UEFA To Aid Cardiff's Euro hopes

UEFA will intervene if Cardiff win the FA Cup but are prevented from competing in the UEFA Cup, president Michel Platini has revealed.
Cardiff reached the semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough on Sunday and have been drawn against Barnsley in the last four.

But if they win the April 6 clash then beat either West Brom or Portsmouth in the final the Football Association insist they will not be put forward as one of England's representatives for the UEFA Cup because they come under the jurisdiction of the FA of Wales.

The Welsh governing body reserve their places for winners of their domestic competitions, leaving Cardiff potentially in limbo.

Chairman Peter Ridsdale hinted after the draw the club would challenge the FA's decision - and he would have an ally in Platini.

The former France midfielder told BBC Radio Five Live: 'It's not normal that they participate in one competition and if they win they are out. That is not good.

'If England don't do something we will do something because we always respect the result.'

Wales' sports minister also revealed today he will ask football bosses to stage FA Cup semi-finals at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

The final had a temporary home in Cardiff while the new Wembley Stadium was being built but returned to London last year.

In the week Cardiff City progressed to the semi-finals, heritage minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas told Welsh Assembly Members he would write to the competition's organisers about bringing top domestic football back to the Welsh capital.
'I am sure that the fans throughout the UK would welcome the opportunity to return to Cardiff,' he said.

'I am certainly happy to write to the FA and to suggest to them that semi-finals in future should be held in Cardiff and the Millennium Stadium.'

It comes as the Football Association today confirmed the schedule for this season's FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.

The first semi-final will pit West Brom against Portsmouth - the only remaining top-flight team left in the competition - at 12.15pm on Saturday, April 5.

That will be followed the next day by the all Coca-Cola Championship clash between Barnsley and Cardiff, with a kick-off time of 4pm.

BBC1 will broadcast the West Brom v Portsmouth game, while Sky Sports will show Barnsley v Cardiff.

Meanwhile, a make-or-break threat to the financial future of Cardiff City kicked off at the High Court today.

Swiss investment bank Langston is suing the club over £24million in loan notes and is seeking summary judgment for immediate repayment of the debt.

The Coca-Cola Championship club, still savouring Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final victory against Middlesbrough, want repayment deferred and the case to go to full trial.

The Bluebirds faces possible administration if Langston succeeds at the two-day hearing in London before Mr Justice Briggs.

Langston's counsel, Michael Driscoll QC, told the court it was common ground that Langston was a substantial creditor of the club and that the debt owed to it was in excess of £15million.
It was also common ground that Langston loaned £24million to the club in 2004, and it had yet to be repaid anything.

It was the club's case that nothing was payable at the moment.

Mr Driscoll said the question for the court was whether there was enough in what the club said to justify the case going to trial and not being dealt with summarily.

It was Langston's case that there was not, and that it was an appropriate case for summary judgment which was 'clearly desirable' as it would avoid a great deal of cost and time spent in litigation and uncertainty.

FA Cup Preview: Manchester United - Arsenal

Old Rivals In Match Of The Week

League leaders Arsenal travel to title rivals Manchester United for what is undoubtedly the tie of the Fifth Round. The two have become great rivals since Arsene Wenger's arrival in the country in 1996 and this clash has all the makings of a classic.

United and Arsenal are the two most successful club's in FA Cup history with a combined haul of 21 trophies from 35 finals. Ferguson has won five of them, Wenger four.

The winner of this tie will be among the favourites to add to those trophies because these are clearly the two best sides in the country this season.

Arsenal were tipped by many pundits to finish outside the top this term, but as Gunners fans say, 'Arsene knows'. Wenger has created a team on a shoestring budjet that have excelled beyond even his own great expectations for them.

Arsenal are playing with such energy and style that it is difficult to believe that the club actually made a net profit in the summer's transfer window. Goals are arriving from every part of the team with defensive midfielder Mathieu Flamini and centre back William Gallas scoring vital goals already this campaign.

The main man at the moment is Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor who has stepped out of Robin Van Persie's shadow to produce a stunning run of form where it seems everything his hits turns to goals. With excellent service provided to him by the subtle midfield promptings of Hleb and Fabregas, Adebayor will look to add to his winner at Old Trafford last season, when the Gunners were in a preiod of transition. A huge boost for Arsenal is the return of Kolo Toure at centre-back.

The powerful Ivorian has returned from the African Cup of Nations just in time as Wenger may be without three defenders that started Monday's win over Blackburn at the Emirates.

Returning Rooney Bolsters United

United will be boosted by the return to the team of both Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra, and both players are key to the way United play. Without the energetic duo last week, United appeared flat as they fell to defeat at home to local rivals Manchester City which sees the champions trail Arsenal in the league by five points. Louis Saha is also back after six weeks to provide options up front, something they sorely missed against City.

United will be desperate to put a marker down in the title race by knocking the Gunners out of the cup this weekend. United just never really got going in last week's derby, and looked unusually sloppy at the back where the usually dependable duo of Ferdinand and Vidic each had their worst game of the season so far.

It could be argued that they missed having a shield infront of them, and either Michael Carrick or Owen Hargreaves should return to the starting line up in an attampt to quell Arsenal's quick passign attacking midfield.

Alex Ferguson has laughed off the distance between these sides at the top, arguing with some credibility that Arsenal have the more difficult run in and far less experience. The fiery Scot will hope that his side can back up his argument by beating his old enemy Arsene Wenger's side, and continue in the hunt for a second treble, which Ferguson has mentioned at various points this campaign.

It is hard to recall when United last lost consecutive home games, but that is a fait which awaits them unless they produce a much improved performance against a rampant Arsenal. The sides drew 2-2 at the Emirates earlier in the campaign, and another stalemate can be expected again at Old Trafford on Saturday.

FORM GUIDE

Manchester United

10 Feb v Manchester City (H) LOST 1-2 (Prem)
02 Feb v Tottenham (A) DREW 1-1 (Prem)
30 Jan v Portsmouth (H) WON 2-0 (Prem)
27 Jan v Tottenham (H) WON 3-1 (FA Cup)
19 Jan v Reading (A) WON 2-0 (Prem)
12 Jan v Newcastle (H) WON 6-0 (Prem)

Arsenal

11 Feb v Blackburn (H) WON 2-0 (Prem)
02 Feb v Manchester City (A) WON 3-1 (Prem)
29 Jan v Newcastle (H) WON 3-0 (Prem)
26 Jan v Newcastle (H) WON 3-0 (FA Cup)
22 Jan v Tottenham (A) LOST 5-1 (League Cup)
19 Jan v Fulham (A) WON 3-0 (Prem)

FA CUP THIS SEASON

Manchester United

Round 3 v Aston Villa (A) WON 2-0
Round 4 v Tottenham (H) WON 3-1

Arsenal

Round 3 v Burnley (A) WON 2-0
Round 4 v Newcastle (H) WON 3-0

FA CUP HONOURS (bold ones won under current managers)

Manchester United
11 times winners (1909, 1948, 1963, 1977, 1983, 1985, 1990, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004)

Arsenal
10 times winners (1930, 1936, 1950, 1971, 1979, 1993, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005)

TEAM NEWS

Manchester United Long term casualties Michael Silvestre (knee, Gary Neville (calf) and Ben Foster (knee) are all missing, but the short term problems have all been solved.

As mentioned, Wayne Rooney, Loius Saha and Patrice Evra are all available again. Midfielders Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves as well as Evra and Rooney could return to the starting eleven after sitting out last weekends defeat to City.

Last Starting XI (v Manchester City): Van der Sar - Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, O'Shea (Carrick 73) - Ronaldo, Scholes, Anderson (Hargreaves 73), Nani (Park 64) - Giggs - Tevez

Arsenal

Jens Lehmann should continue in goal as he has been chosen for all Arsenal's FA Cup ties this season even if first choice Manuel Almunia recovers from a virus in time. Lively midfielder Tomas Rosicky is expected to remain sidelined with a hamstring injury and Denilson (hamstring) and Abou Diaby join him in the stands.

Dutch forward Robin Van Persie (thigh) is still missing, although with Adebayor in such fine form Arsenal are not missing there star forward as much as they would have anticipated. Full-backs Gael Clichy (knee) and Bakary Sagna (personal reasons) could miss out and Johan Djourou (groin) and Philip Senderos (thigh) are also doubtful.

Last Starting XI (v Blackburn): Lehmann - Sagna, Gallas, Senderos, Clichy - Fabregas, Flamini, Gilberto, Hleb - Adebayor, Eduardo

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester United - Wayne Rooney, although not the most technically gifted of United's attacking talent, has shown his importance to the team in his absences so far this season. His feisty presence was sorely missed in last weekend's derby defeat, and United never manage to play at as high tempo when Rooney is missing. His return will be a welcome boost and should allow a little more space for the skillfull Tevez and Ronaldo to exploit.

Arsenal - Emmanuel Adebayor is currently the hottest striker in the Premier League, and is enjoying a sensational run of goalscoring form that has seen the Togolese hitman find the net nine times in his last seven Premier League games, plus two in the last round against Newcastle. Adebayor on this form is unplayable and he will cause Ferdinand and Vidic all sorts of problems if they perform as sluggishly as they did last week.

PREDICTION

A game that could go either way between the two top sides in the country. Surely United will have to show an improvement on their lacklustre derdy day defeat last week, but in present form it is hard to back against Arsenal. A score draw and an unwanted replay may be the outcome of this mouthwatering cup tie for old enemies Ferguson and Wenger.

Referee: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire)

Manchester United 1-1 Arsenal

Ronaldo Reclaims His Spot As Penalty King

Cristiano Ronaldo rediscovered his confidence from the penalty spot in the FA Cup fourth round against Tottenham and insisted he had no problem in stepping up to take the kick

Last month the Portuguese winger suffered the ignominy of missing a penalty in Man United's 2-1 victory over West Ham but when he was asked by MUTV if this was playing on his mind when he put the ball on the spot in his side's 3-1 win over Spurs he replied: "To be honest, no."

"Sometimes you score, sometimes you miss," he continued, philosophically. "I wasn't thinking about West Ham - that's in the past. I needed to think about the present.

"My confidence is always positive. I took a good penalty and I scored. I'm very happy, my colleagues are happy... everyone is happy."

The player did, however, admit that his side didn't have it all their own way against an organised and threatening Tottenham.

"The game was very difficult," added Ronaldo, who scored two goals in an otherwise average performance by his standards.

"We knew before the game it would be tough because Spurs are a good team and they were coming to Old Trafford with confidence after beating Arsenal in their last match.

"But I think we played better (than Spurs) and we deserved to win."

Ronaldo's two strikes took his tally of goals for the season to 25, two more than his total for the whole of the last campaign.

"I'm having a great season and I need to carry it on. But the most important thing is the team is playing very well, we are top of the league and in the next round of the FA Cup," he concluded.

FA CUP UPDATE : Arsenal 3 Vs Newcastle 0

Normal service has been resumed.

While this straightforward victory over Newcastle in the FA Cup Fourth Round may not obliterate the memory of that 5-1 beating at Tottenham in midweek, it will at least help Arsène Wenger's side settle into their old and familiar winning groove.

Newcastle arrived at Emirates Stadium with ambition, determined to take advantage of any Carling Cup hangover. Their industrious game-plan worked to an extent and this lively tie was well-balanced until Emmanuel Adebayor rifled home the opening goal five minutes into the second period.

But after that Arsenal took over and the Togolese frontman secured a berth in the Fifth Round with a second seven minutes from time. Then, just before the end, Nicky Butt touched Cesc Fabregas' free-kick into his own net.

The scoreline was harsh on Newcastle who played a full part in proceedings.
But, at full time, the home side's now traditional huddle was back in evidence ­as was Arsenal's efficiency.

Wenger's men move onwards and upwards ­ not only in the FA Cup but from Tuesday night.

The manager retained four players from midweek ­ Abou Diaby, Justin Hoyte, Theo Walcott and Willaim Gallas. Philippe Senderos returned at centre back, Mathieu Flamini and Fabregas were restored to central midfield with Tomas Rosicky on the left while Emmanuel Adebayor was back up front. Jens Lehmann took over the No 1 spot at the expense of Lukasz Fabianski.

Well that is the way Arsenal started anyway. Within 10 minutes Rosicky was forced off with an injury and Eduardo came on. The Croatian joined Adebayor up front and Walcott dropped to the right flank.

It was a not massive change. The game had barely settled down. Newcastle had caused slight consternation from a corner and the stretching Fabregas had nearly touched Gael Clichy's chipped through-ball past Shay Given. But that was about it. Still, there was drive and ambition in abundance from both sides.

Keegan's return had not been triumphant last weekend against Bolton. Gary Megson's underrated outfit had held them to drab goalless draw at St James' Park. Today they were much more vibrant.

In the 14th minute, Charles N'Zogbia's run won a corner. He took it himself and Alan Smith's first time shot was headed off the line by Gael Clichy. A couple of minutes later Stephen Carr and Smith combined on the right only for the resulting cross to flash across the area with Michael Owen in close attendance.

The game was starting to sparkle. Clichy's shot was batted away by Given and then Diaby cracked an effort well wide.

In the 23rd minute, Diaby's attempted pass was half-blocked. The bounce fooled Steven Taylor and Eduardo pounced to lash a shot goalwards. Given saved spectacularly. In the minutes that followed the Irishman made a more mundane save and an unmarked Eduardo miscued his header at the near post.

Arsenal's response had been heartening and it was shaping up to be a wonderful FA Cup tie. While Havant & Waterlooville were doing their best to play out the classic David and Goliath scenario this was more like Clash of the Titans.

On the half-hour, Fabregas cleverly sent Walcott through on the right of the area but the winger's teasing cross trickled unconverted across the face of goal.

Duff's tenacity won a corner at the other end as Newcastle threatened once more but Arsenal's response saw Adebayor nudge a header just wide. It was end-to-end stuff.

However as the game neared half time, the visitors' end came under more pressure. Fabregas fired an angled shot wide and, on the whistle, Given tipped over from Diaby's piledriver.

The interval had come at the wrong time for Arsenal. They were just building up a head of steam and, if anything, Newcastle had enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges when the home side took the lead in the 51st minute.

Eduardo received the ball in space on the edge of the area and cleverly opened up his body to curl an effort against the base of the post. The ball rebounded to Adebayor who cut inside his marker and rifled a shot into the far corner of the net.

The Togolese striker has had a tough week, his sliding knee celebration had all the hallmarks of a relieved man.

It was also Arsenal's 100th goal at Emirates Stadium.

Adebayor nearly added another second soon afterwards but, after collecting Diaby's pass in the area, he was dispossessed at the vital second.

The goal had seemingly dented Newcastle's self-belief and they spent the next 10 minutes on the back foot. Once they had gathered themselves Damian Duff continued to menace the Arsenal defence. However there was now an ominous air about the home side.

In the 69th minute Fabregas touched on a Clichy cross and the swivelling Eduardo had a goalbound shot blocked. Newcastle were now spent force. They had played their part in a lively tie but the latter stages of the game were dictated by Arsenal's pursuit of a second goal.

It arrived six minutes from time when Adebayor skipped past a couple of Newcastle defenders and drilled a low shot past Given.

As full time approached, Nicky Butt nodded a Fabregas free-kick past his own keeper.
That was harsh on the Keegan's side.

But, as Tuesday night had proved, the scoreline does not always entirely reflect the nature of the game.

Anelka Off The Mark As Chelsea Edge Wigan

Wigan Athletic 1-2 Chelsea

Nicolas Anelka scored one and made one as Chelsea overcame Wigan to advance to round five of the FA Cup.

Nicolas Anelka made the difference in this largely disappointing FA Cup fourth round tie at the JJB Stadium.

After a truly drab opening 45 minutes, the visitors took the lead as their new £15m man stabbed home Belletti’s through ball.

Shaun Wright-Phillips doubled Chelsea’s lead late on before a stunning goal from Antoine Sibierski ensured an entertaining final few minutes.

First Half

The fans clearly couldn’t be bothered with this game, perhaps due to it being televised (though why this match got the TV nod over Liverpool vs. Havant & Waterlooville only the BBC know). But despite the half empty stands both managers showed their commitment to the cup by selecting strong sides.

Avram Grant named the same XI that won at Everton: a staggered midfield formation with Makélélé holding and Anelka as a lone target man. Unsurprisingly, there was no spot on the bench for Ashley Cole post hairdresser-gate. Steve Bruce, meanwhile, replaced the recently departed Danny Landzaat with Ryan Taylor.

Chelsea could, and perhaps should have had the ball in the net within 50 seconds: Sidwell pierced the Latics defence, finding Joe Cole who beat Kirkland but fired wide. Taylor then tested Cech down the field. Chelsea maintained possession for large spells but found ball control tricky on the churned JJB surface.

Joe Cole exhibited occasional moments of skill, at one point dancing past numerous challenges to find Anelka, who stumbled in the box and rightly received no penalty. Wigan, perhaps wary of the visitors’ ability to break at pace, sat incredibly deep, enticing Chelsea to mount further pressure. But the Latics almost created something as Heskey played through Marcus Bent – the excellent Wayne Bridge was alert to the danger.

The home side attempted forays down the wings, trying to launch crosses into the box, but Chelsea’s fullbacks – impressive both pushing forward and tracking back – continuously harrowed and closed down the play. Wigan did have limited joy down the middle, however, as Bent blazed over and Alex then felled Brown ahead of what had appeared a promising move. That was the last meaningful play of this egalitarian but incredibly dull 45 minutes.

Second Half

Chelsea attacked from the off, a cross into a crowded box almost finding Sidwell.A goal looked to be on the cards, and it duly came in the shape of Nicolas Anelka. Belletti’s super ball from deep was latched onto by the Frenchman, who sprang the offside trap and poked his volley past the advancing Kirkland - his first Chelsea goal and a marvellous one at that. Wigan were visibly annoyed, remonstrating that the goal was offside, but replays showed that was not the case.

Nonetheless, the Latics almost struck back through Heskey, whose shot on the turn from a narrow angle forced Cech to save with his legs. The game remained ugly, but an off-the-ball incident involving Michael Brown, Claude Makélélé and an alleged elbow threatened to make it nasty. The entire Chelsea bench were up in arms, but no action was taken; replays suggested the Blues midfielder perhaps made more of the incident than strictly necessary and fortunately the bad blood continued no further.

Substitute Koumas bent a free-kick right at Cech, but as Wigan pushed for the equaliser they left themselves vulnerable to counter-attacks. Anelka had already been thwarted several times by goalkeeper Kirkland but went clear after out-muscling Kevin Kilbane on the ball. One-on-one with the keeper, Anelka squared for the unmarked Wright-Phillips to slot home.

Game over? Not quite – just as Wigan appeared out of ideas Koumas played a great ball into the chest of substitute Antoine Sibierski, who turned and volleyed with perfect power, pace and precision past Cech and into the top corner. Tremendous. With only minutes remaining, the game then sprang to life as Wigan chased an unlikely replay, and they almost got it as Bent’s flying shot clipped the top of the bar. But it was not to be as Chelsea held on to claim a win they merited.

Line-ups:

Wigan (4-4-2): Kirkland – Melchiot, Bramble, Scharner, Kilbane – Valencia, Brown, Palacios (Sibierski 77), Taylor (Koumas 58) – Bent, Heskey (Aghahowa 85)

Subs not used – Pollitt, Boyce

Chelsea (4-1-2-2-1): Cech – Belletti, Carvalho, Alex, Bridge – Makélélé – Wright-Phillips, Sidwell – J Cole, Malouda (Ferreira 80) – Anelka (Pizarro 90)

Subs not used – Cudicini, Sinclair, Ben-Haim

Goals:

0-1 Anelka, 53 (Belletti)
0-2 Wright-Phillips, 82 (Anelka)
1-2 Sibierski, 87 (Koumas)

Cards:

Yellow: Bramble, Scharner, Palacios, Aghahowa / Alex, Carvalho

Attendance: 14,166

Arsenal will face Stoke or Newcastle in the FA Cup

Oldham and Huddersfield have been drawn together in the draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup after both pulled off third-round giant-killings.

The Latics were 1-0 winners away to Everton while Huddersfield saw off Birmingham 2-1 at the Galpharm Stadium.

And Oldham boss John Sheridan admits he was disappointed to be drawn against Huddersfield boss and Latics legend Andy Ritchie.

Sheridan told Sky Sports News: "I'm a good friend of Andy and I'm sure he'll be disappointed. It'll be a full house and a game we both think we can win.

"I heard Andy on the radio this morning saying he didn't want to draw us. We wanted to avoid each other and go as far as possible.

"It's done now and it's a good game for us. It'll be a full house, a great atmosphere and a game I think we can win.

"We'll both be looking to get a result to get into the next round and hopefully get a big boy.

"We're still on a high (after the Everton game). It was a great result, a great effort and you can see the excitement around the club."

Oldham chief executive Alan Hardy told BBC Radio Five Live: "We are having a decent time - we are still on a high after the weekend result against Everton.

"It was a terrific goal by Gary McDonald. He will go down in history now at Oldham Athletic.

"It will be a good game. It is a Lancashire-Yorkshire derby, they are only 17 miles up the road. They will bring a lot of fans.

"Huddersfield are managed by one of our best ever players in Andy Ritchie. I know he will want to put one over us.

"There will be a lot of interest in the game and I am hopeful of a near-capacity crowd at Boundary Park."

Non-leaguers Havant & Waterlooville could face a trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool in the fourth round.

The Blue Square South side, the lowest-ranked team left in the competition, held Coca-Cola League One leaders Swansea 1-1 at the weekend and are at home to the Welsh side in a replay next week, while Rafael Benitez's side must overcome Luton to reach the last 32.

Havant boss Shaun Gale told Sky Sports News: "It's fantastic. We've got a tough tie getting past Swansea, I'm sure they'll want to go there as well.

"Everyone was jumping around, it's potentially something fantastic for the club, for me and for everyone connected.

"The boys have given me everything. We went there (to Swansea) with a gameplan. Going behind at the time we did, we could have folded, but they kept going and got their reward in the end.

"They (Swansea) wont enjoy coming here. It will be a full house and an intimidating atmosphere. We've got to make it awkward for them - they are a good side and we've got to stop them playing.

"It's been a fairytale. You see it every season and this year it's been us and it's great."

Club secretary Trevor Brock added: "It's absolutely unbelievable. What an incentive to get past Swansea. The capacity of our ground is 4,800 and it will sell out without any doubt whatsoever.

"We have been producing miracles all season to get to this stage. We'll do everything we can against Swansea and what an incentive we've got."

Elsewhere, there are two definite all-Premier League ties, with Manchester United at home to Tottenham or Reading, and Wigan at home to FA Cup holders Chelsea.

Mansfield, 23rd in League Two, are at home to Premier League side Middlesbrough.

Boss Billy Dearden said: "It's a tremendous draw. We've got a Premier League club at home and we're looking forward to it - anything can happen.

"They are a top-class team, we'll have to be at our best to get any kind of result."

Arsenal will face the winners of the replay between Stoke and Newcastle at the Emirates Stadium, while Coventry will be hoping to reach the fifth round after being drawn at home to face either Walsall or Millwall.

Portsmouth face Plymouth at Fratton Park while Sheffield United will be looking for another Premier League scalp when they take on either West Ham or Manchester City at Bramall Lane. The Blades beat Bolton 1-0 in the third round.

Swindon or Barnet could take on Premier League side Fulham, unless the Cottagers fall foul of Bristol Rovers in a Memorial Stadium replay next week.

Darren Ferguson's Peterborough side will host Championship opposition with either Charlton or West Brom heading for London Road, with Southampton taking on the winner of the replay between Norwich and Bury.

Derby or Sheffield Wednesday will host Preston, Watford play Wolves in an all-Championship tie at Vicarage Road, Tranmere or Hereford will play Cardiff and Southend host Barnsley.

The ties will be played on the weekend of January 26 and 27.



FA Cup Fourth-Round draw

Arsenal v Stoke or Newcastle
Coventry City v Walsall or Millwall
Oldham Athletic v Huddersfield Town
Swindon Town or Barnet v Fulham or Bristol Rovers
Wigan Athletic v Chelsea
Luton Town or Liverpool v Swansea City or Havant & Waterlooville
Southend United v Barnsley
Southampton v Norwich City or Bury
Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur or Reading
Portsmouth v Plymouth Argyle
Derby County or Sheffield Wednesday v Preston North End
Watford v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Peterborough United v Charlton Athletic or West Bromwich Albion
Sheffield United v West Ham United or Manchester City
Mansfield Town v Middlesbrough
Tranmere Rovers or Hereford United v Cardiff City

[ Monday, January 07, 2008]

Plucky Luton Force Replay Against Liverpool

Liverpool were given a real game by League One side Luton at Kenilworth Road as Kevin Blackwell's side held the Reds to a 1-1 draw.

An entertaining game saw Liverpool eventually take the lead through Peter Crouch, only for a Riise own-goal to hand Luton a deserved share of the spoils.

First Half

Rafa Benitez picked a strong Liverpool side to face Luton. The notable inclusions were Charles Itandje in goal and a start for Lucas in midfield. Peter Crouch and Dirk Kuyt started upfront for the Reds.

Luton acquitted themselves well in the first half keeping the Premiership giants goalless. It was however the visitors who got off to the better start.

With just 25 seconds on the clock, Dutch winger Ryan Babel set off on a mazy run, which saw him beat three defenders before forcing Brill into a fine save at his near post.

The home side should then have taken the lead with Edwards missing a glorious early chance. Played through and with Steve Finnan playing him onside, Charles Itandje stood tall and saved well with his foot to save the Reds' blushes.

Four minutes later and Kuyt and Crouch combined well to provide the Dutch striker with a shot on goal from the edge of the area. However, Kuyt fired high and wide when he really should have hit the target.

With 20 minutes gone the Hatters began to come more into the game and started to cause the Liverpool back line some problems. Drew Talbot skinned Sami Hyypia at the byeline, but lacked options coming in as he crossed low, and Itandje cut out the ball.

The financially struggling side were giving a good account of themselves with the possession statistics looking rather favourable for Kevin Blackwell's side. Another fine move on the half-hour mark saw Finnan outnumbered on the right, only for Jamie Carragher to come across and clear the danger.



Liverpool then reminded Luton of the danger they posed with Peter Crouch forcing Brill into a fine save with a shot from the edge of the box.

But with the half time whistle approaching, it was the home side that finished the strongest. Drew Talbot, who was becoming the clear dangerman for Luton, fizzed in an inviting low ball from the right which flew across the face of the Liverpool goal with nobody coming in to apply the finishing touch.

Second Half

The second half began much like the first with Liverpool starting better, but the home side coming more and more into the game.

Four minutes after the restart and Kuyt fired a great ball across the Luton box, only for Benayoun and Crouch to be unable to make the all-important contact. John-Arne Riise then saw a blasted shot clip off a defender a look goal-bound. Luton keeper Dean Brill although going the wrong way, stuck out a hand to save superbly.

Luton were however not going to be bullied by the Premiership side and had a marvellous chance of their own on 54 minutes. Currie dinked in an inviting cross to Talbot, but the midfielder headed over when it seemed he had to score.

Liverpool were finding it increasingly difficult to impose their quality and were making very hard work of breaking down the Luton defence. Riise was unlucky not to see a red card when bringing down Talbot, with referee Webb believing him not to be the last man.

Then rather against the run of play, Liverpool took the lead on 74 minutes. A poor header by Chris Perry allowed substitue Voronin to charge through on goal. His shot was saved well by Brill, but Crouch was on hand to slide home the rebound.

The lead however only lasted three minutes as Luton deservedly got themselves back into the game. Man of the Match Talbot fired in a dangerous cross from the left towards striker Edwards. Riise, who was tracking the forward attempted to cut-out the ball, only to see it rebound off his arm and past Itandje into the Liverpool net.

The last ten minutes saw Luton the more adventurous side and the lack of quality in the Liverpool side must have surprised the 10,000 fans inside Kenilworth Road.

In the end Luton probably deserved more than a draw, but as far as their bank balance is concerned, a lucrative replay at Anfield is the ideal result.

Surely on this kind of display, a wealthy backer out there will be tempted into investing in this talented side.

Line-ups:

Luton: Brill, Keane, Coyne, Perry, Goodall, Bell, Currie, Edwards, Spring, Andrew, Talbot

Subs not used: Hutchison, Jackson, Robinson, O'Leary, Furlong

Liverpool: Itandje, Finnan, Riise, Carragher, Hyypia, Lucas, Alonso (Mascherano 74), Benayoun (El Zhar 86), Babel (Voronin 70), Crouch, Kuyt

Subs not used: Martin, Hobbs

Goals:

0-1 Crouch (74)

1-1 Riise o.g (77)

Cards:

Yellow: Alonso (45) Riise (68) Hyypia (83)

Attendance: 10,226

Referee: Howard Webb