2012 ACN: Group B Game Three

Goal difference always plays apart in tournaments and this African Cup of Nations is no difference. Angola met Ivory Coast needing just a point while Sudan met Burkina Faso needing to win. Sudan also needed a three goal swing in order to progress at Angola's expense.

Poor defending from Angola allowed Arsenal's Emmanuel Eboue to tap home a low cross on 32-minutes. At the same time, Eltaib Mudather had escaped an awful attempt at a tackle and put Sudan ahead. As it stood, Angola would still go through, but only on goals scored. Angola committed footballing suicide when reserve keeper, Costa, came for a ball that he was never going to get. Dany Massunguna got to the through ball first and headed the ball past the keeper, Bony Wilfried applied the finishing touch to make it 2-0 after 64-minutes. This set of score-lines would put Angola out on goal difference.

It got even better for Sudan when Mudather made it 2-0 with just eleven minutes to play to further put themselves into the next phase. Issiaka Ouedraogo pulled a goal back for Burkina Faso in injury time but it wasn't enough to prevent Sudan from winning their first ACN game since 1976. Table:

Ivory Coast      9
Sudan              4   0
Angola             4  -1
Burkina Faso   0

2012 ACN: Group A Game Three

Libya needed to win and hope Zambia lost to progress into the knock-out phase of the competition. Libya faced the disappointing Senegal and Elbusaifi Ihab put the underdogs after just four minutes. But Senegal responded and equalised six minutes with Ndeme Ndiaye headed them level. Ihab went one better, however, and put Libya back in front with seven minutes to play to leave Senegal pointless at the end of their campaign.

Meanwhile, Zambia were unaware of what was going on in Bata as they faced Equatorial Guinea at the same time. There was only one goal in the match and it came after 68-minutes, Christopher Katongo scoring his second of the tournament to put Zambia through at Libya's expense. Table:

Zambia                  7
Equatorial Guinea  6
Libya                     4
Senegal                 0

FA Cup Fifth Round Draw

Chelsea v Birmingham City
Crawley Town v Stoke City
Everton v Blackpool/Sheffield Wednesday
Liverpool v Brighton & Hove Albion
Millwall/Southampton v Bolton Wanderers
Norwich City v Leicester City
Stevenage Borough v Tottenham Hotspur
Sunderland/Middlesbrough v Arsenal

FA Cup Fourth Round

Watford 0-1 Tottenham: Rafael Van Der Vaart scores the only goal of the game four minutes before half-time. Watford were denied twice by the woodwork as Spurs squeeze through.

Everton 2-1 Fulham: Danny Murphy gave Fulham the lead on 13-minutes from the spot. A good header from Denis Stracqualursi headed Everton level on 26-minutes before Marouane Fellaini won the game with 18-minutes left.

QPR 0-1 Chelsea: Chelsea progress via a dubious penalty decision. Danny Sturridge went over far too easily but earned the spot-kick which Juan Mata converted just after the half-hour mark. The racism row between the clubs was very much highlighted by the fact that the teams didn't shake hands at the start of the match.

Liverpool 2-1 Manchester United: Another match surrounded by the racism war saw Patrice Evra have a standard game despite getting fervently booed by the Anfield faithful. Daniel Agger gave the hosts the lead after David De Gea failed to collect a corner after coming for it on twenty minutes. Ji-Sung Park levelled for United after converting Rafael's pull back cross on 48-minutes. The game looked to be heading for a replay until poor defending allowed substitute Dirk Kuyt one-on-one with De Gea, the Dutchman blasted the ball home with three minutes left. The racism row was then highlighted with a police investigation into a Liverpool fan making a 'monkey' gesture at Evra.

Blackpool 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday: Hillsborough will witness a replay after a late minute penalty save Blackpool's blushes. Clinton Morrison put Wednesday ahead six minutes into the second half before Kevin Phillips converted the last minute spot-kick to force a replay.

Bolton 2-1 Swansea: Bolton came from behind to continue from where they left off against Liverpool. Luke Moore put the visitors ahead three minutes before half-time until former Swan, Darren Pratley, equalised on the interval. Chris Eagles then won the game for Bolton ten minutes after the restart to put them through.

Hull 0-1 Crawley: After a great cup run last year, Crawley created another cup upset with Matt Tubbs scoring 11-minutes into the second half to dump Championship side Hull out.

Leicester 2-0 Swindon: Jermaine Beckford scored both goals on four minutes then 52-minutes to put themselves into the fifth round.

Millwall 1-1 Southampton: St.Mary's will also witness a replay after Millwall scored a late equaliser. Rickie Lambert put the Saints ahead on half an hour before Darius Henderson equalised five minutes before the end to force a second leg.

Sheffield United 0-4 Birmingham: Last year's Carling Cup winners progress into the fifth round with a convincing win over Sheffield United. Nathan Redmond put the Blues ahead after 17-minutes before Adam Rooney made it 2-0 eight minutes from half-time. Wade Elliot made it three 12-minutes into the second half and Rooney added the fourth 13-minutes before the end.

Stevenage 1-0 Notts County: A Damion Stewart own goal after 11-minutes puts Stevenage into the next round.

West Brom 1-2 Norwich: Norwich repeat the scoreline from last week's Premiership match. Grant Holt put Norwich ahead on 34 minutes before Marc-Antoine Fortune equalised eight minutes into the second half. The winner came six minutes from the end with Simeon Jackson putting Norwich through.

Brighton 1-0 Newcastle: A Mike Williamson own goal with 15-minutes to play secures Brighton's cup shock over their Premiership opponents.

Sunderland 1-1 Middlesbrough: Barry Robson put Boro ahead after 15-minutes to begin a possible cup upset. But Frazier Campbell equalised 13-minutes into the second half to set up a replay at Riverside.

Arsenal 3-2 Aston Villa: Arsenal progress on the back of a fortuitous comeback. Richard Dunne headed Villa ahead after 32-minutes before Darren Bent made it 2-0 just before half-time. Dunne then turned into the villain by conceding a penalty eight minutes into the second half, Robin Van Persie converted it. Poor defending allowed Theo Walcott in behind before Alan Hutton's clearance rebounded back off the winger and into the net to equalise three minutes later. Darren Bent was then also guilty of fouling Laurent Koscielny in the box and referee Mike Jones again pointed to the spot. Van Persie again stepped up and converted for a second time to make 3-2 on the hour mark.

2012 ACN: Group D Game Two

The first thrashing of the tournament came on the sixth day as Guinea played Botswana. Sadio Diallo started this game for Guinea and gave them the lead after just 15-minutes. Botswana were then given a penalty but Moussa Yattara initially saved Dipsy Selolwane's effort, however the linesman declared the keeper had infringed whilst saving it and Selolwane got a second chance. He stepped again and went the opposite way to level after 23-minutes. They were level for just four minutes before Diallo netted a second time to begin the onslaught. A quick free-kick out-foxed the Botswana defender and Abdoul Camara finished it off three minutes before half-time. Guinea managed a fourth just before the break when substitute Patrick Motsepe was sent off for a high, studs in challenge. The resulting free-kick was smashed in off the post by Ibrahima Traore to make it 4-1. Guinea then left it late to take any more advantage of the man difference with Mamadou Bah making it five with eight minutes to go and Ismael Bangour completed the rout four minutes later.

Ghana has almost made it into the knock-out by beating Mali. Sunderland's Asamoah Gyan put Ghana ahead on 63-minutes before Olympique Marseille's Andre Ayew made it 2-0 with 14-minutes to go. Ghana lead group D with six points, Mali and Guinea are together on three points with Botswana virtually out with no points and a much poorer goal difference.    

2012 ACN: Group C Game Two

Group C is already done and dusted bar the shouting, in extremely dramatic circumstances. The day kicked off with Niger against Tunisia. Youseff Msakni scored his second goal of the tournament after just three minutes before William N'Gounou equalised seven minutes later. But Tunisia guaranteed themselves progression at Niger's expense in the last minute of normal time, Issam Jemaa scoring the winning goal.

If that wasn't dramatic enough, then Gabon's competition with Equatorial Guinea for who can secure the biggest shock went into round two. Senegal were knocked out by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon retorted by eliminating Morocco. Houssine Kharja scored his second goal of the tournament after 23-minutes to give Morocco the lead. But a fantastic volley from Yann Bidonga on 76-minutes and a surprise swivelled goal from Daniel Cousin two minutes put Gabon ahead and looked to be through. However, the game wasn't completed and Morocco were given a dubious penalty for a harsh handball on 90-minutes, Kharja stepped up and converted to make it 2-2 with five minutes of injury time to play. If Morocco thought that they had salvaged themselves then they should have thought again. A horror tackle from Mehdi Benatia, who was extremely lucky to have only received a yellow card, meant Gabon had a 96th-minute free-kick from twenty yards. Bruno Zita stepped over the ball before dispatching a wonderful shot past Nadir Lamyaghri to earn Gabon their second win of the tournament, joining their co-hosts in the quarter finals.    

2012 ACN: Group B Game Two

After Equatorial Guinea's shock result yesterday, it became the second worst ranked team's turn to produce a surprise result of their own. Angola faced Sudan knowing that a win would almost certainly put them through and Manucho got them off to the perfect start with his second goal of the tournament after just four minutes thanks to some poor defending. Sudan fought back and Mohamed Youssif Basheer scored his country's first proper Africa Cup of Nations goal since 1976, equalising 13-minutes before half-time. Angola would again take the lead just four minutes into the second half with Manucho dispatching a penalty. But Basheer kept Sudan's hopes of qualifying alive with a second equaliser 17-minutes before the end of the match.

Ivory Coast have indeed 'coasted' into the knock-out phase without hitting anything like top gear. They followed up their 1-0 win over Sudan with Chelsea's Salomon Kalou scoring after 15-minutes to take the lead against Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso hit the bar in the second half which could have maybe earned them a point but Lyon's Bakary Kone sealed his team's fate by heading the ball into his own net nine minutes from the end. The Elephants are now guaranteed to progress while Burkina Faso are out. Sudan must beat Burkina Faso and hope Ivory Coast beat Angola for Sudan to progress via goal difference.

Carling Cup Semi-Finals 2nd Legs

The first Wembley final of the season now has its two competitors with both semi-finals finishing in dramatic style. Tuesday saw Cardiff take on Crystal Palace with the English visitors a goal ahead from the first leg. Anthony Gardner scored an own goal after just six minutes to level the tie up with plenty to spare. The game went into extra time and Cardiff continuously hit the woodwork as the game rolled into the dreaded penalty shoot-out. The first two penalties were missed but Tom Heaton produced heroics as Cardiff went onto win the shoot-out 3-1 to book their place across the border.

The second semi-final saw Liverpool try to hold onto their one goal lead against Manchester City. Nigel De Jong scored only his second City goal just after the half-hour mark to level the tie at 1-1. But just like in the first leg, City gave away a penalty and Steven Gerrard once again converted to make it 2-1 on aggregate four minutes before half-time. Edin Dzeko thought he had pushed the game into extra time with City's second goal on 67 minutes. But former City man Craig Bellamy made it 2-2 on the night seven minutes later to put Kenny Dalglish's men into the Carling Cup final.

2012 ACN: Group A Game Two

The day's fixtures were delayed due to a freak storm that caused mass water-logging in some areas of the pitch. If it was a league match, the first match between Libya and Zambia would have been called off as the ball wouldn't roll in these boggy patches. But the poor conditions caused the most goals so far in a game and Ahmed Osman Sadd put Libya ahead after just five minutes. Bright young talent, Emmanuel Mayuka, scored his second of the tournament to equalise just before the half-hour mark. The ground-staff decided that a tractor would help get rid of the remaining water, but instead it tore the pitch up and left tyre marks within the patches. Again it didn't stop Libya taking an early lead, Osman Sadd again scored to make it 2-1 just two minutes into the second half. But Zambia equalised seven minutes later when an overhead kicked cross was tapped home by Christopher Katongo. This leaves Zambia on four points from two games with Libya on one.

The conditions of the pitch had improved for the second game between Equatorial Guinea and Senegal. The game was as dramatic as they come as one of the biggest shocks in the history of world football took place. Senegal are rated 110 places higher than the co-hosts but Jorge Randy put Equatorial Guinea ahead on 62 minutes. Senegal's defending had improved since the defeat to Zambia but their attacking hadn't. Substitute Moussa Sow was able to level with two minutes remaining to keep Senegal in the tournament. With five minutes of extra time remaining and Senegal the side looking to score again, no-one saw David Kily's shock winner with a 25-yard blast into the top corner. The result sees third favourites Senegal dumped out of the tournament and the first time entrants, Equatorial Guinea, have made it into the quarter finals.

2012 ACN: Group D Game One

Highly rated Ghana kicked their tournament off against severe underdogs Botswana. But, like most of the games so far, the game didn't reflect the chasm in the FIFA World Ranking. Former Sunderland player, John Mensah, had a mixed game. The Ghanaian vice-captain tapped the ball home from a corner after 25-minutes before then giving Botswana a chance to get back into the game by earning the first red card of the tournament,  making a foul on Jerome Ramatlhakwana to deny a possible goal scoring opportunity on 66-minutes. Botswana couldn't make the advantage count and Ghana take the three points.  

The game between Mali and Guinea was already being billed as the battle for second place. The games was played at a high tempo for most of it and the neighbouring countries did come to blows at times, but it was all kept under control. The only goal of the game came just after the half hour mark with Nancy's Bakaye Traore finding the top corner for Mali.

2012 ACN: Group C Game One

Gabon started their tournament off in the same vain as their fellow co-hosts Equatorial Guinea. Gabon faced Niger in the opening game of Group C and looked much stronger than their inexperienced opponents. 27-year-old Stephane N'Guema produced a man of the match performance in front of his home crowd and sent a cross on the half hour mark to Saint-Etienne's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The 22-year-old sent his powerful header past the Niger keeper to give Gabon a well deserved lead. Gabon doubled their lead in first half injury time with N'Guema slotting home a parried shot to give the hosts a well deserved three points.

The best game so far, on paper, produced arguably the best game so far as Tunisia faced Morocco in a North African derby. Morocco were arguably the better team in the first half but a superb performance by keeper Aymen Mathlouthi kept the match goalless. Tunisia had less possession but still managed the take the lead when Khaled Korbi's 36th-minute free-kick went over everyone and into the net. It got better for Tunisia as Youseff MSakni tried matching Manucho's wonder-strike with a brilliant solo goal on 76-minutes to make it 2-0, a great way to score your first goal for your country. There was a tense ending to the game as Houssine Kharja pulled a goal back from a corner, but there was a clear offside in the build-up to the goal which the officials missed. Things threatened to boil over as the nerves kicked, however South African referee, Daniel Bennett, was able to keep things calm as the game finished 2-1.

Manchester 2-0 London

Super Sunday saw two games that contained sixteen goals in the reverse fixtures. Manchester City hosted Tottenham in the first instalment, Tottenham looking to avenge that 6-1 thrashing at White Hart Lane. Tottenham had much more possession in the first half but the ball was mainly played in and around the half-way line, leading to a goalless opening period. But there was goals galore in the second half with four goals in the space of nine minutes. Samir Nasri put City ahead 11 minutes after the restart before Joleon Lescott bundled the ball over the line three minutes later to double the score. Jermaine Defoe rounded Joe Hart on the hour mark and Gareth Bale then fired yet another screamer past the City keeper to make it 2-2 after 65 minutes. With the game finishing on tenterhooks, Ledley King brought down the ever controversial Mario Balotelli in the box in injury time. Balotelli stepped up and converted to give City the crucial three points.

Arsenal were looking to avenge their 8-2 mauling against Manchester United at the Emirates in the second instalment of Super Sunday. Arsenal pressed well in the first ten minutes but United got more dominant as the half went on, Nani was their best outlet, terrorising Johan Djourou. It looked like it was going to be goalless first half but three minutes of injury time, caused by Phil Jones' injury, was enough for Antonio Valencia to head home a Ryan Giggs cross. The second half was a lot more tense as Arsenal grew a stronghold in the game. Robin Van Persie was hand to level on 71 minutes with a cool finish into the bottom corner. But Antonio Valencia was to turn provider, cutting the ball back to Danny Welbeck who made it 2-1 with nine minutes left. This means Arsenal are yet to win in the league in 2012 as United remain three points behind City.

2012 ACN: Group B Game One

With fourth favourites Senegal losing to Zambia yesterday in group A, first favourites Ivory Coast kicked their tournament off against Sudan in group B. Many predicted a glistening performance and a feast of goals, unfortunately that didn't happen as Sudan put in a brave performance. The only goal of the match came six minutes before half-time with Didier Drogba earning the three points for Ivory Coast.

The other game in group B saw rank outsiders Burkina Faso take on 2006 World Cup competitors Angola. After a goalless first half, poor defending allowed Galiano Da Costa to put Angola ahead just two minutes into the second period. Burkina Faso did produce good football at times and well deserved their equaliser, a fantastic free-kick from Alain Traore that nestled into the bottom corner on 57 minutes. Unfortunately, Burkina Faso couldn't hold on to an historic draw and one-time Manchester United player, Manucho, scored on 68 minutes to join Ivory Coast at the top of group B.

2012 African Cup of Nations Begins

The 2012 African Cup of Nations began in Bata tonight as history was made. After the fireworks from the opening ceremony and the laborious speeches, the tournament kicked off with co-hosts Equatorial Guinea taking part in their first ever ACN match, against Libya. Libya are entering their third tournament and started the game brightly. But Libya's major problem was their defence and Equatorial Guinea soon found themselves in behind the back line. Libya's keeper and captain, Samir Abod, looked rather frail throughout the match and his performance included a first half Massimo Taibi-esque save which went underneath him, the resulting goal was ruled out for offside.

The second half was rather dull compared to the first as the reality and enormity of not losing came into the teams' minds. But a goal did come as former Real Madrid player, Javier-Angel Balboa, beat the offside trap to finish coolly to give Equatorial Guinea their first ever win in the African Cup of Nations.

The second game of the night also came from Group A as highly rated Senegal took on Zambia. Senegal scored sixteen goals in their five qualifying games whereas Zambia only conceded three, so something had to give. Despite boasting a formidable striking force with the likes of Newcastle's Demba Ba, Lyon's Moussa Sow and Newcastle's newest signing Papiss Cisse, Senegal's defence was of a different breed. Time and time again Zambia found themselves in behind the frail back-line and it took just 12 minutes before Emmanuel Mayuka scored one-on-one against Bouna Coundoul. Zambia were in again just eight minutes later and the highly rated Rainford Kalaba made it 2-0. Senegal regrouped in the second half and produced a better performance. 28th minute substitute, Dame NDoye, pulled a goal back for Senegal with sixteen minutes left but it wasn't enough to change the result.

This would mean that if Zambia beat Libya in game two, Zambia would be almost guaranteed progression and Libya would be almost guaranteed an exit from the competition.   

PL Round-Up 21/1/12

Wolves 2-3 Aston Villa: Alex McLeish brought Robbie Keane on loan to Villa and the Irishman repaid the favour by scoring a brace on McLeish's 53rd birthday. Villa took the lead when Christophe Berra kicked through Darren Bent in the box, Bent stepped up and converted the penalty after eleven minutes. Michael Kightly equalised ten minutes later with a beautifully placed finish. Villa's frailties from set-pieces was apparent throughout and Wolves made it 2-1 with Dave Edwards heading past Shay Given just after the half hour mark. Robbie Keane equalised for Villa with a stunning shot on the turn six minutes into the second half. Karl Henry received a straight red for kicking Marc Albrighton with 15 left to play. Villa took full advantage with Robbie Keane scoring another pearler from 25-yards six minutes from time to win the Midlands derby.

Fulham 5-2 Newcastle: Danny Guthrie hammered the visitors in front with a 25-yard pile-driver two minutes before half-time. Damien Duff won a penalty when Davide Santon pushed him, but the initial challenge was outside the box, Danny Murphy converted the dubious spot-kick to equalise seven minutes after the restart. Clint Dempsey put the hosts ahead with his thigh seven minutes later. Adam Johnson was brought down by Tim Krul and Lee Mason had no option to give a second penalty, Bobby Zamora stepped up this time and also converted it with 22 minutes remaining. Hatem Ben Arfa pulled one back for Newcastle with a mazy run with five minutes left. Clint Dempsey finished the game off with his second hat-trick of the season just before the end.

Bolton 3-1 Liverpool: Owen Coyle's resurrection begins against Liverpool. Mark Davies gave the hosts the lead after four minutes with Nigel Reo-Coker doubling the score just before the half hour mark. Craig Bellamy pulled one back for Liverpool eight minutes later with a cool finish one-on-one with Adam Bogdan. Gretar Steinsson retained the two goal advantage with a spectacular volley five minutes into the second half, earning them the three points.

QPR 3-1 Wigan: Mark Hughes found his first win at QPR at the second time of asking. QPR were given a penalty when James McArthur handled and Heidar Helguson converted the kick on 33 minutes. Akos Buzsaky doubled Rangers' lead on half-time with a great free-kick which need a little assistance from the post. Hugo Rodallega made it 2-1 with a free-kick of his own on 66 minutes. Helguson was given a chance to make it 3-1 but his second penalty was saved by Ali Al-Habsi. But Tommy Smith did make it 3-1 with a brilliant strike nine minutes from time.

Everton 1-1 Blackburn: Tim Cahill scored his first goal in over a year to put Everton ahead after 24 minutes, but there was a clear hand-ball by Marouane Fellaini in the build-up. David Goodwillie equalised by blocking Cahill's clearance on 72 minutes to keep Steve Kean's topsy turvy season going with their third game unbeaten.

Stoke 1-2 West Brom: James Morrison put the visitors ahead with a little help from a poor save from Thomasz Sorensen ten minutes before half-time. Jon Walters was given a penalty was he was brought down but his spot-kick was saved by Ben Foster. Cameron Jerome did equalise for Stoke with a bullet header four minutes from time but their point was taken away from them by Graham Dorrans via a injury time free-kick.

Sunderland 2-0 Swansea: Stephane Sessegnon put Sunderland ahead with a curling strike after fourteen minutes. Craig Gardner fired Sunderland to victory with a stunning half-volley into the top corner to keep Martin O'Neill's impressive start going.

Norwich 0-0 Chelsea: Chelsea could potentially lose further ground at the top after getting frustrated by a good Norwich team. Fernando Torres had Chelsea's best chance but he poked his ten yard shot wide whereas Norwich's best chances fell to Grant Holt and Steve Morison.





    

Hughes' Bad Start, Arsenal Slip Up and City Extend Lead

Super Sunday returned after the FA Cup break along with an instalment of Monday Night Football. Sunday kicked off with Mark Hughes' first game in charge of QPR, against Newcastle. With Demba Ba away on international duty, Newcastle looked to Leon Best to continue from Ba's impressive performances. Best didn't disappoint as the hosts' only shot on target fell to the striker and he converted it with eight minutes to go before half-time. QPR did have chances to equalise but Newcastle's only meaningful shot of the game was enough to give the three points to leave QPR still languishing above the relegation zone.

Arsene Wenger didn't the year off well with defeat to Fulham, it got slightly worse on Sunday when they travelled across the border to face Swansea. With their old talisman, Thierry Henry, on the bench, it was down to their new talisman, Robin Van Persie, to give Arsenal the lead after five minutes. Swansea equalised just after the quarter of an hour mark when Nathan Dyer clumsily fell in the box, Scott Sinclair was on hand to convert the dubious spot kick. Nathan Dyer then gave Swansea the lead just twelve minutes into the second half to leave Arsenal shell shocked. Theo Walcott did convert a typical counter attacking move to make it 2-2 on 69 minutes but it took just sixteen seconds for the visitors to be behind again, Danny Graham scoring Swansea's third to give them the surprise three points that sees them move to tenth in the league.

Monday Night Football saw Manchester City take on Wigan at the DW Stadium. Many predicted that City would turn their hosts over but with both Kolo and Yaya Toure and also Vincent Kompany unavailable, it left them vulnerable at the back. Wigan did exploit this weakness at times but they also showed why they had failed to score in six of the previous eight games against City. But Wigan did only concede the one goal, Edin Dzeko heading David Silva's free-kick past Ali Al-Habsi on 22 minutes to extend their lead at the top back to three points.

PL Round-Up 14/1/12

Tottenham 1-1 Wolves: Spurs fail to keep in touch with the Manchester sides as Wolves provided a heroic display. Wolves took the lead through Steven Fletcher after Spurs failed to deal with a corner, which possibly shouldn't have been given, on 22 minutes. Tottenham had a goal ruled out late in the first half as Emmanuel Adebayor was adjudged to be offside. Luka Modric equalised for the hosts with a 25 yard shot five minutes into the second half. From there only one team looked like winning it but Wolves held on to gain a crucial point who are still just a point from the relegation zone.


Manchester United 3-0 Bolton: United move level with Manchester City as the noisy neighbours play Wigan on Monday, Bolton could be bottom if Wigan get a result. United could have took the lead earlier when Danny Welbeck was fouled in the box but Adam Bogdan saved Wayne Rooney's penalty. It was none other than the returning Paul Scholes who did give United the lead in first half injury-time. Danny Welbeck put United 2-0 ahead courtesy of Rooney's through ball after 74 minutes. Michael Carrick finished the match off seven minutes before time with a 25 yard finish.

Blackburn 3-1 Fulham: Blackburn's resurgence continued and they now sit one point above the relegation zone although QPR play tomorrow. It wasn't looking likely when Yakubu was given a straight red card for a high, studs showing, challenge on Danny Murphy on 22 minutes. Morten Gamst Pedersen fired a free-kick into the bottom corner on half-time. David Dunn helped Blackburn to continue the second half the way the finished the first with a good finish within a minute of the second period. Damien Duff pulled a goal back for Fulham against his former club ten minutes later. But Blackburn assured themselves of the points through Mauro Formica eleven minutes from time.

Chelsea 1-0 Sunderland: Sunderland's regeneration under Martin O'Neill failed to cause a surprise at Stamford Bridge, despite fighting hard for it. Frank Lampard fortuitously scored the winner when a spectacular Fernando Torres volley came thundering off the bar before bouncing off the midfielder into the net on thirteen minutes.

West Brom 1-2 Norwich: Andrew Surman volleyed Norwich ahead with their first shot of the game two minutes before half-time. West Brom were given a penalty when Daniel Ayala fouled Jerome Thomas and Shane Long levelled from the spot on 68 minutes. Steve Morison then won the game for Norwich, although there will be question marks over Ben Foster's keeping, eleven minutes from time.

Aston Villa 1-1 Everton: Darren Bent gave Villa the lead with a typical striker's finish eleven minutes into the second half. Victor Anichebe levelled for Everton thirteen minutes later to keep themselves a point ahead of Villa in mid-table.

Liverpool 0-0 Stoke: A very feisty game saw Liverpool have the better chances but couldn't break Stoke down as the game ended goalless.

Carling Cup Semi-Final 1st Legs (and Spurs win again)

The first legs of the Carling Cup semi-final took place on Tuesday and Wednesday with both games only finishing 1-0, leaving both ties tantalisingly close for the second leg. Tuesday saw the two Championship sides do battle at Selhurst Park. Dougie Freedman didn't know who would be playing until the very last moments as his side and been plagued by a mystery bug. But it didn't faze the Palace side as Anthony Gardner headed home the winner three minutes before half-time to give Palace a slight edge for when they cross the border.

Wednesday's semi-final became a rather heated one as Manchester City were still reeling from their FA Cup defeat. The only goal of the game after thirteen minutes when talisman Steven Gerrard scored from the spot after Stefan Savic had brought Daniel Agger down. The match ended on a heated note as Roberto Mancini and Gerrard clashed over a tackle from Glen Johnson on Joleon Lescott, Mancini branded it worse than Vincent Kompany's who had his four match ban appeal turned down. Johnson received no punishment.

Meanwhile, Tottenham and Everton played out their game in hand. Aaron Lennon put the hosts ahead after 35 minutes before Benoit Assou-Ekotto doubled the score on 63 minutes. This now puts Spurs level on points with Manchester United in second place.  

FA Cup 4th Round Draw

Brighton & Hove Albion/ Wrexham v Newcastle United
Sunderland v Middlesbrough
Dagenham & Redbridge/ Millwall v Southampton
Hull City v Crawley Town
Milton Keynes Dons/ Queen's Park Rangers v Chelsea
West Bromwich Albion v Norwich City
Blackpool v Sheffield Wednesday
Arsenal v Aston Villa
Stevenage Borough v Notts County
Watford v Tottenham Hotspur
Liverpool v Manchester United
Derby County v Stoke City
Everton v Fulham
Macclesfield Town/ Bolton Wanderers v Swansea City
Sheffield United v Birmingham City/ Wolverhampton Wanderers
Nottingham Forest v Leicester City/ Swindon Town

FA Cup 3rd Round

Liverpool 5-1 Oldham: An expected result that has been soured by another racism claim, this time from the crowd with Tom Adeyemi the target. Craig Bellamy (30) and a Steven Gerrard penalty (45) gave the hosts a 2-1 half-time lead after Robbie Simpson put Oldham ahead (28). Jonjo Shelvey (68), Andy Carroll (89) and Stewart Downing (90) completed the Friday night rout.

Birmingham 0-0 Wolves: Wolves hit the post in injury time after Birmingham made a good account of themselves. The pair will now meet at Molineux for another Midlands derby.

Dagenham & Redbrige 0-0 Millwall: London pair will meet at the New Den to settle stalemate.


Barnsley 2-4 Swansea: Man of the moment Ricardo Vaz Te put Barnsley ahead (28) but Angel Rangel equalised a minute later. Danny Graham (45) and Nathan Dyer (53) made it 3-1 before Vaz Te scored his second (64). Any nerves were settled with two minutes left with Graham also scoring his second.

Brighton 1-1 Wrexham: Non-league Wrexham secure a replay back at the Racecourse Ground. Jake Forster-Caskey (47) gave Brighton the lead before Adrian Cieslewicz (61) forced the return leg.

Coventry 1-2 Southampton: Gary McSheffrey (4) gave the hosts the lead before James Ward-Prowse (63) and Aaron Martin (82) earned high-flying Saints a ticket to round four.

Crawley 1-0 Bristol City: League Two Crawley beat Championship Bristol City courtesy of Matt Tubbs' 73rd minute winner.

Derby 1-0 Crystal Palace: Palace have their Carling Cup semi-final 1st leg this week but Theo Robinson (8) denies the Eagles a place in the FA Cup 4th round.

Doncaster 0-2 Notts County: Championship Doncaster knocked out by League One Notts County. Jeff Hughes scored both goals (36) and a 69th minute penalty.

Everton 2-0 Tamworth: John Heitinga (4) and Leighton Baines' penalty (78) prevent any shock against non-league Tamworth.

Fleetwood 1-5 Blackpool: Lomana LuaLua (23) gave Blackpool the lead. Matt Phillips (46) and Thomas Ince (54) made it 3-0. Jamie Vardy (69) made it 3-1 before Matt Phillips completed his hat-trick (76 & 80)

Fulham 4-0 Charlton: Clint Dempsey scores hat-trick (7, 60 & 80pen) and Damien Duff completes rout (86) to ease Fulham into the fourth round.

Gillingham 1-3 Stoke: Danny Kedwell (15) gave the League Two side the lead before Jon Walters (33), Cameron Jerome (43) and Robert Huth (48) spared the Premiership side's blushes.

Hull 3-1 Ipswich: Aaron McLean (26) and Tom Cairney (31) gave Hull a 2-0 lead before Jason Scotland (56) pulled one back. Cameron Stewart (90) finished the game off for Hull.

Macclesfield 2-2 Bolton: League Two Macclesfield will travel to the Reebok for a replay. Ivan Klasnic's (6) goal was ruled out by Colin Daniel (15). Arnaud Mendy (67) then put Macclesfield ahead before David Wheater (76) rescued the struggling Premiership side.

Middlesbrough 1-0 Shrewsbury: Marvin Emnes (39) puts the Championship side into the fourth round.

MK Dons 1-1 QPR: Dean Bowditch (64) put the League One side ahead before Heidar Helguson (88) gave the Premiership side a chance to redeem themselves at Loftus Road. 

Newcastle 2-1 Blackburn: David Goodwillie (34) put the struggling Premiership side ahead. Hatem Ben Arfa (69) equalised with Jonas Gutierrez won it in injury time.

Norwich 4-1 Burnley: Grant Holt (5) and Simeon Jackson (11) put Norwich 2-0 up before Jay Rodriguez (14) pulled one back. Andrew Surman (59) and Steve Morison (72) eased Norwich into the next round.

Nottingham Forest 0-0 Leicester: Championship stalemate will have to be settled at the Walkers Stadium.

Reading 0-1 Stevenage: Darius Charles (20) earns League One Stevenage a cup shock against Championship Reading.

Sheffield United 3-1 Salisbury: Chris Porter (17), Ched Evans (59) and Daniel Webb own goal (71) assured hosts of win. Lloyd Macklin (85) gave non-league visitors a consolation goal.

Swindon 2-1 Wigan: League Two Swindon become giant killers against Wigan. Callum McManaman (34) gave Wigan the lead before Alan Connell (39) and Paul Benson (75) gave Swindon the win.

Tottenham 3-0 Cheltenham: Jermain Defoe (23), Roman Pavlyuchenko (42) and Giovanni Dos Santos (86) give Spurs easy passage into the fourth round.

Watford 4-2 Bradford: Troy Deeney (2) was cancelled out by James Hanson (7). Marvin Sordell (39) and two from Craig Forsyth (55 & 58) made it 4-1 with Nahki Wells (87) earning a second for the visitors.

West Brom 4-2 Cardiff: Premiership hosts edge six goal thriller against Championship counterparts. Peter Odemwingie (6) and Simon Cox (32) gave West Brom a 2-0 lead. But former Baggie Robert Earnshaw (35) and Joe Mason (49) brought the game back on level terms.

Bristol Rovers 1-3 Aston Villa: Marc Albrighton (34), Gabriel Agbonlahor (63) and Ciaran Clark (77) put Villa 3-0 ahead. Scott McGleish (89) pulled one back before having a penalty saved in injury time.

Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United: Wayne Rooney (9) gave United lead before Vincent Kompany received a straight red for a two footed tackle two minutes later. Danny Welbeck (29) and Rooney again (39) after scoring the rebound from his saved penalty put United 3-0 ahead. City came back with an Aleksandar Kolarov free-kick (47) and a mistake from the returning Paul Scholes allowed Sergio Aguero (64) to set up a grandstand finish.

Chelsea 4-0 Portsmouth: Juan Mata (47), two from Ramires (84 & 86) and Frank Lampard (90) ease Chelsea into the fourth round.

Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 West Ham: Chris O'Grady secured the shock with three minutes left to play. West Ham had missed a penalty.

Peterborough 0-2 Sunderland: Sebastian Larsson (47) and James McLean (57) continue Sunderland's revival under Martin O'Neill.

Arsenal 1-0 Leeds: The returning Thierry Henry (78) put Arsenal through on his second debut for the club.

First PL Programme of 2012

Aston Villa 0-2 Swansea: Villa came back down to earth following their victory over Chelsea. Nathan Dyer put Swansea ahead after just four minutes before Wayne Routledge scored against his former club with Stephen Warnock playing a short back pass just two minutes into the second half.

Fulham 2-1 Arsenal: Fulham came back from 1-0 down to provide a shock against Arsenal. Laurent Koscielny headed Arsenal ahead after 21 minutes. Johan Djourou then received his second yellow card for bringing Bobby Zamora down twelve minutes from time. The hosts took full advantage and Steve Sidwell equalised seven minutes later with the returning Zamora earning the victory in injury time.

QPR 1-2 Norwich: Norwich secured a similar comeback against ten man QPR. Joey Barton fired the hosts ahead after eleven minutes before getting sent off for an alleged head butt on Bradley Johnson nine minutes before half-time. Norwich also took full advantage with Anthony Pilkington equalising six minutes later before Steven Morison won the game seven minutes from time.

Wolves 1-2 Chelsea: Chelsea started 2012 by forgetting their troublesome end to 2011. Ramires put Chelsea ahead nine minutes into the second half but Stephen Ward equalised with six minutes left to play. But Frank Lampard gave his under fire boss the win in the final minute of normal time.

Blackburn 1-2 Stoke: Blackburn couldn't continue their fantastic end to 2011 with Peter Crouch bringing Steve Kean back down to Earth. Crouch scored his 100th league goal after seventeen minutes before making it 2-0 just before half-time. Substitute David Goodwillie gave Blackburn a little bit of hope with 21 minutes left but Stoke were able to hold on.

Manchester City 3-0 Liverpool: Manchester City went three points clear on Tuesday with a comprehensive win over Liverpool. Luis Suarez started his eight match ban and Liverpool severely missed him. Sergio Aguero gave City the lead after just ten minutes following Pepe Reina's poor attempt at a save. Yaya Toure scored the second twelve minutes before half-time. Gareth Barry received his second yellow card after 73 minutes but it didn't deter them as James Milner made it 3-0 just two minutes from the spot.

Tottenham 1-0 West Brom: Spurs went to within three points of Manchester United with a close fought victory against West Brom. The only goal of the game came after 63 minutes through Jermaine Defoe. It's not all good news though as both Sandro and William Gallas were forced off with calf injuries.

Wigan 1-4 Sunderland: Sunderland started 2012 the same way they ended 2011. Craig Gardner put the hosts ahead just before half-time via a brilliant free-kick with James McClean scoring his first senior goal ten minutes into the second half. Hugo Rodallega made it 2-1 after 62 minutes but Stephane Sessegnon restored the two goal cushion eleven minutes later. David Vaughan completed the rout with ten minutes to play to move them into the top ten.

Newcastle 3-0 Manchester United: United commenced 2012 with the same attitude they concluded 2011 as Newcastle beat them for the first time in ten years. Demba Ba scored his his fifteenth goal of the season, his fourth in three  games against Manchester United, with a great half volley after 33 minutes, Anders Lindegaard's first goal conceded in the Premiership. Phil Jones then needlessly fouled Ba two minutes into the second half and Yohan Cabaye hit a scorching free-kick in off the crossbar. Jones' match got worse as he scored an own goal in injury time to keep United three points behind City. Newcastle move to within a point of Liverpool and stop United unbeaten away record this season and also prevented United from scoring, the first team to do that in the league this season.

Everton 1-2 Bolton: Bolton move off the bottom of the table with a win over Everton. The hosts took the lead in extraordinary circumstances. Tim Howard hit a clearance into the wind and managed to lob counterpart Adam Bogdan after 63 minutes. David N'Gog equalised four minutes later with Gary Cahill perhaps leaving Bolton by presenting them with three points twelve minutes from time.

Double Jackpot Win

Adrian 'Jackpot' Lewis came back from 2-0 down in the first round to Nigel Heydon to win 3-1. He then held off Terry Jenkins' surge in the quarter-finals to win 5-3. Lewis then managed to stage an even better comeback in the semi-finals coming back from 5-1 behind against James Wade to put himself into last night's final.

Lewis has now joined Eric Bristow and Raymond Van Barneveld as the only men to retain the World Championship after winning it for the first time. Andy Hamilton was the severe underdog and Lewis took the first set 3-2 with a 122 checkout. But Hamilton wasn't going to be embarrassed and he levelled with a 3-1 second set victory. Both players then took one of the next two sets 3-1 to make it 2-2, Hamilton again equalising. From there Lewis hit another gear and came from 2-1 down in the fifth set to win it with a 112 checkout. Lewis then extended his lead a 3-1 win in the sixth set before Hamilton made it 4-3 with a whitewash in the set. It didn't deter Lewis though and he took the eighth set 3-1 before crucially winning the ninth set via the decider to go just one set away. Hamilton looked to put another set on the board after going 2-0 ahead but Lewis fought back to win the set 3-2 and reclaim the World Championship with a 7-3 victory.

New Year's Fireworks and Darting Drama With Draughtgate

With the darting world kicking off the New Year with the World Championships semi-finals, we were treated to two unbelievable games. The night started off with Andy Hamilton and Simon Whitlock, they met back in the World Matchplay where Whitlock was 15-8 ahead before Hamilton won the match 16-15. The match see-sawed as Hamilton took the first set without conceding before Whitlock equalised via the deciding leg in second. Hamilton then took control, winning the next two sets 3-1 to race into a 3-1 lead, halfway to victory. But Whitlock fought back, taking the fifth set 3-0 and then equalised via another fifth leg shoot-out. Whitlock then took the lead by taking the next two sets without conceding to go within one set of victory. Deja vu then kicked in as Hamilton found a Blackpool style comeback. The Hammer took the ninth set via the decider before levelling the match at 5-5 with a 3-1 tenth set victory. The eleventh and final set also went to 2-2, forcing the win by two legs scenario. Hamilton took both the fifth and sixth legs to win the set 4-2 and progresses into his first World Championship final.

The second semi-final saw defending World Champion Adrian Lewis take on the best player to have never won the World Championship, James Wade. Wade came out quickest by taking the first set 3-1 and the second 3-2. Lewis started to throw tantrums as both players complained about being affected by an unknown draught. Both of the players decided to come off the oche and play stopped as the technical team tried to sort the draught out. This caused pandemonium amongst the crowd who didn't want to be kept waiting and the experts were split as to whether the draught would actually cause as much disruption as the players insisted on. The players returned after five minutes and Lewis took the third set 3-2 before he again moaned about the draught, which Wade agreed with. After another twenty minute break, the players returned with Lewis much more perturbed than Wade. This allowed the Machine to take full control to take a 5-1 lead, the third set was won without conceding and the following two were won 3-1. Wade then 2-0 ahead in the seventh set before a cataclysmic shift appeared in the game. Lewis was able to gain two points on his three dart average as Wade suddenly dropped two points. The World Champion came back to win the set 3-2 and the revolt started as Wade lost his doubles. Lewis won the next three sets without conceding to come back and win the match 6-5 in one of the most historic comebacks in World Championship history.

New Year's Football (Ji Dong-Won It)

Liverpool 3-1 Newcastle: The New Year's weekend started with Steven Gerrard returning to action and inspiring his side to victory. It was Newcastle who took the lead through Daniel Agger's own goal after 25 minutes but Craig Bellamy equalised four minutes later. Bellamy then made it 2-1 after 67 minutes with Gerrard putting his name on the score sheet from a tight angle to secure the points twelve minutes later.

Manchester United 2-3 Blackburn: New Year's Eve kicked off with the birthday boy, Alex Ferguson, entering his 71st year with a shock defeat to bottom of the league Blackburn. It was a game United were seemingly in control of until Dimitar Berbatov hauled Christopher Samba down in the box after sixteen minutes, Yakubu stepped up and converted the spot kick. It got worse for United, who could have been top of the league at the end of 2011 if they prevented defeat, when Michael Carrick failed to defend properly and Yakubu doubled his tally six minutes into the second half. It took just 23 seconds for United to respond and it was Berbatov who headed past Mark Bunn and then levelled ten minutes later to set up a grandstand finish. From there, the game could have gone either way and it was David De Gea who decided it, the Spaniard came but failed to collect a corner and Grant Hanley took full advantage to give Blackburn a precious three points.

Arsenal 1-0 QPR: Arsenal became the big winners of the New Year's Weekend after overcoming a tough test against QPR. It would be their talisman, Robin Van Persie, who spared Arsenal's blushes on the hour mark. This left the Dutchman one goal short of Alan Shearer's record of goals in a calender year.

Swansea 1-1 Tottenham: Spurs should have won the match but a defensive frailty cost them two points. Rafael Van Der Vaart gave the visitors the lead just before half-time. But poor defending and a mistake from Brad Friedel allowed Scott Sinclair to equalise from two yards six minutes from time.

Chelsea 1-3 Aston Villa: Chelsea received strong boos around the terraces of Stamford Bridge after their latest disappointing result. Richard Dunne conceded a penalty in the 23rd minute which Didier Drogba converted to give Chelsea the lead, Stephen Ireland equalised two minutes later. Chelsea's lack of defending cost them as Villa hit them on the break and Stiliyan Petrov made it 2-1 with seven minutes to go. Darren Bent then secured the points three minutes, another shock to end the year.

Norwich 1-1 Fulham: Norwich secure another hard fought point despite falling behind. Orlando Sa gave Fulham the lead after just seven minutes but Simeon Jackson rescued a point in second half injury time to move up to eleventh.

Bolton 1-1 Wolves: Two teams already facing a relegation fight secured a point apiece at the Reebok. Sam Ricketts put the hosts ahead after 22 minutes before Steven Fletcher equalised four minutes into the second half.

Stoke 2-2 Wigan: Another struggling club found themselves a point in a game full of controversy. Wigan took the lead through Victor Moses just before half-time. Stoke were then awarded a penalty with fourteen minutes to go when Gary Caldwell handled on the line, the defender rightly received a red card and Jon Walters converted the penalty. Cameron Jerome then scored his first goal in 33 games to give Stoke the lead with six minutes later. But Wigan were awarded a lifeline when they were awarded a penalty three minutes later, substitute Ben Watson stepped up to equalise with his first kick of the game.

West Brom 0-1 Everton: The New Year kicked off at The Hawthornes and David Moyes received the best possible start to 2012. The only goal of the game came Victor Anichebe three minutes from time to move up to ninth and still have a game in hand on their closest rivals.

Sunderland 1-0 Manchester City: With United losing on New Year's Eve, City had a great chance to start the New Year by stretching a lead. The visitors did hit the woodwork on two occasions but couldn't break the Sunderland defence down. Then the first shock of the year came in the final moments when Sunderland broke, Ji Dong-Won received the ball in an offside position but the linesman didn't give it. The South Korean played on and round Joe Hart before rolling the ball into the net with the last kick of the game.