BATE Borisov came close against Chelsea - cracking the woodwork on three occasions - but the English side advanced to the Europa League knockout rounds with a 1-0 win in Belarus.
Meanwhile, Arsenal qualified for the next phase courtesy of a concurrent match in central Ukraine, while last season's finalists Marseille and Belgian giants Anderlecht were eliminated from the continental competition.
Here is what happened in Thursday's matches.
Group A
A draw between Ludogorets and AEK Larnaca did neither side any favors, as their dropped points and Bayer Leverkusen's 1-0 win over FC Zurich led to the duo's elimination. Leverkusen and Zurich are even on nine points with two matches remaining.
Group B
Celtic engineered an impressive 2-1 defeat of RB Leipzig, putting Brendan Rodgers' outfit firmly back in contention for the knockout rounds. Rosenborg are almost out with no points from their opening four outings, and Thursday's 5-2 home loss to Red Bull Salzburg sent their Austrian opponents through to the next phase.
Group C
Bordeaux's Europa League mission is on life support. Anton Zabolotny's second-half equalizer for Zenit St. Petersburg leaves the Ligue 1 club six points adrift of second-placed Slavia Prague, who drew at home to FC Copenhagen.
Group D
Anderlecht were eliminated with a 2-0 loss at Fenerbahce, whose fate is yet to be determined, along with that of Dinamo Zagreb and Spartak Trnava.
Group E
Danny Welbeck's injury looked serious and was unfortunately the biggest takeaway from a forgettable 0-0 draw between Arsenal and Sporting CP at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners confirmed qualification to the final 32 in the dour affair thanks to Qarabag's 1-0 win at Vorskla Poltava.
Group F
F91 Dudelange, the first Luxembourg side to participate in the Europa League, are out following a 5-1 battering at Olympiacos. AC Milan sit third after a 1-1 draw at Real Betis.
Group G
Nothing is decided in a thrillingly tight quartet of Rangers, Rapid Vienna, Spartak Moscow, and Villarreal.
Group H
Marseille fell out of the Europa League after just four matches with a 2-1 loss at Lazio's Stadio Olimpico. The win sent the Roman outfit into the next stage along with Eintracht Frankfurt, who overcame Group H cellar-dwellers Apollon Limassol.
Group I
Progression to the last 32 is still up for grabs for Besiktas, Genk, Malmo, and Sarpsborg. Besiktas are surprisingly bottom of the group with four points from four matches.
Group J
Akhisar Belediyespor were booted from the Europa League following a 3-2 home defeat to Sevilla. The Andalusians, meanwhile, are still vying with Krasnodar and Standard Liege to decide which two teams progress.
Group K
Astana, Dynamo Kyiv, and Rennes are still squabbling over a pair of spots to vault into the knockout rounds. Although Czech minnows FK Jablonec still have a mathematical chance, it would take a miracle for them to secure a place in the round of 32.
Group L
With their victory on Thursday, Chelsea are through as the top-placed team in Group L, while BATE Borisov, PAOK Thessaloniki, and MOL Vidi are fighting to capture second position.