Barcelona's Ronaldinho (left) challenges for the ball with Stuttgart's Ricardo Osorio during the Champions League Group E match in Stuttgart yesterday. Barca won 2-0. - AP

LONDON (AP):

MANCHESTER UNITED and Arsenal both won 1-0 in the Champions League yesterday, while Rangers beat Lyon 3-0 in the biggest surprise so far in this season's group stage.

Wayne Rooney scored midway through the second half to give United a crucial victory over AS Roma and Robin Van Persie's 76th-minute goal lifted the Gunners at Steaua Bucharest.

Rangers beat six-time defending French champions Lyon on goals by Lee McCulloch, Daniel Cousin and DaMarcus Beasley.

UEFA Cup holders Sevilla beat Slavia Prague 4-2 for the biggest win of the evening; 2006 champions FC Barcelona won 2-0 at Stuttgart and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice to lead Inter Milan to a 2-0 win over visiting PSV Eindhoven 2-0.

United score total 7

United have scored only seven goals in their eight Premier League games, so a repeat of last season's 7-1 quarter-final win over Roma was never likely.

Roma competed well at Old Trafford and only lost to a 70th-minute goal by Rooney that earned United their sixth narrow 1-0 win in their last eight matches.

"Some times you go through these spells and it won't last forever," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "Some day soon we're going to hit a lot of goals."

Cristiano Ronaldo passed to Nani on the edge of the area and Nani slipped the ball through to Rooney with his first touch. The England striker hit a first-time shot from inside the area that caromed in off the left post for his first goal of the season.

"We showed a lot of patience and scored a good goal," Ferguson said. "It was a great pass in and a great finish."

United have a maximum six points from two Group F games, three more than Roma and Sporting Lisbon, who won 2-1 at Dynamo Kiev. Dynamo Kiev are last and without a point.

Arsenal, the Premier League leaders, moved within sight of the quarter-finals after improving to six points in Group H with an away victory at Steaua.

Van Persie scored his fifth goal of the season in the 76th, shooting high into the net from a left-wing cross by Emmanuel Adebayor.

"I didn't expect this match to be easy and it wasn't," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. "We had to be patient because Steaua were a very well-organised team."

Sevilla moved to three points, the same as Slavia Prague, after a pair of goals in each half against the Czech side. Frederic Kanoute scored one and set up two others.

Kanoute and Luis Fabiano put the home side ahead 2-1 at half-time before Julien Escude and Arouna Kone wrapped up victory. It would have been worse for Slavia, but David Kalivoda got an injury-time goal for the visitors.

Rangers beat Stuttgart 2-1 two weeks ago and surprisingly retained a share of the Group E lead with two-time European champions Barcelona after winning in France.