Chelsea's Deco (left) goes for the ball with Roma's Francesco Totti during their Champions League Group A match at Stamford Bridge yesterday. Chelsea won 1-0. - AP

LONDON (AP):

FC BARCELONA moved to the verge of a place in the next round of the Champions League with a big win over FC Basel yesterday, and Chelsea and Inter Milan also look set to be there after narrow victories.

Bojan Krkic scored twice to lead Barcelona to a 5-0 win in Switzerland and Chelsea captain John Terry scored late to give Chelsea a 1-0 win over AS Roma. Inter beat Anorthosis Famagusta 1-0 to take control of their group while PSV Eindhoven, Bordeaux and Sporting Lisbon also won.

Barcelona's win made them the only team in the 32-club competition to have a perfect record through three matches after Liverpool and Atletico Madrid lost their 100 per cent streaks with a 1-1 draw in Spain, where Simao Sabrosa equalised for the home side with seven minutes remaining.

Barcelona, who won the last of their two titles in 2006, needed two very late goals to beat Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 in their last Champions League match but had no such problems yesterday and took the lead after just four minutes.

Low shot

Lionel Messi scored first when he collected a chip over the defence from Daniel Alves and side-footed the ball past goalkeeper Franco Costanzo. Barcelona got another in the 15th when Sergi Busquets scored from a pass by Xavi Hernandez, and Krkic scored seven minutes later with a low shot from the edge of the area.

Even with star striker Samuel Eto'o on the substitutes' bench, Barcelona totally dominated and created three chances to make it 4-0 before the first half hour was over. Alves sent a shot over the bar following a well-worked move from a free kick, Krkic had a shot blocked and Alves's effort from the rebound was saved by Costanzo.

Krkic extended his team's lead just a minute into the second half, rounding off a speedy counterattack with a low shot, and Xavi Hernandez made it 5-0 in the 48th with a strike from the edge of the area.

Krkic almost got his hat-trick in the 55th with a lob on to the roof of the net and Barcelona, who were already on course for their biggest ever away win in the Champions League, then taunted their Swiss opponent further by bringing on France striker Thierry Henry.

On giving the maximum

"There are no easy games," Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said. "Only when we give the maximum are victories like this possible."

Barcelona have nine points in Group C, three more than Sporting Lisbon, who won at Shakhtar 1-0 through a 76th-minute goal by Liedson. Basel are stranded in last place without a single point.

Inter won but could only follow their 4-0 destruction of Roma at the weekend with a lacklustre victory over visiting Anorthosis Famagusta, with Adriano getting the only goal in the 44th.

Adriano beat two defenders in the air to head in a floated cross from fellow Brazil international Maicon, giving Inter the lead in Group B with seven points. Anorthosis have four points, one more than Werder Bremen, who equalised in the 83rd through Hugo Almeida for a 2-2 draw at Panathinaikos.

Elsewhere, Chelsea and Liverpool both laboured in efforts to carry impressive Premier League form into Europe.

Defending in numbers

Chelsea were coming off a 5-0 victory at Middlesbrough and Roma were reeling from their Serie A loss to Inter, but any thoughts that the Blues might get an easy win were dispelled as the Italian side seemed content to frustrate the hosts by defending in numbers.

"They made it very difficult for us the whole time," Terry said. "They're a very good side, with some great players in their team. Maybe they deserved something, but thankfully we got the three points."

Chelsea, who lead the Premier League on goal difference from Liverpool, had to wait until the 77th for their goal, which could have been prevented if Roma had put a defender on the line for the corner kick that led to Terry's header.

Still, Chelsea went clear in Group A with seven points to CFR Cluj's four after the Romanian club lost at Bordeaux 1-0. Roma and Bordeaux are even with three points each.

Liverpool continue to share the Group D lead with Atletico after Simao equalised in Madrid with a low shot past goalkeeper Pepe Reina. Both teams have seven points.

It was as much as the home side deserved despite trailing to Robbie Keane's 14th-minute goal. Diego Forlan had a 56th-minute equaliser ruled out because of a questionable offside decision, and Simao saw his shot a minute later pushed on to the post by Reina.

PSV Eindhoven are next in Group D, finally getting their first points with a 2-0 win over Marseille.

"The Champions League is over. You have to be realistic," Marseille coach Eric Gerets said. "We don't belong in the next round of the Champions League when you look at tonight's match. There was a world of difference between the two teams in terms of desire, physical freshness and courage."