English FA Cup - Man U & Chelsea advance
Published 3/19/2007 8:30:19 PM by Staff from PremierLeague.com
Both Chelsea and Manchester United moved on to the FA Cup semifinals with wins yesterday.
Chelsea 2 Tottenham 1
Stunning strikes from Andriy Shevchenko and Shaun Wright-Phillips kept Chelsea's quadruple dreams alive by sending Tottenham Hotspur spinning out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win. Shevchenko and Wright-Phillips struck in the second half of the quarter-final replay at White Hart Lane to put coach Jose Mourinho within sight of the only trophy he has not won in the English game.
Robbie Keane pulled a goal back for the hosts with a penalty but he could not take his record of scoring in every round of this season’s cup into the last four. Spurs were ultimately undone by goals of genuine quality, Shevchenko’s probably his finest since arriving in London.
It was only his 12th strike since the Community Shield at the start of the campaign but offered a reminder of why Chelsea parted with more than £30million for his services. The Ukraine striker has saved his best performances for the knockout competitions and his goal had the hallmarks of the kind of strikes he regularly executed at AC Milan. Then came Wright-Phillips’ volley, giving Steve McClaren in the stands a glimpse of what England are missing without him in the squad.
As nervous before the game as the two sets of supporters was McClaren, who watched on as five of his squad for the upcoming European Championship qualifiers started and Jermain Defoe was on the bench. But it was the foreign players who made an early impression in a frenetic start, Dimitar Berbatov showing his familiar neat touches which set up Keane to have a shot blocked.
At the other end, Chelsea were inches from taking the lead in the seventh minute. Ashley Cole, jeered by some home supporters for being a former Arsenal player, hoisted the ball forward for Didier Drogba to chest down, but Michael Ballack’s volley flew just wide.
It was two Englishmen not in McClaren’s squad, however, who looked to set themselves apart from the ferocious pace of the game. Michael Dawson cleared a host of Chelsea attacks with his head and Wright-Phillips, recalled to the starting XI for Arjen Robben, fizzed a shot over in the 17th minute.
As is the way with tense cup ties, strong challenges were committed by both teams, Ricardo Carvalho timing one to perfection when Keane had a sight of goal.
Lassana Diarra mis-timed one on Aaron Lennon and was booked, while Drogba earned a yellow card after his reaction to fouling Ricardo Rocha.
A player left out of McClaren’s squad, Jermaine Jenas, was proving dangerous with his deliveries from dead-balls. His corner had to be clawed around the post by Petr Cech midway through the half, and Dawson headed over the resulting set-piece. Jenas then threatened from open play but Keane and Berbatov were just a yard off his fiercely-struck cross from the right.
Cole powered a shot at goal five minutes before the break but it deflected to safety off a team-mate, with the first half drawing to an end with neither goalkeeper making a significant save. Cech, however, was called into action in the 49th minute when Jenas’ corner found its way to the far post and Pascal Chimbonda volleyed on target but too close to the Chelsea keeper. Steed Malbranque forced a more urgent save two minutes later with a drilled effort from the edge of the area.
But Chelsea were ahead in the 55th minute through Shevchenko’s stunning opener. There appeared to be little danger when the Ukraine striker picked the ball up on the right flank but, with the angles getting tighter, he unleashed his left-footed rocket into the far top corner. The lead was doubled just after the hour mark, Drogba trapping a long ball with his chest for Wright-Phillips to volley home first time. The two goals were good enough to win any cup tie but Spurs set up a dramatic finale when Berbatov was fouled by Carvalho when closing in on goal. The Portugal centre-back only got a yellow card, with Keane sending Cech the wrong way with the penalty.
Manchester United 1 Middlesborough 0
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot as Manchester United beat Middlesbrough to book an FA Cup semi-final meeting with Watford a nd keep alive their Treble dream. In a tie that seemed to be heading inexorably for extra-time, Ronaldo was the man sent flying in the 75th minute as Jonathan Woodgate made his only mistake of the night.
The pair were flying for the dead ball line at top speed with 15 minutes of the contest remaining. But, even though Woodgate wisely opted not to attempt a tackle, he caught Ronaldo’s trailing leg as he fell, leaving referee Mike Dean little alternative than to point to the spot.
Once the visitors’ arguments subsided, Ronaldo strode up to break Boro’s resistance by sending Mark Schwarzer the wrong way, taking United into the last four and one step closer a dream Wembley showdown with title rivals Chelsea on May 19. Ronaldo had rammed home the penalty at the Riverside on April 10 which earned United their quarter-final replay after George Boateng had handled at close range inside his own box.
Having come through three replays and two penalty shoot-outs to reach this point, Boro had already shown a tenacity that proved they would not be easily dismissed from the competition. And little that occurred in the opening period suggested their stickability had lost any of its adhesive quality on the trip down from Teesside. Unusually for any side meeting one of the ‘big four’, Boro were actually that little bit fresher than their injury-hit opponents.
It might not have gone down well with Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock in particular, but Southgate’s decision to leave Woodgate, Mark Viduka and Julio Arca out of the team that lost against Manchester City on Saturday was vindicated by a battling first-half performance.
The visitors carved out at least as many half chances as their hosts, with Viduka going close with a snap-shot that Tomasz Kuszczak could have done nothing about had it been an inch the other side of his right-hand post. Ronaldo was equally unfortunate to see an early shot curl just wide and if anyone was going to light up the game, it was the Portugal winger.
One brilliant piece of skill took him past Matthew Taylor and Emanuel Pogatetz, only for Woodgate to slide in and prevent former Leeds United team-mate Alan Smith bundling home. Bereft of clear opportunities, the contest seemed destined to see its opening goal three minutes before the break when Ryan Giggs set Wayne Rooney free with a superb slide-rule pass.
In a similar position against Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, the England man calmly chipped home. Here, he attempted to round Schwarzer and the Australian simply stuck out an arm and took the ball away from him. The second period was as closely contested as the first, with Woodgate catching the eye, more through his ability to read United’s intentions than anything else.
Each time the Red Devils threatened, it seemed the on-loan Real Madrid defender was there with a tackle, an interception or a header. It is impossible to keep Ronaldo and Rooney quiet all night, though, and both men found themselves one-on-one with Schwarzer, yet failed to score.
In fairness, Ronaldo left himself a virtually impossible task as he rounded the Boro keeper but, from the tightest of angles, he still managed to roll his shot against a post. Rooney, however, had no excuse after Michael Carrick sliced a pass straight through the heart of Boro’s defence. This time, the England man went early, only for Schwarzer to save with his right foot.
It appeared extra-time was inevitable, only for Woodgate to offer Ronaldo the chance to settle the issue when he sent the Portugal winger sprawling. United have now gained three spot-kicks at Middlesbrough’s expense this season - and once again Ronaldo did not miss. The goal signalled the start of a bad-tempered end to the game which, amid a plethora of yellow cards, saw James Morrison sent off for a wild injury-time tackle on Ronaldo.
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