Jose Mourinho paid an emotional tribute to Chelsea's loyal fans as the beleaguered Blues boss savored the dramatic 2-1 win over Dynamo Kiev that earned him a stay of execution.

Mourinho has been under siege from critics who claim his side's woeful run has left him on the verge of the sack.

Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp insisted Wednesday that former skipper Steven Gerrard will not be returning to the club although he will be happy to have the legendary Anfield stalwart train with his squad.

Gerrard left for the United States last summer to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer.

Arsene Wenger slammed Arsenal's "extremely poor" defensive display at Bayern Munich as their record 5-1 defeat left them with just a slender chance of progressing in the Champions League.

Thomas Mueller scored twice on Wednesday while Robert Lewandowski, David Alaba and Arjen Robben were also on target as Pep Guardiola's Bayern emphatically avenged their 2-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium a fortnight ago.

Brazilian striker Neymar said he is in the form of his life after netting twice as Barcelona eased past BATE Borisov 3-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Neymar also set up Barca's other goal on the night for Luis Suarez as the defending champions moved to within a point of sealing their place in the last 16.

Miami Heat guard Gerald Green, the 2007 NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion, was hospitalized Wednesday for unspecified reasons, the team said.

The 29-year-old American, in his 10th NBA campaign, sat out last night's 98-82 loss to Atlanta with an illness.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both made short work of their second round opponents to reach the last 16 at the Paris Masters on Wednesday.

Between them, the two tennis greats have just one win in what is traditionally the last of the year's nine Masters 1000 series events, that coming in 2011 when Federer defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final.

French footballer Karim Benzema was arrested Wednesday in connection with blackmail over a sextape featuring fellow player Mathieu Valbuena, a source close to the probe told AFP.

The Real Madrid and France star arrived at the police station in Versailles, near Paris, early on Wednesday and was placed in detention, the local prosecutor confirmed, without giving further information.

All-star guard Jeff Teague delivered 26 points and nine assists as the Atlanta Hawks won their fourth straight game by beating the Miami Heat 98-92 on Tuesday.

The Hawks used a first half scoring burst and then held on with a strong defensive performance to extend their modest win streak after dropping the first game of the season.

The All Blacks returned home to a frenzy of hakas and hysteria on Wednesday, with even the players stunned as 50,000 fans packed central Auckland to celebrate their Rugby World Cup victory.

"It's huge to come back and see all this support and everyone turning out, it's just overwhelming," the tournament's breakout star Nehe Milner-Skudder said as the crowd at the city's Victoria Park roared approval.

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal admitted to feeling "relieved" after Wayne Rooney ended the club's 404-minute scoring drought to secure a 1-0 victory over CSKA Moscow.

United had drawn their three previous games 0-0 and a fourth consecutive goalless draw -- unprecedented in the club's history -- was on the cards as Tuesday's game at Old Trafford entered its final 15 minutes.