Capital One Cup: Quarter Finals

The fourth round of the Capital One Cup saw some of the best League Cup games in its existence. The eight games saw a total of 37 goals scored in some enthralling encounters.

The stand out game of the round saw Arsenal make a remarkable comeback away at Reading in front of the Sky cameras winning 7-5. It all looked rosy for the home side after 35 minutes, as Brian McDermott's men lead 4-0 through Jason Roberts, Noel Hunt, Mikele Leigertwood and a Laurent Koscielny own goal. Despite an awful first half display Arsenal went in at the break with one goal to their name and a slither of hope as Theo Walcott chipped home after through on goal.

picture: ozsportsreviews.com

The second half of the game started as the first half finished. Arsene Wenger brought on Olivier Giroud who made an immediate impact to head home a Walcott cross and to make the scoreline 4-2. As the half came to a close, it looked like Reading had withstood the Arsenal comeback but in the 89th minute Koscielny made amends for his own goal as he headed home another fine Walcott corner. It was the winger though that completed a remarkable game as his 95th minute shot crept over the line despite the efforts of Nicky Shorey to stop the strike.

The equaliser took the game to extra time, and the 30 minutes did not disappoint as the Gunners went ahead for the first time in the game as Marouane Chamakh drilled home from outside the box. Chamakh's goal had looked like it was to be the vital goal to take Arsenal through but Reading had other ideas. As extra time neared the end, Pavel Pogrebnyak popped up to head home their fifth from a Chris Gunter cross. The game looked set for penalties but it was Walcott again who blasted home from six yards after Andrey Arshavin's cross was blocked to complete his hat trick. Chamakh lobbed home in the dying moments to end a remarkable game and one that will be remembered for a long time.

The drama on Tuesday night continued on Wednesday as Chelsea faced Manchester United at Stamford Bridge for the second time in four days. Like Arsenal, this game was in front of the Sky cameras and didn't disappoint either as Chelsea won 5-4 after extra time. Goals from David Luiz, Daniel Sturridge, Eden Hazard, Ramires and Gary Cahill were enough to overcome a reletively inexperienced United side whose goals came from the boots of Giggs (2), Hernandez and Nani.

picture: theguardian.co.uk

The cup wasn't completely dominated this week by the goal fests but with a shocks too as both Wigan and Sunderland were beaten by lower league opposition. Sunderland fell down to Championship side Middlesbrough 1-0 at the Stadium of Light as Scott McDonald's goal was enough for them to win the Wear-Tees derby. Wigan were embarrassed at home as League Two Bradford City beat them 4-2 on penalties to take them to the quarter finals. Both Liverpool and Spurs were eliminated from the competition as Brendan Rogers side were beaten by his former side Swansea 3-1. Spurs were beaten 2-1 away at Norwich with Spurs' Clint Dempsey missing a penalty in the dying moments of the game to end their involvement in the competition.

The quarter finals saw the 'bigger' teams avoid each other and will see Chelsea travel to Leeds who have already deposited of Everton and Southampton in the competition so far. Bradford's reward is a home tie to Arsenal while Middlesbrough face an away trip to Swansea. In the final tie of the quarter finals, Paul Lambert will face his former side as his Villa team will travel to Norwich City.

All games will be played the week commencing the 10th December whilst Chelsea's game at Leeds will be played on 19th December due to their commitment to the Club World Cup which they will play in after their Champions League success.

Quarter Final ties:

Bradford v Arsenal
Leeds United v Chelsea
Swansea v Middlesbrough
Norwich City v Aston Villa

England: Euro 2012 review

So just like in previous major tournaments, England once again fell at the quarter final stage on penalties. Despite there being such little expectation before the tournament, every England fan wanted and hoped that they would break the 'hoodoo' of the quarter finals and progress to a semi for the first time since Euro 96. Unfortunately for them, Italy ended England's campaign and sent them home wondering what would have been.

However looking back at England's tournament, there is plenty to take to be positive about. Firstly the group that we progressed from was never as easy as anyone would it out to be. Going into the tournament, France were on a 21 game unbeaten run and looked a real force in their pre tournament friendlies. With the likes of Frank Ribery, Karim Benzema and Samir Nasri all playing to their best, it looked unlikely that England would finish above them.

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With Sweden and Ukraine also in the group, England were facing two teams they had struggled to beat in previous encounters. Despite beating them in a friendly in November, England had never beaten Sweden in a competitive game having drawn their last encounter with them in World Cup 2006. The last time England faced Ukraine was in the qualifying group for the World Cup two years ago. Having beaten them narrowly at Wembley 2-1, England's last group game was away in Ukraine and were beaten 1-0 thanks to a goal from Sergiy Nazarenko.

Having only been appointed months before the tournament, Roy Hodgson had very little time to select and prepare a squad to take to the Championships. Despite the limited time, Hodgson gathered a squad full of youth and experience. Dropping Rio Ferdinand out of the squad, caused a massive uproar with both the media and the fans and threw questions into whether Hodgson was right in doing it. The selection of Alex Oxlade Chamberlain though was one that was praised and welcomed by many. Hodgson was not helped with his preparation with the timing of injuries to certain players. Both Gareth Barry and Frank Lampard were ruled out of the tournament before a ball was kicked, while central defender Gary Cahill joined them after suffering a jaw injury during the friendly with Belgium.

Having lost such experience in the centre of midfield, Jordan Henderson and Phil Jagielka were brought in as replacements, questioning whether England's midfield was good enough to cope with their opponents further on in the tournament. With both Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker ageing and injury prone, the lack of experience as back up was something  that caused serious concern.

picture: mirror.co.uk

Having won both their pre tournament friendlies 1-0 against Norway and Belgium, England went into their tournament with no pressure and nothing to lose. The opening game against France ended a 1-1 draw and meant a good start to their campaign. England's second game ended in a 3-2 win over Sweden and by far their best performance under Hodgson. Having gone behind early on in the second half, Hodgson's substitutions gave England more of an attacking threat and resulted in the two goals that won them the game. Needing only a point from their last game to qualify, England battled hard to a 1-0 win thanks to a Rooney header. Despite winning the game, England struggled to create other chances and were penned in their half for much of the game.

The inability to hold onto possession for lengths of the game and the lack of chances created was something that needed to improve if they were to make any progress in the competition. Having topped their group, England faced the task of Italy in their quarter final avoiding the much fancied Spain. At this point expectation back home was a lot higher and a place in the semi finals was a realistic possibility. However this possibility quickly disappeared as England lacked a serious attacking threat throughout much of the game leaving Italy to dominate with Andrea Pirlo dominating the midfield. Having just about got away with similar performaces in the group games, England battled through 120 minutes of the game before falling to the lottery of a penalty shootout. It was fair on Italy who deserved to go through, but for England, the lack of chances and the inability to keep the ball in the game ended their hopes of progressing to the semis.

Despite all this, the progress England made under Hodgson in a short period of time, is something to be proud of. The spirit within the camp was a lot better than in previous tournaments and the inclusion of some promising youngsters in the squad is one step in building a team for the future. Though if England are to compete and cope with the likes of Spain, Germany and Netherlands, then there is a lot of hard work to be done if we are to see an England captain lifting either a World Cup or a European Championship in the near future. 

Euro 2012 result: England 0-0 Italy AET (2-4 pens)

England suffered penalty heart ache in a major tournament once again as they were beaten by Italy in their Euro 2012 quarter final game in Kiev.

England were second best through much of the tie which saw Ashley Young and Ashley Cole miss the decisive penalties resulting in the Italians progressing to the semi finals where they will face Germany.

Despite going out, Roy Hodgson and his team will take great credit in their defensive displays which saw them frustrate the Italians for 120 minutes.

For the opening 20 minutes of the first half, early chances were exchanged for both sides. It was almost a terrible start for England as De Rossi unleashed a swerving left footed half volley which cannoned off Hart's post. Moments later it was England who almost took the lead with Glen Johnson being denied by Gigi Buffon's strong left hand.

Good combination play between, Johnson, Ashley Young and James Milner, saw the Man City midfielder's cross arrive at Johnson's feet who did well to scoop an effort from six yards, only to see Buffon deny him a goal.

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The opening period of the game was by far the best display by England in the tournament and they almost went ahead when Rooney headed over from a well directed cross from Glen Johnson.

With the pressure coming from England, Italy started to work their way into the game with Andrea Pirlo pulling the strings from midfield. Pirlo's ball over the top was collected by Mario Balotelli whose attempted chip was well blocked by the on rushing John Terry.

Pirlo was once again involved in Italy's next chance of the half. The Juventus man sent over a delicious far post ball which was headed across goal by Cassano. With Balotelli waiting for an easy tap in, he could only watch as he was denied by his club team mate Joleon Lescott who cleared the ball over his own crossbar.

Despite losing control of the game, England created one more chance before the break. Having played with each other all season at Old Trafford, the combination of Welbeck and Rooney engineered a chance for Welbeck who could only side foot his shot wide, when really he should have done better.

Italy continued their dominance after the break with Pirlo continually bossing the midfield. Having hit the post in the second half, De Rossi tried his luck again from range. This time Hart palmed it straight to Balotelli, whose shot was saved by the legs of the goal keeper. With the goal gaping, Montolivo managed to hit the second rebound over the bar.

England once again escaped going behind as De Rossi shot wide from the easiest of positions after he had been set up by the head of Marchisio.

With the team tiring and pinned back into their own half, Hodgson made the first move bringing Theo Walcott and Andy Carroll on for Milner and Welbeck. Both were involved in England's notable chance in the second half when Ashley Young's goal bound shot was blocked by the Italian defence out for a corner.

With extra time looming, Italy brought on ex West Ham man Alessandro Diamanti who was denied by a sharp stop from Joe Hart. Glen Johnson did well to deny sub Nocerino when his goal bound shot looked set for the net. At the other end, Wayne Rooney nearly stole it for England as his overhead kick went miles over the bar after Andy Carroll had nodded the ball back across goal.

With extra time to be played, England looked shattered and happy to settle for a penalty shoot out. Scott Parker was replaced by Jordan Henderson to freshen up the midfield early on in the first half.

picture: dailymail.co.uk

With eleven players behind the ball, England escaped once again as a Diamanti cross come shot evaded everyone and struck the base of the post with Joe Hart beaten. Nocerino had a goal rightly ruled out in the second half of extra time for offside which meant the tie would be decided on a penalty shoot out.

With England ahead after the first two penalties, belief started to build that we would make the semis. But after a nonchalant chip from Pirlo to draw the Italians level, Ashley Young saw his penalty smack the bar. Nocerino converted Italy's fourth penalty meaning Ashley Cole needed to score England's next penalty.

Having converted his spot kick in the recent Champions League final, Cole could only stare in disbelief as his kick was saved by Buffon. Up stepped Diamanti knowing if he found the net, he would knock England out. Sending Hart the wrong way, Diamanti ran with his team mates to celebrate the deserved win with Buffon and a semi final tie with Germany on Thursday.

For England, the same old story of losing in a quarter final on penalties continues, but with little expectation before the tournament, England have made some progress. Having only had little time to prepare before the tournament, Roy Hodgson will have great hope for the future of the England team.

Teams:
England: Hart, G.Johnson, Terry, Lescott, A.Cole, Gerrard, Parker (Henderson 94') Milner (Walcott 60') Young, Rooney, Welbeck (Carroll 61')

Italy: Buffon, Balzaretti, Abate (Maggio 90') Barzagli, Bonucci, Marchisio, De Rossi (Nocerino 80') Montolivo, Pirlo, Balotelli, Cassano (Diamanti 78')

Referee: Pedro Proenca (Portugal)

Euro 2012 result: England 1-0 Ukraine

England progressed through to the quarter finals of Euro 2012 last night, beating tournament hosts Ukraine 1-0, thanks to a Wayne Rooney header early in the second half.

The win ensured England finished the group as winners and will face Italy in their quarter final on Sunday. Roy Hodgson's men win meant they finished ahead of France after they were beaten by Sweden in their final group game.

picture: nationalturk.com

The game was marred by controversy though as Ukraine were denied a certain goal when striker Marko Devic's shot looked to have crossed the line before John Terry managed to hack the ball clear.

It was Ukraine that started the better of the sides pinning England in their own half for much of the first period. The first opportunity of the games fell the host's way with Denys Garmash firing a long range effort over the crossbar. The chances didn't stop their for Ukraine as Devic's strike was excellently blocked by Scott Parker.

Devic was involved in much of Ukraine's attacks and was involved in setting up the impressive Andriy Yarmolenko whose shot was comfortably dealt with by Joe Hart.

The inclusion of Wayne Rooney was the only change made by Roy Hodgson, and the Manchester United striker struggled to get into the early stages of the game with poor touches and loose passes. 

England's best chance of the half fell to the striker, glancing a header wide from an Ashley Young cross when really Rooney should have done much better.

Ukraine continued their dominance of the half when Oleh Gusev took advantage of Ashley Young's misjudgement of a cross field pass, before shooting narrowly over Joe Hart's bar.

Despite being under pressure for the majority of the first half, it was England and Rooney that took advantage of some sloppy Ukrainian defending to take the lead. After seeing his corner cleared, captain Steven Gerrard received the ball wide from Glen Johnson. The Liverpool captain skipped past one challenge and after seeing the cross deflected twice, Wayne Rooney lurked at the back post to score quite possibly his easiest goal for England.

The goal struck life into both sets of players with Ukraine needing a win to have any chance of qualification. Breaking from a corner Gerrard played Rooney in on goal who could only hold the ball up and set up Milner whose poor shot was easily blocked by the Ukrainian defence.

The chances were coming thick and fast in the game with Artem Milevskiy heading over from a quickly taken corner when really he should have done a lot better. Joe Hart palmed a dangerous looking Gusev cross over the bar before the games controversial talking point took place.

picture: sportige.com

A long punt forward by the Ukraine defence fell nicely for the offside looking Milevskiy who played in the on rushing Marko Devic. The strikers shot was half saved by Joe Hart's foot who could only watch as John Terry heroically volleyed the ball clear from beneath the bar. To the naked eye the ball didn't look over but TV replays clearly showed the ball was over the line. Despite an assistant referee and an additional assistant, the goal was not given, giving more reason for the introduction of goal line technology.

With the whole of Ukraine aggrieved with the decsion, Scott Parker broke forward only to be brought down on the edge of the box. The resulting free kick though was narrowly stuck wide by Rooney.

Joe Hart was once again showed why he is so vital to England, as he magnificently palmed away a swerving 30 yard effort from Konoplienka with Joleon Lescott on hand to clear away the loose ball.

Changes were made by both teams with Hodgson introducing Walcott, Oxlade- Chamberlain and Andy Carroll with Ukraine's talisman Andriy Shevchenko brought on for his final international appearance. Despite the ex-Chelsea's heroics in the country's opening group game against Sweden, he couldn't inspire a comeback this time.

Chances were exchanged late on with Ashley Cole nearly doubling England's lead late on after his shot was excellently palmed away by the Ukrainian goalkeeper. Yarmolenko shot wide for Ukraine when well placed outside the box.

England's solid defensive unit saw the game through and will now face Italy in their quarter final on Sunday in Kiev. With France losing to Sweden in the other group game, England avoid Spain and from no expectation at the beginning of the tournament, England fans are starting to believe.

Teams:
England: Hart, G.Johnson, Terry, Lescott, A.Cole, Gerrard, Parker, Milner (Walcott 69') Young, Rooney (Oxlade Chamberlain 87'), Welbeck (Carroll 82')

Ukraine: Pyatov, Selin, Khacheridi, Rakitskiy, Tymoshchuk, Garmash (Nazarenko 78') Gusev, Yarmolenko, Konoplienka, Milevskiy (Butko 77'), Devic (Shevchenko 70')


Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)

Euro 2012 result: England 3-2 Sweden

England came back from a goal down to secure a memorable comeback in their second group game against Sweden in Kiev.

Andy Carroll opened the scoring for England with an excellent header before Swedish defender Olof Mellberg scored two quick fire goals to give Sweden the lead. Substitute Theo Walcott inspired the fightback with a long range strike before crossing for Danny Welbeck to complete an extraordinary comeback.

The victory comes as a first competitive win against the Swedes and leaves Roy Hodgson's men only needing a point to qualify for the quarter finals.

picture: news.sky.com

It was England that started the better of the sides with Swedish keeper Andreas Isaksson saving a Scott Parker shot after the midfielder was set up by Welbeck. It was Welbeck who had the next chance guiding a James Milner cross wide of the post with his head.

Just like the game against France, it was England that opened the scoring with an excellent goal. Having been  brought in the team in place of Oxlade-Chamberlain. Andy Carroll bagged his first competitive goal for England heading in a world class cross from captain Steven Gerrard.

Sweden offered very little in the first half with Seb Larsson and Zlatan Ibrahimovich bringing comfortable saves out of Joe Hart. Ashley Young had England's next notable chance of the half dragging a shot into the side netting, when crossing the ball across the box looked a better option for the Man United winger.

Having started the first half well, it was the complete opposite in the second. England found themselves 2-1 down after only 15 minutes of the second half. Hero in the first half, Andy Carroll needlessly conceded a free kick 30 yards from goal. Hitting the wall with his first attempt, Ibrahimovich's second effort fell to the feet of Olof Mellberg. The centre back's shot was brilliantly saved by Hart who could only watch in despair as the ball ricocheted off Glen Johnson's stomach and into the net off the post.

It got a lot worse for England as ten minutes later, Mellberg was once again involved, heading in unmarked past Joe Hart to give Sweden a shock lead. The once solid defensive unit we were so used to before the tournament was no where to be seen as the former Aston Villa centre back gave England a mountain to climb.

Within moments of going behind, Hodgson brought Walcott on for the weary James Milner who had offered little in attack throughout the game. England had to score quickly if they were to mount a comeback to secure the much needed win. The equaliser came so close when John Terry was denied by a superb save from Isaksson at point blank range.

But from the resulting corner, super sub Walcott received the ball 25 yards out and struck a superb effort down the centre of the goal leaving Isaksson stranded. This was Walcott's fourth competitive goal for England having scored the previous three in his hat trick against Croatia four years ago.

picture: uk.eurosport.yahoo.com

With many England teams before, we would have seen them sit back and take a draw. But having seen group rivals France earlier win their game against Ukraine, England needed to take three points. Joe Hart was once again called upon turning round an Ibrahimovich shot past the post before England completed a remarkable comeback. Arsenal man Walcott drove to the byline cutting back a cross to which Danny Welbeck turned home brilliantly.

With ten minutes left to hold on, England dug deep to prevent their opponents from taking anything from the game. It could have been four near the end when Walcott crossed for Gerrard, whose volley was excellently saved by Isaksson.

The win leaves England within a point of the quarter finals, and leaves boss Hodgson with decisions to make over who will start up front with talisman Rooney available after serving his suspension.

Teams:
England: Hart, G.Johnson, Terry, Lescott, A.Cole, Gerrard, Parker, Milner (Walcott 60') Young, Carroll, Welbeck (Oxlade- Chamberlain 89')

Sweden: Isaksson, Mellberg, Granqvist (Lustig 66') M.Olsson, Olsson, Elm (Wilhelmsson 81') Larsson, Svensson, Kallstrom, Ibrahimovich, Elmander (Rosenberg 79')
Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)

FA Cup Quarter Finals: Ones to watch

 

As we get closer to the end of the football season here in England, it also sees the cup competitions getting ever nearer to the final. We saw Liverpool take the first cup of the season with a narrow penalty shoot out win over Championship outfit Cardiff in the Carling Cup final last month. This weekend we see the quarter finals of the FA Cup take place and the opportunity for four teams to play at Wembley in the semi finals. All but one of the teams left in the competition are from the Premier League with Leicester City representing the Football League.

#1 Everton v Sunderland

picture: football365.com

After suffering Merseyside derby disappointment on Tuesday, Everton will want to bounce back and progress in this seasons FA Cup. A home tie will give them some advantage but will face a tough ask as they come up against a fellow Premier League team high on confidence. Sunderland have been in great form of recent under new manager Martin O'Neill. A draw away at rivals Newcastle and then a home win against Liverpool has seen the Black Cats rise up the league table to eighth. O'Neill's side have been in impressive form in this year's FA Cup with wins against Arsenal as well as beating high flying Championship side Middlesbrough. Striker Nicklas Bendtner has two goals in two games and with fellow forward Frazier Campbell returning to impressive form, the pair will cause the Everton back line a fair few problems. David Moyes's Everton have also shown decent form in the league with home wins against Tottenham and Man City which has seen them sit comfortably in the top half of the table. Scoring in his first game for the club, striker Nikica Jelavic will want to continue showing why he was so highly rated when at Rangers. Key players including Royston Drenthe and Leon Osman were rested against Liverpool mid week and will be keen to play an important part in taking their club to the new Wembley for the first time. 

Prediction: Everton 2-1 Sunderland

#2 Chelsea v Leicester

picture: mirrorfootball.co.uk

The only quarter final that doesn't see two Premier League sides against each other. Leicester are the only team left outside the top division and will want to cause a big upset this weekend. Having seen Birmingham City hold Chelsea in the last round of the cup, Leicester will take massive heart and believe they are capable of the same. The Championship side have had a topsy turvy season with the Midlands side currently sitting in eleventh place in the league. Strikers David Nugent and Jermaine Beckford have a combined goal total of 25 goals this season and have struck up an impressive partnership. After an impressive 3-1 triumph over rivals Birmingham in their last game, Leicester will be high in confidence going into their game at Chelsea. Since the departure of manager Andre Villas-Boas, Chelsea have since regained belief that their season isn't finished just yet. An extra time victory over Napoli in the Champions League and a 1-0 home win over Stoke in the league, has seen the London team remain in two cup competitions and still in contention for fourth place. Front man Didier Drogba has been in terrific form of late scoring three goals in the last two games. The return of captain John Terry has sured up the defence and given the team a much needed boost going into a critical stage of the season for the club. 

Prediction: Chelsea 2-0 Leicester City

#3 Liverpool v Stoke City

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These two Premier League sides will be meeting for the fourth time this season on Sunday afternoon. The two met each other last year in the Carling Cup which saw a Luis Suarez double take the Merseyside club through. But Stoke will go into this tie confident. In the league meeting at Anfield this season, Stoke came away with a well earned goalless draw as well as beating their opponents 1-0 in the league meeting at the Britannia last September. Liverpool had been on a three game losing streak going into the Merseyside game on Tuesday. But a wonderful hat trick from talisman Steven Gerrard saw the reds end their poor run. Kenny Dalglish's side have had a mixed season, drawing nine games at home, dropping points against teams they should be beating. Poor results of late has seen them drop to seventh in the league. However the side have had good runs in cup competitions this season. Carling Cup success against Cardiff last month saw the club win silverware for the first time in six years. This years FA Cup run has seen the side beat rivals Manchester United as well as convincing wins against lower opposition. Stoke City have continued with their love affair of the FA Cup this year with some impressive displays. Runners up in last years competition has spurred the side on to achieve similar success. The game against Liverpool will see the Staffordshire side face Premier League opposition for the first time in this years competition. Exit from the Europa League this year leaves the FA Cup the only distraction from Stoke's average Premier League display this year. But after taking four points from six in the league this year there is no reason why The Potters can't pull of a potential shock. 

Prediction: Liverpool 2-1 Stoke City

#4 Tottenham Hotspur v Bolton Wanderers 

picture: goal.com

It has been 21 years since Spurs last won the FA Cup and a quarter final tie at home to fellow Premier League side Bolton, offers them a chance to inch further to a final at Wembley. Playing at home, Spurs are favourites to win the game but after reaching the semi final of the competition last season, Bolton will be no walkovers. Poor performances of late from Spurs, has seen North London rivals Arsenal come within two points of them. After being potential title contenders, Harry Redknapp's side look set for a battle for a Champions League place. Striker Jermaine Defoe looks set to miss out on a starting place on Saturday with fellow forwards Louis Saha and Emmanuel Adebayor set to continue their impressive partnership. Rafael Van Der Vaart has missed a lot of this season through injury but also looks likely to come back into the side that hasn't found scoring goals an issue this year. Spurs needed a replay in the last round to overcome League 1 side Stevenage and will not want another one interrupting their charge for a top four place. Owen Coyle's Bolton were thumped 5-0 in last years semi final against Stoke at Wembley. With another opportunity to play at Wembley in front of them, Bolton will go into Saturday's game knowing they have every chance to progress. Wanderers have struggled to find the net this season with Ivan Klasnic being their top goalscorer with only eight league goals to his name. The loan signing of Arsenal youngster Ryo Miyaichi has given Bolton some much needed pace. Although only 19 years old, Miyaichi showed what quality he has with a superbly taken goal in the last round at Millwall. A 3-0 defeat to Spurs this season at the Lane will not give fans great hope but with Spurs struggling for some form there's every chance Bolton can progress.

Prediction: Spurs 3-1 Bolton