premier League title credentials and claims record signing Mesut Ozil is too inconsistent to lead the Gunners to glory, according to reports.
Arsenal's France midfielder Samir Nasri will be sidelined for a month following knee surgery, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
A late mistake by Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina allowed Arsenal to salvage a 1-1 draw at Anfield on Sunday after both sides ended their opening Premier League match of the season with 10 men.
An Eden Hazard hat-trick swept Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League on Saturday when they beat Newcastle United 3-0 at Stamford Bridge after previous leaders Arsenal were thrashed 5-1 at Liverpool.
Liverpool enjoyed a leisurely 3-0 stroll past a lifeless West Ham United at Anfield on Monday, ideal preparation before their marathon journey to Spain for this week's Europa League semi-final against Atletico Madrid.
Raheem Sterling's stunning individual goal earned Liverpool a 1-1 draw with Chelsea in a rip-roaring League Cup semi-final first leg at Anfield on Tuesday but the dominant Merseysiders could be left to rue a missed opportunity.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp admitted they needed luck to get past AS Roma in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday after old defensive issues reared their head.
Chelsea forward Eden Hazard expects ManchesterCity and Liverpool to be the London side's main rivals in the Premier League title race after the top three sides all enjoyed victories on the weekend.
Roma have signed Norwegian international defender John Arne Riise from Liverpool for $7.74 million, the Italian Serie A club said on Wednesday. Riise has signed a four-year contract, a statement on the club's Web site said.
Images from the football matches played across Europe on Tuesday.
Liverpool head for a decisive Champions League clash at Olympique Lyon on Wednesday with 10 players injured or doubtful for the game and coach Rafa Benitez facing the biggest crisis in his five-year Anfield reign.
Images from the EPL matches played on Saturday
Liverpool opened up an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League with an emphatic and hugely impressive 3-1 win over defending champions Manchester City.
Liverpool peeled away the gloom enveloping their season with a 2-0 home win over Premier League champions and fierce rivals Manchester United on Sunday.
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez said his side must win their remaining three group games if the five-time European champions are to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League.
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IMAGES from the English Premier League matches played on Sunday.
Liverpool were dramatically dumped out of the FA Cup when Reading came from behind to earn a 2-1 win after extra time in their third-round replay at Anfield on Wednesday. The Championship (second division) strugglers emulated League One Leeds United's epic 1-0 victory at Manchester United to set up a fourth-round tie at Premier League Burnley.
Manchester United ensured the Premier League title race would go to the final day as they responded to Chelsea's win at Anfield with a nervy 1-0 victory at Sunderland on Sunday. Chelsea's 2-0 success earlier had put the Londoners four points ahead but Alex Ferguson's team clung on to their hopes of an unprecedented fourth successive title by closing the gap back to one with a game each remaining.
Chelsea moved to within one win of the Premier League title after an awful Steven Gerrard blunder set them on their way to a 2-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield and moved them four points clear of Manchester United. The Londoners could win their first title since 2006 later on Sunday if United lose at Sunderland while even a draw at the Stadium of Light would effectively hand it to Chelsea.
Fernando Torres will face his former club Atletico Madrid in the Europa League semi-finals after scoring twice to help Liverpool beat Benfica 4-1 at Anfield on Thursday.
Arsenal inflicted Liverpool's sixth Premier League defeat of the season with a 2-1 victory on Sunday, their first league win at Anfield since 2003.
Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has vowed to be more clinical in front of goal after miscuing a header in Monday's goalless draw at Liverpool. Ibrahimovic, who has struck four Premier League goals this season, combined with Paul Pogba for United's best moment at Anfield, only for the Swede's close-range header from the Frenchman's cross to bumble harmlessly across goal. "I needed to chase the ball instead of attacking the ball, but still I should have put it at least on the target. But the next game, I will do better," Ibrahimovic told reporters.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers stressed that his team would give everything to qualify for the Champions League after a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United on Monday left them four points behind Manchester City in the Premier League.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers stressed that his team would give everything to qualify for the Champions League after a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United on Monday left them four points behind Manchester City in the Premier League.
Captain Steven Gerrard's 87th minute goal turned out to be a late winner for Liverpool as they inched closer to the top four in the English Premier League table after a 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers.
Seventh-placed Liverpool, who have 14 points from nine matches, travel to a Newcastle side buoyed by their League Cup victory over Manchester City.
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has suffered another injury setback after a foot problem picked up in training ruled him out of a return against Girondins Bordeaux in the Europa League
Real Madrid's stuttering season continued as they were reduced to 10 men and then slumped to an 11th La Liga defeat of the campaign by going down 3-1 at Real Sociedad.
Liverpool lifted the gloom hanging over their season with a 2-0 victory over Premier League champions and fierce rivals Manchester United on Sunday.
It takes a lot to make Liverpool fans boo their own manager but when Rafa Benitez replaced Yossi Benayoun with Andriy Voronin in Tuesday's Champions League defeat by Olympique Lyon the jeers told their own story.
Liverpool will be without striker Fernando Torres for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Olympique Lyon at Anfield but midfielder Steven Gerrard is expected to be fit, manager Rafael Benitez said on Monday.
The malaise at Liverpool was laid bare on Saturday when they conceded a last-minute equaliser at Stoke City to complete a miserable week for the Anfield club. After losing at home to Championship (second division) Reading in the FA Cup on Wednesday, Robert Huth's tap-in to earn Stoke a 1-1 draw prevented a welcome shot in the arm for a proud Liverpool in poor health on and off the pitch.
Brighton kept a disciplined formation, frustrating Liverpool and as the second half wore on the home side began to lose their fluency.
Manchester City made Raheem Sterling the most expensive English player in history when they completed a deal for the 20-year-old forward on Tuesday, rubber-stamping an acrimonious end to his Liverpool career.
Liverpool have cashed in on midfielder Xabi Alonso and their lack of financial muscle means they have been unable to compete for stellar signings like Valencia striker David Villa.
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez will get a close-up of the missing piece of his jigsaw puzzle on Saturday when Gareth Barry runs out for Manchester City at Anfield for a match with huge implications for both clubs.
Club president Franz Beckenbauer compared Bayern Munich to Liverpool after his team scored a record 12-1 aggregate win over Sporting to stroll into the Champions League quarter-finals.
