United snatch late draw and Celtic fall

By Zoran Milosavljevic

BELGRADE (Reuters) - An 87th minute equaliser from Carlos Tevez gave Manchester United a 1-1 draw at Olympique Lyon while Barcelona beat Celtic 3-2 away in the Champions League last 16 first-leg matches on Wednesday.

Holders AC Milan survived a second half onslaught by Arsenal to earn a 0-0 draw at the Emirates stadium and Turkish champions Fenerbahce edged Spanish rivals Sevilla 3-2 in Istanbul to set up an intriguing return leg in a fortnight.

United's transfer target Karim Benzema gave French champions and league leaders Lyon a deserved 54th minute lead with a fine shot on the turn before second half substitute Tevez levelled from close range.

Lyon dominated the opening half as Alex Ferguson's defensive 4-5-1 formation looked out of sorts and the English champions deservedly fell behind when 20-year old Benzema drilled the ball home past a static defence.

United came to life midway through the second half after Nani and Tevez came on for Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, who had a quiet 100th appearance in Europe's premier club competition.

Their pressure finally paid off after Nani's cross fell kindly for Tevez, who stretched Lyon's winless streak against English opposition to six matches.

Ferguson admitted the second half adjustments played a key role in getting the vital away goal that puts United in the driving seat for the return leg at Old Trafford.

"Nani provided a greater threat for us," he told Sky Sports. "Carlos Tevez scored an important goal. It was a decent result without question. We count our blessings that we got back (into the match)."