England FA Cup

FA Cup review - Sat 29th Jan

A review of Barclays Premier League sides in FA Cup fourth round action.  

 

FA Cup holders 12bet.com Chelsea earned a 1-1 draw and a fourth-round replay with 12bet.com Everton after substitute Salomon Kalou came to their rescue at Goodison Park.

12bet.com Louis Saha had headed the Toffees in front just after the hour mark, but Kalou's precise finish 15 minutes from time earned Chelsea a replay in a hard-fought encounter.

Everton were rewarded for a good spell of pressure when Saha got behind John Terry and rose highest to powerfully head home a Leighton Baines corner in the 62nd minute. 12bet.com

The visitors hung in there though and Seamus Coleman was denied from close range by a combination of Terry and Michael Essien before Chelsea were level.

 12bet.com Sub Kalou picked the ball up on the edge of the box and fired a low angled shot just inside Tim Howard's far post.

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In another all-Barclays Premier League early match, Robert Pires' first goal for Aston Villa helped them continue their recent dominance over Blackburn Rovers in cup competitions with a 3-1 win at Villa Park.12bet.com

12bet.com The former Arsenal star restored Villa's lead after Ciaran Clark's opener had been cancelled out by Rovers substitute Nikola Kalinic.

Nathan Delfouneso further increased Villa's lead, and even the red card after 62 minutes for defender Nathan Baker for a challenge on Junior Hoilett failed to halt their progress.

Forgotten men Stuart Parnaby and Kevin Phillips were the heroes as 12bet.com Birmingham City carved out another cup day to remember by coming from two down to beat local rivals Coventry City 3-2 and reach the fifth round of the FA Cup.

The Blues were on a high after booking their place in the Carling Cup final in midweek but they were brought back down to earth as Marlon King and Richard Wood put the visitors two up with 26 minutes gone.12bet.com

David Bentley reduced the deficit before half-time with a stunning strike from 25 yards for his first Birmingham goal and, after a sustained spell of pressure, two goals in six minutes from Parnaby and Phillips midway through the second half completed the turnaround.

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Liverpool end away woes at Wolves

Sat, 22 Jan 14:43:00 2011

Kenny Dalglish finally got the first victory of his second spell in charge of Liverpool with a 3-0 Premier League win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.


Fernando Torres gave the Reds a deserved lead on 36 minutes with a simple tap-in after Raul Meireles had beaten the offside trap, before the Portuguese doubled the advantage with a stunning strike just after half-time. Torres then added a third in injury time.

The win ends Liverpool's woeful run of five straight away defeats and lifting them, temporarily at least, into the top half of the table. Wolves remain in the bottom three.

English Premier League

Champions gets ready for knockout rounds

Published: Thursday 20 January 2011, 13.00CET

With the UEFA Champions League round of 16 next on the agenda, the new edition of Champions magazine warms up for the latest meeting of FC Barcelona and Arsenal FC. 

Issue 45 of Champions magazine previews the much-anticipated round of 16 match between FC Barcelona and Arsenal FC.

Overcome at Camp Nou in last season's quarter-final, the English club are confident that, on form, they have what it takes to win this year's rematch. For Barcelona boss Josep Guardiola, meanwhile, Arsenal are the last side he would have wanted to face. We assess either team's chances of success in a tie that represents the purists' dream.

This edition of Champions also celebrates the UEFA.com users' Team of the Year 2010 featuring six players from Barça; it profiles midfielder Jack Wilshire, Arsenal's bright young thing, asking if he is England's first total footballer; and it listens in on Albert Ferrer and Pedro Rodríguez as Blaugrana past and present discuss life at Camp Nou.

Staying with the round of 16, we focus on 16 players that could make the difference between delight and despair when the ties unfold in February and March.
Chelsea FC midfielder Frank Lampard is eager to go one step further than in Moscow in 2008 by adding a UEFA Champions League winners' medal to his collection. In an exclusive interview, he tells Champions that being over 30 makes zero difference to his attitude and determination to keep playing at the top.

His England team-mate Wayne Rooney opens up on the players he loved to watch as a youngster and what reaching this season's final at Wembley would mean to him and the Manchester United FC supporters.
Former Italy forward Roberto Baggio gives a rare interview in which he talks candidly about his glorious career – his battles, joys and successes, dropping out, and why now is the right time to return as part of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) technical staff. He sums up his philosophy saying: "I have never really been satisfied by the easily scored goal."

The man touted as a future AS Roma and Italy captain, Daniele De Rossi, retraces his journey from ball boy and Francesco Totti fan to Giallorossi crowd favourite. Over in Madrid, meanwhile, we catch up with the Argentinian international dazzling the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu: Real Madrid CF's left winger Ángel Di María – a quiet man with big talent.

Champions travels to Tallinn to speak to Estonia's football pioneers whose goal is making inroads in the UEFA Champions League. Valencia CF coach Unai Emery is already enjoying life in Europe's premier club competition and he guides us through his typical day and footballing views.

The Portuguese game comes under the spotlight in Dossier, we examine the rise of the long-range shot and recall the man who gave away the European Champion Clubs' Cup. Plus: Hugo Lloris, Bixente Lizarazu, the Sami Khedira/Bastian Schweinsteiger double act, and much more.

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Soccer newsbits

Alvaro Negredo on Liverpool radar as Reds weigh up £17m bid for Spain striker

By Sportsmail Reporter Last updated at 11:18 AM on 12th January 2011

 

Liverpool are considering a bid for Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo, according to reports in Spain. 

The AS newspaper claim that the Reds are prepared to offer around £17million for the 25-year-old forward. 

A strong, quick attacker with a superb left foot, Negredo has six goals for the season.

He made his Spain debut in October 2009 but was left out of the squad for the World Cup in South Africa last summer.

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