|
Ruud shock for Aston Villa
LONDON, JANUARY 7: The FA
Cup sprung to life in dramatic style on Sunday as Manchester
United produced a trademark late recovery to knock out Aston
Villa.
Though Leeds, the Premier League
leaders, suffered a humiliating 2-1 defeat at second division
Cardiff, and Derby County lost 3-1 at home to third division
Bristol Rovers, but Manchester United almost stole the limelight
with a stunning display at Villa Park.
Trailing 2-0 and facing a third-round
exit from the competition for the first time in 18 years,
the champions scored three goals in five minutes to book their
place in the fourth round. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer grabbed the
first before substitute Ruud Van Nistelrooy, on the bench
to rest a groin injury, netted twice in two minutes to seal
a stirring comeback.
"It was a fantastic Cup tie in
the second half," United manager Alex Ferguson said.
"I thought we were extremely
unlucky to be down but, at that point, I had to make a substitution.
I didn’t want to do it but he (Van Nistelrooy) came on and
changed the game."
|
Bookies favour
United for FA Cup
|
|
LONDON: Manchester United have been installed
as 7-2 favourites to win the English FA Cup by bookmakers
William Hill following Sunday’s fourth-round draw.
Other FA Cup odds offered by Hills are as follows:
5-1 Newcastle United; 7-1 Arsenal; 15-2 Chelsea and
Liverpool, 10-1 Tottenham Hotspur; 12-1 Fulham; 14-1
Everton; 22-1 Blackburn Rovers and Charlton Athletic;
25-1 Ipswich Town and West Ham United; 40-1 Manchester
City and Southampton; 50-1 Bolton Wanderers; 66-1 Burnley,
Leicester City, Middlesbrough and West Bromwich; 80-1
Gillingham, Millwall; 100-1 Preston; 125-1 Coventry
and Sheffield United; 200-1 Brighton, Cardiff and Tranmere;
250-1 Cheltenham and Sheffield Wednesday; 300-1 Bradford.
(Reuters)
|
Meanwhile, Arsenal and Liverpool will
meet in a repeat of last season’s FA Cup final after being
paired together in Sunday’s fourth-round draw.
Michael Owen’s two late goals at
Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium inspired Liverpool to a 2-1 win
over Arsenal last May, and the title rivals will clash again
at Highbury in three weeks’ time.
Both sides reached the fourth round
after comfortable victories over first division opponents
on Saturday, Arsenal beating Watford 4-2 and Liverpool easing
past Birmingham City 3-0. Champions Manchester United, who
came from 0-2 down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 in a dramatic third-round
tie on Sunday evening, were drawn away at the eventual winners
of the Wimbledon V Middlesbrough match.
The Selhurst Park game was postponed
on Saturday because of a frozen pitch and rearranged for Tuesday.
If Middlesbrough win through, it will pit former United assistant
manager Steve McClaren, now in charge at Boro, against his
old employers.
United were knocked out of the FA
Cup by Wimbledon in 1997,b ut beat Middlesbrough in the third
round in 1999 on the way to their historic treble.
In other fourth-round ties, second
division Cardiff City, who stunned premier league leaders
Leeds United 2-1 on Sunday, were drawn against the winners
of the Southend V Tranmere Rovers third-round match. Third
division Bristol Rovers, fresh from a shock 3-1 win at premier
league Derby County, were rewarded with a trip to first division
Gillingham.
The winners of the Norwich City-Chelsea
third-round replay will entertain West Ham United in the next
round, while Newcastle United face a trip to North-East neighbours
Darlington if the third division club can overcome second
division Peterborough in their rearranged tie.
The winners of the Coventry City-Tottenham
Hotspur match were drawn at home to Stockport County or Bolton
Wanderers. All the fourth-round ties will be played on the
weekend of January 26-27. (Reuters)
|
