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Welcome to the Football England League Cup Pages.2008-09 League Cup 2009 League Cup Final The meeting of Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley to decide this years' League Cup winners produced a game that was tense and held the interest without ever setting the pulse racing or providing any moments of superior quality. Manchester United's decision to field a few of the back up players who had helped them reach this final ensured that they were unable to ever approach their best. The fringe players given their opportunity on the big stage enjoyed differing degrees of success. The poorest showing came from Danny Welbeck who looked anything but ready to lead the forward line in, basically, a lone role. Darron Gibson was generally neat and efficient in midfield and came close to scoring with one rasping drive in the first half but he never hinted at the sort of control and creative influence Michael Carrick usually brings to that role. Nani, more established than the other two, did not help United's cause with a frustrating and sometimes inept display of wing play. The one unqualified United success story, however, was Ben Foster who produced several fine saves during the game and then came out on top in the penalty shootout. This was a display that suggested England's wait for an international class goalkeeper might soon be over if, of course, he can get enough games under his belt for United first. The game started with United in control of possession but struggling to make any clear cut chances against a Tottenham defence benefitting from the presence of Ledley King. Tottenham slowly started to grow in confidence and when they began to put a few attacks together Aaron Lennon quickly showed himself to be the most dangerous forward on view. It also became evident that Spurs looked better able to fashion real chances. This remained the pattern of the game for most of the ninety minutes but neither United's possession nor Tottenham's swift counter attacking could break the stalemate. United's best two chances of the game saw Welbeck and, amazingly, Ronaldo reluctant to shoot when bearing down on goal with their actual efforts on goal coming mainly from distance. The best of these came from Gibson and Rio Ferdinand but one fizzed just wide of the angle and the other dipped narrowly over the bar. Tottenham, on the other hand, were able to seriously test Foster who passed the examination with flying colours. One flying save from a fierce Lennon drive was especially dramatic but his best save was probably when he reacted superbly to stop Darren Bent's low shot with his feet. Everybody was probably waiting for an explosion from Ronaldo but for the most part the winger was extremely muted with his stepovers getting him precisely nowhere, as usual, and his free kicks flying straight into the wall, again as usual. He had claimed a penalty when caught by King during an uncontrolled burst across the edge of the box only to find a yellow card being flashed in his face. You could argue that the non award of the penalty was acceptable but there could be no justification of the yellow card. Finally, in the last minute of normal time, he belatedly burst into life. Well found inside the box to the right of goal Ronaldo swept inside onto his left foot before slamming a ferocious shot against the inside of the post with Gomes beaten all ends up. Extra time it was then and United looked the most likely winners as the Tottenham players began dropping like flies but the killer touch was still lacking and the likelihood of penalties had an air of inevitability about it throughout the extra thirty minutes. These duly followed but even these failed to create the usual drama and tension. Once Ryan Giggs had put United in front via the inside of the post and Foster had flung himself to his left to keep out Jamie O'Hara's effort the outcome was never realy in doubt. Carlos Tevez put United two up, Vedran Corluka got Spurs on the board but after Ronaldo had made it three out of three for United David Bentley slipped his shot wide of the post and the game was all but up. Anderson stepped forward to confirm the inevitable with United ending up 4-1 winners from the spot. I think it is fair to say that United had done just about enough to merit victory overall although Spurs had certainly had their chances and could have snatched victory with a little luck or extra quality at the vital moments. It would be nice to think that this game will come to be looked back on as marking the arrival of an England goalkeeper of genuine class and it certainly confirmed that while Tottenham may not be the most reliable or well balanced team they still have players of top class ability. Aaron Lennon gave Patrice Evra consistent problems down the right hand side and Ledley King reminded everybody of what a huge talent he is. Whether Ledley's legs ever allow him to really make his mark on English, and international, football remains to be seen but it would be one of the games' real tragedies if they didn't.
Thursday, January 22 OK then, this seasons' League Cup has now reached the final stage itself so it's probably about time we offered a quick review of the action so far. You can tut and shake your heads but we are only giving it the same order of preference as most of the partaking teams. Anyway, the first round is easily dealt with. Rotherham United beat Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on penalties after drawing two apiece after extra time. The most notable events on the night came in the final four minutes of extra time when Rotherham had a man sent off, then conceded a goal to trail 2-1 and still managed a last gasp equaliser. Talk about a roller coaster of emotions. I've only just recovered sufficiently to be able to write about it. Other than that Leeds United won 5-2 at Chester City which we wouldn't ordinarily bother mentioning if it wasn't for the hat trick of stunning quality registered by Jermaine Beckford. When we finally start reviewing this seasons' FA Cup competition the Leeds Northampton tie will also get a mention for the very same reason. The second round is even easier to detail. Rotherham knocked out Wolverhampton Wanderers on penalties after a goalless draw while two League One sides (Hartlepool and Northampton) claimed Premier League scalps (West Brom and Bolton respectively). Round Three takes a little longer. Swansea City claimed bragging rights in the valleys with a 1-0 win over Cardiff City, the goal coming from Gomez (assist by Uncle Fester?) with Cardiff's Stephen McPhail sent off in a tinder box atmosphere. Rotherham did not fancy penalties in this round so completed their hat trick of Championship scalps with a 3-1 win over Southampton in normal time. Brighton, however, did have to settle for penalties after a late Manchester City goal brought the scores level at 2-2 after extra time in their tie but The Seagulls ensured it would be party time on the south coast anyway as they prevailed from the spot. There was also a shock of sorts at Turf Moor where Burnley defeated Fulham by the only goal which came courtesy of youngster Jay Rodriguez. And don't worry, in this this day and age of foreign signings by the lorry load Jay is a bona fide son of Burnley, a child of the hills, spawn of the moors. Round Four got off on the wrong foot as Stoke City put out the peoples' favourites Rotherham United without even allowing them their birthright penalty shootout. One team that did enjoy the glorious euphoria which can only be understood by a penalty shootout winning football team was Burnley who gained an excellent 1-1 draw at Chelsea thanks to a hens tooth of a goal from Adi Akinbiyi and then dumped out their vaunted hosts from twelve yards. Finally the holders Tottenham Hotspur ravaged an intentionally weakened Liverpool side 4-2 at White Hart Lane to maintain their hopes of retaining the trophy. The main talking point of the next round, as always in this competition, was whether to call it Round Five or The Quarter Finals. Or if we are joining The Common Market (or NATO or whatever it's called these days) we could call it The Round Of The Last Eight. Actually I'm just going to call it Your Round and mine's A Double Baileys. Anyhow, Burnley backed up their win at Chelsea by spanking the arses of Arsene Wenger's Arsenal Juveniles. The Clarets ran out 2-0 winners with both goals coming from Kevin McDonald, a sort of Scottish Dick Whittington character who actually played the full ninety minutes with his entire worldly possessions tied up in a bundle attached to a stick which he carried over his left shoulder. Either that or I just saw him stood near to the corner flag at one stage of the fixture. That tells you everything you needed to know about that round so onto the semi finals. Burnley went to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham in the first leg of the first semi final and held a half time lead at half time thanks to a Martin Paterson goal. At that stage The Clarets looked more than capable of returning home to the East Lancashire moors with a positive result. Then the world turned on its' axis during the interval, surely another reason why fifteen minutes is too long for half time, and Spurs came out to register a 4-1 first leg lead. Credit where credit is due though. Burnley were the main contributors to most of the four Spurs goals. In the second semi final first leg Derby County managed a 1-0 win over Manchester United thanks to a thumping Kris Commons drive. This still represented an opportunity lost for The Rams, however, as they had several fine chances to score further goals against a woefully lethargic United side. The order of the ties was reversed for the second legs and so was the order of supremacy. Manchester United, predictably, came out firing bullets to turn their tie with Derby on its' head and were quickly into a 3-1 aggregate lead. Derby managed to respond but a frantic finish to the tie saw United progressing on a 4-3 aggregate. Burnley, on a wet and wild night in deepest, darkest East Lancashire, took advantage of a tremulous Tottenham to record a famous 3-0 ninety minute victory to take their tie into extra time. Robbie Blake whipped home a free kick to open the scoring and then produced a sumptuous dribble past three Spurs defenders to set up the second for Chris McCann. Finally it was that man Rodriguez, who, in all seriousness, looks a good prospect for the future, popping up to send the tie into extra time with a poachers finish. With the scores level on aggregate it was now Burnley who were heading to the final on away goals but the fairy tale was not to be as Spurs scored two goals in the dying minutes of extra time to clinch their place at Wembley. And that, my dears, is the story of the 2008-09 League Cup so far. Believe me, nothing of any importance has been missed out.
2007-08 League Cup Tottenham Claim Trophy Spurs collected their first silverware in ages after beating Chelsea at Wembley and will hope this success, under new boss Juande Ramos, will prove the start of their emergence as regular trophy hunters. There was no doubt they deserved their narrow victory over pre-match favourites Chelsea after controlling much of the action and playing with greater purpose and flair throughout. Tottenham set the tone from the first whistle as they attacked Chelsea at every opportunity. Berbatov and Keane were quick to test the Chelsea defence with Steed Malbranque keen to offer support from midfield. Berbatov looked the main danger and was close with a couple of half chances, Malbranque forced Cech into a plunging save by the foot of his post and Pascal Chimbonda saw a looping header hit the crossbar following a left wing corner. Little was being seen of the Chelsea attack in which Didier Drogba was struggling to make an impression against the imposing duo of Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King while Nicolas Anelka looked lost playing as a wide attacker. Chelsea finally forced their way into the game when Spurs began to concede cheap free kicks in dangerous areas. Woodgate started the trend with a tug on Drogba and then Didier Zokora conceded two in quick succession with ridiculous challenges. Fat Frank Lampard hit the first one low and saw it deflected behind by Woodgate before stepping aside to allow Drogba the next two. Drogba's first effort cleared the angle of post and bar with Paul Robinson a spectator but then, from closer range, he clipped his shot inside the post with Robinson edging the other way behind his wall. This was bad goalkeeping. Robinson had placed his wall to cover one side of goal, basically stood right behind it and then simply assumed the shot would be for the side his wall was covering. Instead of making sure the other side was secure, his responsibility, he allowed a moderate strike to find the corner without so much as a token dive. Tottenham looked to respond straight away but Keane's well hit effort flew into Cech's belly and Chelsea had a scarcely deserved half time lead. The second half was less open with Chelsea content to ride their lead and making it difficult for Spurs to create chances. With twenty minutes left, however, Spurs were literally handed a way back into the game by Wayne Bridge. In tussling with Tom Huddlestone the left back handled once, accidentally, but then made contact a second time and the linesman flagged, correctly, to award a penalty. Berbatov said later that he was nervous as he stepped forward for the spot kick but he could have fooled me, strolling up to clip a nonchalant shot one way as Cech hurled himself the other. Now the momentum was clearly back with Spurs. Keane sent Zokora racing clean through on goal from the halfway line but he could only smack his effort straight into Cech's face. The rebound provided an even better chance but, with a single defender manning the goal, Zokora blazed wide. Then Tottenham almost won it in the last minute of normal time. Woodgate got up to head a long throw across goal to Keane whose overhead kick cleared the bar. It was a difficult chance but one the Irishman is so often adept with. It did not take Tottenham long to gain the crucial advantage in extra time, however. Jermaine Jenas whipped in a free kick beyond a static Chelsea defence towards Woodgate. Cech lunged out desperately, Woodgate got the merest of touches and was still airbourne as the goalkeepers' punch hit him in the face and rebounded into goal. Cech had to shoulder the responsibility for the goal but his defence had left him in an unenviable position. Ramos then made a debatable change in withdrawing Keane and sending on a third centre half in Kaboul which invited pressure onto his team and the second period of extra time was generally played in and around the Tottenham box. Chelsea claimed a penalty when Woodgate strangely decided to wrestle Drogba off the ball as a right wing centre came across but the referee was spared making a decision by a flag already raised for offside before Chelsea finally forced a few reasonable openings. Kalou found himself space inside the box and it took an instinctive save with his right foot by Robinson to keep his side ahead and then Joey Cole, just on as a sub, did not make clean contact under pressure deep inside the box and Robinson made a routine save. The action continued to be concentrated at one end of the pitch but the big names in the Chelsea side did not look to have anything inspired up their sleeves. There was slight controversy right at the end as the referee blew for time with Kalou threatening to break through the Spurs defence but Chelsea's grievances were perhaps born out of the knowledge that they had been beaten by a better side on the day. The recent domination of the big four has therefore been ended and Spurs, who have splashed the cash to some tune themselves, look capable of challenging for honours on a regular basis. If they can keep Woodgate and King fit they will definitely be in with a chance of further glory. These two looked a formidable combination in this game with skipper King perhaps the games' outstanding player.
Semi Final 2nd Legs This years' League Cup final will again be an all London affair and the clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea promises to be a cracker. Spurs were first to book their passage after mauling neighbours Arsenal at White Hart Lane. I suggested that Tottenham looked certain to end their Arsenal hoodoo if Arsene Wenger stuck with his fringe players in the 2nd leg and so it proved. Wenger added a couple of higher profile players to his starting eleven and bolstered his side still further with the early introduction of Fabregas after an injury to Denilson but to no avail. Spurs were already in front when Fabregas entered the fray and, on this occasion, they never let their arch rivals back into the game. In front of a baying crowd Tottenham were sharp in everything they did and although Arsenal played plenty of crisp football themselves there was never the same conviction about their play whether attacking or defending. Spurs took the lead after three minutes in their first attack and the manner of the goal was symptomatic of what was to follow all night. Jermaine Jenas ran at the Arsenal defence with intent, the defence backed off, and having stepped past a couple of flimsy challenges the midfielder smacked a low cross shot in off the far post. Optimism began to turn to real conviction all around White Hart Lane when Nicklas Bendtner headed into his own net at a set piece. It was to be a night to remember for all the wrong reasons for the Dane. Wenger declined throwing on either Adebayor or Eduardo at the interval and when Spurs scored in their first attack of this half as well the tie was as good as over. Aaron Lennon speared a magnificent ball through to Robbie Keane whose shot across Lukasz Fabianski was decently hit but should not have ended up in the back of the net. If Arsenal were to rescue this one they needed to hit back immediately and almost did so when a sweeping right wing move ended with Bendtner smashing a close range volley against the face of the bar. Arsenal continued to come forward but this was leaving Spurs with counter attacking opportunities aplenty and their speed on the break was a constant threat. Lennon finished one such move to put Spurs four ahead and although Adebayor pulled one back nothing could spoil this night for the Tottenham fans. Indeed Adebayor then added to the overall delight of the home support by getting involved in a heated row with his teammate Bendtner in which he seemed to both strike and headbutt his colleague. Nice. The final act of a dramatic night came when Malbranque swept home from close range to finish another speedy raid and give Tottenham a 5-1 victory on the night and leaving the tie 6-2 in their favour overall. The second semi between Everton and Chelsea never looked likely to match the first one for goals with both sides lining up with five men in midfield. With Chelsea travelling to Merseyside with a one goal advantage it was hard to see this situation being anything other than to their advantage. Everton have won many games this season using this tactic but it is not conducive to breaking sides down that are similarly lined up and looked overly cautious with a final place at stake. As it was Everton were only really able to put Chelsea under real pressure for a short period at the start of the second half when Cech was called on to save smartly from the two Phil's, Neville and Jagielka, in quick succession following set pieces. Phil Neville and Phil Jagielka. Not men noted for pulling semi finals out of the fire. Chelsea had looked dangerous on the break on several occasions and Anelka was desperately unlucky to see a sweet drive cannon back from the woodwork while Shaun Wright-Phillips looked particularly menacing with his pace. With David Moyes finally preparing Victor Anichebe to join the fray and offer Andy Johnson some much needed assistance Joey Cole settled the tie in Chelsea's favour. Malouda sent him racing into the box with the pass of the night and Joey's first touch was perfection in setting himself up for the right footed volley that beat Tim Howard at his near post. Moyes proceeded to send on both Anichebe and James Vaughan but there was no way back and Chelsea ended the night threatening to inflict further punishment on the licked Toffees. Chelsea's victory keeps them on course to retain this trophy and means that the monolopy on trophies currently being enjoyed by the "big four" may well continue. Spurs certainly look capable of matching their London rivals, however, and the final looks like being one to watch. Semi Final 1st Legs Both semi finals are pretty evenly poised after the 1st legs but the two underdogs, both away in the first games, will feel that they have missed the opportunity to really put themselves in the box seat. First up were Everton at Chelsea and things were looking tough for the Merseysiders as they fell behind to a Shaun Wright-Phillips goal in a first half dominated by the home side. Wright-Phillips curled home a sweet finish off the far post from just inside the box when the Everton defence evaporated to an alarming degree. Chelsea made other chances but the lack of cutting edge demonstrated clearly why the club are in the bidding for Nicolas Anelka. Everton were given a way back into the game when John Obi Mikel made another ugly lunge, at Phil Neville of all people, and was sent straight down the tunnel. Chelsea have plenty of highly paid coaches who are supposed to be among the best in the business. Why doesn't one of them teach this guy how to tackle? Not surprisingly the second half was far more even and when Yakubu took full advantage of an awful blunder by Hilario in the Chelsea goal by lashing Everton level it looked as though the visitors would be going back to Goodison Park at least level. James McFadden hit the base of a post from a very narrow angle but in a frantic finale Chelsea managed to grab a vital lead. Joleon Lescott froze at the far post as a cross from the left hand byeline came over and as Wright-Phillips challenged the defender saw the ball bounce off himself into the net. Everton stormed forward in the seconds remaining and fashioned a clear opening for, of all people, Lescott but the defender again fluffed his lines and allowed Hilario to lunge out and block. The following night Tottenham went to Arsenal and generally dominated their opponents fringe side yet only emerged with a 1-1 draw. With Dimitar Berbatov, again, pulling the strings Spurs took a real grip on the first half and after Steed Malbranque had shot wide of a gaping goal Jermaine Jenas made no mistake with a similar opening carved out by Berbatov and Robbie Keane. Arsenal came more into the game after half time but Tottenham still looked the more assured side. Once again Spurs were unable to really impose themselves on their nearest neighbours with several promising positions wasted with a shoddy final ball with Berbatov, for all his style, probably as guilty as anyone. Almost inevitably Arsenal hit back. There was quality in the move leading up to the goal but massive fortune when Lee's clean tackle on Theo Walcott saw the ball fly against the Arsenal man and lob into the net. Spurs came forward again to carve out another real chance for substitute Jermain Defoe but he could only lift the ball over the bar and the teams go to White Hart Lane all square. Will Arsene Wenger trust his fringe players again in that one? Playing away from home might actually suit their counter attacking qualities but these players struggled somewhat at Burnley on Sunday and were comprehensively second best here. Surely if Arsenal go to Tottenham with the same side then they will lose. Won't they?
Quarter Finals Chelsea v. Liverpool Liverpool made nine changes from the side that started against Manchester United on Sunday in a clear statement of lack of intent but Chelsea, with a far more recognisable side, still struggled to overcome their weakened opponents. Charles Itandje, Liverpool's back up keeper, earned plaudits for a couple of flying saves in the first half although these were mainly for the cameras. His best intervention came when Fat Frank went through and the keeper was out quickly to block with his body. Liverpool created a half chance for Crouch which was wasted with a woeful cross-shot but then carved out the best opening of the first half when Voronin and Crouch combined well to release Lucas but his low shot was weak and Cech dropped down to his right to pull off a routine save when the net really should have been bulging. Itandje made another somewhat unnecessarily spectacular save to deny Essien at the start of the second half and then there was a chance at the other end as the returning Carvalho fluffed a header back to Cech which was intercepted by Crouch but the lanky striker could not unfold his legs in time to take advantage. Within minutes the game was suddenly pretty much out of Liverpool's reach. Firstly Fat Frank opened the scoring with a drive that ballooned off the leg of the challenging Carragher to loop over the keeper and into the net and then Crouch was shown a red card for a ludicrous two footed lunge at an opponent tight to the touchline. Fortunately Crouch still did not really know what his legs were doing and they made only glancing contact when a full blooded collision would probably have caused serious injury. Benitez was not happy and argued afterwards that Crouch should have been awarded a free kick immediately before his assault. This was true but the only outcome possible to the eventual challenge was a red card. With a man short there was never any real suggestion that Liverpool could get back on terms and their fate was finally sealed right at the end when Schevchenko belted a shot straight through Itandje at his near post. For all his schoolboy diving around in the mud the Liverpool keeper had looked like a disaster waiting to happen all night and he had finally come up trumps.
Manchester City v. Tottenham Hotspur This was an eventful game in which, as is often the case these days, most of the events were of a controversial, almost non football, nature. Hogging the limelight was referee Steve Bennett and his decisions were in danger of sending the game into anarchy. Somehow order just about remained and the game was a gripping affair. In the early stages Tottenham looked capable of smashing City's 100% home record to pieces as they controlled possession with stylish ease. With Berbatov floating dangerously to link up play while Lennon and Defoe looked to provide the rapier thrusts Spurs were quickly in command and in the lead. Berbatov was involved in setting up the move, Jenas sent Lennon speeding beyond his full back and his simple square ball across the box presented Defoe with an equally simple finish. City were handed a way back into the match when Bennett made his first contentious decision. With City looking to put a move together Zokora slid into a challenge in a manner perhaps more untidy than malicious and Bennett whipped out his red card. Only twenty minutes had elapsed. Bennett received criticism for the decision after the game but it was certainly a defendable one. Zokora slid in rather than jumped in and did not actually seem to play the man. On the other hand he slid in with both feet, studs showing and did not even play the ball with his feet, finally making contact when it wedged between his thighs. As much as anything it looked incompetent but if a professional footballer playing at centre half doesn't actually know how to tackle perhaps it is better for everyone that he is sent from the field before any lasting damage is done. The decision definitely provoked a sense of injustice in the Spurs camp and the mood of Defoe, sacrificed to allow another defender on, was obviously pretty dark. With tempers running high Malbranque was soon launching himself into a far worse two footed assault which did make contact with his opponent but Bennett didn't have the bottle to show another red and contented himself with a yellow. This is all too typical from a referee. Bennett was obviously unsure whether he had got the first big decision right so compromised by getting the next one wrong in favour of the team he might have been harsh on last time. At that moment all credibility the official might have had vanished and it was more through luck than his judgement that the game did not descend into total chaos. City pressed with little real invention or conviction while Spurs continued to threaten sporadically whenever Berbatov got on the ball and looked to slip in Lennon. The second half saw the City pressure intensify but they found Paul Robinson in inspired form. His point blank save from Vassell's bullet header was truly magnificent, another from Bianchi was good but required an assisting boot from Kaboul as the ball looped goalwards following his parry. Shortly afterwards Spurs clinched their place in the last four. Berbatov dropped really deep to hold up play before slipping a fine pass out to Jamie O'Hara, his raking crossfield ball found Malbranque who stepped inside the challenge of the last defender before stabbing his finish beyond Joe Hart into the bottom corner. There is no question that Tottenham had played with greater quality than City, despite playing most of the game a man short, and were deserving winners overall. Blackburn Rovers v. Arsenal In front of a half empty Ewood Park Arsenal's fringe team produced another remarkable performance to carry their club into the last four. The slick passing and movement, which characterizes the understudies as well as the first choices at the Emirates, often had Blackburn chasing shadows in the early stages and within half an hour the visitors were two goals ahead. Abou Diaby scored the first with a shot that looped over Friedel on the bounce after a precise right wing move and then Eduardo da Silva slotted home the second after Samba failed miserably to intercept a Denilson through ball. In between the goals Bendtner had ghosted into the box before clipping the crossbar with a sweet sidefooted effort from a narrow angle while at the other end Lukasz Fabianski, the Arsenal keeper, did well to keep out shots from outside the box by Dunn and Bentley. On the stroke of half time Rovers got the break they so badly needed when an offside looking Matt Derbyshire was allowed to continue and his cross from the right wing was emphatically finished by Santa Cruz. Blackburn began to impose themselves physically after the break and the Arsenal goal came under increasing pressure. Rovers were level on the hour when Santa Cruz got his head to Bentley's wicked inswinging free kick and a home win suddenly looked the most likely outcome. The game became increasingly niggly and just before the end of normal time Denilson was late in a challenge with Dunn and, after the obligatory scuffle involving the depressing Robbie Savage, the Brazilian had to go. So Arsenal faced up to the prospect of extra time with only ten men but they regained the lead with the first half of overtime almost over. Alexandre Song came forward to measure a fine pass into the run of Eduardo whose first touch was perfect, carrying him beyond the defence and opening up both sides of goal, and his finish was equally precise, low past Friedel's right hand at the near post. Blackburn pressed desperately for another equaliser in the second period of extra time but this was Overtime, not Rovertime, and the closest they came, after a series of goalmouth scrambles, was Samba's header against the face of the far post. So Arsenal, who cannot be bothered to play their proper team, go through to the semi finals while Blackburn, whose fans cannot be bothered to turn up either, go out.
West Ham v. Everton You've got to hand it to our League Cup coverage, I didn't think we'd mentioned it since the 1st round but we've been reasonably comprehensive. Anyway, the competition is now at the business end and the first quarter final tie to take place was at Upton Park between two clubs operating in the slip stream behind the established top four who would probably kill for some silverware. West Ham's last proper trophy came in 1980 in the FA Cup and Everton's in 1995 when they won the same competition. Believe you me, football was a better game when such sides had a genuine chance of winning things. With much at stake this was a closely contested, somewhat nervous affair with defences generally on top. The fact that two of the three goals scored resulted from hesitant defending proved that neither defence was overly secure despite this overall superiority. Everton were the first to show charity as Joseph Yobo lapsed and Carlton Cole pounced eagerly to give the Hammers an early lead. To their credit Everton responded well and produced the best football of the night in controlling most of the first half from then on. The visitors crisp football was rewarded with a fine equaliser from Leon Osman who shot home after a patient, probing build up. The second half became increasingly tense with neither side looking capable of grasping the nettle but with the game seemingly set for extra time West Ham conjured up a late winner. Unfortunately they conjured it up for Everton. Phil Jagielka hoisted a hopeful ball through the middle which either Danny Gabbidon or Matthew Upson could have cleared without fuss. Both defenders hesitated, however, which had the terminal effect of drawing Robert Green towards the ball like a moth to a flame and when Gabbidon finally decided to head the ball back his keeper was on top of him. The ball struck the helpless Green and Yakubu was galloping up like the Yak he is and gobbled up the gift to send Everton, and their excellent support, through to the semi finals. With Christmas just around the corner the morale of this tale is clear. If you offer a gift to a Yak don't expect them to respect, treasure or use it properly. They will simply eat it. 4th Round Review All the teams expected to progress in the 4th round of this seasons' Carling Cup did so. I was watching the highlights on ITV and the geezer presenting opined that this shows that the "Big Boys" are now taking the competition more seriously. Perhaps. It could just be that these days the "Big Boys" can't lose to lower league opposition no matter what kind of a team they put out. Unless they're Manchester United of course. Arsenal's reserves went to Sheffield United and won by a moderate 3-0. It could have been several more. Some guy called Eduardo, I think, whacked in a couple. Apparently he's part Brazilian, part Croatian. This might well be true because he did look like an evil freak. Theo Walcott spent the night waiting for a barn door to be erected at Bramall Lane but the hosts were not that generous. The best performance from a non Premier League side was given by Leicester City at Stamford Bridge. The Foxes took an early lead and then came from 2-1 down to lead in the second half with quickfire goals from Dudley (DJ) Campbell and one from Carl Cort. With Chelsea momentarily reeling Cort then had the chance to give the visitors a two goal cushion but his close range header grazed the crossbar. Dreams of a famous victory were dashed in a frantic last five minutes as Schevchenko levelled with a piledriver and then Fat Frank Lampard completed his hat trick, and Chelsea's victory, with a scrambled effort in the last minute. Frank's two earlier strikes had been sweetly taken side footed efforts arriving in the box with perfect timing. The new regime of entertainment at all costs is possibly under way at the Bridge but we will have to wait and see. It would be unwise to defend so erratically in the Premier League or Europe. Liverpool made heavy weather of beating Cardiff City at Anfield but it was possibly telling that it took them less than a minute to reclaim the lead after Darren Purse had brought the Bluebirds level in the second half. Robbie Fowler had nothing more to show for his, potentially, last game at Anfield than Steven Gerrard's shirt. I hope he sells it on Ebay because that's surely what Gerrard's going to do with his. Which one would make most money? I'd bet Fowler's every day of the week. Blackpool had the chances to make it an uncomfortable night in charge for Tottenham's new manager but they didn't take any of them. Gary Taylor-Fletcher only had himself to blame for heading a sitter over the bar but could then feel aggrieved at seeing Paul Robinson pull off a world class save to deny his point blank effort. "Why pick on me?" you could almost hear Taylor-Fletcher thinking and it did indeed seem somewhat harsh. Still, I don't think you can really trust people with double-barrelled names. I mean how many names does a person want? And it must be a bind when it comes to signing autographs. Maybe that's not such a big issue for Gary though. Robbie Keane scored again for Spurs and Pascal Chimbonda added the other in a 2-0 win. Luton Town managed to take Everton to extra time at Kenilworth Road before losing out to a Tim Cahill goal while Coventry City were unlucky to be beaten by a last minute goal at home to West Ham which came after a blatant handball at the start of the move leading to Carlton Cole's winner. The two all Premier League clashes saw Blackburn Rovers claim a fine 2-1 win at Portsmouth while Manchester City edged out Bolton Wanderers 1-0 at the Reebok. I can only assume that the linesman who awarded City their penalty late on at Bolton was simply too bored to allow the game to go to extra time. That can surely be the only reason for giving a handball decision when the contact had clearly been with the defenders' chest. To be fair though, the game had been boring enough to justify drastic action. 3rd Round Review Skipped the 2nd round you might have noticed but it is only the League/Carling Cup. As I remember the most memorable result was Morecambe's 3-1 extra time win against Wolves at Molineux. That meant the league newcomers had won at two Championship venues and the 3rd round draw offered them the chance of completing a hat trick away at Sheffield United. Bramall Lane was not quite so accomodating, however, and the Blades ran out 5-0 winners with Billy Sharp taking the opportunity to grab himself a couple of goals. Whether this sparks him into action in the Championship remains to be seen. The best individual performance came from Liverpool's Fernando Torres who responded to being rested for the last two league games with a hat trick in the 4-2 win at Reading. Has Rafa had a bang on the head lately? He seems to have confused which competitions carry the most prestige. Coventry City have the broadest grins of all the 3rd round winners. They treated their 11,000 travelling fans to a night to remember at Old Trafford as Michael Mifsud ran riot and led the team to a 2-0 victory. Alex Ferguson had obviously fielded a weakened side but it did include several multi million pound signings who on the early evidence look well short of value for money. The youngsters in his defence also looked nothing like United quality. A word of caution for Coventry, however. Southend United knocked a stronger United team than this out of the competition last season and still ended up relegated from the Championship. Of slight interest were Chelsea's entertaining 4-0 win at Hull City and Jermain Defoe's strop when substituted by Martin Jol in Tottenham's tie with Middlesbrough. You had to feel for Jermain. He played well, set up two sitters for Jenas and Tainio which were both wasted, saw Brad Jones make two magnificent saves to keep out headers of his own and still got dragged off. To make matters worse Spurs then went and scored twice more or less straight away to make him look a prize buffoon. 1st Round Highlights The 1st round of the League Cup is something of a graveyard for Championship clubs and this year saw its' fair share of surprises. Preston 1 Morecambe 2 You've got to laugh really. Preston with their centuries of tradition and Premier League aspirations losing to Morecambe who've only been in the league a shit and a shave. And it's only a hop skip and a jump from one town to the other. Bragging rights were earned for The Shrimps by central defenders Jim Bentley and Dave Artell who scored six minutes after the start and six minutes from the end. Bentley's was a beauty on the volley while Artell capitalised on a bad error by goalie Wayne Henderson. Danny Pugh had equalised for Preston but this meant nothing in the final analysis. 2nd round opponents: Wolverhampton Wanderers away. Queens Park Rangers 1 Leyton Orient 2 QPR are not the first London side the O's have embarrassed on their own pad in the cup recently but this will be of little consolation. Jason Demetriou and an Adam Boyd penalty had the visitors two up just after the hour although a quick reply by Martin Rowlands ensured a tense last twenty minutes. Rangers could not break through again, however, and the O's march on. 2nd round opponents: Cardiff City away. Peterborough United 2 Southampton 1 Darren Ferguson's Posh produced a fine display to thoroughly deserve victory over the Saints. Gregorz Rasiak scored at both ends but George Boyd's effort proved crucial. 2nd round opponents: West Bromwich Albion home. Shrewsbury Town 1 Colchester United 0 It was a long night at the New Meadow Stadium and 106 minutes had passed before Darren Kempson notched the decisive goal. It is not inconceivable that these teams will meet again next season in league action. 2nd round opponents: Fulham home. Scunthorpe United 1 Hartlepool United 2 Hartlepool won't consider this that big a shock but it was quite an achievement considering they came from behind with only ten men to clinch victory. Martin Paterson had the Iron ahead early in the second half and when Ali Gibb, on as a sub for just five minutes, was sent off for a professional foul on 65 minutes the game looked up for Hartlepool. Working on the principle that you might as well get hung for a monkey as a lamb the depleted visitors pushed forward gamely and David Foley, another replacement, struck twice to claim an unlikely victory. So is Danny Wilson a tactical genius with his substitutions or a complete tithead? You decide. 2nd round opponents: Sheffield Wednesday away. Milton Keynes Dons 3 Ipswich Town 3 The Dons raced into a two goal lead midway through the first half with the help of an own goal but they later returned the favour and Ipswich took the game to extra time before then taking the lead. The Dons saved themselves with Kevin Gallen's penalty in the last minute of extra time and then won the shootout with Gallen on target again from the spot. 2nd round opponents: Sheffield United home. Rochdale 2 Stoke City 2 This exciting game went all the way with Stoke scoring early and Rochdale late in normal time before Rory Prendergast blasted home to apparently win the tie for Rocky in extra time. Not so fast boys. Richard Cresswell dragged the scores level right at the end of extra time before, somewhat typically, missing his sides' first penalty. Stoke never recovered as Rochdale held their nerve. By the way, how pissed off is Stoke's Ricardo Fuller. He left Preston just to get away from the dire Cresswell and now his latest club have reunited them. It's a small, depressing world Ricardo, it really is. 2nd round opponents: Norwich City home. Bristol Rovers 1 Crystal Palace 1 Bristol Rovers won 4-1 on penalties. Dougie Freedman had Palace ahead in the first half but Craig Disley levelled after the break and extra time was unable to find a winner. Penalties were a trauma for Palace who hit the net only once to crash out. 2nd round opponents: West Ham United home.
2006-07 League Cup Final Arsenal 1 Chelsea 2 Well, this will no doubt be the final remembered for the three red cards dished out towards the end as things got a bit heated, which is a pity really. It is hard to think what the final would have been remembered for otherwise, however. Which is not to say this was a bad game. Quite the opposite. It is simply that no-one really took over proceedings, individual or team, and there were no moments of real, abiding quality. The individual honours must go to Didier Drogba whose two goals brought Chelsea from behind to give them the cup and this was a fitting way to embellish an outstanding personal season. The big Ivorian might well have a major say in the seasons' other honours as well. It was the Arsenal youngsters who started the brighter, however, and it was not until well into the second half that the more experienced Chelsea side began to grind them down. The pace, movement and slick passing of Arsenal had Chelsea on the back foot from the word go with Cesc Fabregas the controlling influence in midfield and all the young Gunners looking confident and eager to get on the ball. Also noticably more assured than of late was Theo Walcott and his purposeful start was rewarded with the opening goal on 12 minutes. Walcott was quickest to react when a corner was half cleared and having played the ball forward to Abou Diaby he motored through to collect the return with a sweet first touch which not only took him clear of the defence but invited the crisp finish across Petr Cech and inside the far post that followed. Walcott reeled away in evident delight and it was obviously nice to see a confirmation of the talent this boy possesses on the big stage. Arsenal had already threatened through Julio Baptista who brought a fine save out of Cech but, crucially, they did not hold their advantage long. Michael Ballack picked out Drogba, who got the benefit of a borderline offside call, and he strode on the shoot low past Manuel Almunia. Arsenal continued to play by far the better football in the first half but they no longer had the lead their play merited and the threat which had been evident in their early attacks also began to wane. Indeed the best chance of the half after Drogba's equaliser came to Andrei Schevchenko but, in another unconvincing display, his header from a Wayne Bridge cross was feeble. Jose Mourinho introduced Arjen Robben at the interval in place of Claude Makelele and this change certainly improved the Chelsea performance. Initially, however, it remained Arsenal pulling the strings and Cech had to save smartly to deny Diaby before Fabregas was unlucky with a low shot just past the post after some nimble footwork. Strangely the catalyst for a genuine improvement in Chelsea was a horrible injury to John Terry. Diaby booted the diving Terry flush in the face when hoofing clear over his own crossbar and the England captain was out cold. It was several minutes before Terry was carried away strapped to a stretcher with all the medical accessories attached and everyone was entitled to fear the worst at that stage. Apparently Terry came round a little later, gave his head a few shakes, discharged himself from hospital and was back at the stadium in time to join in the celebrations. Tough lad Mr. Terry, but he does need to be sensible as well as brave when making decisions about his fitness. Without him Chelsea roused themselves and Almunia was soon having to react sharply to deny Drogba before Fat Frank smashed in an effort from distance that had the bar bending. It had been a distinctly average performance from Lampard inferior but, as usual, he was close to redeeming himself with one clubbing swing of his right boot. The decisive moment came on 84 minutes when Arsenal surrendered possession in midfield and Robben crossed for Drogba to get in front of Philippe Senderos and crunch a fine header into the bottom corner. It was perhaps asking too much for the youthful Arsenal side to respond in the time remaining and after Schevchenko had almost splintered the bar in exactly the spot Lampard had found the game desecended into chaos. The incident in which the three players were dismissed started with a clumsy foul on Kolo Toure by John Obi Mikel. Toure reacted angrily and players from both sides quickly piled in, followed shortly afterwards by both managers. It was difficult to see which players were trying to calm the situation and which were trying to inflame it. The most aggressive participants appeared to be Fabregas and Fat Frank who were involved in a wrestling match but the only actual punch thrown came in the shape of a sly dig to the back of Wayne Bridge's head from Emmanuel Eboue. When the dust had finally settled the referee showed red cards to Toure, Mikel and Emmanuel Adebayor. The dismissal of Adebyor made the situation worse as the distraught forward made his feelings known and refused to leave the pitch. It's easy to condemn Adebayor but I wouldn't be happy if someone sent me off in a major final for doing nothing at all. In truth this was a typically petty football bust up and it would have been fine to just send off Eboue, the man who actually escaped scot free. The next worst offender was probably Toure whose silly reaction kicked everything off in the first place. Adebayor did nothing and Mikel was absolutely blameless beyond his initial foul which was barely worth a yellow card and nowhere near a red. All in all a difficult situation not handled particularly well by Howard Webb and his assistants. The referee also had the unique distinction, I assume, of seeing his watch tick round to 101 minutes before finally blowing for full time. A sorry end to a gripping day. One on which Arsenal's shadow side confirmed its' potential but Chelsea's proper team took the silverware back to Stamford Bridge. One down and three to go perhaps?
Thursday, January 25 Chelsea brushed Wycombe aside in the second leg of their semi final this week to set up a meeting with either Spurs or Arsenal in the final. The Chairboys did not disgrace themselves but there was never the slightest hint of an upset at Stamford Bridge. Most disappointingly for Wycombe was the surrender of the first goal on the night. Having survived several early chances and apparently settling into the game Tommy Doherty gifted Andrei Schevchenko the opener with a feeble back pass. There was never likely to be a way back and Schevchenko had doubled the lead before half time. Wycombe enjoyed their best spell shortly after half time but Jermaine Easter's touch let him down when well placed and although Petr Cech fumbled a couple of free kicks no-one was on hand to profit. As the visitors pushed forward a corner was cleared and suddenly Fat Frank Lampard was pounding through, dodging the rash advance of the keeper and taking a liberty with the last defender before scoring. Lampard also drove the final nail in the League Two teams' coffin in injury time with Chelsea's fourth. The first leg of the Spurs Arsenal tie fairly dripped with drama and incident. Tottenham bossed the first half as they looked to overcome Arsene Wenger's shadow side. Dimitar Berbatov was central to a strong opening and having clipped the outside of a post he opened the scoring with a simple header after confusion between Almunia and Toure. Berbatov managed to tweak his groin in scoring, however, and was replaced by Robbie Keane. The Spurs attack was never quite so potent again. The home side did manage to extend their lead before half time, however. Michael Dawson failed to make contact with an attempted flick at the near post but the ball bounced in off Julio Baptista anyway. Although Arsenal found themselves two goals down at the interval their first half display had suggested there were goals in the game for them and after the break they came out to dominate. The change in emphasis was highlighted by two goals for Baptista and it was the visitors looking the most likely winners by the end. Theo Walcott had a great chance late on the seal the comeback but missed the target which at least keeps the second leg nicely balanced. Tottenham have to feel that they have squandered their best chance, however, and Arsenal will be confident of progressing no matter what side Wenger decides to select in the second leg.
Thursday, January 11 This week has given us the final quarter final tie and the first semi final game. Both were interesting affairs. Liverpool 3 Arsenal 6 Rafa Benitez can say what he wants about this one but not selecting his strongest team after going out of the FA Cup on Saturday to the same opposition was bonkers. Wycombe Wanderers 1 Chelsea 1 It really was almost amazing to see just how threadbare the Chelsea side suddenly looked going into this semi final first leg. Hilario in goal, Essien and Ferreira centre halves, Mikel in midfield and Wayne Bridge playing the Arjen Robben role.
Wednesday, December 20 Three of the four semi finalists have been decided, the game at Anfield between Arsenal and Liverpool was fogged off controversially. You only have to see each goal from the halfway line ref and bollocks to the fans behind each goal. I'm sure that's what the law says. Charlton Athletic 0 Wycombe Wanderers 1 Mr. Charisma, the Charlton manager, saw this as a chance for his beleaguered squad to gain confidence for their relegation battle by easing into the semi finals at the expense of Wycombe. Newcastle United 0 Chelsea 1 Chelsea started the game at Newcastle without several big guns but with Drogba, Lampard, Ballack and Ashley Cole (not to mention Magnus Hedman) on the bench it was clear that Jose Mourinho still meant business if his half and half side couldn't get the job done. Tottenham Hotspur 1 Southend United 0 aet. Southend put up gallant opposition at White Hart Lane but their
lack of ambition and Tottenham's inability to hit top gear made this a fairly tedious encounter.
Wednesday, November 8 Down to the last sixteen and one of the most popular giantkillings of all time I suspect at Roots Hall. Elsewhere some lively action and a couple of duds. Read on. Southend United 1 Manchester United 0 Alex Ferguson took a strong side to Roots Hall to take on Southend. Of the starting line up only David Jones was not a full international and Fergie evidently intended to see his side progress further in this years' competition. Chesterfield 3 Charlton Athletic 3 Chesterfield led twice as they looked to claim a third Premiership scalp of their cup campaign but eventually bowed out on penalties to a relieved Charlton. Watford 2 Newcastle United 2 Newcastle probably deserved this victory after a fluctuating night during which both sides led but could only eventually be seperated by penalties. Tottenham Hotspur 3 Port Vale 1 aet. Spurs were close to coming a cropper at home to League One Vale at White Hart Lane. Everton 0 Arsenal 1 Everton went down at home to a weakened Arsenal after losing James McFadden to a red card after just 19 minutes. Chelsea 4 Aston Villa 0 Jose Mourinho fielded a very strong side and was rewarded with a handsome win. Shaun Wright-Phillips must wonder where his next game is coming from, however. Notts County 0 Wycombe Wanderers 1 The fact that there was only one goal in this one could be put down to two outstanding goalkeeping displays. That there was a goal at all, on the other hand, could be put down to a goalkeeping howler. Birmingham City 0 Liverpool 1 Liverpool made heavy weather of this one, spurning a series of chances including a Craig Bellamy penalty. The goal forced in by Dan Agger during first half stoppage time would ultimately prove enough, however.
Wednesday, October 25 No major surprises in the 3rd round of the Carling Cup, except that West Ham actually scored, but a few raised eyebrows, a couple of near misses and a bucket load of spanking good action. Here is our pick of the action. 1: Chesterfield 2 West Ham 1 2: Notts County 2 Southampton 0 3: Sheffield United 2 Birmingham City 4 4: Crewe Alexandra 1 Manchester United 2 5: Liverpool 4 Reading 3 6: MK Dons 0 Tottenham 5
Thursday, September 21 Ah, you see, just when you thought the little boys can't take out the big boys any more we got to Wednesday and the Carling Cup became Shock Central. It just shows that you can give people loads of cash but they still can't tell the difference between a class footballer and a bunch of seaside donkeys. Here's the pick of the 2nd round action. 1: Crewe Alexandra 2 Wigan Athletic 0 2: Middlesbrough 0 Notts County 1 3: Chesterfield 2 Manchester City 1 4: Fulham 1 Wycombe Wanderers 2 5: Doncaster Rovers 3 Derby County 3 6: Reading 3 Darlington 3 7: Watford 0 Accrington Stanley 0 8: Hull 0 Hartlepool United 0 9: Barnsley 1 MK Dons 2 10: Port Vale 3 QPR 2 Thursday, August 24 It was a bad couple of days for Championship sides in the Carling Cup as one after the other fell to lower league opponents. Here is our top ten of the cup upsets. 1: Bury 2 Sunderland 0 2: Crystal Palace 1 Notts County 2 3: Cardiff City 0 Barnet 2 4: Sheffield Wednesday 1 Wrexham 4 5: Accrington Stanley 1 Nottingham Forest 0 6: Hereford United 3 Coventry City 1 7: Plymouth Argyle 0 Walsall 1 8: Burnley 0 Hartlepool United 1 9: Stoke City 1 Darlington 2 10: Port Vale 2 Preston 1
Carling Cup Final 2005-06 I suppose the first thing I should say is, having said Wigan would get murdered if they performed as meekly as they had in the league at Old Trafford, that Wigan did give it a go in Cardiff. They still got murdered because no matter how far they've come in whatever amount of time they do not possess real, international class match winners like Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney and they have centre halves who wouldn't move as quickly as Wes Brown and Rio Ferdinand if they were shot out of a cannon. It was to some extent a shame that Wigan should end up beaten so comprehensively. They had performed well to reach the final and had got there purely on merit, not through luck. United remain a team to fear if it is their day though and the cup final arena and atmosphere appears something they are comfortable with. And someone was probably due a hiding from them. The one thing that kept coming to my mind was that although Wigan were being soundly beaten by United the game was nowhere near as one sided as last years FA Cup final when United absolutely played Arsenal off the same park only to somehow lose on penalties. That result, and the pain it caused, was probably still fresh in the minds of the United players, especially the younger ones who felt the pain probably most of all. Rooney and Ronaldo were never likely to allow the same thing to happen again. Much has been made of Wigan's gameplan and I think Paul Jewell's selection was suspect. Forcing Jimmy Bullard out onto the left wing seemed a complete waste. Players have got to be comfortable in a position to play it well. Just selecting the best eleven and then shoehorning them into the formation is pointless. And how Wigan missed Bullard's legs in midfield. Once the game settled into its wide open pattern Graham Kavanagh was left dreadfully exposed as United's array of wingers began swarming all over him. Of course United were also fitting players into unaccustomed positions but this was more through neccessity than choice and once the game began to beat to their preferred rhythm this hardly mattered. Ronaldo was bewildering. He can frustrate and he can annoy, although he is nowhere near as big a conman as people make out, but he can also be breathtaking. His recent performances have suggested a much more effective mix of the magnificent and the mundane. You would think he will have noticed that for all his tricks and artistry his most productive pass was the simple ball he rolled into Gary Neville's stride in the build up to the second, killer goal. Rooney, of course, was better still. His involvement was total. His movement is incredible. He covers so much ground he really ought to be in the headless chicken brigade. I don't understand how you can do so much running and always be in the right place at the right time. And to see him steaming up in support of a master like Ryan Giggs, with his arm outstretched just in case Giggsy hasn't worked out for himself what the best option is, is a thing of beauty. The only surprise in his performance was that, having almost splintered the crossbar with an early header and then scored twice, he failed in his attempt to claim a hat trick with an audacious chip. The big talking point turned out to be Ferguson's omission of Van Nistelrooy in favour of Louis Saha. Whatever the real reason for the decision, and I favour the school of thought which believes it was punishment for a lackadaisical moment at Anfield last week, Ferguson was probably confident that it was a choice which had no potential for embarrassment. Indeed for all the Dutchman's predatory instincts it would have been hard not to fancy unleashing the Frenchman's raw pace against De Zeeuw and Henchoz. It was surprising that Van Nistelrooy was not allowed to even enter as a substitute, however, and this did give the impression that it was more of a snub than a reward for Saha's endeavours throughout this cup run. As for Wigan they battled to the end but had nobody on the day who could offer more than an occasional threat to United. Gary Teale was probably their most dangerous player but given that he was up against Mikael Silvestre that hardly came as a surprise. There was obviously extra sympathy for Mike Pollit who saw his big day out ruined in the first couple of minutes by a freak hamstring pull but he would have been helpless to prevent the ensuing carnage in any case. The progress of both these clubs will be highly interesting to monitor over the next couple of seasons as they seek to realise hugely different goals. What are the chances of them meeting in a final again? Your guess is as good as mine.
Semi Final Second LegsThe League Cup continues to be an impossible competition to work out. Are the clubs bothered about it? Should we be bothered about it? It isn't easy to tell. For the first leg of Wigan and Arsenal there was a half full stadium, weakened teams, no atmosphere and a forgettable game. Suddenly, in the second leg, there were full strength sides, a good crowd including a healthy away following, a real atmosphere and an exciting, incident packed game. Why Arsene Wenger suddenly decided to introduce his big guns now is unclear. Surely the first leg of the tie was just as important if he actually wanted to progress. Anyway, it helped make for a dramatic night and his most notable selection, Thierry Henry, quickly showed that he was up for it on his first appearance in the competition for six years. For all the problems that Henry caused the Wigan defence in the early stages, however, Jason Roberts was causing just as many at the other end as both sides looked to press forward at every opportunity. The first big chance of the night came Arsenal's way in the 20th minute when they were awarded a penalty. The decision seemed fair enough at the time but began to look more than generous later as a succession of Wigan appeals were ignored. In typical Arsenal fashion the third choice penalty taker, Reyes, stepped forward for the spot kick and saw Mike Pollitt pull off an excellent diving save. Arsene Wenger expressed his surprise afterwards that the Spaniard had took the kick in front of Henry and Lauren but you have to question the managers' apparent tolerance of this flippant attitude within his squad. We've already had the Henry/Pires penalty fiasco this season and yet the Gunners still persist in treating matches like kickabouts in the park. When everything comes off it looks great but this attitude is costing them consistently, especially on their travels. It was not long before the Wigan camp began to feel they were being persecuted. Four minutes after this incident Roberts was hauled to the floor in a Phillipe Senderos bear hug inside the box, yet amazingly no decision was forthcoming. Ten minutes later it was Sol Campbell's turn to bundle him over untidily and the England man also got away with it. I suppose if Senderos's challenge had been deemed fair then Campbell was in no danger of being penalised. After being embarrassed by the strength of James Beattie at the weekend, however, this was proving a highly uncomfortable outing for the Gunners central defence. Thierry Henry was proving equally irrepressible at the other end with his rapier thrusts but Pollitt in the Wigan goal was enjoying an inspired evening, denying the Frenchman on several occassions, most notably with his feet as Henry surged clear. In the run up to half time, however, the visitors were pressing hard and Gary Teale, Roberts and Paul Scharner were all close to increasing Wigan's aggregate lead. Shortly after half time Roberts was too high with his flicked header from another good chance before Arsenal began to exert more control than at any previous time. Pollitt had again excelled in denying Henry before the breakthrough came on 65 minutes. Alexander Hleb linked with Kerrea Gilbert down the right and the young full backs' cross was perfect for Henry to head home from close range. Wigan claimed a penalty for the third time when Chimbonda went down under challenge from Almunia but again with no response. Roberts was marginally wide with a sidefooted attempt before Henry hobbled off with just over ten minutes remaining to be replaced by Robin Van Persie. It was Arsenal who had the best chance to settle the tie in normal time but Sol Campbell was wildly off target from a good position in the jaws of goal. Wigan had created plenty of chances to book their final place already and continued to do so in extra time but shortly into the second period they conceded again when Van Persie whipped home a superb free kick. 2-1 down on aggregate Wigan would now go through on away goals if they scored but after further misses by Roberts and Chimbonda it looked as though their tremendous efforts would be in vain. Dennis Bergkamp had one outstanding chance to kill the tie but Pollitt again saved with his legs before the visitors earned their reward in the very last minute. Again Roberts was too strong for the home defence who now made the fatal error of not dragging him to the floor and, allowed to continue, Roberts lashed past Almunia to send his team to their first major final. Arsenal had contributed fully to a fantastic match but Wigan surely deserved to progress and if the Gunners did feel aggrieved then perhaps they should ask themselves why they chose to all but ignore the first leg of the contest. The second semi final went in the opposite direction. Competitive and mildly engaging in the first leg the second game between Manchester United and Blackburn was a tepid, boring game which was only niggly, not really hard fought. Blackburn contributed little against a United side already light in midfield even before Ryan Giggs had to depart early on with a tight hamstring. Ruud Van Nistelrooy put United in front before Steven Reid equalised out of the blue then missed a penalty ridiculously awarded against Rovers for handball. Then we must assume he was involved in a bust up in the tunnel at half time with Robbie Savage, another non football related mention for Savage on this site. Trust me, if and when Savage does something worthwhile that does have a football context we will report it. This unpleasant end to the half was somewhat fitting after the unsatisfactory approach of both sides, did they know there was a final place at stake? United controlled the second half to a large extent as Blackburn's performance became ever more insipid. Louis Saha's goal, which turned out to be the difference, was surely a huge miss hit but it was hard to argue that Rovers deserved better overall. Although Kuqi had looked out of his depth up front for Rovers he had been basically on his own and to take him off and replace him with another midfield player when they were a goal down did not seem to make much sense. I also wondered why Savage was kept on over Tugay when Mark Hughes made another change. Which of those two is most likely to come up with a goal? There were various complaints from the Rovers camp after the game but I think they would be better asking themselves whether they really felt they had given this tie a proper go. It was not the way I would have wanted to go out in a semi final. So it's Wigan against Manchester United at Cardiff in what should be a good game, if Wigan maintain their fearless approach. If they play as meekly as they did in the league at Old Trafford, however, they will get murdered.
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