England striker Jermaine Defoe helped himself to three clinically-struck goals and moved Tottenham Hotspur a step closer to the Europa League knockout stages with a 3-1 win over Maribor of Slovenia last night.
With Group J leaders Lazio beating Panathanaikos 3-0 in Rome, Spurs are now two points clear of Maribor in the race for the second qualifying spot.
There is still everything to play for in Group A, where Anzhi Makhachkala moved to the top, leapfrogging Liverpool with a 1-0 win
in freezing temperatures in Moscow.
Having beaten Anzhi 1-0 at Anfield two weeks ago, Liverpool surrendered a two-point lead over their Russian rivals and are now
a point adrift after four games.
Newcastle kept their hopes alive with a come-from-behind 2-all draw away to Brugge in Belgium.
