Halfway through the group stage, some teams can already start planning their move into the next round of the Champions League. Chelsea are one of five clubs that need only one point to advance to the next phase, but if they are to get there, the English side will have to earn it at defending champions FC Barcelona on Tuesday.

Everton maintained their unbeaten start to the English Premier League season with a 1-1 draw on Sunday at Newcastle. Tim Cahill scored the equaliser in the 40th minute with a header off a cross from Mikel Arteta. ”It was a brilliant game. We worked really hard after going behind to a dubious goal,” Cahill said. ”Overall, a draw is probably a fair result.”

Middlesbrough scored twice in the final 10 minutes and rallied to beat Chelsea 2-1 on Wednesday, leaving Manchester United alone at the top of the English Premier League standings. Two-time defending champions Chelsea led on a 16th-minute goal from Andriy Shevchenko before Emanuel Pogatetz equalised and substitute Mark Viduka scored in injury time to win it for Middlesbrough.

Four-time European champions Ajax were ousted from the European Champions League qualifying on Wednesday, scoring an own-goal in their 2-0 loss at home to FC Copenhagen. Ajax had a 2-1 lead heading into the second leg of their third-round qualifying match at the Amsterdam Arena, but fell behind when Michael Silberbauer scored in the 59th minute.

Another United States National Football League team owner — and American billionaire — is set to take over an English soccer club. Randy Lerner, who owns the Cleveland Browns, put in a £62,6-million bid on Monday to buy Aston Villa, one of the oldest clubs in English soccer.

Steve McClaren wasted no time in distancing himself from Sven-Goran Eriksson. ”I’m going to do it my way,” McClaren said on Tuesday as he officially took over as England’s 11th national soccer coach. He assumed control exactly a month after England were knocked out in the quarterfinals of the World Cup by Portugal, ending Eriksson’s five-and-a-half year tenure.

David Beckham is no longer England’s main man. The 31-year-old midfielder — known as much for his glamorous lifestyle, fashion sense and tattoos as for his bending free kicks — has been eclipsed as England’s key player. Wayne Rooney, still recovering from a broken foot, is the player England’s opponents fear most.