The FA Cup returned yesterday with a mixture of a fourth round replay and three fifth matches. The lunch-time kick-off was the fourth round replay between Chelsea and Everton, for me it could have taken place mid-week like the Bolton Wigan game, as neither team had a game. But television comes before sense sometimes but we were treated to some true FA Cup drama. Neither team could find the net after ninety minutes so it went to extra time. After 104 minutes of playing time, Chelsea finally broke the deadlock with Lampard getting the goal just before half-time. Chelsea were moments away from going through but conceded a free-kick just outside the box which Leighton Baines curled into the top corner to force penalties. Lampard converted the first penalty but Baines missed for Everton to give Chelsea the lead. Drogba made it 2-0 before Jagielka pulled one back to keep Everton alive. The Toffees then had a chance to level after Anelka missed and Mikel Arteta was on hand to equalise. Essien and Heitinga made it 3-3 before Ashley Cole fired wide to allow Phil Neville to convert his penalty and give Everton the 4-3 victory. Everton now face Reading at Goodison Park with knowledge that a new FA Cup champion will be crowned.
The two three o'clock kick-offs in the FA Cup fifth round weren't really contests as the Premiership victors eased past their Football League opponents. First Birmingham hosted League 1 Sheffield Wednesday. It took the Blues just six minutes to get ahead with Jean Beausejour scoring his first Birmingham. Obafemi Martins also scored his first Birmingham goal to make it 2-0 after seventeen minutes. The game was completed when David Murphy made it 3-0 eight minutes into the second half.
The other three o'clock kick-off saw Stoke host League 1 Brighton. This also wasn't much of a contest and Stoke took the lead after fourteen minutes with Carew scoring his second goal in two games. Jon Walters made it 2-0 after 22 minutes and Ryan Shawcross finished the match off two minutes before half-time.
The tea-time kick-off saw Manchester United crawl into the quarter finals. Non-League Crawley Town came to Old Trafford with nothing to lose and nearly and possibly should have come away from Old Trafford with a replay. United made nine changes to make it a near reserve side with the exceptions being Rafael, Anderson, O'Shea and Hernandez. After a hard fought first half, United managed to pinch the lead with captain Wes Brown flicking the ball from a corner into the net after 28 minutes. Sir Alex Ferguson called upon the cavalry in the form of Rooney at half-time and Fletcher after 69 minutes. However United's performance didn't really get much better and Crawley came within centimetres of an equaliser in injury time when Richard Brodie hit the crossbar.
No comments:
Post a Comment