FC Porto and Arsenal scored crucial away goals yesterday, giving both teams the advantage heading into the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals next week.

Porto got a late equaliser from substitute Mariano Gonzalez in their 2-2 draw at defending champion Manchester United and Emmanuel Adebayor scored in the second half to give Arsenal a 1-1 draw at Villarreal. The second legs will be played April 15 and the winners will play each other next month in the semi-finals.

Equalising goal

Gonzalez scored Porto's equalising goal in the 89th minute, four minutes after Carlos Tevez had put United ahead 2-1 at Old Trafford. Lucho Gonzalez's cross from the right was left by Gary Neville and Mariano brought it down with his chest before shooting past United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.

Tevez thought he had given United the lead for good only minutes earlier, lifting the ball into the net when Wayne Rooney's heel flicked on Neville's throw in.

In the first half, United trailed for the first time in their title defence in the fourth minute when Jonny Evans' poor clearance allowed Cristian Rodriguez to put Porto ahead. But the visitors also had some sloppy defending and Rooney took advantage of it to equalise in the 15th by pouncing on a lax backpass from Bruno Alves.

Arsenal got its away goal in the 66th minute when Adebayor chested a long ball from Cesc Fabregas to the right of the area and beat Diego Lopez with a bicycle kick.