Coventry  City v Chelsea

Chelsea travel to the Ricoh Arena this Saturday to take on the lively ‘Sky Blues’ who have defied all odds and booked themselves a high profile encounter with the Londoners. Coventry will have a lot of work laid out in front of them if they are to make a dent in Chelsea’s chances of silverware this season adding more woes to the list at Staford Bridge. The club’s own anthem claims that they will never lose to Chelsea so the players will have the club’s pride and glory rested firmly on their shoulders. I wonder will the anthem be echoing around the Ricoh Arena should Chelsea win.

Coventry lost a midweek encounter against Sheffield United at home which resulted in booing from the home fans. The players would have felt the heat from manager Chris Coleman after the whistle in a match which was seen as a warm up for this weeks high profile encounter. “We are better then what we showed of ourselves against Sheffield” said Coleman.

He then went on to hint that the Chelsea game isn’t as important to him as it is to the fans and that the league is their main priority.  The question has to be raised, has Coleman given up before the game has even started? Surely the players will have the want to put in a good performance against Chelsea after all how often do they get this kind of opportunity? Not very often is the answer to that question.

Striker Clinton Morrison will be eager to have his name pencilled in on the score sheet. The striker who missed a lot of last season through injury has proved to be one of Coventry’s most energetic players this year. Either setting up opportunities or scoring himself I’m positive the Irish man will cause a lot of headaches for the Chelsea defence. Morrisson has sent shivers down the spines of defenders since his youth days at Crystal Palace and has proven himself on the internation scene. He’s definitley the one to watch this week.

Didier Drogba will be eager to secure his place in the first team especially after his late winner at Portsmouth last week. The Ivory Coast man has been side lined for much of the season much to his own frustration and of course to the delight of Anelka who is one of the favorites at ’ The Bridge’. Perhaps the recognised target man will see Saturday’s trip to Coventry as a means of lacing up his shooting boots for next weeks match with Italian giants Juventus.

With such a important game coming up and with the title race all but over in the mind of temporary manager Guss Hiddink, perhaps he may decide to leave some of the big guns on the bench to avoid the ever present risk of injuries and fatigue. Although that is a recipie for disaster as Chelsea learned last year against Burnley.

Overall, I think Chelsea will just outclass the Coventry boys. Fitness will definitely have a huge part to play in this one, Coventry are of a much lower standered to Chelsea and could find them selves ‘huffing and puffing’ but not being able to knock the Chelsea defence down. I predict a narrow Chelsea win perhaps coming in the later stages of the game.

Fulham v Manchester United

Fulham play host to the Premier League leaders at Craven Cottage this Saturday. Fulham who are in a comfortable position in the league will surely feel confident that they will pull a little something out of the hat to shock Alex Ferguson’s men.

Late last month Fulham showed how they can compete with the big dogs when they played Arsenal out for 90 minutes managing to secure a much need point at the Emirates Stadium. In that match they showed how they can frustrate a team of quality and play the old fashioned way.

However, on Wednesday the London men had the wind beaten out of their sails when they where halted by defeat on their home patch against a vibrant Hull city. Although the Fulham attacking force did show signs of promise, Bobby Zamora found himself often isolated and with little options. Perhaps a change in tactics may be in the spotlight behind the scenes at Fulham. Although that would go against Fulham policies who like to keep things pretty conservative in all walks of life.

In the end Fulham’s complacency over powered their concentration in that game with the winning goal being conceded in injury time. The Craven Cottage faithful will have worries planted firmly in the backs of their minds following last weeks defeat. With no recent injuries to worry about the management team at Fulham will have a virtually unharmed side from the midweek clash with Hull to choose from. Although they have an important league fixture with Blackburn fast approaching Fulham will give 110% as always.

Manchester United will be on a high following their recent win over Newcastle where they came from behind to secure a 2-1 win and their recent investment with the Carling Cup title. However, there have been speculation circulating the tabloids concerning a bust up between world player of the year Ronaldo and team mate Taylor. Perhaps Taylor wore the same clothes as Ronaldo, we’ll never know. Ferguson was delighted with the performance his team put in at St. James Park and had this to say : “It’s down to trusting your players and having the ability to win matches and we had to do that against Newcastle. Being 1-0 down away from home isn’t easy, but we came back to win thanks to a very gritty performance.”

With such important fixtures in the coming week against Inter Milan and Liverpool, United will want no hope of a replay to add to that list and will want to write Fulham of as quickly as possible.

This match is bound to be a fast, free flowing game but in my opinion United will come out on top. Of course Fulham will put in a decent performance as they always do but I think the class and speed of United will prove too much for Fulham.

Arsenal v Burnley

Burnley travel to the Emirates Stadium for the first time to take on cup hopefuls Arsenal. Burnley who have come up trumps against Premier League clubs such as Chelsea and Liverpool in the cup over recent years have an a slice of confidence on their side with their track record in mind. Although they have added no silverware to their trophy cabinet in quite some time they always prove energetic to watch and are sure to put up a good fight against the Gunners on Sunday.

Most recently Burnley travelled to Blackpool where they put in a winning performance by securing a one nil victory over the men in orange. Burnley do have a few niggles going into Sundays game having picked up a few bruises in that sluggish match but nothing too serious. Striker Martin Patterson is all set up for Sundays clash. The energetic front man has proved time and time again just what he is capable of and is sure to cause a problem of two for the rigid Arsenal defence who can just as easily get caught flat footed as they can sleeping.

Sundays game is obviously their biggest game of the season and it is no doubt that all the players will be upbeat and ready for their task. I took the time to snoop around some of the Burnley FC forums and websites and their fans look all set to travel to the Emirates in full voice. Surely the players will be needing their ‘twelfth man’. The Burnley squad is liable to injuries with so few players in the squad, with one of their three strikes on loan, a single injury or red card could mean life or death in the F.A Cup.

Arsenal will be confident of victory as well, as there strike force seem to have their goal senses about them. Securing a 3-1 victory over West Bromwich Last Tuesday the Gunners will have a pep in their step as they cross the white line this Sunday. Arséne Wenger, like other managers involved in the cup this weekend, has some Champions League worries to cope with as they face Roma in mid-week. One thing Arsenal have been lacking this season is consistency and it is for that reason I think there could be a fly in the ointment at the Emirates Stadium.

With Burnley’s history in the cup in their favour and Arsenal’s unpredictability taken into account I think we could be in for a shock this weekend. I have to say, although the odds are stacked against them perhaps Burnley may take a draw from the Emirates and bring the tie back to their home patch where they have proven to be quite a force.

Everton v Middlesbrough

Everton are all set to entertain Middlesbrough at Goodison Park this Sunday in what is one of two all Premier League games in the F.A Cup this weekend. Having already beaten arch rivals Liverpool in the competition at a replay at Goodison, Everton will have their wits about them as they prepare for what is going to be one of their most important encounters of the season.

The first ten minutes of this game really will be a sink or swim situation. This game could so easily be decided upon an early goal. A goal which could go either way. It has to be said that this game really will be a close call. Will Joleon Lescott once again act as Everton’s arm bands?

With the announcement that key man Victor Anichibe will be out for the rest of the season, worries will be floating around Goodison park. However, they have proven that they are one of the few creative teams in premier league football today. That was amplified in the last round when they cruised to a 3-1 victory over Premier league force Aston Villa. Last week however they did not manage to get on the score board and played out a boring 0-0 draw with Blackburn Rovers. The last time these sides met was boxing day of last year when Everton escaped from the Riverside with a 1-0 victory.

Middlesbrough will be out for revenge and of course a place in the next round this Sunday. Having been crushed in their last encounter away too Spurs at White Heart Lane, Boro will be on uneven ground as they arrive at Goodison Park. Once again away from home, will we see a repeat of last weeks performance or more specifically defending? Only time will tell. After that embarrassing defeat Gareth Southgate actually had to apologise to the Boro fans who were clearly less that pleased at their teams dreadful performance.

With so much too prove I think Boro might lay it on a little to thick this weekend and perhaps get caught on the counter. Everton have proved time and time again to us what they can do, and that is score goals. With all this in mind I can only see Everton progressing through to the next round leaving a sorry Middlesbrough to pick up the pieces and wipe their tears away.

Sunderland v Tottenham

Tottenham will travel to the Stadium of Light this Saturday to take on a youthful Sunderland side in the only Premier League game of this weekend. This game will of course be a sell out as Sunderland fans are expected to come from far and wide to see the spectacle. This match is bound to unravel the mysteries behind this years relegation battle with both sides level on points and a mere four points above the drop zone.

Sunderland will have prepared vigorously for the visitors who showed their style last week in a 4-0 win over Middlesbrough. However, midfielder Teemu Tainio is set to miss the encounter as he is struggling with a slight knee injury. Manager Ricky Sbragia had this to say as regards the injury : “Teemu has a little problem with his knee but he seems happier with it and he’s done a bit of running”.

The injury kept Teemu out of last week’s loss to Liverpool but he is expected to be back in action soon. Last week’s loss will have left Sunderland asking serious questions ahead of their clash with Spurs. Personally, I think the only chance Sunderland will have of goals is to catch Tottenham on the break and test their keeper as best they can. However, Andy Reid is confident that Sunderland will come back fighting following their defeat to Liverpool last time out.

Tottenham on the other hand will be overjoyed and ready for more following their impressive win last week. With Robbie Keane back on form in his rightful home he is bound to have a run or two at the Sunderland defence. Having left Liverpool in January he seems happier and more confident about the ball and I’m sure he’ll have a taste for goals on Saturday. The bookies seem to favour Tottenham to send Sunderland packing this Saturday given their recent form, alhough they would like us to predict it wrong!

The only league game this weekend will definitely be of the highest level and I expect to see lots of goals from both sides, or at least I hope so. However, I think Tottenham have shown what they are capable of in the goals department last week. Confidence will be running high and I expect a win for the visitors.

Hopefully this weekend will be a memorable one in English football and prove to be enjoyable for all to watch as it is expected to be. With the season coming to a close and the race for the F.A Cup heating up I’m sure we won’t be disappointed and if we are we can always watch the bobsledding.

Match Preview

Arsenal were held to a goalless draw by a spirited Cardiff City when the duo met on 25 January but the Gunners have not been knocked out of the FA Cup by lower league opposition under Arsene Wenger. Indeed, it was Sheffield United who eliminated a Bruce Rioch led Arsenal side back in 1996. The Gunners are undefeated in 11 matches in all competitions, winning four and drawing seven. Their last four league and cup matches have ended all square and three of which goalless.

Cardiff are undefeated in 13 league and cup matches, winning seven and drawing six since they last tasted defeat – a 2-1 reverse at Plymouth on 22 November. The Bluebirds have won their last two matches but have not played since their 2-0 home victory against Nottingham Forest on 31 January.

Arsenal are without transfer window signing Andrei Arshavin, who is ineligible, while Emmanuel Eboue is suspended and both Emmanuel Adebayor and former City starlet Aaron Ramsey are injured. This match has come too soon for Eduardo, who has recovered from a broken leg, but Gael Clichy should feature after recovering from a head wound suffered last week against Tottenham Hotspur.

Cardiff City will Start with on-loan Manchester United goalkeeper Tom Heaton as Peter Enckelman is out for two months with a knee injury. Winger Peter Whittingham and defender Gabor Gyepes are back from injury but Stephen McPhail suffered a knock in midweek and is ruled out. Neither City’s former Arsenal striker Quincy Owusu-Abeyie nor Michael Chopra, both on loan, are ineligible for tonight’s fixture.

Line Ups

Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Gibbs, Nasri, Song, Denilson, Vela, Eduardo, Bendtner.
Subs: Almunia, Van Persie, Ramsey, Wilshere, Clichy, Bischoff.

Cardiff: Heaton, McNaughton, Rae, Purse, Johnson, Parry, Ledley, Kennedy, Burke, Bothroyd, McCormack.
Subs: Capaldi, Whittingham, Johnson, Comminges, Scimeca, Blake.

Goals

Arsenal: Eduardo (20′), Bendtner (34′), Eduardo (pen 60′), Van Persie (89′)

Live Blog

90+2′ Arsenal almost made it five when Bendtner dinked a wonderful ball from left to right towards the unmarked Van Persie. The Dutchman had a free header from six yards but his effort hit the post. Seconds later, Mark Halsey decided enough was enough and blew for full time.

89′ Goal! Arsenal 4 Cardiff 0. Scimeca gives the ball away cheaply in the centre circle to Bendtner who slips the ball through to the advancing Robin Van Persie in the box. He has all the time in the world to slot the ball home and to condemn the Bluebirds to a heavy and embarrassing defeat,

88′ A half chance for Burke who attempts to take the ball around Fabianski in the box but the keeper is equal to it and nicks the ball off his feet.

85′ A sublime turn from Van Persie and he touches the ball through to Bendtner into the box. The ball is too far in front of the Great Dane and he lunges for it at the same time as Heaton comes out for it. The keeper momentarily looks injured but he gets up unscathed.

81′ Bischoff goes inches wide for Arsenal. He takes the ball into the box, goes past McNaughton and shoots across the face of goal, beating keeper Heaton and defender Blake. It rolls just wide of the far post much to City’s relief.

79′ Bendtner receives a yellow card for a reckless sliding tackle on McNaughton, who is wily enough to jump out of the way.

78′ Back to the football, Van Persie drives a thundering effort into the chest of Heaton, but he had already been flagged offside.

77′ What looks like a “work” shoe has also appeared on the touchline. What other items of clothing will be used as makeshift missiles before full time is called? Arrest the idiot with only one shoe on the way out please officer.

74′ Arsenal make their third and final substitution, by bringing on Amauri Bischoff for Carlos Vela. Riccardo Scimeca replaces Gavin Rae for the Bluebirds. There will be no Eddie Johnson and therefore no comedic performances up front.

72′ The substitutions appear to have taken the edge off the game. Arsenal are retaining the ball comfortably while City are chasing shadows.

69′ The camera zooms in on a mobile phone which was hurled at Fabianski in the Arsenal goal. They could only manage rolled up socks at Goodison Park so the credit crunch can’t have hit South Wales that badly yet.

68′ For all their Eddie chants, the City fans instead get Peter Whittingham and Darcy Blake on for Parry and Purse. The talismanic striker may yet get a run out though.

67′ Two goal hero Eduardo is replaced by Robin Van Persie while Aaron Ramsey comes on for Nasri.

66′ Shambolic defending again from Cardiff. McNaughton, who has been one of City’s better defenders, makes a complete cock-up of a Nasri cross from the right, giving the unmarked Eduardo a free pot shot at goal. The striker is denied a hat-trick by the chest of Heaton and is soon to be replaced.

65′ Song bundles Ledley over just outside the D and eventually McCormack takes the free kick. It takes a deflection and goes behind for a corner.

60′ Goal! Arsenal 3 Cardiff 0. Rae wrestled Eduardo to the ground and Halsey had no option but to point to the spot. The Croatian international coolly slots home the penalty for his second of the game.

59′ Nasri slips Bendtner into the box and he drills a low shot into the near post. Heaton, dubbed “No Hands” by a section of the City supporters, again gets down and saves with his feet.

57′ Bothroyd has a run at goal and would dearly love to score against the club who dumped him as a youngster. However, his shot from distance is not that great and comfortably smothered by Fabianski.

56′ Gibbs sends a cross into the six yard box as City again fail to pick him up on the byline. Purse gets there first and thumps the ball behind for a corner.

54′ Vela turns McNaughton and cuts through the labouring City defence. Johnson makes up for his first-half blunder by getting back and blocking the inevitable shot. Hull City may well be interested again.

50′ William Gallas becomes the first player to enter Mark Halsey’s notebook for a foul on Bothroyd. McCormack takes the free kick but his ball into the box is easily dealt with.

48′ The City supporters are getting desperate. Only three minutes into the second half and they are calling for the introduction of “Super” Eddie Johnson, the club’s wage-draining mascot and token American. Oh dear.

46′ Arsenal get the second half underway. Let’s see if Cardiff realise there is a match on or whether they will surrender this half as meekly as they did the first.

Half Time. Cardiff are lucky to go into the break only two goals behind as Arsenal are dominating with relative ease. City just don’t look interested enough in the match and are not able to compete in the way they did at Ninian Park three weeks ago. Bendtner’s miss moments before half time was a shocker and if it had gone in, it would have been curtains for the Bluebirds. As it stands, they still have a chance but they need to pull their fingers out.

45′ There’s the Bendtner we’ve grown to love and mock. Sagna delivers a delicous cross for Vela, who turns, shoots and forces a great reaction save from Heaton. The loose ball falls into the path of the awaiting Bendtner, who clatters the post from a full four yards out. Not wanting to look a complete idiot, he attempts to poke in the rebound but Heaton pulls off another great block. This is the player who should be featuring in every Arsenal game, no matter who is fit.

43′ Burke takes a free kick on the right which goes out for a throw in. The commentator mentions Ledley’s name for the first time. I didn’t realise he was playing and he’s supposed to be the heartbeat for the Bluebirds. That £6 million transfer to Stoke isn’t going to materialise if he doesn’t buck his ideas up.

42′ Not long left till half time now. Cardiff have barely been in the game since it kicked off. Arsenal are enjoying the lion’s share of posession and it’s all too easy for them.

37′ The replay clearly shows Johnson daydreaming, possibly about the transfer to Hull that never was, while Bendtner sneaks up behind him and then has a free run to meet the delivered ball. That’s £4 million worth of defender there folks.

34′ Goal! Arsenal 2 Cardiff 0. Perhaps he had a point after all. Or perhaps it was just more shambolic defending by City. Anyway, Nicklas Bendtner gets a free header direct from a corner while City’s defence try their best to get in eachother’s way and it’s 2-0. It’s a long way back for Cardiff now, who have barely been in the game.

28′ A real let off for Cardiff. Nasri was allowed to keep going forward before unleashing a howitzer from the edge of the box. Heaton somehow blocks it but the ball squirms away from him and bounces wide. It could have easily ended up in the back of the net.

26′ Cardiff get a corner which Burke delivers to Johnson along the floor. The defender takes a swipe at it first time but it goes wide and he ends up on his backside.

20′ Goal! Arsenal 1 Cardiff 0. It has been coming. Eduardo marks his return to the first team with a bullet header from Vela’s cross. Five City defenders in the box and not one was anywhere near the Gunners striker. The Bluebirds need to get their act together or this could be a rout.

20′ Arsenal are getting chances galore. Kolo Toure ambles forward, turns Ledley and sends a tame shot straight at Heaton.

16′ Cardiff get their first half chance. Ledley plays it through to McCormack on the edge of this box but his effort is blocked. Arsenal break immediately with Vela playing the ball across the face of goal towards Bendtner and Eduardo, but McNaughton makes a last ditch interception and clears.

13′ Bendtner sweeps a cross in from the right towards the head of Eduardo. The Brazilian-born Croatian looks match-rusty and heads well over the bar. He follows it up with a Beckham-esque attempt from just inside his own half, but again it’s well wide.

11′ Burke sees the linesman’s flag rise for the second time in as many minutes when trying to get a cross in from the byline. Twice the ball has been judged to have gone out of play but twice the replays suggest it was on the line.

7′ Arsenal have another chance, well, two. Vela breaks quickly and a snap shot from the edge of the box is parried by Heaton. Bendtner pokes the rebound but forces a save from Heaton’s feet. Seconds later Gallas has a headed effort, which is again saved by the feet of Heaton. It could be a long night for the Bluebirds.

5′ World Player of the Year Bendtner has the first real chance of the match. He beats Johnson for height and heads a cross from Sagna towards goal. Unbelievably, for a player who should start each match without question, it goes wide.

3′ A cagey start from both sides. Most of the action is occurring in the middle of the park. Roger Johnson finds himself in an attacking position but cannot keep the ball in play.

0′ Some really bizarre pre-match comments from Nicklas “No Goals” Bendtner, who clearly harbours ambitions as an alternative comedian. I mean, his claim of: “It does not really matter to me who is fit and available, I should start every game, I should be playing every minute of every match and always be in the team” would be quite funny it wasn’t said in a deadly serious tone. While “I’ve never seen Arshavin. I did not watch Euro 2008″ is just downright disrespectful. It must be a barrel of laughs in the Gunners dressing room these days.

0′ Good evening and welcome to the match which gives the winner a shot at Burnely and then either Hull City or Sheffield United in the quarter final. Contrary to the match preview, Eduardo does start for Arsenal but Gyepes does not for Cardiff. The Gunners also feature exciting youngster Carlos Vela while former City youngster Ramsey is on the bench for the home side.

Reaction

Cardiff City gifted Arsenal a home tie against Burnley with a poor performance. They showed none of the heart displayed the first time the pair met at Ninian Park and Arsenal were allowed to do as they pleased throughout the game. The Gunners were clinical this evening without really stepping up a gear and if it wasn’t for a combination of poor finishing from Bendtner and alert goalkeeping from Heaton, the score could have been much higher. Arsenal progress in the Cup, while last season’s finalists City can now concentrate on their Championship promotion bid.

Man of the Match

Bendtner would surely nominate himself for the accolade. Well, that first-half miss was something else. However, it has to be awarded to Eduardo, who marked his return to first-team action with a brace. Both goals were expertly taken and he didn’t look like a player who has been out of action for the best part of year, let alone one who suffered an horrific, career-threatening injury. The Gunners need a boost in what has been a poor season and the Croatian international could be just the man to provide it.

Match Preview

United have won four of their last six meetings with the Rams and will be full expected to dispatch them at Pride Park this afternoon. Since losing to Derby in the first leg of the Carling Cup, Manchester United have gone on to win their last eight league and cup matches, including a 4-2 second leg victory against the Rams. Arguably, United have been given an easy fifth round draw this season, as this is only the second time in 14 FA Cup rounds they have not been drawn against opponents from the Premiership.

The Rams will be without banned defender Jay McEveley and also Giles Barnes, who made such an impact against United in the second leg and joined Fulham on loan until the end of the season. Recovering midfielder Stephen Pearson is expected to be among the substitutes.

United have only failed to reach the quarter final stage of the FA Cup once in the last five seasons, when they were beaten by Liverpool in 2006. Wayne Rooney is unlikely to line up for the Reds as he recovers from a hamstring injury but there could be returns for Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra and Jonny Evans.

Line Ups

Derby County: Bywater, Connolly, Addison, Albrechtsen, Stewart, Barazite, Green, Savage, Teale, Commons, Hulse.
Subs: Carroll, Sterjovski, Nyatanga, Davies, Todd, Pearson, Porter.

Manchester United: Foster, Rafael Da Silva, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Park, Fletcher, Gibson, Nani, Giggs, Ronaldo.
Subs: Kuszczak, Vidic, Scholes, Welbeck, O’Shea, Tevez, Possebon.

Goals

Derby: Addison (56′)

Man United: Nani (29′), Gibson (44′), Ronaldo (48′), Welbeck (81′)

Live Blog

92′ Jordan Stewart sends another ball into the box but this time Foster comes off his line and claims it with confidence.

90′ Pearson launches another ball into the United box and Commons does well to hook it across the face of goal. Foster may have got to it but given his performance today, Ferdinand was taking no chances and hoofed it clear to safety.

88′ Green has a great chance to pull one back for Derby when he heads a corner towards goal from six yards. It goes wide but Addison was inches away from connecting to it.

85′ Pearson attempts to play Porter through but the striker was ruled offside. It was a close call and had the move been allowed to continue he would have been clean through.

82′ Fair play to Clough for trying to change things, but he’s fighting a losing battle now. Savage comes off to be replaced by Stephen Pearson.

81′ Goal! Derby 1 Man United 4. It’s all over for Derby. Fletcher, on the D, nudges the ball to Danny Welbeck out on the left who curls the ball into the far corner from the edge of the box. A sublime finish from one so young and that’s United through to the quarter final.

75′ Teale, who has been Derby’s most dangerous outlet this match, has the beating of O’Shea and curls one towards the bottom-right corner, forcing a diving save from Foster. Addison gets his head to the resulting corner, but directs it just wide. The Rams are making a real fist of this now and if they could get one more goal, United would really be on the rack.

74′ Teale curls in from the right hand side and the cross completely beats Foster. How on earth this guy was touted as a future England number one is beyond me. Fortunately Evans is at the far post and heads it behind for a corner.

73′ Alex Ferguson opts to rest Ronaldo and replaces him with Rodrigo Possebon.  That’s his full quota of substitutions for the match.

71′ Nani races past Connolly but pulls off one of the worst, most blatant dives after chasing a ball he is never goling to get.

68′ Rob Hulse is replaced by Chris Porter, a player who turned down a greater chance of playing Premiership football next season and a better salary at Cardiff City to come to join Derby from Motherwell during the transfer window. Two words – easy ride.

63′ The interestingly-monikered Mile Sterjovski comes onto replace Barazite as Nigel Clough makes his first change.

60′ The goal has given Derby renewed belief and they are having a go at United. Commons attempts one from the edge of the box but is crowded out by Evans and O’Shea. Teale is next to try his luck but slices an effort from distance.

56′ Goal! Derby 1 Man United 3. Derby grab a lifeline. A cross from Commons is met by the head of young defender Miles Addison who makes ammends for giving away the third goal and gives Foster no chance from close range.

55′ Alex Ferguson makes a few changes, bringing on John O’Shea and Danny Welbeck for Patrice Evra and Ji Sung Park

50′ United could have had another if not for the alertness of Bywater. Giggs sends Ronaldo clean through found himself clear and fired straight at the keeper who could only parry it into the path of the lurking Fletcher. The Scot tries his luck but Bywater dives across to deny him.

48′ Goal! Derby 0 Man United 3. A pinpoint corner from Giggs is glanced in by Ronaldo from about 12 yards out. It looked so simple, but the the precision of the cross should not be underestimated.

46′ Derby get the second half underway. It is going to be really difficult for them to get back into the match

Half Time. United have coasted through the match and Derby have offered very little in return. The two goals were unstoppable and unless Nigel Clough’s side have a drastic change of fortune, United could go on to win this match by a truckload.

45′ The replay shows Gibson’s effort was heading straight at Rafael, who looked well offisde. The Brazilian had to be blocking Bywater’s view until the very last second, when he jumped out of the way of the flying ball, allowing it to nestle into the back of the net. Maybe referee Styles would not dare rule out another United goal?

44′ Goal! Derby 0 Man United 2. Ronaldo lines up another long range free kick which clatters off the wall much to the appreciation of the home crowd. But, no sooner as the first ironic cheers are uttered, the ball bounces into the path of Darron Gibson, who smashes a first time effort from 20 yards into the near corner. It’s all too easy for United.

40′ OK. This is why the linesman was so late in ruling out Ronaldo’s goal. He wasn’t sure if Giggs flicked the ball on or not and waited to ask the referee’s advice when the move had finished. However, in this case, Ronaldo scored a goal. If he had just raised his flag willy nilly and Giggs had not flicked on the ball, he would have ruled out a legitimate goal for United. This time, the linesman got it right.

37′ Goal! Derby 0 Man United 2. Goalkeeper Foster hoofs the ball towards Giggs, who sublimly flicks the ball through to Ronaldo, sending him clear. The Portuguese slots the ball under Bywater to double United’s advantage. Ronaldo celebrates and so do the other players. Then the linesman decides it was offside and raises his flag. Nothing like a late decision to bring a spoilt, often wantaway player back down to earth. Correction. Derby 0 Man United 1.

35′ United are comfortable and can even afford a dismal effort from Gibson, who thunders the ball towards the corner flag from just outside the box.

31′ The Rams have a chance to equalise with a Commons free kick 25 yards out, but there is no danger and Foster gathers it comfortably.

29′ Goal! Derby 0 Man United 1. Crisp passing at the edge of the Derby box ends at the feet of Nani, who cuts inside and pings one into the far corner. It’s a magnificent strike which gives the diving Bywater no chance. ITV managed to broadcast uninterupted coverage of the goal as well, which is a bonus.

24′ Derby have a shout for a penalty when it looked as though Ferdinand tripped Hulse in the box. However, the replay showed it was clearly a dive.

21′ Rob Hulse goes inches wide for Derby when he turns and shoots inside the box following a good header from Green. It’s just over the bar but if it had been on target Foster would have got nowhere near it.

20′ Ronaldo lines up a free kick from 30 yards out. He drives it straight into the mid-section of Savage, which was probably it’s intended destination.

16′ Barazite finds himself in a bit of space but lashes wildly at the ball from the edge of the box and it goes well wide. It’s a half chance for the Rams who are in danger of being taken apart this afternoon.

15′ Nani leaves Connolly for dead on the left and dinks a ball into the far post. The Derby defenders are nowhere near it, allowing Park to sidefoot it from a couple of yards out, but Bywater pulls off a fantastic point-blank save.

13′ United’s superior passing is telling as a one-two between Fletcher and Ronaldo sees the Scot unmarked just inside the box but his shot is well saved by Bywater.

10′ Commons takes a corner but Foster grabs hold of it at the second attempt. Derby had just got into the game a bit more after United had enjoyed the better start. Barazite looks useful down the right for the Rams.

5′ The shenanigans between Ronaldo and Savage have taken just a few minutes to commence. The Portuguese is brushed off the ball by Savage, resulting in him going down looking for a free kick. Unsurprisingly he doesn’t get one and seconds later deliberately runs into the back of Savage as the latter gets a throw in. Two fine examples of a big girls blouse should provide some entertainment this afternoon.

3′ Nani finds himself with a bloody nose. Someone get him a glass of water to drink backwards. Wait, that’s hiccups. A tissue will be fine.

1′ Manchester United get the match started and it’s young Gibson who has the first shot in anger from 25 yards out. It’s well over the bar, though.

0′ Veteran midfielder Robbie Savage is set to resume his headless chicken role in the middle of the park for Derby. I’m sure he is set to prove a point to Alex Ferguson who released him as a kid at Old Trafford etc etc. Yawn. Fellow clogger Andy Todd can only make the bench.

0′ Its a much-changed line up for United, with Foster in goal and midfield places for Gibson and Nani. No recognised strikers start for the Reds, such is Alex Ferguson’s confidence. Giggs and Ronaldo take on the attacking duties at Pride Park.

Reaction

It was comfortable in the end for United as Derby failed to display much of the fighting spirit which saw them narrowly miss out to the Reds during the two-legged Carling Cup semi final. Goals either side of half-time effectively killed off the tie but full credit to the Rams for trying when they fell 3-1 behind. The goals from Nani, Gibson, Ronaldo and Welbeck were sublime and highlighted the gulf in class between the European champions and a mediocre Championship side. United ease their way into the quarter finals and continue their winning run.

Man of the Match

If it wasn’t for the brilliance of Bywater in the Derby goal, the score could have been much worse. That said, I cannot award man of the match to a player who let in four goals. United were composed, if not spectacular with Giggs, Fletcher and Gibson all playing well in midfield. Ryan Giggs was at the heart of United’s attacking play and the intricate balls he was threading through to Ronaldo were a joy to watch. Derby simply could not cope with a player of his quality. He scored the winner against West Ham last weekend and is my Man of the Match this Sunday.

Match Preview

The match at Goodison Park sees two of the most in-form Premiership teams clash in cup-tie circumstances. Everton have not lost at home, in the league or cup, since Villa beat them 3-2 on 7 December. A similar scoreline would provide an excellent afternoon’s entertainment.

Everton are aiming to each the last eight of the competition for the first time since 2002 but will have to do it without the injured Marouane Fellaini, the suspended Steven Pienaar and cup-tied Jo. Manager David Moyes may have to pin his hopes on the perenially injured Louis Saha. Villa are in better shape, but have Gareth Barry suspended so the captain’s role could be filled by Steve Sidwell.

Villa are unbeaten in five Premiership matches against Everton with three wins and two draws and this is the first time the pair have met in the FA Cup since Villa won 2-1 at Goodison Park at the quarter final stage in February 2000.

Line Ups

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Lescott, Baines, Gosling, Neville, Arteta, Rodwell, Cahill, Anichebe.
Subs: Nash, Yobo, Van der Meyde, Castillo, Jacobsen, Baxter, Wallace.

Aston Villa: Friedel, Gardner, Knight, Davies, Luke Young, Milner, Sidwell, Petrov, Ashley Young, Agbonlahor, Carew.
Subs: Guzan, Harewood, Delfouneso, Salifou, Shorey, Albrighton, Lowry.

Goals

Everton: Rodwell (4′), Arteta (pen 24′), Cahill (76′)

Aston Villa: Milner (pen 8′)

Live Blog

90+2′ The magnificent Arteta also receives his standing ovation and is replaced by Castillo for the dying seconds.

90′ Villa have just two minutes to find two goals. It’s not going to happen. Everton, for all their injury problems, have been by far the superior side this afternoon.

88′ Teenager Rodwell earns himself a booking for obstructing Young in the middle of the park, preventing a Villa break. Anichebe gets substituted to a standing ovation and is replaced by Joseph Yobo as manager Moyes looks to avoid any late mistakes.

86′ Gosling down the left tears away from a labouring Knight but can only prod the ball into the relieved arms of Friedel, rather than setting someone up with an open goal.

84′ Substitution for Villa – striker Nathan Delfouneso comes on for Sidwell as O’Neill desperately tries to boost his attacking options.

83′ The superb Arteta wastes a dead ball for the first time this match when he blasts a free kick well wide from 25 yards out. He should have crossed it into the box, but being two goals to the good you can forgive him for being greedy.

78′ Villa need two late goals if they are going to avoid being dumped out of this grand competition. They managed two at Goodison Park last December and more of the same is needed. However, the third goal looks like it’s knocked the stuffing out of them.

76′ Goal! Everton 3 Aston Villa 1. The Toffees break quickly and Anichebe sends a ball into the Villa box. A comedic central defence pairing of Davies and Knight both miss the ball completely and allow it to drop straight into the path of the unmarked Tim Cahill. The Aussie doesn’t strike the ball cleanly but it bounces over the onrushing Friedel and into the goal. A dreadful error by two expensive, and overrated defenders has handed Everton a place in the quarter finals.

74′ Cahill is lucky to avoid another yellow card after hauling down Petrov just outside the D. Gardner, who is described as “being able to hit a ball”, strikes the free kick straight at the wall.

72′ And again. Carew is providing the hold-up play Villa have lacked all game. He nods down a long ball into the path of Young who smashes the ball over the bar from just outside the box. That’s three chances in as many minutes for Villa who have wasted them all. Some composure is needed from Martin O’Neill’s players who look like they are beginning to panic.

71′ The chances are coming thick and fast for Villa now. Milner floats in a delightful ball and Sidwell heads it down into the groiund and wide. He had more time than he imagined and could have brought the ball down rather than attempt a first time header.

69′ Agbonlahor lashes wildly at a loose ball in the box after a clutch of blue shirts fail to clear a flick on by Carew. It was half a chance but well, well wide from the striker who has had a poor game so far.

67′ Cahill gets a free header from six yards out following a cross from Baines but it’s straight at Friedel. Villa are improving after a slow start to the half, with Milner and Young getting into the game more. There is still plenty of time for them to get an equaliser.

61′ Howard pulls off a terrific save to keep Everton in front. Milner whips in a good ball and Carew flick the ball towards goal, forcing a diving save from Howard who turns the ball behind for a corner. An excellent piece of skill from Carew who has looked lethargic for most of the game.

56′ Milner adds his name to Phil Dowd’s growing naughty list after a foul on Baines, who did brilliantly to win the ball off Agbonlahor near the corner flag.

54′ Another half chance for Everton. Davies looked to foul Anichebe on the edge of the box but play continued. Rodwell fired the loose ball towards goal, but he scuffed it wide.

52′ Neville and Arteta cut through Villa’s resistance with two passes, releasing Anichebe on the right. His cross is sent behind for a corner. Arteta delivers it but Phil Dowd blows for a free kick as a posse of blue shirts prevent Friedel from getting anywhere near the ball.

50′ It’s Everton who have started as the better side this half. Both Arteta and Gosling have had opportunities to go forward but no chances have been created yet. Villa look ponderous and are not really trying to make anything happen. What has Martin O’Neill said to them at half time?

46′ No changes for either side during the break and it’s Villa who get us underway.

Half Time. It’s been a great cup tie so far to watch but Villa can count themselves lucky they are only a goal behind and have all their players on the field. Petrov would have been sent off for deliberate hand ball in the opening few minutes if Rodwell had not scored the rebound while Gardner could have easily given away another penalty late on in the first half. Villa are still in the game nd Agbonlahor was guilty of a glaring miss from just a few yards out. The first half has been breathless. I hope the second half is just as good.

45′ Two added minutes in what has been an incident-packed first half. It’s Villa who retain possession as they look to go into half time on level terms. Milner attempts to get in a cross but it’s thumped clear by Lescott.

43′ Some half hearted appeals for another Everton penalty when Gosling was held off by Gardner in the box. Phil Dowd makes the “no penalty” gesture with his arms but Gardner made no effort to win the ball. He’s already given two penalties this game, perhaps he thinks that’s enough? It will be interesting to see what the players get away with in the second half.

40′ Anichebe again shows his strength by outmuscling Carew and surging towards the Villa goal. His eventual shot is another tame one and fails to trouble Friedel. If this boy could shoot he’d offer a real goal threat for David Moyes.

36′ Arteta delivers a pinpoint corner but the meaty head of Jagielka can only direct the ball over the bar for a goal kick.

33′ Villa should be on level terms. Young swings in a sublime cross from the left hand side towards Agbonlahor who easily gets to the ball before Baines. He manages to clip the ball with the top of his head and it goes behind for a goal kick. A player of his quality should have done a lot better from four yards. Carew or Heskey in the same position would have buried it.

31′ Anichebe shakes off the challenge of Knight, turns and shoots towards goal, but it’s a weak effort which rolls out for a goal kick.

30′ Villa get two corners in quick succession. Howard punches away the first one theatrically but Milner’s second finds Davies at the far post who heads it straight at the keeper. That was a great chance to equalise.

25′ Sidwell got a yellow card for his troubles and Petrov follows him into the referee’s notebook a minute later for a challenge on Rodwell. The replay shows Petrov clearly won the ball but perhaps Phil Dowd is feeling a bit trigger happy after what has been a frenetic first half.

24′ Goal! Everton 2 Aston Villa 1. It’s another penalty! Anichebe runs confidently into the Villa penalty area and is scythed down from behind by Sidwell. Mikel Arteta steps up and strokes it home into the bottom right hand corner. Friedel dived the other way.

20′ Curtis Davies’ involvement in the match may be coming to a premature end after a seemingly harmless challenge with Cahill. The word on the bench is he will be given a few more minutes to see if he can shake it off.

16′ Everton have another penalty shout when Gardner looked to push Cahill as he rose to meet a free kick from Arteta. Instead of getting the spot kick he wanted, he received a booking from the referee for dissent. Villa have really pushed their luck in the opening half and are lucky to be on level terms in both scoreline and players on the pitch.

14′ Anichebe gets a half chance to put the Toffees back in front when Cahill swings in a cross but he glances it wide from inside the box.

8′ Goal! Everton 1 Aston Villa 1. It’s a repreive for Villa when James Milner strikes the penalty low into the right hand side. It’s not the best but manages to squirm underneath the body of Howard and into the back of the net. What a start to the match and perhaps I’ll get a chance to get my breath back.

7′ After a couple more Everton corners, Villa break quickly and Hibbert takes down the marauding Agbonlahor in the box. It’s a penalty to Martin O’Neill’s side and a yellow card for the defender.

4′ Goal! Everton 1 Aston Villa 0. A second corner is swung in and Cahill’s header is kept out on the line by Petrov’s hand. However, young Jack Rodwell is the liveliest to the rebound and hammers it into the roof of the net. The goal made refereee Phil Dowd’s job that much easier because any other result would have seen a red card for Petrov and penalty for the Toffees.

1′ The league meeting needed just 34 seconds for Villa to break the deadlock and Everton get a corner within the opening moments of this tie. Baines swings it in, Friedel flaps at it but manages to scramble it away.

0′ Us neutrals will hope for a repeat of the 3-2 thriller which took place at Goodison Park last December. Everton equalised the score to 2-2 in stoppage time, only for Ashley Young to race up the other end and bang in a winner. Tremendous television fare and more of the same would be nice to watch this afternoon.

0′ Everton will have their work cut out to defend their recent unbeaten record. They have almost an entire midfield and strikeforce out injured and there are starting places for FA Cup extra-time hero Dan Gosling and 17-year-old Jack Rodwell.

Reaction

Everton were by far the better side throughout the match and thoroughly deserve to progress to the quarter finals of the FA Cup. The two teenagers in the side, Gosling and Rodwell, played with great maturity and the team snuffed out what looked before kick-off to be a strong Villa side. The ommissions of Barry and Heskey proved telling for Villa, who were simply not up to it this afternoon.

Man of the Match

It has to be Mikel Arteta, who was a constant threat from dead ball situations. I know this is becoming a bit of a cliche, but it’s true. Every time he stepped up to take a corner or a free kick you thought something would happen. He pulled the strings in the middle of the park for the Toffees and his goal, albeit a penalty, capped a wonderful all-round performance.

Match Preview

Liverpool got their title bid back on track with a late 2-0 victory against Chelsea on Sunday but now turn their attentions to the FA Cup. Everton have held the Reds to successive 1-1 draws this season, once in the Premiership and then again a few days later on 28 January when their FA Cup meeting ended all square.

The Merseyside derby is the most frequently played fixture in the FA Cup, including replays, this will the 22nd time the pair have met. Bar this season’s fourth round match, the last time Everton played Liverpool in the FA Cup was a fifth round tie in 1991 which took three matches to reach a conclusion. Reds manager at the time Kenny Dalglish also resigned in between the first and second matches.

Everton boss David Moyes has severed problems in attack, with Yakubu, Louis Saha and James Vaughan all out injured as the Toffees bid to reach the last 16 for the first time in four years. Everton have not won in their last four matches but are unbeaten at Goodison Park since Aston Villa beat them on 7 December. Deadline day signing from Manchester City, Jo, is cup-tied and will not feature.

Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 16 matches, having won and drawn eight games since they were defeated by Tottenham Hotspur in the Carling Cup last November. Rafa Benitez will look to take the Reds into the fifth round for the fourth time in the last six years but will of course be without Robbie Keane, who returned to Spurs on deadline day.

Line Ups

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Lescott, Baines, Osman, Fellaini, Neville, Arteta, Pienaar, Cahill.
Subs: Nash, Yobo, Van der Meyde, Castillo, Jacobsen, Rodwell, Gosling.

Liverpool: Reina, Dossena, Carragher, Skrtel, Arbeloa, Kuyt, Alonso, Gerrard, Leiva Lucas, Riera, Torres.
Subs: Cavalieri, Hyypia, Agger, Benayoun, Babel, Mascherano, El Zhar.

Goal

Everton: Gosling (118)

Live Blog

120+1‘ And it’s all over! The 11-men of Everton snatch victory right at the end and avoid the lottery of a penalty shoot out. An excellent goal from Dan Gosling, even if I did have to watch it second hand.

119′ I waited 118 minutes for a goal and had to watch it on the replay because some moron at the television company’s button pressing finger got itchy. Someone needs to be sacked for that.

118′ Everton 1 Liverpool 0. The Toffees have surely won it now. A pinpoint cross from Van der Meyde lands at the feet of Gosling who curls the ball between Skrtel and Arbeloa and into the far corner. A delightful finish in what has been an awful game to watch.

117′ Everton go on the attack but the transmission is interupted as some bright spark at ITV decides to cut to a commercial break. Inevitably…

114′ An Alonso corner is flicked away by Jagielka as Liverpool have a rare chance to attack the Everton goal. A free kick is given against Skrtel and Everton look to go forward again.

113′ Tony Hibbert, who has ventured forward all match is booked for a foul on Alonso as he attempted to recover possession.

112′ Take a shot somebody. Anybody. Gosling has a go from the edge of the box but it’s straight at Reina.

110′ Alonso overhits another free kick into the box which bounces away to safety. Not long left now, just 10 minutes of boredom. Perhaps the referee will have pity on the thousands of freezing souls at Goodison Park and call penalties early?

106′ A rare appearance for Andy Van der Mayde who replaces Phil Neville in the Everton midfield.

105′ Arteta’s free kick takes a deflection and goes behind. The Spaniard is on hand to take the corner while Kuyt is frantically trying to prevent Cahill from getting his magnetic head anywhere near the ball.

101′ The labouring Torres is finally put out of his misery and is replaced by Ryan Babel. He makes an instant impact, winning a corner but Kuyt can only direct the delivery from Alonso straight to goalkeeper Howard.

100′ It’s all Everton this half. They are throwing everything at Liverpool, delivering ball after ball into the box but the Reds are defending stoutly.

96′ Osman lets fire from the edge of the box which takes a slight deflection off Skrtel. Riena saves and then again from the follow up from Gosling. Cahill then heads the ball inches wide from the corner. So close for Everton but can they make one of these chances count?

94′ Osman manages to turn away from Alonso in the box and directs a shot towards goal which is gathered comfortably by Reina. It’s all Everton in these early stages with Liverpool seemingly happy to play this game out.

91′ The first chance of extra time goes to Everton. The lively Baines plays a ball across the face of goal but Carragher is alert and prevents Cahill from connecting with it.

Extra Time. Despite having a man advantage, Everton have not yet made it count and there will be another 30 minutes to play before a winner is found. Anyone want to make a bet with me this one is going to penalties? Perhaps they should just forget the extra time and go straight to spot kicks. It’s always good to cut out the middleman. Especially an unwanted tedious one which requires me to sit here and write about for half an hour.

90+4′ Baines delivers a last gasp corner aimed for Cahill but it’s cleared. A few seconds later and the referee blows for full time.

90+2′ Two successive Alonso corners are dealt with comfortably and Everton clear.

90′ Four minutes of added time are to be played. Can somebody find a winner and spare me the pain of another 30 minutes of this match?

89′ Alonso becomes the latest player to receive a booking after he trips Hibbert who showed some invention in going forward, rather than playing an aimless long ball. Arteta wastes the free kick and it goes straight into the awaiting arms of Reina.

86′ The Everton supporters are incensed by Torres who sits in the middle of the pitch messing about with his shin pads after Alan Wiley stops player after a foul by Neville.

85′ It’s getting to the stage where one goal would surely win this game. Baines whips in a cross but it’s too high for Cahill who’s waiting in the box.

84′ Youngster Rodwell gets a rush of blood to the head and slices the ball high and wide from almost 30 yards out. At this late stage of the game, anything is worth a try I suppose.

79′ Riera, who looked like he was carrying an injury is replaced by Javier Mascherano, as Liverpool look to shore up the midfield.

78′ Everton should have the upper hand but it’s Liverpool who press. Dossena delivers yet another dreadful cross from the left hand side. What on earth does Benitez see in him?

77′ Here’s one for the stat fans – Lucas becomes the 23rd player to be sent off in a Merseyside derby but the first in an FA Cup tie between the pair.

76′ Red card for Lucas! The Brazilian is given his marching orders for a trip on Joleon Lescott and earns his second booking of tghe night. The decision unsurprisingly encourages a roar from the home crowd, who have not been so vocal since Gerrard was substituted in the first half.

71′ Everton rattle the post in the best chance of the match. Arteta plays the ball into the box towards Cahill who touches it onto the onrushing Leon Osman. The midfielder wastes no time in taking the shot on but it cannons back off the woodwork and is cleared.

67′ There is nothing to separate either side and I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes all the way to penalties. Substitute Gosling has a weak effort from the edge of the box and Torres sees an effort blocked at the other end.

61′ Alonso plays an excellent ball behind the Everton defence and Riera sees a shot blocked by goalkeeper Howard who raced off his line to deal with the danger.

60′ Pienaar goes off for Everton and is replaced by teenager Jack Rodwell.

59′ Baines finds himself the subject of target practice as a plastic bottle from the crowd is aimed at his back as he attempts to take a throw in. It’s not just bottles, but rolled up socks and wooly hats are also scattered around the sidelines. There are going to be some very cold and soon to be banned supporters sitting in the stands tonight.

58′ Alsono curls a free kick into the far post and Torres tries his best to head the ball back across the face of goal but it had already gone out for a goal kick.

55′ Everton appear more composed on the ball in the second half and a good spell of possession ends with Cahill sending a dipping shot from distance well wide of goal. Lucky really, as replays show Reina wasn’t looking at the ball.

53′ Youngster Dan Gosling gets a chance for Everton after coming on to replace Fellaini.

52′ Benayoun is closely guarded by Jagielka but the Israeli managed to dig a cross across the six yard box but it’s hammered away to safety.

49′ More bookings to liven up an already heated first half go to Phil Neville for a late tackle on Alonso and one for Lucas for a trip on Arteta.

47′ The Liverpool fans get an audible ticking off from the tannoy announcer for standing up. I’m sure they will of course take their seats as football supporters love being told what they can and can’t do.

46′ As previously revealed, no team has played eachother more times in the FA Cup than Everton and Liverpool, but this match has hardly been a classic example of what the competition has to offer. Pienaar looks as though he has shrugged off the leg injury he was hobbling about with in the first half.

Halftime. A bad-tempered and stop-start first half was finally brought to an end. Liverpool will miss the absence of Gerrard because for all the bluster of Kuyt, he’s simply not in the same league playing support to Torres. The Spanish international himself, is also looking tired in attack and it’s difficult to see where Liverpool are going to score from. I would not be surprised to see Everton nick this one from a set-piece and they are lucky that neither Pienaar or Fellaini have been sent off yet for reckless and petulant tackles.

45+2′ Riera wins a corner off Hibbert. Alonso delivers but it’s headed away by Cahill and thumped clear, albeit painfully, by Pienaar. I bet he can’t wait for half-time. Neither can I.

45′ The fourth official announces just two minutes of extra time. Thank heavens for that. However, Pienaar goes down with an injury which is surely going to prolong the misery of the first 45 minutes.

43′ Pienaar finally gets booked for another awful challenge on Lucas. This time the Everton midfielder stamps on the Brazilian’s foot in another late attempt at making a tackle.

42′ Tempers flair again when Fellaini has a little kick at the calf of Skrtel as the big Slovakian shepherds the ball out for a goal kick. I had the benefit of a video replay and if Wiley had the same then the Everton man would be off for an early bath.

40′ A decent spell of possession is in the end wasted by “first choice Italy left back” Dossena, who, despite having acres of space, sends a cross straight out of play for a goal kick.

37′ Lucas is on the receiving end of a late, booking-free challenge from Pienaar and play stops for about a minute. Unfortunately this means more time will be added on to an already tedious half by referee Wiley.

33′ Kuyt, now playing in the Gerrard role, surges forward but his effort from 20 yards is deflected by a defender. Riera trys to run onto the loose ball but is flagged offside.

31′ Liverpool try to make things happen but it is going to be difficult without the inspirational Gerrard. Torres tries to latch onto a header in the Everton box, but again his touch is heavy and the ball rolls out for a goal kick.

29′ Lucas fouls Baines just outside the area. The usual suspects line up for Everton in the box, all hoping for that decisive headed goal, but Arteta can only direct the ball straight into the defensive wall.

27′ It’s Liverpool’s turn to get their first free kick of the match in a dangerous area. Alonso is just as wasteful as compatriot Arteta was for Everton, whipping it high, wide and not very handsome for a goal kick.

24′ Everton get their first free kick of the match and amazingly do not score from it. Arteta whips the ball in towards Cahill but it’s cleared. The Australian is involved seconds later when he heads down the ball to Osman to volley over the crossbar from just outside the area.

23′ Amongst all the fouling and players go off injured, Benayoun remembers there is a football match going on and attempts to shoot on goal from just outside the box. It’s a pathetic effort and just about reaches Howard. Moments later at the other end Reina has to punch clear a cross from Hibbert.

21′ The match has descended into a series of niggly, playground challenges. Wiley will be out of breath if he keeps blowing his whistle for much longer.

18′ Tim Cahill floors Jamie Carragher with a trailing arm as both players go to head the ball. Cahill doesn’t seem pleased as it looks as though some Liverpool players are trying to persuade the referee to book him. Influence or not, he becomes the first player to go into Alan Wiley’s book this evening.

16′ Gerrard is replaced by Yossi Benayoun and leaves the Goodison Park pitch to good natured applause from the home fans. As if. Boos, jeers and cat calls is more like it. Plus some ironic clapping thrown in for good measure.

15′ It looks like Steven Gerrard’s involvement in the match is over, he appears to be struggling with injury and has handed over the captain’s armband to Jamie Carragher.

12′ I have just been made aware the reason Liverpool and Everton are wearing black armbands is in memory of Anfield pitchside announcer Phil Easton, who died suddenly on Monday.

9′ Liverpool have had the better of the early exchanges with the midfield linking up well. Pretty passes and one touch football is all well and good, but we know an unmarked header from a corner or free kick is going to settle this one. It’s just a matter of time.

6′ Torres shows an exceptionally heavy touch to enable Lescott to tackle the ball out for a corner. Gerrard whips it in but Baines heads it out easily. Alonso latches onto a poor headed clearance from Pienaar and flashes the ball inches wide from 20 yards. A bit of action, that’s more like it.

3′ Everton are a team of short-arses according to the commentary team. The Toffees outfield players measure up at an average five feet 10 inches while Liverpool stand slightly taller at six feet. Yes, that’s the most interesting aspect of the match to report so far.

2′ Both sides are playing the frustratingly tedious 4-5-1 formation. Cahill is the lone striker for Everton with Fellaini just behind hiim while Liverpool predictably opt for Torres up front with Gerrard in support.

1′ The arctic weather has subsided to enable the game to go ahead and it’s Liverpool who kick off to get the match underway at Goodison Park.

0′ Some team news: Everton manager David Moyes names an unchanged starting eleven but outcast Victor Anichebe is not even among the substitutes, despite the Toffees striker crisis. Liverpool make two changes to the side which beat Chelsea on Sunday, with Andrea Dossena and Lucas coming in for Fabio Aurelio and Javier Mascherano.

0′ Joe Royle was the most recent English manager to win the FA Cup when Everton beat Manchester United in 1995, until Harry Redknapp won it with Portsmouth last season.

0′ Tonight’s fixture is the 211th Merseyside derby. Liverpool have the upper hand and are unbeaten in six, winning and drawing three since Everton beat the Reds 3-0 at Goodison Park in September 2006. The omens do not bode well for the home side tonight either: Everton’s win at Macclesfield in the previous round was only the Toffees’ fifth FA Cup match David Moyes has guided his side to in seven years in charge.

Reaction

It did not come as a great surprise the match went to extra time following two draws in the previous two meetings between Everton and Liverpool. Losing Steven Gerrard early in the first half was a blow to Liverpool and when Lucas was sent off, the Reds appeared content to play the match out to an inevitable penalty shoot out. However, Everton never gave up and bombarded Liverpool’s goal during extra time. Youngster Dan Gosling got his just rewards with a glorious goal two minutes before the end of extra time which warmed up a cold night no end. It was just a shame ITV missed it.

Man of the Match

In a match of very little quality, with Gerrard out of action, Torres misfiring for Liverpool and Mikel Arteta not his usual creative self for the Toffees, our attentions turn to the defence. Phil Jagielka was a rock at the back for David Moyes’ side and ensured Torres had a quiet game before being hauled off in extra time. The former Sheffield United defender must be knocking on England’s door and justified his manager’s claim that he and Joleon Lescott are second only in the Premiership only to Ferdinand and Vidic at Manchester United as the Premiership’s best defensive pairing.

Match Preview

In the last match, Tim Cahill snatched a late equalizer and 1-1 draw for Everton, and some have speculated that could give the boys from Goodison a boost today. We’ll have to wait in see. One blow for Everton is the news that Mikel Arteta will not be in the squad. That could be a huge loss for a team that relies on Arteta so much for his creative impetus. Other than that there’s not too much to say. The Merseyside Derby sort of speaks for itself – throw records, form, etc. out the window. And as always, feel free to chime in with comments throughout the game.

Line Ups

Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Lescott, Baines, Anichebe, Castillo, Neville, Osman, Pienaar, Cahill

Subs: Nash, Yobo, Van der Meyde, Jacobsen, Rodwell, Jutkiewicz, Gosling.

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Skrtel, Carragher, Dossena, Kuyt, Alonso, Mascherano, Babel, Gerrard, Torres

Subs: Cavalieri, Hyypia, Riera, Aurelio, Benayoun, Leiva Lucas, Ngog.

Goals

Liverpool: Gerrard (54′)

Everton: Lescott (27′)

Live Blog

90+3′ And there’s the whistle. The second Merseyside derby this week ends just as the first one did, in a 1-1 draw. These teams will play again in 10 days time, and this time Everton will have their crowd at Goodison Park behind them.

90+2′ Nothing doing for Liverpool here. Another long ball finds nobody and is collected by Howard.

90+1′ Arbeloa centers and Steven Gerrard gets his head on it, but a half-chance at best.

90′ 3 minutes to be added on here.

89′ Long ball goes out of play for Liverpool, which means another goal kick and another chance for Tim Howard to waste time, which he does.

88′ First Carragher and then Riera send in crosses for Liverpool, but there’s nobody there to greet them. Nobody in the box for Liverpool. How can they have so much pressure and not have more people in there?

86′ Riera tries to turn around Hibbert and forces a corner. But Gerrard swinger doesn’t have enough height and is headed out.

85′ Dossena hits a rocket from about 35 yards out and Howard makes a good save. He gets up and barks at his defenders, but after that gaffe on the Liverpool goal, he doesn’t have much room to talk.

84′ Nice bit of skill in the corner by Torres to get around Lescott, but two Everton players are immediately there to cover.

83′ Dossena hits in a cross from the left, but Lescott deals with it.

81′ End-to-end stuff here. First Everton look set to break, but I believe it’s Mascherano who makes a nice interception and springs Gerrard down the right side. He comes in and centers to Dirk Kuyt in space, but the Dutchman’s shot is weak and right at Howard. Good chance wasted for Liverpool.

80′ Everton called for a handball and Gerrard whips in the free kick, but it’s dealt with.

79′ You have to believe Everton are content to play for a draw at this point. They haven’t had a sniff of the goal this half.

76′ Tackles everywhere in the midfield right now. Osman is the victim of a heavy challenge, then Pinaar is booked for taking down Skyrtel.

75′ Both teams making subs here. Albert Riera coming on for Ryan Babel for Liverpool. For Everton, Segundo Castillo is off, and 17-year-old Jack Rodwell comes on. A lot of confidence being shown by David Moyes in the young man.

74′ Jagielka tries to play it in but Reina collects easily. Then Gerrard drives in down the left side and shoots from a bad angle, but Howard goes to ground and collects the ball.

73′ Kuyt tries to play in Babel, but Howard comes off his line and slide to grab it.

71′ Anichebe coming off now. Dan Gosling on for him.

70′ Anichebe looks set to break but Mascherano is there to make a play. He grabs possession and is taken down dubiously by Cahill, who is on a yellow card. Bennett calls a foul, but no card for Cahill. He needs to be more careful, though.

68′ Pinaar tracking back here and wins a throw for Everton. You have to believe all hands will be on deck for Everton defensively from here on out.

66′ Well, plenty of time left, but Everton sure don’t look much like scoring. Then again, they didn’t in the first half when they got their goal. All it takes is one slip by Liverpool.

64′ Alonso tries to play it long for Torres and almost finds him. But it’s just a little to long, and goes out for a goalkick.

63′ Hey, Everton get a little possession in their end! Small victories, it seems. It doesn’t last long, and Liverpool get the ball back.

61′ The Liverpool fans will feel vindicated by Howard’s error. They booed the keeper loudly at the end of the first half for wasting time. What goes around comes around for the American, it seems.

60′ I need a break! Kuyt wins another corner for Liverpool, and Gerrard’s swinger finds Alonso’s head, but it doesn’t come real close to troubling Howard.

57′ Howard redeems himself. Torres played a centered ball down to Gerrard, who lashes one from 15 yards out and Howard makes a great reaction save. Liverpool pounding on the door again here.

56′A good ball played in to Kuyt who flicks it on with his head, but Howard manages to hold onto this one. Then Dossena centers one that is shakily dealt with. In the meantime Skyrtel takes an elbow from Cahill, who is called for a foul.

55′ Well, the announcers are laying into Timmy Howard and I have to say it’s justified. Terrible goalkeeping. He almost dove over the ball and let Gerrard beat him near post.

54′ Goal Liverpool! Who else but Steven Gerrard! 1-1! An absolutely beautiful back heel on by Torres plays in Gerrard who beats Howard near post. And there’s the breakthrough Liverpool needed. Looked like a savable shot, but what a play by Torres. He took the original pass off his chest and flicked it on with his backheel to put Gerrard through. You won’t see a better piece of skill.

53′ This time it’s Kuyt’s turn to try and make something happen. He does a few nifty stepovers before cutting right and centering, but this time it’s Lescott there to clear it.

52′ Gerrard passes to Babel who streaks down the left side. He tries to center it low but Jagielka is there to clear.

51′ Gerrard swings the ball in but Howard takes easily and rolls the ball out.

51′ Torres taken down 40 yards out on the right side. Free kick Liverpool.

49′ Anichebe goes down here for Everton after clearing the ball. He’s down for a little while, but as soon as he gets off to the sideline, he’s back on his feet and back on the pitch.

46′ Second half underway. Liverpool promply get the ball and try to move forward, but more resistance from Everton.

Halftime Well, this is one of those cases where the halftime stats don’t properly tell the story of this game. Liverpool has a 60-40 possession advantage and a 4-2 edge both shots and corners. But in truth, the Reds have been very poor so far, possessing the ball but doing very little with it. The ball has been in the Everton end much of the game, but they’ve rarely been troubled, and I can’t remember Howard having to make a difficult save. You can feel the pressure continuing to mount of Liverpool, and until they get a goal, that pressure is just going to build higher and higher.

Man of the match so far is Phil Jagielka. He’s been everywhere in defense for Everton, and anytime a Liverpool player seems to get a bit of daylight towards goal, Jagielka is there to close it off.

45+2′ And there’s the halftime whistle, and you can see the aggravation on Liverpool faces. Alonso angrily thumps the ball after the referee blows the halftime whistle. Meanwhile, the crew on Setanta just revealing that Carragher was booked in the tunnel for mouthing off to Steve Bennett. Dire times for Liverpool!

45+1′ Liverpool keeps coming but Everton are airtight. Dossena had a crack but his screamer is blocker and eventually lofted out. You can see Liverpool’s frustration started to build.

45′ Torres maneuvers in free for a second on the right side and tries to slip it in to Gerrard, but the pass pinballs off a defender, off Gerrard and out for a goal kick. The Kop groans again, and the Everton fans – who are positioned on the side Liverpool are attacking – jeer their frustrated rivals once again.

43′ Mascherano is afforded some space and rips one from 30 yards out, but his boot thumps off Lescott’s noggin and out for a corner. No trouble for Everton on the corner. They clear.

41′ Babel is played in along the left-hand side, but Jagielka out to cut it off and it’s out for a throw.

37′ Gerrard lofts a dangerous ball in from the right side toward the back post for Torres, but Jagielka is there and does enough to prevent a free header.

34′ Pinaar goes down again and this time there’s a whistle. Yellow card for Xabi Alonso, who just stuck his foot out and got a trip in.

32′ More pressure from Liverpool, but they’re lacking a little edge. Torres earns a corner but it’s cleared away.

30′ Well this has all the makings of a great one now. The Anfield crowd urging Liverpool on as they surge forward. But they’ve yet to break down this Everton defense.

29′ Cahill earns another corner here for Everton. This time Everton are called for a foul before the ball can be whipped in.

27′ It’s a Goal for Everton! 1-0! Tim Cahill gets the original header off the corner, but it’s Joleon Lescott who gets the final touch for Everton. Awful marking on both players by Liverpool, how can they not mark Cahill? Skyrtel was on him, but lost sight of the Everton striker. In any event, Everton, who haven’t won at Anfield in 10 years, have a lead against the run of play.

27′ Anichebe bombs down the left side for Everton. He tries to center but it’s deflected out. Corner.

25′ Castillo’s day gets a bit worse as he’s hacked down from behind by Babel. The official warns Bable, but no card.

24′ Castillo gets some jeers from the Anfield crowd after he loses the ball. Pretty tough scenario for the young man. Not only is he Mikel Arteta’s replacement in the squad, but he’s charged in part with marking Steven Gerrard. Yikes!

23′ Even when Everton possess the ball, they don’t look very threatening. Liverpool very much in control of the game, however it must be said Everton have defended well to this point.

20′ Phil Neville is called for a foul along the right sideline after a collision with Xabi Alonso. Gerrard’s free kick is well dealt with, however.

18′ Everton finally possess the ball a little bit. Pinaaer tries to cut in from the left and goes down about 30 yards out, but no call forthcoming. Steve Bennett even warns the South African for diving.

16′ Some sloppy Everton defending sees the ball bounce to Ryan Babel on the left side of the box. The lanky winger cuts in and creates space but his shot is woeful, and goes all the way out for a throw on the other side.

15′ They keep coming back to the Pinaar penalty decision. The folks on the tube pointing out that Everton have been awarded one penalty in 70 years at Anfield. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence, though.

14′ Torres drag between Lescott’s legs, but the big man recovers in time and wins it back for Everton.

12′ Gerrard gets it on the left and cuts it back to Carragher, who finds himself in space in the box and has a go. A good effort, but it goes a bit wide of the post. Liverpool the better side here early.

11′ Torres wins a corner for Liverpool, but Gerrard’s inswinger from the left is cleared.

9′ We have our first yellow card of the match. And the lucky winner is Tim Cahill, whose called for a handball and then boots the ball away in frustration. Not sure if the card is for the hand ball or Cahill’s reaction after the whistle.

8′ Torres nods the ball forward to Gerrard, who tries to maneuver in but is shielded off and goes to ground weakly.

7′ Alonso lofts in a cross that is gobbled up easily by Howard.

5′ Everton clamoring for a penalty after Anichebe plays in Pinaar, who goes to ground after a bit of contact from Xabi Alonso. Good no call in my view from referee Steve Bennett. But the folks on Setanta seems to disagree, so what the heck do I know?

4′ Once again Liverpool down the right side. Gerrard plays to Kuyt whose cross goes awry and out of touch.

2′ Bright start from Liverpool. Torres breaks open on the right and whips in a cross that clanks off Babel and out of touch for a goalkick.

1′ Xabi Alonso lashes a low shot that skims across the goal and wide. Not too much trouble for Howard there.

1′ And we’re off! Liverpool in possession.

0′ Per FA Cup rules, there are twice as many Everton fans in attendance as there were in their meeting earlier in the week. Should only add to the atmosphere of what should be an already high-charged contest.

0′ The other result today of course a 0-0 draw between Arsenal and Cardiff City. A pretty fair result, in my opinion. Cardiff got the better of the Gunners in the first half, but Arsenal completely bossed the game in the second half. You’d have to think Arsenal will like its chances back at the Emirates.

0′ Interesting for Liverpool to see that Robbie Keane has been completely dropped from the squad. Just saw Rafa on Setanta saying he still feels Keane has a future with the club. We certainly shall see. Babel makes his way into the lineup for Liverpool, who look set to revert to they’re favored Champions League formation of a 4-2-3-1.

For Everton they’ll need somebody to create chances for them without Arteta. Certainly not easy shoes to fill. Cahill will be all alone up front, and he’ll need support from the likes of Pienaar and Anichebe.

Reaction

Well, I don’t think many fans will be too disappointed to see these two rivals duke it out again. They’ve provided two extremely entertaining matches in the span of a week, and I’m sure a third will be on tap in 10 days at Goodison Park. Liverpool really bossed the game and kept possession, but didn’t do much with the ball, save for Gerrard’s equalizer in the 54th minute. Everton looked quite comfortable in defense, and really for me, that was the story of this game. Jagielka and Lescott were both rock solid, their only blemish being Gerrard’s goal, which Howard clearly should have stopped. Liverpool will feel slightly disappointed not to have finished off Everton at home – they had Everton of their heels after the original goal. You wonder if the loss will rub off on Liverpool’s league form at all. Everton and their fans, meanwhile, will be brimming with confidence, with a home game against Arsenal scheduled for Wednesday.

Man of the Match

I have to go with Phil Jagielka and Joleon Lescott. They were very good in the center of defense for Everton, and afforded Liverpool, which dominated possession all night, very few chances. Jagielka was quick and opportunistic, always out to cut off passes or through balls, while Lescott was a force in the middle, strong in the air and always in the shooting lanes. Not to mention Lescott got Everton’s only goal, nudging along Tim Cahill’s header off a corner in the 27th minute. England manager Fabio Capello, who was in attendance, well certainly be impressed. With the exception of the few minutes after Gerrard’s goal, Everton looked solid at the back all night.

Match Preview

Of the Saturday fixtures in this FA Cup round, you’d have to say this one is probably the most tantalizing, even if both managers won’t admit it. And to be honest, both have bigger fish to fry. For Sir Alex Ferguson, he must worry about trying to get his squad healthy in order to make a run in the Premiership and Champions League. United lost the likes of Rafael, Anderson, Nani, Gary Neville and Johnny Evans pick up injuries in their Carling Cup semifinal win over Derby this week, and already will be without Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra. It’ll be interesting to see who Sir Alex tips to fill a depleted back four, with Darren Fletcher a likely candidate on the right side. Needless to say, United’s lineup will be a bit patchwork today.

For the Spurs and Harry Redknapp, they’ll be more concerned about preparing for the Carling Cup final – also against United – and what could be a relegation battle in the coming months. Redknapp himself has said the FA Cup won’t be too high on Spurs’ priority list this year. Expect several of Redknapp’s regulars to sit on the heels of a dramatic Carling Cup semifinal second leg against Burnley, in which Spurs blew a 4-1 aggregate lead only to be rescued in extra time by goals from Roman Pavlyuchenko and Jermain Defoe. But you would guess, or at least hope, that a fixture like this would inspire Tottenham to perform. The last thing Spurs need is to get trounced by United before having to face them in the Carling Cup final.

Line Ups

Manchester United: Foster, O’Shea, Neville (c), Vidic, Fabio, Welbeck, Carrick, Scholes, Ronaldo, Berbatov, Tevez.
Subs: Kuszczak, Giggs, Tosic, Fletcher, Possebon, Chester, Eckersley.

Tottenham Hotspur: Alnwick, Gunter, Assou-Ekotto, Corluka, Dawson (c), Bentley, Huddlestone, Zokora, Bale, Modric, Pavlyuchenko.
Subs: Gomes, Gilberto, Giovani, Taarabt, Defoe, Rocha, Dervite.

Goals

Manchester United: Scholes (35′), Berbatov (37′)

Tottenham: Pavlyuchenko (5′)

Live Blog

90 + 4 Full Time. United win 2-1! But not before they get a scare. A long throw bounces around before Taarabat hammers a shot that appears to be blocked by Vidic. The Spurs players raise their hands and appeal for a handball, but no whistle is forthcoming. No replay of the block so I can’t say for sure, but my instincts say it was clean. Anyway, United hold on here in what was certainly an entertaining one!

90 + 3′ The ball is headed down and find its way to Gunter, but his shot is blocked by a wall of converging red jerseys.

90 + 2′ Tevez commits a foul here, free kick near mid-field for Spurs. He gets a yellow. Everybody going up now.

90 + 1′ Tottenham still looking for the final ball but nothing doing. Goal kick United.

88′ A giveaway by United in the midfield leads to some Spurs possession, but Taarabat can’t find the final ball, and his pass goes awry and rolls right into Foster’s hands. Time running out for Tottenham.

86′ Walbeck collides here with Chris Gunter, and it looks like he’ll have to come off now. Another injury for United! It’s a shame too, he’s impressed me on the right side today. Fast and dangerous with decent control. Certainly still raw but he looks like a player. Darren Fletcher will come on for him.

84′ Oh, a great chance wasted for Spurs. Assou-Ekotto makes a brilliant run in from the left side, undressing Scholes and cutting in before squaring it for Dos Santos. The former Barcelona prodigy can’t finish in traffic, though, and his attempt goes wide.

82′ No, it appears they can’t. A poor cross is cleared easily by United, and they resume their game of keep away.

82′ Defoe hounds Vidic and earns a corner kick here for Spurs. They need a breaktough, could this be it?

80′ Tottenham need a spark but they look tired right now. United whips the ball around for a solid minute without any trouble before Tevez tries to cut in and has it intercepted.

77′ Eckersley is at right fullback for United, and wins a free kick on the right side. The ball is whipped and falls to ground in the center of the box. First Scholes and then Carrick have whacks at it, but Scholes is blocked and Carrick’s shot sails well high and wide.

74′ Even if they win, you can’t help but feel United are snakebit right now. Already mired with injuries, and now they suffer potentially two more – Ronaldo and Fabio – in this game. I doubt Sir Alex will get much sympathy from the likes of Rafa or Arsene Wenger, though.

72′ A sub now for both teams. Jermain Defoe on for Tottenham and Ronaldo off for United. Ronaldo looks to be walking a little gingerly, perhaps. I’ll assume that’s the reason for his substitution. Zoran Toric on for United, while Bentley comes off for Spurs. That seems surprising to me. Bentley had looked pretty dangerous at times, and you would think Tottenham would want all the firepower they could find.

71′ Ronaldo nearly breaks free but Alnwick comes out to collect.

70′ Twenty minutes left now. Can Tottenham find an equalizer? They’ve been better this half, but still lack that final flash of skill. It eludes them here as Dos Santos breaks free down the left side – once again – but his lofted cross is far too long and rolls out of bounds.

68′ Substitution for Spurs, as Adel Taarabat comes on for Gareth Bale.

67′ Alnwick goes to ground to make a good save on Ronaldo, who cuts in from the right a fires a quick shot low. Ronaldo’s been dormant for stretches of this contest, but almost makes a big difference there.

65′ Some more solid play from Spurs sees the ball cut back to Bentley at the edge of the box, but his shot takes a deflection and drifts right into the hands of Foster.

64′ Ronaldo drifts toward the middle from the right side and looks like he’s about to hammer a shot, but instead opts to play it back. United promptly lose it from there.

62′ Tottenham fans are screaming for a foul after Walbeck takes down Corluka near the left touch line. None forthcoming, however it does appear Spurs are having some success playing the ball down the left side.

59′ And we get our first booking of the match, as Vidic sends Giovanni Dos Santos flying. It was a necessary foul after Vidic lost possession in midfield – had he not taken Dos Santos out, he might have had a break on goal.

57′ Nice bit of play from Spurs here sees the ball swung into the center. It finds its way to Bentley, who rips into it with his right foot and sends the ball just high and wide. A bit of a scare though for United.

54′ For anyone unfamiliar with Richard Eckersley, a quick browse of the Manchester United Web site reveals he is a 19-year-old defender who plays predominantly on the right side. He’ll have to play the left side for Fabio here.

53′ Fabio goes down with a knock here, and it looks like he’ll have to come off. Richard Eckersley to come on. Who? Anyway, another injury for United, who can’t seem to snag a break in that department.

52′ The Red Devils settle back into possession here, passing it around calmly. Eventually it finds Tevez on the edge of the 18, who plays it out right to a wide open Walbeck. His cross goes horribly wrong, though, and it’s a goalkick for Spurs.

49′ United counter and Ronaldo squares the ball into the middle before it deflects out for a corner. United tries to play it short but Tevez has it intercepted.

47′ Oh, that was close for Spurs. A long ball swung in from the right side finds Gareth Bale, who slips in free by the back post. Bale’s volley fails him, though, and it goes just wide for a goal kick. Some careless defending there by the red jerseys.

46′ And we’re off here in the second half, Tottenham in possession. One note, Giovanni Dos Santos has come on for Modric. Seems a bit of an odd sub unless Modric is hurt.

Haltime The stats tell a grim tale for Spurs. United with a nearly 60-40 advantage in possession and a 9-2 shot advantage. Tottenham’s only other shot on goal is a long range effort from Bentley that misses the target. On the other hand, the break couldn’t come at a better time for Spurs. They have a chance to regroup and refocus after a dizzying turn at the end of the half.

One thing’s for sure, though, Tottenham’s defense is in shambles right now. Between the three goals at Burnley and now two this half to United, it’s been a rough two games. Then again, that sort of defending is more the standard than the exception these days at the Lane. The traveling contingent will be even more disturbed by Berbatov’s tally, after having booed their former striker roundly throughout the half.

Haltime And there’s the whistle. What started so brightly for Tottenham has quickly faded, and they look tired and dejected going into the halftime break.

45′ United passing it around easily right now. They’re not even threatening so much with their possession, as much as keeping Spurs pinned back deep. When Tottenham does intercept and tries to move forward, it can’t seem to get any bodies forward.

43′ Modric cuts in the box for Tottenham, but there’s nobody in the middle to receive his pass and United easily clear.

39′ My, how quickly this game has turned. Two goals in the blink of an eye. And United keeping possession here as Spurs appear to be staggering a bit.

37′ That goal was all Carrick. An inch-perfect ball over the top and Berbatov makes no mistake. Give Berbatov credit too for a well-timed run.

36′ Another Goal for United! 2-1! Berbatov this time! I can’t type fast enough to keep up with the action. Michael Carrick plays a lovely floated ball over the top to Berbatov, who beats the offside trap and slots home past Alnwick. That goal will infuriate Spurs fans, as Berbatov comes back to haunt his old side.

34′ Goal Manchester United! 1-1! They convert on the corner. The ball is played low along the ground to Scholes, who thumps one from straightaway about 18 yards out. The ball takes a deflection off a Spurs defender, and travels through the legs of Tevez before it rockets into the back of the net. It looks to be Scholes’ goal, though.

33′ A typical bit of hustle play from Tevez earns United a corner.

32′ Again it’s Walbeck, this time scissoring into the Spurs box after a bad Tottenham giveaway in midfield. He can only slalom through so many defenders though before it’s shepherded out of touch for a goalkick.

30′ Welbeck is really looking dangerous out on that right side. Here he makes a nifty flick around a Spurs defender. The attack doesn’t go for much, but it’s neat to watch.

28′ Bentley earns a free kick from about 25 yards out, but his effort is blocked.

24′ United earn a corner but waste it here.

22′ United comes close again, This time it’s Ronaldo blazing one over the cross bar from a ways out. Tottenham on their heels here.

19′ Oh, Tevez nearly leveled it. His original shot is blocked, but he gathers it back and has another go from just outside the box. His ball thumps off the crossbar.

16′ Tottenham earn a free kick in a bit of a dangerous spot when Bentley is fouled. Huddlestone swings it in but United is there to clean it up.

13′ This is better for United. Tevez has a wild swing and a miss in the box off a nice head down from Ronaldo before Spurs clear it.

10′ A bit slow going for United here. They’ve managed a few long range shots but for most part Tottenham’s come out with a bit more energy.

7′ I sure hope Pavlyuchenko doesn’t go for a hat trick – I don’t know how many times I can go trying to spell that name out. It’ll be interesting to see now United respond now. Fabio makes a nice little move in but his efforts are wasted and the ball rolls out. Goalkick for Spurs.

5′ Goal Tottenham! It’s Pavlyuchenko! A brilliant header from the center of the box off a brilliant cross. I believe it was from Huddlestone. What a dream start for Tottenham.

4′ Ronaldo barrels in towards the box but has it poked away. You can’t help but think his class will have to shine through at some point given the lineups both teams are throwing out there.

1′ Neville looks to be playing in the middle for United. It’ll be a different role for him from his usual spot on the right side. Interesting lineup really for both teams. An especially intriguing change to see some of United’s young talent.

0′ And we’re off. United begin the game in possession.

0′ Some interesting results from the day’s earlier fixtures. Upset of the day goes to Swansea City, who beat current cup holders Portsmouth, 2-0. Other interesting results, Chelsea and Fulham both needed two late goals to beat Ipswich Town and Kettering Town, respectively.

Reaction

Well, if there were any fears that second-choice lineups for both teams would produce a dull match, that certainly wasn’t the case. Tottenham pulled ahead five minutes in on a lovely diving header from Pavlyuchenko, only to see United strike back twice in two minutes via goals from Scholes (35′) and Berbatov (37′). Spurs can hold their heads high. They fought back well after those two goals and played better in the second half. But they just lacked a bit of quality near the goal, and that cost them in the end. Give credit to United as well, who defended well despite finishing the game with a back four of Eckersley, Neville, Vidic and O’Shea. Spurs could hardly find a shooting lane in the final 10 minutes.

But once again, the victory comes at a price for United. Fabio, Christiano Ronaldo and Danny Walbeck all came off with knocks, though it’s impossible to tell right now if any of them are serious. But for a team already beset by injuries, United can’t help but feel like they can’t catch a break right now.

Man of the Match

Tough to say on this one. I thought Carlos Tevez was very good, and sort of marshalled things in the middle for United. But I’ll go with Michael Carrick, who assisted both United goals. He cut a low ball across the field off a corner to Scholes, who ball deflected in for United’s first goal, and played a beautiful ball over the top that put Berbatov clean through for the second. Props also to Gary Neville as well for captaining the side and playing central defence, instead of his usual right, for United.

All in all an entertaining match, but what do you think? Feel free to share any thoughts or reactions in the comments section. And be sure to check back for plenty more live blogging from the FA Cup, Premiership, Champions League and more.