Match Preview

It’s the one both fans and pundits the world over have been waiting for. Jose Mourinho and Alex Ferguson are set to lock horns again over two legs in possibly the greatest Cup competition of them all. Mourinho has the early bragging rights, his Porto side knocked out United en route to winning the Champions League in 2004. In fact, he has lost just once in 12 matches in charge of teams against Ferguson’s United.

Despite these impressive credentials, Inter have somewhat limped into the knockout stages, having lost their last two Champions League matches and are without a win in three. Serie A is a different matter thought. They are nine points clear at the top of the table and have recorded three successive victories, beating Bologna on the weekend and arch rivals AC Milan the week before.

United themselves are in fantastic form domestically, having opened up a seven point gap ahead of second placed Liverpool in the Premiership but have been beset by defensive injuries ahead of their visit to Italy. With Vidic suspended and Evans injured, Ferguson may opt for Fletcher at right back and O’Shea partnering Ferdinand at the heart of the United defence.

Inter have defender Marco Matterazzi struggling to recover in time for the match, but have plenty of cover in the likes of Cordoba, Chivu and Burdisso to call upon.

Line Ups

Inter Milan: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Rivas, Chivu, Santon, Zanetti, Cambiasso, Muntari, Stankovic, Ibrahimovic, Adriano.
Subs: Toldo, Cordoba, Maxwell, Figo, Cruz, Burdisso, Balotelli.

Man United: Van der Sar, O’Shea, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Fletcher, Carrick, Giggs, Park, Berbatov, Ronaldo.
Subs: Foster, Rooney, Nani, Scholes, Fabio Da Silva, Gibson, Tevez.

Live Blog

90+4′ Cordoba is booked for a rash challenge on Ronaldo. He takes the free kick 25 yards from goal but it rebounds off the chest of Julio Cesar, who didn’t appear to know too much about it. Thre referee blows for full time, leaving it wonderfully poised for the second leg.

90′ Three minutes will be added on, can anyone produce a late winner?

89′ A great pass from Berbatov, who has been criminally ineffective this evening, almost sends Rooney through on goal. Julio Cesar, so impressive in the first half, races outside the box to clear the ball before Rooney can get a shot on.

88′ Rooney is booked, harshly in my opinion for a sliding foul on Cambiasso despite winning the ball cleanly.

85′ United are clinging on now. Ibrahimovic fires in a free kick which takes a deflection and goes behind. The replay suggests it last came off Evans for a corner, but a goal kick was awarded.

83′ Rooney finally makes an appearance and replaces Park. The labouring Berbatov remains on the pitch for now.

82′ How on earth did this not go in? A corner swung in from the left misses a crowd of players before hitting Cambiasso at the far post but it loops back across goal for Van Der Saar who catches it rather calmly under the circumstances.

77′ Ballotelli comes on for Adriano while Muntari is replaced by another striker in Cruz. Still no action from the United bench, perhaps Ferguson is happy with a draw.

76′ Giggs is allowed to advance down the left and then cut inside unchallenged. He ghosts past the anonymous Chivu and lines up a shot in the centre of the box. Just as the trigger is pulled, Cordoba throws himself to the ground to block the shot and prevent what was going to be a certain goal.

73′ Surely it’s time for Ferguson to make some changes. The guile and cunning of Scholes in midfield and Rooney, who would put in infinitely more effort than Berbatov has, could do with being introduced to the game.

71′ Fletcher gets booked for a sliding foul on Muntari on the edge of the Inter box.

68′ O’Shea gives away a free kick for a foul on Ibrahimovic but Maicon curls a useless ball straight out for a goal kick. What a waste.

67′ Ronaldo beats Chivu for pace and tries to set his team mates up on a plate with an incisive ball across the face of goal. It’s a shame none of them are interested – Park misses the ball completely, Berbatov is nowhere in sight and Giggs is too slow to meet it at the far post, allowing Inter to clear the ball behind for a corner.

65′ Ibrahimovic heads at goal from inside the box, but Evra does enough to put him off and the ball rolls harmlessly wide.

63′ Inter are looking far more impressive now and have completely nullified United. Alex Ferguson will be rueing those missed chances in the first half. As it stands, Inter look the more likely to open the scoring.

59′ Chivu is booked for a foul on Berbatov and Maicon is perhaps harshly booked for an innocuous challenge on Carrick in the United box.

56′ Maicon whips a corner towards the far post and it’s close to the goal line. Van Der Saar looks like he’s struggling to deal with it but he gets a free kick after being impeded by Adriano.

55′ Ibrahimovic is getting more into the game and looking more like the player he claims to be. He ignores the challenge of O’Shea and attempts to cross into the box, but Ferdinand puts a stop to it.

51′ Inter have started this half a lot brighter than the first. Stankovic breaks free of his marker in front of the D and rifles a low shot towards the bottom corner but it goes wide.

49′ Appeals for an Inter penalty, if not a little optimistic. Zanetti fizzes a cross into the six yard box for the awaiting Adriano, but the Brazilian feels a light hand from Ferdinand on his shoulder and goes down as though his life depended on it.

48′ An unbelievable chance for Inter. Cambiasso crosses the ball into the box, Ibrahimovic leaves it for Adriano who swings at it first time on the penalty spot. Van Der Saar is rooted to his spot but the ball goes wide.

47′ A bit of quality from Ibrahimovic down the left. He jinks the ball from one foot to the other, outfoxing Ferdinand and scoops the ball into the area for Cambiasso but it comes to nothing.

46′ Unsurprisingly, Colombian defender Rivas is hauled off before the second half begins and is replaced by fellow countryman, the vastly experienced Cordoba.

Half Time. This has been what you call a “0-0 stuffing”. United have had a ridiculous amount of shots on goal for an away team against hosts of Inter’s calibre. Better finishing would have seen Alex Ferguson’s side cruising into the second leg but as it stands, the second half will start the same as the first, all equal. Inter have not looked great at the back, compared to the solid, if patched up, United back line and Rivas in particular looks well out of his comfort zone.

45′ Inter attempt a late flurry. The lively Santon advances down the left and then infield before being tackled on the edge of the United box. The ball bobbles to Cambiasso who pelts it first time but a deflection takes the sting off the shot and it bounces through to Van Der Saar.

44′ Referee Luis Medina Cantalejo shows a yellow card to Inter’s substitute goalkeeper, the ancient Francesco Toldo, after he and Luis Figo protest on the touchlines at the sheer number of decisions going United’s way. Well, if Inter were not such a bunch of cloggers then maybe so many free kicks would be given.

41′ Park scampers down the left and with the dreadful Rivas nowhere near him, pings a cross towards the far post. Berbatov gets his head to it but it goes wide at the far post.

37′ The home side are getting into the game a bit more now after riding their luck for long periods of the first half. Adriano digs a cross out from the left but it’s headed clear by Ferdinand. The ball works itself out to Ibrahimovic who sends a cross towards the near post but Van Der Saar gathers before the big-boned Adriano can get near it.

33′ Inter may be playing abysmally, but they are still dangerous on the break. Full back Maicon puts in a sweet cross towards the far post but O’Shea is alert enough to head the ball clear.

31′ United get yet another free kick, 25 yards out, on the left hand side. Ronaldo takes it but this time only manages to hammer it into the wall.

28′ This is getting ridiculous. Some more non-existant defending by Inter in the box, Rivas again the cluprit, allows Ronaldo a free header at goal from a Giggs cross 10 yards out. Julio Cesar just stands and watches as the ball fizzes wide of goal. Of all his chances this evening, this is the one he should have scored.

27′ Inter continue to hack United down around the edge of the box. This time from the right hand side, Ronaldo smashes a free kick towards the near post which Julio Cesar touches around the post at full stretch. The replay suggested it may have been going wide, but how many chances are Inter going to afford their opponents?

26′ Giggs rides a poor sliding tackle from Rivas and charges into the penalty area. He’s on an angle and his strike on goal is beaten away by Julio Cesar who was quick to come off his line.

23′ Evra curls a peach of a cross from the left to the far post which Berbatov leaps up to head towards goal. He’s not that far into the penalty box so Julio Cesar is not that worried by it and his effort goes well wide of the post in the end.

19′ Giggs plays Berbatov, who beats the offside trap, into the box. The labouring Inter defence are all at sea and all the Bulgarian has to do is to square it for Park who would have an easy scoring chance. However, he takes too long and his eventual pass is cut out by a clutch of Inter players who finally get back into position.

13′ United win yet another free kick in range of the Inter goal, this time after Carrick goes down from a Zanetti challenge. This time it isn’t Ronaldo who takes it, but Giggs, who can only blast the ball into the wall which Inter have bothered to form this time.

11′ Inter finally muster their first attack, with Stankovic and Muntari exchanging passes who then blazes over the crossbar from 20 yards.

10′ All of the attacking play has come through United during the opening stages, Ronaldo in particular. Ronaldo beats youngster Santon on the right of the penalty box but his effort from a tight angle goes well over the bar.

8′ Ronaldo goes close again for United with a free kick from 30 yards. Inter’s wall is non existant and at first it looks as though the ball is heading for the bottom corner but it curls wide of the post.

5′ United go close to breaking the deadlock. A superb corner by Giggs from the left is met by a thumping header from Ronaldo in the centre. It’s too close to Julio Cesar who reaches out to his right and parries away instinctively.

4′ It looks like United are playing a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Giggs playing just off loan-striker Berbatov. Inter have Stankovic playing in the hole behind Ibrahimovic and Adriano.

3′ Ronaldo looked to over run a ball but dived for all he was worth over the trailing leg of Chivu on the right hand side of the penalty box. He takes the free kick himself from about 25 yards out but it’s easily caught by Julio Cesar.

1′ United kick things off but Park’s advancement down the left comes to nothing and Inter win an early throw in.

0′ Fergie surprises us with his team selection – picking Evans to partner Ferdinand in central defence and leaving Rooney on the bench. The striker has scored on his last two runouts and is just the sort of hard working player needed for tonight. I cannot fathom why he isn’t on from the start, but what do I know about managing a team in the Champions League?

0′ Good evening. This is where the Champions League starts to get interesting and I cannot wait for this match to kick off. Who is going to take an advantage into the second leg? It may not be as easy to predict as you may think because Inter are yet to beat an English club in Italy in four Champions League attempts while United have lost 10 out of their 15 visits to Italy.

Reaction

On reflection, a draw was a fair result as United were by far the superior side in the first half and Inter the second. United squandered a hatful of chances and half chances in the first period but also had two fantastic opportunities in the second half. If  a United player had gambled when Ronaldo slid the ball across the face of the Inter goal or if Cordoba hadn’t so heroically blocked Giggs’ effort from the edge of the box, United could have got that precious away goal. The home side could also have snatched a goal themselves, with a penalty decision not going their way and a corner which could have gone anywhere but ended up in Van Der Saar’s grasp. Inter are not the world beaters manager Jose Mourinho claims them to be, but they gave United plenty to think about in the second half. On this performance, you would think United will progress to the quarter finals with home advantage in the second leg, but Rooney starting the game is a must.

Man of the Match

Ronaldo had enough opportunities in the first half to win this accolade hands down, but his set pieces were not quite up to scratch and he missed a headed chance which he should have buried. With that in mind, I am going to award the MoM to the man who thwarted him all night, Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar. The Brazilian stopper was equal to two free kicks from Ronaldo within the first 10 minutes of the match and again on 27 when he tipped one around the post. Julio Cesar was also on hand late on in the game to keep the score at nil nil, when he rushed out of his area to deny Rooney and then deny Ronaldo yet again from a set-piece in stoppage time.

Match Preview

Tonight sees two teams who endured contrasting starts to the season, but are now separated by just four points and are almost as bad as eachother. Tonight’s hosts, Hull City, had a storming start to the season, while Tottenham were propping up the division under Juande Ramos. Now, the Tigers are in freefall, while some slight improvement has been made by Spurs under new manager Harry Redknapp.

Both sides are in poor form. Hull have the worst home record in the Premiership and are desperate for a first victory in 10 attempts. They may just get it against a Spurs side which has lost eight out of 12 against fellow clubs in the bottom half of the table. While we are discussing miserable statistics, Spurs have also lost eight out of 12 on the road and if they go behind they are almost guaranteed to lose – they have done on 12 out of 16 occasions this season.

Hull will definitely be without Craig Fagan, who has had knee surgery, but Ian Ashbee, Daniel Cousin, Caleb Folan and former Spur Anthony Gardner are all available. Harry Redknapp can call upon Robbie Keane, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Vedran Corluka, who were all cup-tied for last week’s UEFA Cup defeat by Shakhtar Donetsk and there may also be recalls for Carlo Cudicini, Jon Woodgate, Aaron Lennon, Wilson Palacios and Luka Modric.

Line Ups

Hull: Duke, Ricketts, Turner, Gardner, Dawson, Marney, Ashbee, Zayatte, Kilbane, Garcia, Cousin.
Subs: Myhill, Doyle, Barmby, Geovanni, Halmosi, Manucho, Mendy.

Tottenham: Cudicini, Corluka, Woodgate, King, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Jenas, Palacios, Modric, Keane, Bent.
Subs: Gomes, Zokora, Bentley, Huddlestone, Pavlyuchenko, Dawson, Chimbonda.

Goals

Hull: Turner (27′)

Tottenham: Lennon (17′), Woodgate (86′)

Live Blog

90′ Four minutes of added time as Hull search for an equaliser. They may just get one if Cudicini continues to play up in goal. Yet again he opts to beat away a corner when under no pressure, rather than taking the easy option of catching it.

88′ Two substitutions for Spurs sees Zokora replace Lennon and Dawson comes on in place of the the goal scorer Woodgate, who collided with Corluka and has blood streaming from above his left eye.

87′ Phil Brown shuts the stable door after the horse has bolted by bringing on the talismanic Geovanni in place of Zayatte.

86′ Goal! Hull 1 Spurs 2. A poor ball by Jenas sends Assou-Ekotto wide out left but the full back beats Gardner and clips a delightful cross into the six yard box. Centre back Jonathan Woodgate meets it with a towering header which gives Duke no chance.

85′ Spurs have a sniff at goal through Jenas, who cuts into the box and unleashes at goal. Gardner is there to block it behind for a corner.

82′ The Spurs defence seemed content to back off and back off some more of Marney as he advanced towards the edge of the box. How he would love to score against his former club but his effort is well blocked by King.

79′ The hard working Garcia is replaced by Manucho. The home supporters do not appear overly thrilled at the prospect.

76′ This is a better corner from Hull. Dawson crosses in to the near post and Turner busts a gut to reach it. Zayatte, however, gets there first and his glancing header beats the keeper but comes back off the far post.

74′ The game has become scrappy and the crowd subdued. Hull appear determined to get a corner at every opportunity – Cudicini’s inability to deal with them hasn’t gone unnoticed.

72′ The unproductive Bent is replaced by Pavlyuchenko as manager Redknapp searches for a winning goal.

69′ Zayatte gets away with a warning after deliberately barging Jenas to the ground.

67′ Bernard Mendy comes on for Daniel Cousin. Hull manager Phil Brown must be happy to settle for a point as Spurs have been a lot more purposeful this half.

66′ Modric drifts in a fantastic free kick from the right which Corluka heads towards the top corner but is unlucky to see it come back off the crossbar.

64′ Palacios wins the ball in midfield and plays it to Keane down the right. His cross is thumped clear by Hull who opt to defend in numbers. The Tigers break quickly and Marney whips in another trademark cross to the far post for Kilbane, who can only manage a feeble header which is scooped up easily by Cudicini. At least he caught it this time.

60′ Cudicini opts to slap away a corner, but at least gets some distance on it this time. The ball comes back towards him but he is fouled in the air by Gardner who also challenged for it.

58′ Spurs appear to be getting more of a foothold in this game. They should do too. On paper they are a class above this Hull side but do they have either the belief or desire to win this match?

54′ Keane appears to have woken up. A poor clearance from Duke lands right at his feet and he attempts a lob from 25 yards. He gets it all wrong and it goes harmlessly wide.

51′ Chances are coming thick and fast at both ends. This time it’s the visitors turn. Keane, with possibly his first contribution of the game, plays a great pass to Palacios on the edge of the box who thunders a volley straight into the ample frame of Gardner, who knew nothing about it. Goalkeeper Duke was well beaten there I think.

50′ Some more dire defending by Spurs at the other end. A corner is completely missed by everyone present in the six yard box and Cudicini, who obviously hadn’t learned from his mistake in the first half, again fists the ball aimlessly into the ground. Kilbane rattles in a shot which is desperatly blocked by Assou-Ekotto.

49′ Spurs play a patient, passing game around the Hull box, occasionally putting in a poor cross which is easily dealt with. The ball drops to Bent with his back to goal, he spins and fires in a volley which is well saved by Matt Duke.

46′ Spurs kick off and for their sakes, I hope they put in a better performance in this half than they did the first.

Half Time. Spurs have performed like a side struggling against the drop and Phil Brown will be the happier manager of the two going into the break. The Tigers have enjoyed the majority of the possession and have created more chances, but they simply haven’t been good enough to make them count. Their best chance of scoring seems to be from a set-piece, where they can bully a weak Spurs defence into submission. Harry Redknapp’s side, frankly, need to buck their ideas up.

45+1′ Some razor sharp wit from the Hull fans who direct chants of “What a waste of money” towards Robbie Keane, much to the amusement of the commentator. They instantly follow up with “There’s only one Jimmy Bullard”. The irony is undoubtedly lost on them.

45′ Modric goes into the book himself for clipping Kilbane just outside the D. It’s Dawson who takes the free kick from a run up but curls it high and wide at the near post.

42′ Ashbee gets a yellow card for tackling Modric so high he almost leaves a studmark on the Croatian’s forehead. It may be acceptable in League Two, but not in the Premiership, son.

40′ Another sweeping Hull move almost produces a goal, but they lack that final bit of quality. Ricketts touches the ball out to the right for Marney who curls in a superb cross towards the far post. Ricketts has a free header but it’s poor and trickles out for a goal kick.

37′ Spurs have been awful this half and I can count the number of times Robbie Keane has touched the ball on one hand. It’s dismal stuff from a team everyone still believes is “too good to go down”. Two words. Manchester. City.

34′ It’s all Hull at the moment. Marney curls a long ball towards the far post to Garcia who’s chasing, but the former West Ham midfielder can only half-heartedly volley it wide of the goal.

29′ Cousin goes agonisingly close to putting the Tigers into the lead when he pelts the ball first time towards goal following a poor knockdown by Ledley King on the edge of the box. At first it looks like it’s way off target but curls spectacularly towards the top corner and goes just wide.

27′ Goal! Hull 1 Spurs 1. The equalising goal comes from more dreadful defending, this time from Spurs. Cudicini flaps at a corner and smashes it straight into the ground. The ball riccochets off Palacios back towards an unguarded net and Michael Turner gleefully hammers it in from close range. Who needs channels like Dave when you have comedy gold like this to watch?

23′ Some atrocious refereeing by Lee Probert who signals for a throw in after Dawson clearly bundles the ball behind for a corner when tackling Darren Bent on the touchline.

18′ Hull have a great opportunity to equalise mere moments from the kick off. Zayatte races past Corluka and bears down on goal but goalkeeper Cudicini is on hand to slide-tackle him and put him off his stride.

17′ Goal! Hull 0 Spurs 1. A short corner is played to Modric, who passes to Aaron Lennon on the edge of the box. Nobody in a striped shirt bothers to close him down and he has all the time in the world to pick his spot – top corner, near post. A neat finish but shocking defending from Phil Brown’s side.

16′ Bent huffs and puffs for all he’s worth and gets in the box but is tackled superbly by Gardner who sticks out a long leg and pokes the ball behind for a corner.

14′ A moment of comic confusion between Woodgate and his keeper Cudicini with the defender doing his best to head a harmless ball into his own net. Cudicini, rushing out off his line like a madman, does his best to assist, but manages to get back in time and prevent the ball from crossing the line.

13′ Hull cause Spurs problems with long crosses to the far post. Ricketts manages to get one in twice in a matter of moments. His second effort is cleared behind by the stooping Corluka.

10′ Both Zayatte and Palacios are sprawled out on the floor after an ugly clash of heads. The Hull man is up first, proving the notion of “southern softies” a factual one under the circumstances.

7′ Dawson gets away with a ticking off after a two footer on Lennon. The older brother of Tottenham player Michael gets booked seconds later for wrestling Lennon to the ground. Can anyone say “out of his depth?” I think he’ll be off before the game is out if Lennon keeps running rings around him.

3′ Garcia gets the home supporters mildly interested for a moment with an effort from the edge of the box. It’s quickly charged down and goes out for a corner. Garcia wins it in the air and Gardner hooks back across the face of goal when it looked like it was going behind. The ball reaches Dawson, who draws upon all his years in the lower leagues and slices a cross with the outside of his boot for a throw in. Danger over.

1′ It’s Hull who get us started this evening. This is what Monday evenings are all about – hardcore mediocrity. I bet the schedulers were literally wetting themselves with underwhelment when this fixture was announced for broadcast. Ah well, suppose I’d better watch seeing as I am paying for it.

0′ We haven’t even mentioned Nick Barmby yet, probably because the veteran midfielder is hidden away on the Hull bench. For those of you old enough to remember, he made 108 appearances in all competitions for Spurs and scored 27 goals before he departed for Middlesbrough in 1995. Have I missed anyone out?

0′ That’s not all, former Spurs player Dean Marney makes his 100th appearance for Hull, as does Sam Ricketts, while Jon Woodgate makes his 50th appearance in a Spurs shirt. Anthony Gardner also faces his former club – he made 144 appearances for Spurs between January 2000 and last August’s £2.5 million move to the KC Stadium.

0′ Several players are hitting significant career milestones this evening. Robbie Keane makes the 400th English league start of his career, taking in Wolves, Coventry, Leeds, Tottenham and Liverpool. Hull’s Andy Dawson also makes his 400th career start, admittedly via a less glamorous route at Nottingham Forest, Scunthorpe and of course the Tigers.

Reaction

Harry Redknapp used his “Get of Jail Free” card at the KC Stadium with a later winner. Woodgate’s deciding header was his first away goal in the Premiership for 10 years and the result condemned Hull to their seventh defeat in their last nine games at the KC Stadium. Hull certainly had the better of the first half, but could not make their dominance count which allowed Spurs to creep back into the game. They were by far the better side after the break but they too did not look like they would force a winner until Woodgate showed real desire to head home the cross by Assou-Ekotto. It’s three precious points for Spurs, who clamber up to 14th in the table and five points clear of the drop zone.

Man of the Match

Not many players stood out tonight as the match was void of any real quality for long periods of the match. I will award this evening’s accolade to Aaron Lennon, who proved a constant threat in the first half. He ran Dawson ragged down the left and it looked as though his superior play would force the defender into clumsy challenges and ultimately an early bath. He was also the player who opened the scoring for Spurs, with a strike of real quality after 17 minutes. He may not have produced as much in the second half but he definitely helped to swing the balance in favour of Spurs before being substituted late on.

Match Preview

Newcastle are a side still looking over their shoulder at the bottom three and they do not go into this match in good form. The Magpies have won just once in seven Premiership matches – a 3-2 victory against a truly woeful West Bromwich Albion side on 7 February.

Everton FC are in good nick, winning their last three in all competitions and have lost just once in 13 league and cup matches. They have avoided defeat in eight of their last nine Premiership fixtures but David Moyes’ side have found Newcastle a difficult place to visit. Since beating them on Tyneside in October 2000, Everton have lost five and drawn twice in their seven subsequent visits.

Newcastle are boosted by the return of Argentine winger Jonas Gutierrez, while striker Obafemi Martins is also set to feature at some point after recovering from a hernia problem which has kept him out since December.

Everton are able to recall Jo after he was cup-tied for their FA Cup win against Aston Villa, but Marouane Fellaini, Leon Osman and Steven Pienaar are all out injured while Tim Cahill and Tony Hibbert are suspended.

Line Ups

Newcastle: Harper, Steven Taylor, Bassong, Coloccini, Jose Enrique, Ryan Taylor, Butt, Nolan, Duff, Ameobi, Lovenkrands.
Subs: Krul, Cacapa, Martins, Smith, Gutierrez, Geremi, Viduka.

Everton: Howard, Jagielka, Yobo, Lescott, Baines, Gosling, Neville, Arteta, Rodwell, Anichebe, Jo.
Subs: Nash, Van der Meyde, Castillo, Saha, Jacobsen, Fellaini, Wallace.

Live Blog

90+1′ Wait, this is the last chance. Rodwell fires a 25-yarder which Harper appears to touch behind for a corner but a goal kick is awarded. Come on ref, enough is enough now!

89′ A dire free kick from Jagielka, who clobbers high, wide and not very handsome. Surely that’s the last chance we have of a goal this afternoon?

88′ Fellaini interupts the dullness with a booking to liven up the last couple of minutes. I am not sure why he was booked, it may have been something to do with Nicky Butt. I don’t care any more, I’m losing the will to live.

85′ This looks like it’s going to end on a whimper. Neither side look capable of generating a late, great winner and both appear content to play this out to a stalemate. It will surely be two points dropped for Europe-chasing Everton while Newcastle will glady take a point under the circumstances.

82′ The 10-men of Newcastle look set to implode when Steven Taylor plays a dreadful backpass to Harper, who is forced to race off his line and hack the ball into the stands before a blue shirt can get to it.

80′ Anxious moments for Newcastle as Nicky Butt goes down injured. All three substitutes have been used and the Magpies are in danger of finishing with just nine men.

77′ Everton vaguely threaten the Newcastle goal when Jo heads a Rodwell cross straight at Harper.

76′ Alan Smith, one of the few players to make Saha’s fitness record look good, comes on to replace Lovenkrands. Hughton is bound to get at least five minutes out of him etc. etc.

73′ The ever willing Gosling is replaced by Louis Saha. Moyes is bound to get at least five minutes out of him before he gets injured for another six months or so.

72′ Fellaini wins two successive balls into the box, but his knockdowns are met by Newcastle defenders who are happy to hack them away. No blue shirts appear willing to take a gamble in the box. What is wrong with these players?

70′ Steven Taylor gets his knees into the back of young Gosling when both players challenge for the ball. Not much wrong with it and he gets away with a talking too from Lee Mason.

68′ Both sets of players need to buck their ideas up as literally nothing is going on. Everton should be taking the game to 10-man Newcastle, despite their own injury problems. The Magpies, it appears, seem to be content with a goalless draw. Bring back Kevin Keegan, all is forgiven. Again.

63′ The camera pans to the legendary, yet permanently open-mouthed Peter Beardsley in the stands. He looks almost as bored as I do, but at least I am not out in the cold.

61′ It’s all gone a bit flat. Baines whips in a free kick but it’s easily cleared by Bassong.

57′ Baines sends in a corner from the right, but it’s hoofed clear. Ameobi is replaced by Martins, much to the home crowd’s approval.

55′ It’s very scrappy and hurried, with neither side carving out any clear cut opportunities. Newcastle are on top slightly, despite being a man short.

51′ Ryan Taylor fizzes in a free kick from the left but it’s punched clear by Howard. Seconds later Lescott incurs the wrath of the home fans when he deflects a cross from Jose Enrique into Howard’s grasp. The Toon Army want a free kick but referee Mason is having none of it.

48′ Newcastle fail to deal with a corner and Everton play it out to the right hand side via Lescott. Yobo finds himself in a bit of space and has time to line up a rasping shot which goes just over the bar.

47′ It seems Anichebe has got away with nothing more than a bruised shin. It could have been so much worse. Arteta, however, is not as fortunate. He’s been packed off to a Warrington hospital for a scan to determine the level of damage to his ligament.

46′ It has been reported Nolan has apolgised to Anichebe for his truly sickening tackle but maintained he did not set out to hurt his opponent. Yeah, not much. Gutierrez starts the second half for Newcastle in place of the wholly ineffective Duff.

Half Time. St James’ Park resembles a war zone, rather than a football theatre. Arteta and Anichebe have both had to go off injured for Everton, while Newcastle’s Nolan was sent off for a sickening, career ending tackle on the latter. Goodness knows what the second half is going to be like. Both sides could have scored, with Lovenkrands missing a sitter for the homeside and Everton going close off a couple of corners.

45+7′ Anichebe limps off the field and is replaced by the big-haired Fellaini. The Toon fans boo him off.

45+6′ Lovenkrands pings a wicked cross in from the right. There is nobody in the box apart from Ameobi, who looks like he is being held back by Yobo.

45′ Anichebe hobbles back onto the field amid a chorus of boos from the home fans. They will soon change their minds when they watch Match of the Day tonight. Not surprisingly, seven added minutes have been decided upon by the fourth official. There have been some shocking injuries and tackles during this first half. Surely the mood can only improve in the second?

44′ Red Card! Referee Lee Mason shows a straight red to Kevin Nolan for a shocking challenge on the advancing Anichebe. The replays make for grim viewing showing Nolan going over the top of the ball and planting both feet into the shin of his opponent. How Anichebe’s leg wasn’t snapped in two is a miracle.

41′ A free kick from Ryan Taylor is not dealt with properly by Jagielka and Ameobi manages to bundle it over the line with the back of his head. However, in doing so he was impeding keeper Howard and a free kick to Everton was awarded.

38′ Ameobi and Yobo challenge in the air following a free kick from the left. Ameobi gets his head to it, but so does Yobo who does just enough to deflect the ball behind for a corner.

36′ Ryan Taylor curls a beautiful free kick from just outside the D. Howard in the Everton goal just watches it sail wide of the left hand post. It was well wide in the end, but had it been on target the keeper would have had no chance.

31′ Lovenkrands misses a sitter. Ameobi and Butt play sharp, one touch passes on the edge of the Newcastle box and slip Lovenkrands into the danger area. With just Howard to beat, he just needs to pick his spot but he tries to curl an effort into the left hand corner only to see it go wide. Dismal.

29′ Everton cause their opponents problems with another corner. This time it’s Rodwell who goes close with an unchallenged volley from six yards out. He hits the post and Steven Taylor manages to clear the danger.

26′ Newcastle try to attack, with a cross from the right to far ahead of Duff to do any damage with. The Irish winger responds in kind, pinging in a deep cross from the left to nobody in particular.

25′ The cameras pan to a thoroughly bored looking Martins and Smith on the bench. Sky show off their new panoramic lense as they broadcast Viduka “warming up” down the touchline, while chewing, naturally.

23′ Nolan sends a 60 yard ball down the left hand side for Ameobi to chase. Who is he trying to kid? The ball rolls out harmlessly for an Everton thrown with Ameobi nowhere near it.

22′ Harper is on hand yet again to deny an Everton side growing in confidence. Jo is played into the box but Harper races off his line to narrow the angle and forces the striker to stab a weak effort straight into his chest.

20′ Yobo gets the slightest of touches to an inswing corner which forces a great, one handed save from Harper and the ball is thumped clear off the line by Bassong. Seconds later, an excellent cross from Gosling to the far post is met by Jagielka on the volley, but he sidefoots it wide.

16′ It’s not good news for Arteta, who has a reported ligament problem. Man in the Know Geoff Shreeves states he was been taken to hospital and the midfielder’s knee has already swollen. That’s probably the end to his season, which is both a shame and a major blow to Everton’s European aspirations.

15′ Newcomer Castillo has a shot in anger when he a poor headed clearance from Jose Enrique drops at his feet. Harper didn’t move in the Newcastle goal but the effort was well wide.

13′ Ryan Taylor pings a free kick towards the far post but Everton are there to defend in numbers. Young Rodwell mops up the danger not once, but twice as neither side can get hold of the ball properly.

11′ Anichebe doesn’t get any change out of Jose Enrique, who turns him several times before escaping down the left with the ball. Newcastle are passing the ball around well but are yet to create anything which resembles a chance on goal.

8′ Rodwell gets in on the act of laying down injured, following a clash with Ryan Taylor. The replay shows Taylor went over the top of the ball and both players clashed knees. Rodwell gets up, much to the relief of his manager Moyes.

7′ That’s it for Arteta, who’s stretchered off to polite applause. He’s replaced by Segundo Castillo. There’s going to be a lot of added time at the end of this half.

5′ There are some ridiculous haircuts on show this afternoon. With Coloccini’s curly perm leading the way for Newcastle and Jo’s dreadful hairbanded effort for the Toffees. Neither can beat that of Everton substitute Fellaini, who’s huge afro has been allowed to grow wild over the last few weeks. Amazing. Big. Hair.

3′ It’s not looking good for Arteta who went down awkwardly when stretching for a ball with Lovenkrands. The camera pans to the permanently injured Michael Owen, watching in the stands. He may actually play some games before the season is out, in return for his colossal £100,000-a-week wages.

1′ Everton kick off an the returning Yobo manages to play a stray pass out for a thrown in within a matter of seconds. However, Everton recover and the youthful Gosling rampages through a flaky looking Magpies defence before sending a shot wide from the edge of the box.

0′ Injuries and suspensions have forced David Moyes into a change of tactics. He fields an ambitious 4-3-3 formation this afternoon, with a three-pronged attack comprising on-loan Jo, youngster Gosling and Anichebe, who now finds himself back in favour. It’s an unchanged side for Newcastle, who field the same 11 which beat West Brom during their last match.

0′ Nicky Butt makes it a century of starts for Newcastle United this afternoon and also makes his 400th career league appearance. Midfield genius Mikel Arteta makes the 150th start of his Everton career.

Reaction

The early loss of Mikel Arteta meant Everton were never going to win this match. Without the Spaniard, the Toffees were no more than ordinary and offered no cutting edge up front. If Cahill was involved, they may have been able to nick a goal, but without either of them, David Moyes’ side are very, very average. Credit to Newcastle who battled to the end with 10 men following the first half dismissal of Nolan for an horrific challenge on Anichebe.  What we got from both sides was no cutting edge and no goals. A draw was a fair result for two sides that looked like they’d rather be somewhere else.

Man of the Match

It is hard to pick a stand-out performer in a match which offered so little quality. Gutierrez did more in the first 10 minutes of the second half than the man he replaced, Duff, managed in the first 45, but he faded as the match wore on. None of Everton’s back line can be faulted for their performances, but that’s because they had so little to do throughout the match. Sky gave their MoM award to Nicky Butt, who made his 400th career appearance this afternoon. I can’t really argue with that. He was a consistent performer for the Magpies throughout the game and attempted to drive his largely uninterested team mates forward. The former Manchester United midfielder is going to be a key player for the remainder of the season as the Magpies look to avoid relegation.

Match Preview

Fulham’s board must be laughing all the way to the bank following the January transfer window sale of Jimmy Bullard to Hull City. The maverick midfielder is out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury – to think Fulham commanded £5 million for him!

Fulham are an excellent team at Craven Cottage and have won seven out of 11 played there this season. In fact, they have lost just once on their home turf – a 2-1 reverse against West Ham last September. In their last six at home, Roy Hodgson’s side have won four and drawn two, including a 2-2 draw against Chelsea. They have scored 13 goals and conceded just six in this sequence.

West Brom find themselves propping up the table and have a poor away record. They have lost nine out of 12 on the road, earning two draws and their solitary victory came at Middlesbrough at the end of September. The Baggies will be boosted by the return of influential 0n-loan striker Jay Simpson as Tony Mowbray’s side look to pull off an unlikely win.

Line Ups

Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Davies, Murphy, Etuhu, Dempsey, Johnson, Zamora.
Subs: Zuberbuhler, Nevland, Kamara, Dacourt, Gray, Kallio, Baird.

West Brom: Carson, Zuiverloon, Meite, Barnett, Robinson, Morrison, Koren, Borja Valero, Filipe Teixeira, Fortune, Simpson.
Subs: Kiely, Cech, Bednar, Brunt, Moore, Menseguez, Martis

Goals

Fulham: Zamora (61′), Johnson (72′)

Live Blog

90+2′ Penalty Miss! Bednar dribbles into the box and goes over Hangeland’s trailing leg, there doesn’t look an awful lot in it but Martin Atkinson points to the spot. Bednar tries placing it to the right but Schwarzer saves it well. Even if the keeper wasn’t there Bednar would have probably missed, such has been West Brom’s miserable time of it today.

90′ The tannoy announcer reveals a laughable four minutes of added time. What is the point? We could stay here all day and West Brom wouldn’t score. Just blow the whistle and be done with it.

87′ Menseguez finds himself on the edge of the box, he plays the ball back slightly to Simpson, who sends a feeble shot towards the Fulham goal. The effort sums up his side’s performance this afternoon. They know the game is up.

85′ The excellent Danny Murphy is replaced by veteran midfield enforcer Olivier Dacourt, who makes his debut for Fulham. Seconds earlier, Robinson earned a booking.

84′ A cross from Brunt is missed by both Hangeland and Konchesky in the Fulham box but it appears to just hit the head of Menseguez and goes over the bar.

80′ Andy Johnson goes off to rapturous applause, as does Bobby Zamora, who are replaced by Nevland and Kamara.  Bednar goes on to replacethe ineffective Fortune.

79′ Fulham are again allowed to pour forward and Konchesky is set free with a single pass from Johnson. Neither Barnett nor Zuiverloon feel like closing him down and it’s left to goalkeeper Carson to come out and smother a low, hard cross before Fulham can bundle in a third.

77′ Out of sheer desperation, Morrison is replaced by the little-known Menseguez. It’s not as though the Baggies have anything to lose now.

74′ Ironic cheers ring around the ground as Fulham spray the ball around unchallenged. They have been far the superior side this afternoon and should be able to see out the last 15 minutes or so.

72′ Goal! Fulham 2 West Brom 0. It’s all over now and no less than Fulham deserve. Some shocking defending by the West Brom “defence” allows a long free kick from Murphy go straight through to Zamora in the box. He shoots, it’s parried by Carson but only as far as an unmarked Andy Johnson, who has the easy task of slotting home into an empty net.

71′ Hangeland is the latest Fulham player to clatter the woodwork. With his back to goal, he heads a corner from six yards but it hits the bar, then Carson, before being cleared.

69′ Simpson on the left hand side for West Brom has the right idea and fires in a glorious pass across the six yard box. It’s a shame none of his team mates can be bothered to gamble because they would have a tap in easier than Zamora’s. Pantsil is the grateful recipient of the ball and he clears.

68′ The commentator announces that prior to today, Zamora has scored just twice in 49 Premiership appearances.With a record as poor as that, how on earth is he commanding both a regular place in a top flight side and earning likely wages of £50,000 a week

65′ West Brom aren’t about to roll over and die just yet. Koren has a sighter from the edge of the box which Schwarzer gets down well to save. Seconds later, Koren touches on to Valero to have a crack from a similar distance but his effort goes well wide.

62′ Zamora has got the wind in his sails now. Dempsey charges down the left and puts in a great cross in front of the West Brom box. Zamora swings at it first time and although the shot is always rising, it only goes over the bar by a matter of inches.

61′ Goal! Fulham 1 West Brom 0. Would you believe it? Pantsil gets a cross in from the right, it’s aimed at Johnson but the striker misses it. The ball reaches Bobby Zamora at the far post and even he can’t miss from a couple of yards out. Nobody can deny Fulham deserve this lead.

59′ The Baggies defence is all at sea again but they get away with it. Dempsey plays in Zamora but the defender goes down under a nothing challenge from Zuiverloon. It looked as though he tripped rather than being fouled. There is some handbags between the pair, but Zamora looks frustrated by his own crapness more than anything.

56′ A long cross field ball from Pantsil is pointlessly headed on by Zamora on the edge of the box. Carson gathers it with ease and would be delighted if “No Goals” Bobby remains on the pitch for the rest of the game.

54′ Fortune wastes another excellent chance. Again, Brunt is the orchestrator, this time from the left and he whips in a delicious cross right in front Fortune but his volley is charged down by Konchesky. Unbelievably, the Baggies could have taken the lead after rarely threatening in the first half.

53′ Brunt makes an immediate impact. He swings a free kick in from the right and it is met by the head of Fortune. He gets his header all wrong and it goes harmlessly over the bar.

52′ A break was on for Fulham but again wasted. Johnson advanced with the ball and tried to play in Zamora, but the pass was overhit and Barnett was able to shepherd the ball back to Carson in the West Brom goal.

50′ Tony Mowbray makes his first change for the Baggies, bringing on Brunt for Teixeira.

49′ It’s more of the same for Fulham. They press forward in numbers and string several passes together in and around the West Brom box without really threatening. First Dempsey and then Davies look as though they may get an opportunity to shoot on goal, but the ball unfortunately reaches Zamora on the right who puts in a feeble cross.

46′ West Brom kick off and will try and ride their luck for as long as possible. No changes have been made to either side.

Half Time. How this match is still goalless is a mystery. West Brom have showed exactly why they are bottom of the league and with a bit more luck on their side, Fulham could be three, four or even five goals up. Hitting the woodwork three times is unfortunate, but Roy Hodgson also needs more from his two strikers, who have hardly been in the game. Zamora looks like a player who will never score a goal again, even against this shocking Baggies defence and you get the feeling West Brom could go up the other end and nick a thoroughly undeserved winning goal if this carry on continues into the second half.

42′ Again, Fulham squander a goal scoring chance. Konchesky swings a cross towards Davies who superbly plays Zamora into the box. The goal shy striker snatches at the effort and volleys it high over the bar. Zamora hasn’t scored in over 1,700 minutes of play, surely it’s time to consider a change of career?

39′ Ridiculous defending by West Brom who are now doing their best to score on Fulham’s behalf. A long ball forward by Murphy is headed back towards goal by Meite. However, neither defender or keeper could have spoken to eachother as Carson was rushing off his goal line to collect the ball. The loose ball rolls agonisingly close to the goal line but Carson gets back in time to push it behind for a corner.

33′ When is this ball going to go in the back of the net? Zamora touches the ball on to Murphy on the Fulham D and he curls a first time effort towards goal, only to see it clang against the crossbar. The Baggies should be dead and buried by now but you get the feeling it’s not going to be Fulham’s day.

30′ Fulham have a good spell of possession and work the ball around the West Brom box. It reaches Konchesky on the left, who sweeps past Koren but can’t deliver that final, telling ball.

28′ The camera pans to Fabio Capello in the stands. What on earth he is doing wasting his time watching this dross is anybody’s guess.

24′ That’s a lot better from Dempsey. A half cleared ball arrives to his feet midway in the Baggies half and he is allowed to strike a glorious shot from 25 yards out. It heads straight for the top corner and Carson is nowhere near it, but the shot rattles the bar and bounces back into play.

22′ Pantsil finds himself in space on the right, he plays the ball to Dempsey who shoots miles over the bar. It looks as though it’s only going to be a matter of time before Fulham score because the visitors are not offering much themselves.

19′ A stinging snap shot from Etuhu from the edge of the box awakens the snoozing crowd after West Brom do their level best not to clear the ball properly. Carson was alert to it and managed to beat the ball away.

17′ A quiet period of the game and I think all this talk of West Brom being a wonderful passing side is a complete myth. They seem content to lump it forward at every opportunity but let’s face it, whatever they try and do it not going to prevent them from going down.

13′ Davies sends Johnson racing clear into the box but Barnett lunges in with a heroic sliding tackle to cut out the danger for the Baggies. A second corner finds Davies on the right, he easily beats the non-challenge from Valero and drives an angled effort towards goal. It takes a deflection and goes behind for yet another corner, which comes to nothing. Tony Mowbray’s side are leading a charmed life at the moment.

9′ A rare break from West Brom with the marauding Simpson. He plays Teixeira in down the left but Pantsil cuts out his cross. The corner comes to nothing and is plucked out of the air with ease by Schwarzer.

5′ Murphy tests the Baggies resolve with a superb free kick from 25 yards. Carson gets his fingertips to it, but it may have been after the ball had initially hit the post. So unlucky for Murphy who could prove to be a key player here this afternoon.

2′ Fulham have unsurprisingly started the brighter. Robinson makes a hash of a clearances, giving Davies a second bite at putting in a cross. It hits the arm of the lumbering full back but no free kick is given.

1′ It’s the home side who get thinsg started. I suspect Fulham will put in a bit more effort than they did at Old Trafford in midweek, rather than politely roll over for their opponents.

0′ Good afternoon everyone. If any Baggies fans are hoping today sees a dramatic change of form, it doesn’t look good I’m afraid. Fulham are an awesome side at home and their record at Craven Cottage is second only to table-toppers Manchester United. They have not lost in their last eight at home and let’s be honest, the Baggies are garbage on the road.

Reaction

The result wasn’t a real surprise. Fulham are excellent at home and West Brom are poor away. Well, they are poor anyway. The score could and should have been, much, much higher as the Baggies led a charmed existance throughout the match. Great news for Bobby Zamora, who finally scored his first goal since September and the result sees Fulham climb to eighth. West Brom look like a said destined for relegation. They were ineffective across all areas of the park and you wonder what on earth they do all week in training. A non-existant defence, midfield and strikers which offer no goal threat. A pathetic showing all round from a side who deserve to be bottom of the league.

Man of the Match

The Fulham midfield ran West Brom ragged all afternoon. Davies, Dempsey, Konchesky and Pantsil got forward at every available opportunity and caused the Baggies all manner of problems. However, the one player who shone like a beacon was Danny Murphy. The former Liverpool midfielder ran the show this afternoon and was unlucky not have scored a goal himself, hitting the woodwork twice. He showed great vision in setting up the second goal, with an inch-perfect ball from the halfway line. Now in the later years of his career, Murphy can provide everything the departed Jimmy Bullard did, and more.

Match Preview

Manchester United, fresh from dishing out a 3-0 stuffing to Fulham in midweek, welcome a Blackburn Rovers side, which find themselves in the bottom three, to Old Trafford. Wayne Rooney is set to start as he makes his comeback from injury, while Ryan Giggs, Darren Fletcher and Rafael are all set to feature.

United are in devastating form as the Premiership reaches the business end of the season. They have lost just one of their last 25 matches and have not conceded a goal in 14 matches. Indeed, if Edwin Van Der Saar keeps Rovers at bay for at least 89 minutes, he will overtake the European record of 1,390 minutes which has been held by Club Brugges goalkeeper Danny Verlinden since 1990.

Blackburn, in comparison, are in all sorts of problems. Sam Allardyce’s side have won just one Premiership match in their last six played and have not won away from home in eight attempts. They have also lost to each of the “Big Four” this season and United have also beaten them in the quarter finals of the Carling Cup. The Reds won that match 5-3 and Carlos Tevez scored four goals.

Rovers will be without defender Christoper Samba, who serves a one match ban after accumulating five yellow cards, while on-loan Danny Simpson is not allowed to play against his parent club.

Line Ups

Man United: Kuszczak, Rafael Da Silva, Ferdinand, Evans, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes, Nani, Rooney, Berbatov.
Subs: Foster, Giggs, Vidic, Welbeck, Fabio Da Silva, Fletcher, Tevez.

Blackburn: Robinson, Ooijer, Nelsen, Givet, Warnock, Grella, Diouf, Andrews, Dunn, Pedersen, Roque Santa Cruz.
Subs: Brown, Kerimoglu, McCarthy, Khizanishvili, Mokoena, Treacy, Roberts.

Goals

Man United: Rooney (23′), Ronaldo (60′)

Blackburn: Santa Cruz (32′)

Live Blog

90+4′ Rovers get a late corner and even keeper Robinson lumbers forward. The delivery from Pedersen is poor but Robinson has plenty of time to get back.

90+1′ Rooney rampages from the halfway line and lets rip from 25 yards. He aims for the far corner with Robinson rooted to the spot but his shot is well wide.

89′ The word is, there will be four added minutes. United spray the ball around comfortably in the middle of the park. They just need to see this one out now.

87′ It should be all over. Rooney sends a tasty cross into the box for the unusually-quiet Berbatov who somehow manages to head over the bar from six yards.

86′ Ronaldo is really turning the screw now. He dances past three or four Rovers defenders before being felled on the edge of the box. Howard Webb plays advantage and Giggs threads the ball through to Rooney in the penalty area only for his shot to be blocked.

85′ Ronaldo plays the ball across the edge of the Rovers box to Rooney, who curls a shot first time towards the top corner but it goes over the bar. United could yet get a third goal which would seal victory.

83′ United break quickly with Ronaldo, who has options in the box in the form of Rooney and Berbatov. He sends in a cross which is useful to neither of them and the ball bounces off Rooney’s chest.

82′ The old legs of Scholes have had enough and he’s replaced by another old stager in Ryan Giggs. Diouf comes off for Blackburn and youngster Keith Treacy is given an opportunity.

80′ Pedersen’s corner is punched away by Kuszczak but it only goes as far as Tugay on the edge of the box. The veteran Turkish schemer can certainly hit them but he gets it all wrong and it goes behind for a goal kick.

79′ Sam Allardyce still feels he can get something from this game and replaces Grella with striker Benni McCarthy.

78′ United are in total control. Ronaldo is in acres of space just outside the D and has time to tee-up a half volley which goes behind for a corner via Givet. Carrick sees an effort from inside the box blocked and Rooney shoots wide from just outside it.

73′ Dunn is replaced by the pensionable Tugay. He’s 38 but could easily pass for someone 20 years older.

72′ Berbatov plays Scholes through on the edge of the Rovers box. The midfielder attempts to dink the ball around Grella with a single touch but it doesn’t come off. It could have been magical if it had worked.

67′ Pedersen goes down in the box after the slightest of touches from Rafael. He was bearing down on goal so there was no need to go down in search of a penalty. Howard Webb waves away the protestations, as if the away side would get a penalty at Old Trafford?

66′ Blackburn win a corner via the constantly-booed Diouf. Dunn whips it in but Nelson’s header is well over the bar.

62′ Berbatov is booked after introducing his studs to Warnock’s thigh.

61′ Alex Ferguson takes off Jonny Evans and the lazy Nani, replacing them with Vidic and Tevez.

60′ Goal! Man United 2 Blackburn 1. Superb, just superb from Ronaldo. Just moments after getting booked for diving, Ronaldo curls a perfect free kick into the far corner to give United the lead for the second time this match.

59′ Lower league clogger Keith Andrews is booked for grappling Evra to the ground on the left touchline.

57′ Pedersen sells Carrick a dummy and pings a shot towards the United goal. It’s always going wide but Kuszczack puts it behind for a corner. The ball is eventually worked back to Nelson in the box who sees an effort come back off the post. Diouf has a go from the rebound but Kuszczak smothers the ball. Really unlucky for Rovers.

56′ Ronaldo is booked for a dive on the edge of the area. Carrick slipped the ball through to the advancing Portuguese who went down as soon as he felt the breath of Givet on his back. Ronaldo could easily have been given his marching orders here, as seconds earlier he aimed an off-the-ball kick-out at Dunn which went unpunished.

53′ Just like the first half, United are enjoying the lion’s share of possession. They try to work it patiently down the right, but Carrick’s attempted cross to the far post goes horribly high and wide.

49′ Unsurprisingly, we are informed that Alex Ferguson did not agree with referee Howard Webb’s decision to rule out Evans’ goal just before the break.

47′ Carrick switches play with a great ball out to Ronaldo. He jinks past Warnock but shoots wide of goal. Seconds later Blackburn get a chance at the other end when Pedersen pings a cross to the far post but Santa Cruz is shut out by Evans.

46′ Rovers kick off the second half as they look to secure an unlikely result at Old Trafford.

Half Time. The unthinkable has happened and United have given away a goal for the first time in 105 days. The Blackburn equaliser was against the run of play, but well taken and it gives Sam Allardyce’s strugglers a real chance in this match. United should have gone ahead before the stroke of half time and there is certainly no reason for them to panic. Blackburn look really shaky in defence at times and United will surely get more chances to score in the second half.

44′ Little Rafael is bodychecked by Pedersen but only a corner is given. Jonny Evans heads it home but the goal is ruled out. It looked as though Ronaldo may have got some unfair leverage on Nelson before the ball reached Evans, or that Evans himself may have impeded Givet, but there didn’t appear to be much in either case.

40′ United look desperate to regain the lead. Gone is the patient build up play from the early stages of the half and instead we have a lot of hurried rubbish. Berbatov attempted to get a head onto a hopeful ball into the box but appeared to get a kick in the chops for his troubles.

39′ The equaliser has knocked the stuffing out of United. Perhaps they thought they would never concede another goal again?

35′ Carthorse defender Givet hurts himself when challenging for a 50/50, studs up, with Berbatov. Serves him right.

32′ Goal! Man United 1 Blackburn 1... and he gets that service! Nani takes an age to decide whether to collect a loose ball and so Ooijer makes his mind up for him. The defender plays a through ball to Roque Santa Cruz who makes easy work of dribbling around Kuszczak and slots the ball into an empty net. It’s the first goal United have conceded in 15 matches and Blackburn made it look easy.

30′ Dunn delivers a dreadul free kick into the box which sails high and wide at the far post. Santa Cruz looks lost up front for Rovers and he’s going to need better service than that if Rovers are to force an equaliser…

25′ Blackburn are all over the place in defence. Ronaldo tricks Warnock on the right, cuts inside the box and shoots towards the near post. Robinson has it well covered and clutches the ball to his chest.

23′ Goal! Man United 1 Blackburn 0. Nani plays a telling ball into the Rovers box and Nelson stuck a hopeful foot out at it to try and direct it back to keeper Robinson. All he managed to do was poke it in front of the advancing Wayne Rooney, who blasted it in from close range. United lead and it’s no more than they deserve.

22′ Kuszczak looked to make a meal of a Rovers corner but the replay showed he was clearly hindered by Diouf. Good job the linesman spotted it and a free kick was awarded to United.

19′ Grella is lucky to get away with a ticking off from Howard Webb after cynically shoving Rafael off the ball with the Brazilian showing him up for pace.

17′ United go close to breaking the deadlock. Confusion between Givet and Warnock allows Ronaldo to send in a cross from the right practically onto the goal line. Rooney just misses the ball at the near post but Carrick looks set to head it in at the far. Luckily for Rovers Ooijer was on hand to hack the ball clear before the United midfielder could connect with it.

14′ Blackburn get their first corner of the game but Nelson heads Diouf’s perfectly delivered ball well wide from six yards out. Chances for the visitors are few and far between.

12′ Desperate defending by Givet to prevent Carrick from latching onto an incisive Rooney pass into the box. The resulting corner finds Scholes on the edge of the box but he welts the ball first time well wide of the goal.

10′ Scholes pings a magnificent cross-field pass to Ronaldo, which Warnock completely misses as he tries to intercept. The move petered out into nothing but it was excellent vision by Scholes, who did that all evening against Fulham in midweek.

8′ Bar a few breaks by Blackburn, United have been virtually camped in the final third. Ronaldo fails to get a free kick beyond the Rovers wall.

4′ It’s all United in the opening stages. Nani gets forward and shifts the ball to Ronaldo on the left byline. He sends a cross towards the far post, or it may have been an audacious effort at goal. Either way it went behind for a goal kick.

3′ Berbatov plays the ball to Scholes in the middle of the park and the pint-sized player is allowed to run unchallenged all the way to the edge of the Rovers box. He shoots, but gets it all wrong and it goes wide for a goal kick.

1′ And we’re off. United kick off and immediately try to work an opener. Rooney and Nani play a quick one-two on the edge of the box but Rovers manage to scramble away the danger.

0′ Ferguson could probably put out a ladies team and they’d still beat Blackburn. The visitors have only won once in 17 trips to Old Trafford since the Premiership formed in 1993 and they have conceded 11 goals in their last three visits. Nil nil tonight then?

0′ United boss Alex Ferguson makes five changes from the side which beat Fulham in midweek. Record clean sheet chasing goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Saar is replaced by Tomasz Kuszczack – he must be livid. Johnny Evans and Rafael come into the defence and there are also starting places for Nani and Wayne Rooney. Gael Givet replaces the suspended Christopher Samba for Blackburn.

Reaction

United got away with it tonight and were pushed all the way by a Blackburn side who did not look like they were struggling in the bottom three. If Howard Webb had awarded Rovers a penalty after Rafael made contact with Pedersen in the box, we could have been looking at a much different result. The decision to wave play on really knocked the stuffing out of Rovers, who didn’t really create any chances after that. United finished the match strongly and could have scored a couple late on themselves. Ronaldo could have received two yellow cards before he scored the winner, but United also had a legitimate goal ruled out. The win puts United eight points clear at the top of the table, giving challengers Liverpool and Chelsea a mammoth task to catch them. Rovers remain in trouble but they should take heart from this performance.

Man of the Match

It was a workman-like performance for United with nobody really standing out from the crowd. Ronaldo’s free kick was excellent, but he could have also been sent off, so no award for him. Instead, I will award it to the industrious Wayne Rooney. He broke the deadlock after United dominated the early stages and as usual, he ran himself into the ground. He also teed up Berbatov perfectly for a third United goal late on but the Bulgarian wasted it.

Match Preview

New Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink faces a baptism of fire when he takes flagging Chelsea to Aston Villa, the team which top the Premiership form table with 16 points from the last 18 available.  Villa are unbeaten at home in nine matches and have not lost to Chelsea in the league since 1999, chalking up three wins and six draws.

Martin O’Neill’s side are unbeaten in 13 Premiership matches, second only to Liverpool on 14, while Chelsea have lost two of their last 10. Both sides may have one eye on next week’s European fixtures, with Villa taking a 1-1 first leg draw with CSKA Moscow to Russia, while Chelsea tackle Juventus in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge.

Villa could be without both Emile Heskey and James Milner who are struggling for fitness. Heskey aggravated an achilles problem while on England duty and Milner has a problem with his thigh. Chelsea are suffering a defensive crisis, with Alex and Ricardo Carvalho doubtful for the match and Ashley Cole serving a ban. England prospect Michael Mancienne could come in to partner John Terry at the heart of Chelsea’s back four or Hiddink could opt for Branislav Ivanovic.

Line Ups

Aston Villa: Friedel, Cuellar, Davies, Knight, Luke Young, Milner, Petrov, Barry, Ashley Young, Heskey, Agbonlahor.
Subs: Guzan, Sidwell, Carew, Delfouneso, Salifou, Shorey, Gardner.

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, Ferreira, Mikel, Ballack, Lampard, Kalou, Anelka, Drogba.
Subs: Hilario, Ivanovic, Quaresma, Deco, Belletti, Mancienne, Stoch.

Goals

Chelsea: Anelka (19′)

Live Blog

90+1′ Deco toys with Knight on the left touchline and cuts the ball back to the awaiting Ballack. The German strikes it first time and sends a stinging effort straight for the top corner which Friedel tips over the crossbar. When Chelsea do things like this they are unbeatable, but most of the time they don’t bother.

90′ Four minutes of stoppage time are added. Belletti comes on to replace Drogba for the last few minites.

89′ Terry bodychecks Agbonlahor and gives away a needless free kick, for which he is booked. Barry curls it in towards the far post and it looked as though Carew may get on the end of it. He didn’t and the chance is gone.

85′ Chelsea’s timewasting continues and at last Mark Halsey sees sense and books Bosingwa who thought it right to take a nap before delivering his throw in. Ironic cheers echo around the ground.

84′ Bosingwa plays a one-two with Drogba on the edge of the Villa box and attempts to sidefoot an effort past Friedel from a tight angle. It’s a comfortable save for the big American who parries it away.

81′ Carew makes his first contribution since coming on. Unfortunately his header from a corner is weak and goes miserably wide.

80′ Boos ring out around Villa Park as Chelsea look to waste as much time as possible. They eventually take a throw in and work the ball to Deco. The Portuguese snaps at a shot from the edge of the area and screws it well wide.

78′ At last, some action. Ferreira brings down Agbonlahor who is just too quick for him. Barry curls in the free kick towards the far post but no Villa players bother to challenge for it, allowing Cech to calmly pluck the ball out of the air.

75′ The introduction of Carew hasn’t helped Villa’s cause yet. In fact, nothing is happening. Chelsea look comfortable while Villa look resigned to defeat. Come on! Make some effort, there are still 15 minutes left yet!

70′ O’Neill makes an attacking substitution by bringing on midweek goal scorer John Carew for defender Curtis Davies. Cue lots of long balls up to him and fellow work horse Heskey.

68′ Just as the match was getting very scrappy, Villa get a great chance to equalise. Agbonlahor nodded the ball down to Barry who found himself in acres of space just outside the box. He welts an effort towards goal which forces a diving save from Cech.

63′ Chelsea break quickly and a headed clearance finds Lampard lurking on the edge of the box. His effort is blocked and is deflected behind for a corner.

60′ Ashley Young races down the left and sends a cross towards the near post. Cech catches it with ease and neither Heskey nor Agbonlahor were anywhere near to challenge for the ball. The match has gone off the boil a little.

55′ The much-maligned Deco comes on to replace a largely ineffective Kalou.

53′ Agbonlahor is giving Alex a torrid time down the left. He brushes aside the Brazilian defender and bares down on goal. He attempts to curl the ball in but Cech parries it away brilliantly for a corner. Milner looks to half volley in from six yards but desperate Chelsea defending block the effort behind for another corner.

52′ Carlos Cuellar is the first player to be booked following a late tackle on Anelka.

49′ Terry sees another good headed effort saved off the line. A Chelsea corner is met perfectly from a standing position by Terry and the ball looked to be heading straight for the top corner with Friedel well beaten, until Petrov headed the ball off the line.

48′ Agbonlahor easily beats Alex for pace but he gets his cross all wrong. It’s a shame because Heskey was waiting in the box for some decent service.

46′ Chelsea get the second half underway. No changes have been made to either side.

Half Time. Chelsea looked as though they could run away with it after some sublime play by Lampard and Drogba resulted in the opening goal. However, full credit to Villa who managed to weather the storm and had some very good chances of their own in the latter stages of the half and came very close to levelling the score. Chelsea deserve their lead at the break but Villa are not out of this by a long shot.

45+1′ Chelsea work the ball down the right with Drogba and Lampard. Drogba delivers a good ball into the box which Ballack is close to making contact with a stooping header.

41′ It’s the home side who are finishing the first half strongly. Alex pulls Ashley Young’s shirt and gives away a free kick which Young delivers brilliantly into the box. Davies is inches away from getting his head on it and again Chelsea survive.

38′ Villa get another good chance and again Ashley Young is involved. The flying winger sends in a dangerous cross towards Agbonlahor who almost gets on the end of it. Chelsea’s defence were nowhere in sight but the ball disappointingly bounces out for a goal kick.

33′ Heskey goes down very easily from a non-challenge by Alex just in front of the D. Ashley Young curls an effort towards the top corner and he is very unfortunate to see it clatter off the underside of the crossbar. Peter Cech was well beaten and Villa could have easily been back on level terms.

31′ Another super chance for Chelsea who are having it all their own way. Lampard swings in a corner and Terry is given license for a free header at goal from six yards out. Friedel reaches out a hand to palm the ball behind for another corner.

28′ Chelsea should be 2-0 up. Drogba breaks free of Cullear and he heads for the byline. He doesn’t see either Lampard or Anelka who are both free in the middle and with Friedel left with no option but to try and close the striker down, a simple cutback would have given either of them an open goal. However, he passes it straight to Knight and the ball bobbles up into Friedel’s grateful arms. Lampard is visibly annoyed with the chance that was wasted.

26′ Lampard again finds himself in acres of space. He attempts a one-two with Drogba on the edge of the Villa box but it comes to nothing. Villa are unsurprisingly able to break quickly on the counter attack, such is the pace in their team but Chelsea are marshalling them well in defence.

24′ Mikel gets away with a warning for a “striker’s challenge” on Heskey on the touchline. Petrov swipes hopefully at the ball just inside the Chelsea box but it’s well wide.

19′ Goal! Aston Villa 0 Chelsea 1. Absolutely stunning by Chelsea. Frank Lampard showed magnetic ball control and left Davies and Petrov for dead before playing Nicolas Anelka into the penalty box. The striker wasted no time and dinked the ball over the advancing Friedel to break the deadlock. The finish wasn’t half bad, but what about the set up by Lampard? Wonderful stuff by Chelsea who are well worth the lead.

14′ Lampard thunders a free kick straight into the wall but Chelsea manage to work the ball into the box. Kalou goes and spoils a half decent move by clambering all over Davies and giving away a free kick.

12′ It’s the away side doing all the pressing. Kalou slipped the ball through to Anelka on the left but the Frenchman could not deliver an accurate cross into the box. Villa are not looking very assured at the back.

9′ Chelsea are being given free reign at Villa Park. Nobody closes down Lampard who is allowed to advance and he sees a long range effort go just over the bar. Friedel looked to have it covered, though.

8′ Villa are making a meal of seemingly harmless situations. A long ball was not dealt with and Knight had to launch the ball over the bar from 25 yards out with Kalou lurking.

3′ Chances at both ends. Drogba fires a tame shot at Friedel from inside the box and moments later Cech spills a cross in the six yard box which Agbonlahor tees up for Heskey only for him to send the ball into Row Z.

1′ It’s Villa who kick off. A victory here could end Chelsea’s interest in the Premiership and establish Martin O’Neill’s side as genuine title contenders. Exciting times indeed at Villa Park.

0′ We’re just a few minutes away from one of the Premiership-defining games of the season. New Chelsea boss Hiddink looks to buck the trend by partnering Anelka and Drogba in attack for only the second time this season. Surely it didn’t take a drastic change of manager to decide to play the best two strikers at the club up front together?

Reaction

An excellent result for Guus Hiddink on his first game in charge. Chelsea went to a very good Aston Villa side and ended their recent unbeaten home run. The Blues dominated the match for large parts of the game and were unlucky not to score more than one goal. The goal which settled the match was magnificent, with creator Lampard showing just why is one of the best midfielders in the Premiership, if not the world. Villa were unlucky not to equalise through Ashley Young’s free kick, but overall Martin O’Neill’s side lacked the cutting edge which was required in such an important match. The result sees Chelsea leapfrog their opponents into third place and perhaps ends Villa’s fading hopes of winning the Premiership this season.

Man of the Match

While Nicolas Anelka got the winner, the goal was all about Frank Lampard. After dominating the midfield, he showed great skill to shift the ball from one foot to the other and take Davies and Petrov out of the game. The ball played into Anelka was inch-perfect and the finish sublime. Lampard was a threat from set-pieces all afternoon and he delivered two excellent corners to John Terry in the box, with the defender unlucky not to score from either of them. Lampard could have also got on the scoresheet himself, if Drogba had spotted him unmarked in the box during the first half and he would have had an open goal to aim for.

Match Preview

To say this is a David vs Goliath encounter would be an understatement. Forfar are third-from-bottom in the basement division of the Scottish Football League. They have won twice at home this season and have lost their last two in the league, away at East Stirling and Albion Rovers.

The Scottish FA Cup has been kind to them though. They did not enter until the third round and defeated Stranraer 2-0. The fourth round paired them with Forres Mechanics, whom they brushed aside by an emphatic 6-1 scoreline. Manager Dick Campbell does not hold out much hope against the Gers, stating simply: “I will be looking for them to go out there and give it their best shot”.

Rangers drew 0-0 with Celtic on the weekend and they find themselves two points behind their local rivals in second place in the SPL. Walter Smith’s side are undefeated in their last seven league and cup matches and go into the match as heavy bookmaker favourites. Rangers saw off first division side St. Johnstone 2-0 in the previous round.

Defender Kirk Broadfoot will miss out after injuring his foot in Sunday’s Old Firm clash but Kyle Lafferty is expected to recover from a calf problem. Striker Kris Boyd, with 23 goals to his name this season, could feature after not featuring on the weekend.

Line Ups

Forfar: Brown, McNally, Tod, Tulloch, Elliot Smith, Gordon, Brady, Winter, Graham Gibson, Campbell, Lilley.
Subs: John Gibson, Donachie, Sean Kilgannon, Fotheringham, McGuigan.

Rangers: McGregor, Whittaker, Papac, Weir, Bougherra, Edu, Beasley, McCulloch, Naismith, Miller, Boyd.
Subs: Alexander, Dailly, Lafferty, Niguez, Davis.

Goals

Rangers: Papac (9′), Miller (54′), Niguez (84′), Miller (90′)

Live Blog

90+1′ Lafferty almost adds his own name to the scoresheet with a stinging effort from inside the box. The referee spares Forfar further humiliation and blows for full time.

90′ Goal! Forfar 0 Rangers 4. A corner finds its way to Davis on the edge of the box. He crosses it in to Lafferty at the far post, who heads it across the face of goal to Kenny Miller, who gobbles up the easy task of nodding the ball home from a couple of yards out. Easy.

89′ Substitute McGuigan is booked for a lunge on Naismith.

84′ Goal! Forfar 0 Rangers 3. Lafferty plays a through ball from the halfway line which is completely missed by by the tiring Forfar defence. Aaron Niguez makes no mistake this time and curls in an effort from the edge of the area to mark his first Rangers goal. He takes his shirt off to celebrate and is duly booked.

81′ A quick Rangers break ends with Miller latching into a through ball and attempting a first time lob from the edge of the box after it comes back to him off a defender. He gets it all wrong, it has neither the height or pace to beat Brown who plucks the ball out of the air with ease.

80′ Lee McCulloch hobbles off for Rangers and Steven Davis comes on in his place.

79′ Rangers are camped in Forfar’s half now. Bougherra crosses into the box and Naismith glances the ball inches wide. Fitness levels are taking their toll on Forfar and even if the Gers don’t add to the scoreline, it doesn’t look like the home side can offer anything in attack.

76′ Papac crosses into the far post but Naismith’s effort from close range is blocked behind for a corner, which comes to nothing.

74′ Martyn Fotheringham replaces Craig Winter and Mark McGuigan comes on for Darren Brady as Forfar ring the changes.

73′ Good news for Beasley who is shown walking up and down the touchline. It really was a shocking challenge and the consequences could have been a lot worse.

72′ That’s the end of Beasley’s contribution this evening. He is replaced by 19-year-old Spaniard Aaron Niguez for only his second appearance for Rangers.

70′ Red Card! Elliot Smith is shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on DaMarcus Beasley, studs up straight into the player’s shin.

68′ Lafferty is looking lively since coming on. He timed a run perfectly to beat the offside trap but Brown came out to meet him on the edge of the box. Seconds later the former Burnley striker sidefooted a ball into the danger area but Forfar, defending deeply, hammered it away to safety.

67′ Rangers are in total control of the match but have taken their foot off the pedal. Whittaker whips a ball into the box but it’s well cleared.

65′ Boyd isn’t going to get his goal today as he is replaced by Kyle Lafferty. Or he would be, if he trudged off the field at anything faster than a snail’s pace.

63′ Play stops briefly after replays show Miller flattens Tulloch with a trailing arm when both players chase after the same ball. He gets away with it.

60′ Forfar, who are showing no signs of tiring just yet, try and force the issue around the Rangers penalty box but Weir and Bougherra are equal to it.

58′ Goal scorer Papac goes into the book for a reckless diving tackle on Kevin Gordon.

54′ Goal! Forfar 0 Rangers 2. Beasley plays a ball into the box which is cleared poorly by McNally straight into the path of Kenny Miller. He is allowed far too much time on the ball to set himself up and fire in a dipping shot past the despairing Brown. The second goal has been coming and now the floodgates could open for the Gers.

51′ Boyd is in the thick of the action again when he beats the labouring Tod for pace and attempts to go around the keeper. Brown is having none of it and toe pokes the ball behind for a corner.

50′ Boyd provides a clinical finish from Beasley’s ball into the box but the former Kilmarnock man has the goal ruled out for offside.

49′ McNally, one of the few players in the Forfar team with SPL experience, thunders a free kick well over from 20 yards. The home side have started the first half quite well, in that they haven’t conceded a second goal.

46′ Rangers get the second half underway and should be heartened by the fact Forfar have conceded a whopping 55 goals in their last 12 games. I don’t fancy Forfar’s chances – Rangers have kept six clean sheets in their last eight matches.

Half Time. Rangers have been comfortable apart for a couple of chances for the home side. Forfar’s fitness could come into question during the latter stages of the game as this is just the fourth time they have played since Christmas. The first half has been frenetic, with Brown pulling off some fantastic saves to keep his side in the game, but if Rangers keep up the pace, they could score a hatful in the second half.

43′ Another great chance for Rangers goes begging. A cross from Beasley is blocked as far as Papac who sends the ball in back across the face of goal. Miller leaves it for Boyd who volleys it wide of the far post. Forfar should be dead and buried by now but are still in it at only one goal down.

42′ Brady goes into the referee’s book for hacking at Lee McCulloch.

40′ Another great chance for Rangers goes begging. Boyd outjumps Tod at the far post and heads the ball across to Miller who tries an audacious overhead kick. He connects with the ball crisply enough but it’s straight at Brown who parries it away. The ball drops to Beasley who slips before he is able to take a swipe at it and the chance is gone.

38′ Derek Lilley blasts a shot over the bar and the commentator reveals the shot-shy former Leeds striker is without a goal since November. Some things never change.

36′ Another chance for Forfar. Tulloch sees a header from a corner blocked and Tod thunders in the rebound but is blocked out by three Rangers defenders. Tod has another effort from the resulting corner, but his half-volley goes wide of the far post.

33′ The replay showed McGregor had a kick out at Tod and is lucky to still be on the field. A more alert referee would have shown him a straight red for such an act.

32′ Some shenanigans in the Rangers box when the gereatric Todd nudged goalkeeper McGregor, preventing him from releasing the ball quickly as the defender would not have a hope in hell of getting back in time. The referee felt some degree of sympathy for the former Dunfermline man and opted not to show him a card.

30′ Should have been 2-0 to Rangers. Miller switched the ball from right to left quickly, with Beasley bearing down on goal. If anything, Beasley had too much time and instead of picking a corner he hammered the ball straight at Brown.

29′ Half chance for Forfar as Campbell finds himself in the box. Old stager Weir nicks the ball off his feet and clears the ball to safety.

26′ Tulloch is the first player to be booked after tugging Beasley to the ground during a quick Rangers break. The USA international was too fast and you feel more bookings will be given in this manner as the match wears on.

24′ Some of the floodlights have failed at Station Park. Hopefully there is enough money in the meter to enable the match to play to its conclusion. I’ll be really annoyed if I get so far blogging about it and then have to quit halfway through because the lights have gone out.

23′ Campbell tries a speculative effort for the home side but it’s well wide. At least it gives his poor defenders a breather for a few moments. They have been run ragged this half.

20′ Miller sees a shot blocked and seconds later Whittaker has a go from the edge of the box. The ball swerves as it heads towards goal but Brown is equal to the danger and stops the ball dead. If it had been travelling a bit faster it could have easily squirmed in through his legs.

18′ Some good possession play by Rangers finishes with Whittaker sending a dangerous ball into the area. Boyd heads it towards goal from a standing position but it’s straight at goalkeeper Brown.

13′ A miss hit clearance is played in towards Miller by Beasley, who tries an outside-of-the-foot effort a few yards from goal, but gets it all wrong and screws it wide. Unsurprisingly it’s been all Rangers so far and the Forfar players are already wondering when the half-time whistle will be blown.

11′ Papac closes the ball down and plays the ball into the area. Forfar deal with it half-heartedly and Naismith has a go from just inside the area. It’s blocked, but Forfar are in danger of conceding another one.

9′ Goal! Forfar 0 Rangers 1. That didn’t take long did it? Beasley and Miller combine on the edge of the box with the latter slipping the ball through to Sasa Papac who advanced into the penalty box. He was completely unmarked and allowed to slot the ball home coolly and settle any nerves the Gers may have had.

5′ Papac is caught ball watching and Kevin Gordon beats him to it in the air. McGregor came a long way out of his goal to punch it clear and a little bit of luck for the Forfar player could have seen the ball headed into an empty net.

3′ Edu and Whittaker combine in the first real attack for Rangers and get a corner. Beasley’s corner is cleared but it drops to Whittaker 20 yards out. He has time to line up a volley but it goes just wide of the post.

1′ Forfar get us started and they will be hoping to pull off one of the great Cup upsets of all time. Or perhaps they’ll make do with not getting completely humilated.

0′ Rangers are not messing about tonight. Assistant manager Ally McCoist, who picks the side  for the Cup games, starts with Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller up front. Those two can tear apart most defences in the SPL, let alone one struggling in the third division. The last time these met in the Cup was in 2002 and Rangers thrashed Forfar 6-0. Hopefully there will be some goals to write about tonight!

0′ I can’t pretend I’m a particular fan of Scottish football and would struggle to name a starting line-up for Rangers, let alone Forfar. The third divison side includes your usual gaggle of postmen, lorry drivers and gas engineers, but sharp-eyed fans may also spot a couple of familiar names. Stalwart defender Andy Tod played over 200 games for Dunfermline and had spells in England with Stockport and Bradford. Up front is Derek Lilley, who had an unproductive spell at Leeds in the late 1990s following a £500,000 switch from Morton. He is now a sales rep.

Reaction

The result was never in question but Forfar remained in the game for a long time, so they have nothing to feel ashamed about. The sending off marred the game and a combination of being a player down and having played just a few matches since Christmas was always going to allow Rangers to add to their tally. The SPL side put four past their third division opponents, but it should have been a lot more. Walter Smith’s team didn’t get out of second gear for much of the game and looked to do just enough to seal their place in the quarter finals.

Man of the Match

If it wasn’t for goalkeeper Ally Brown, then Forfar would have been on the end of a real hammering. I know I said before I couldn’t award Man of the Match to a player who conceded four goals, but the third division goalkeeper was in inspired form throughout the match against a much higher calibre of opponent than he would usually face. Aaron Niguez looked excellent following his introduction and Rangers looked far more dangerous with him on the pitch and of course Miller showed his quality with two goals. However, it is Brown who deserves the accolade for pulling off a string of reaction saves and staying sharp until the end while his team-mates flagged and left him to it.

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

AC Milan held the bragging rights after surprising Serie A champions and city rivals Inter with a 1-0 victory earlier in the season. However, it is Inter who lead the table by six clear points, while Milan are playing catch-up in third.

Inter are unbeaten at home this season but the “Special One” Jose Mourinho has struggled against counterpart Carlo Ancelotti. The duo have faced eachother five times, in three friendlies, one European Supercup and one Serie A game and it is Ancelotti who boasts the superior record of three victories and one loss.

David Beckham is expected to play for Milan, but Kaka is ruled out with a foot injury. The match will also be the 56th and final Milan derby for veteran Paolo Maldini. The Milan legend, at 40 years old, is finally calling it a day at the end of the season and a sold-out Giuseppe Meazza stadium will be a fitting end to one of the true legends in the game.

Line Ups

Inter: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Samuel, Chivu, Santon, Zanetti, Cambiasso, Muntari, Stankovic, Ibrahimovic, Adriano.
Subs: Toldo, Cordoba, Maxwell, Figo, Cruz, Vieira, Burdisso.

AC Milan: Abbiati, Zambrotta, Maldini, Kaladze, Jankulovski, Beckham, Pirlo, Ambrosini; Seedorf, Ronaldinho, Pato.
Subs: Dida, Emerson, Inzaghi, Favalli, Senderos, Antonini, Flamini.

Goals

Inter: Adriano (29′), Stankovic (43′)

Milan: Pato (71′)

Live Blog

90+3′ Milan desperately try to get the ball forward but their attack comes to an end when the referee blows for a foul on Samuel by Ambrosini.

90+2′ Chivu is booked for some shameless timewasting. He eventually humps the ball upfield but any threat posed by Ibrahimovic and Maicon is snuffed out.

90′ Inzaghi squanders a glorious chance to equalise. He’s sent into the box from a Pato flick and remains onside for once. However, his low shot is well blocked by Julio Cesar who may well have just ensured Inter take all three points from this game.

89′ Milan are giving it one final push. Seedorf blasts one from the edge of the box but it’s defelcted behind for a corner following some neat footwork by Pato.

88′ Vieria, barely on for 10 minutes and sweating profusely, is booked for a foul on Pirlo. Maxwell replaces Muntari for Inter. It’s Mourinho’s final substitution so there will be no cameo for Figo.

86′ Maicon sends in a cross from the right hand side which heads towards goal but Abbiati is wise to it and tips it behind for a corner.

84′ Stankovic is replaced by Argentinian centre back Nicolas Burdisso whose first involvement in the game is to get himself booked.

82′ Inzaghi is flagged for offside again as he heads a Zambrotta cross inches over the bar. He looks Milan’s best bet for an equaliser, as long as he can avoid the linesman’s flag.

80′ Adriano has had enough for one game is replaced by veteran midfield enforcer Patrick Vieria.

79′ Julio Cesar needs to be alert to a sharp effort from Pato but the whistle should have gone for a penalty. Inzaghi was bear hugged to the ground by Chivu but the referee saw otherwise.

78′ Inzaghi crashes in a spectacular volley and peels away to celebrate. However, the whistle had already gone for offside and the game was denied another goal of high quality.

76′ The out-of-sorts Kaladze is replaced by a player you’d love to come on when your already-shaky defence has shipped two goals. Yes, it’s Phillipe Senderos.

75′ This is frenetic stuff from a bunch of 30 and 40-somethings. Ronaldinho does one of his famous step-overs to make Samuel look foolish and plays the ball into the path of goal scorer Pato. The ball is cut out before it reaches him and is cleared away.

73′ Adriano finds someone slower than him in Maldini and beats him for pace. He charges towards goal with the veteran left back in hot pursuit but his effort from a tight angle is beat away expertly by Abbiati.

71′ Goal! Inter 2 Milan 1. Despite being out of the game for long periods Milan are right back in it. Ronaldinho plays in Jankulovski down the left who pulls the ball back across the face of goal for Alexandre Pato to sidefoot in his 13th goal of the season. Game on!

69′ Pato and Seedorf combine to carve through the resolute Inter defence. Seedorf is perhaps guilty of wanting one touch too many and Chivu rushes in to clear the ball behind for a corner. Inter break quickly and a faster player than Adriano may have found themselves one-on-one with the keeper. Abbiati is quick to come out of his area and clear the danger. Cambiasso is booked for hacking at Pirlo.

67′ The marauding Maicon decides to take on a shot himself after a good run but blazes high and wide from the edge of the area. He rushes to get back but needn’t bother. He could walk and back into position faster than his labouring Milan counterparts.

62′ The chances are coming in number for Inter, who are intent on wasting every single one of them. Ibrahimovic threads in a delightful ball to Muntari, who thunders it over the bar under a challenge from Kaladze.

61′ Adriano slips the ball through to Ibrahimovic who strikes it first time towards the top corner. Abbiati is equal to it and turns it behind for a corner. The resulting corner finds Adriano who attempts a spectacular mid-air volley but unfortunately it goes wide.

57′ David Beckham is replaced by the greying Filipo Inzaghi due to a hamstring injury. He may be another Milan player pushing 40, but it’s goals they need and he can certainly provide them.

56′ Maicon is crudely bodychecked by Ambrosini on the edge of the box but successfully pleads with the referee not to send him off, after he had been booked in the first half. Ibrahimovic thunders the free kick straight into the wall and then over the bar from the rebound.

55′ Milan have a great case for a penalty when Ambrosini breaks into the box and is definitely felled by Stankovic, but nothing is given.

54′ Dead ball specialist Pirlo strikes a free kick from distance but it arcs wide and goes behind for a goal kick. Milan are getting back into the game but need to get a goal quickly.

52′ Ronaldinho sends a good ball into the far post but Seedorf can only poorly redirect it across the face of goal rather than get an effort on target. Pato and Zambrotta try to get the ball back into the box but their efforts are dealt with comfortably.

48′ Kaladze makes another dreadful error on the right when he misses a long ball, allowing Ibrahimovic to latch onto it and send the ball across the face of goal. Adriano isn’t fit enough to reach it and it rolls out for a goal kick. Adriano is clearly frustrated by the overhit pass, or perhaps it’s his lack of pace? Damn those hamburgers!

47′ Adriano had the chance to end Milan’s interest in this game when he skipped past a feeble challenge from Kaladze but blasted wide from the edge of the box. It was a dreadful miss with the whole of the goal to aim at and it should be game over for Milan.

46′ Walter Samuel finds himself instantly acquainted with the referee’s notebook after a crude challenge on Pato.

Half Time. Milan are going to have to perform infinitely better if they are to overturn their City rivals and end the remarkable home record which Joe Mourinho smugly discussed before kick off. While the first goal was farcical, the second was sublime. Everything about it was sheer beauty. A perfectly clipped in ball to Ibrahimovic, glanced perfectly into the path of Stankovic who smashed it in with real venom. I don’t care if nothing happens in the second half, I don’t think I’ll see a better goal than that again tonight.

45′ Milan are getting frustrated by their own ineffectiveness. Ambrosini gets booked for a challenge on Maicon and does the same on Adriano merely seconds later. He is lucky to still be on the pitch.

43′ Goal! Inter 2 Milan 0. Inter turn the screw just before half time. Dejan Stankovic dispells the myth he’s a labouring oaf with a well-timed run from an Ibrahimovic flick-on from a free kick and thunders it in, first-time, from 12 yards out. It was an excellent strike which left Abbiati in the Milan goal with no chance.

40′ Ambrosini provides a comedic moment when chasing after an aimless long ball. He fails to stop in time and goes A over T into the advertising hoarding. It’s the stuff You’ve Been Framed thrives on, so get that recording in and earn yourself £500.

37′ Inter break quickly but the lumbering Adriano is slow enough to allow the geriatric Maldini to put in a sliding tackle and end any danger there was.

35′ Ronaldinho picks out Pato who in turn sends it forward to Seedorf. The Dutch international rides one challenge before firing in a low shot which is blocked desperately by Chivu.

29′ Goal! Inter 1 Milan 0 Big boned striker Adriano guides the ball into the back of the net with his arm after he shook off the challenge of Maldini following Maicon’s sweeping cross. How on earth did none of the officials see it? Shocking.

26′ Ronaldinho looks really up for this now and pings one out to Pato on the wing. He cuts inside but the attack fizzles out to nothing.

20′ Ronaldinho bends a cross into the box towards Pato. The Brazilian couldn’t get on the end of it but the ball bounced all over the place and Julio Cesar had to claw it away in the Inter goal.

18′ An unmarked Stankovic ponders on the ball like an 80-year-old rather than hammering the ball from six yards out. His indecision allows Ambrosini, himself no spring chicken, the time to come sliding in from behind to clear the ball behind for a corner.

16′ Penalty shout for Inter when Maicon’s cross looked to be blocked by a hand on the edge of the box but the referee is having none of it.

10′ Walter Samuel misses a corner in front of Abbiati by mere inches, allowing the keeper to punch it clear. It falls to Muntari at the edge of the area who thumps it into orbit.

5′ Muntari fouls Beckham and there is a little bit of afters. The referee decides not to produce any cards. Milan continue down the right but Beckham’s cross is easily cleared.

3′ “Maicon is like a two for the price of one player” chirps the Beeb’s Jon Stevenson, who can’t believe his luck that he’s doing some live commentary. “You get a full back, a winger and a goal scoring centre forward all in one”. So that would be three for the price of one then?

1′ Inter have the first chance of the game before a minute is recorded on the clock. Cambiasso sends a free kick into the Milan box and it is met by the head of the unmarked Ibrahimovic but it’s directed over the bar. It was a great chance and wasted by one of the world’s deadliest strikers.

1′ Milan get the 270th Milan derby underway. It’s an incredible achievement for Paolo Maldini who has featured in almost one fifth of them.

0′ Juventus could only draw with Sampdoria earlier on, a result which means AC Milan would leapfrog them into second if they beat Inter tonight. However, if Inter win, they will go nine points clear of Juve and a whopping 11 ahead of city rivals Milan.

0′ Any punters reading this blog had better get their money down on Inter, but cover the draw for safety, Incredibly, Jose Mourinho has not lost a home match for 109 games. The last time he lost at home was when he was a first-year wetback at Porto and the record continued during his time at Chelsea and now at Inter. Utterly incredible. What odds on a record-ending 1-0 win for AC Milan then?

0′ This is the first (and possibly last) live blog from Serie A. I can’t say I’m a particular fan of Italian football and cannot remember the last time I watched an entire match from start to finish. What’s the point when you already know the score is going to finish 0-0?

Reaction

A fantastic advert for Italian football. Inter should have been home and dry after going 2-0 up but they allowed Milan back into the game through Pato. Some frenetic defending by the home side and Inzaghi’s habit of straying offside ensured Jose Mourinho beat Carlo Ancelotti for the first time. Breathtaking stuff from start to finish and hopefully more matches will be broadcast by the BBC, who did a decent enough job after some early sound synchronising issues. Serie A looks to be Inter’s to lose as the victory sees them edge nine points clear of second-placed Juventus and of course, Mourinho has now taken charge of 110 home matches without defeat.

Man of the Match

Some excellent performances from Inter, but I’m going to award it to Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He’s not a player who huffs and puffs, but his contributions were sublime this evening. His flick on to Stankovic for the second goal was perfect and he was at the heart of all Inter’s attacks this evening. Honourable mention should also go to Milan striker Pato, who did not deserve to finish on the losing side. It was a shamce Paolo Maldini also finished a loser on his final derby game. However, he even got a standing ovation from the Inter fans as he left the field and that doesn’t happen very often.

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.