Champions League, Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool

Cole gives Blues the edge

Joe Cole scored the only goal of the game as Chelsea emerged from the first leg of their Champions League semi-final with a 1-0 advantage over Liverpool to take to Anfield.

After generating enough chances to put the tie beyond doubt, particularly in a first-half they comfortably dominated, Jose Mourinho's side were put under sufficient pressure after the break for Liverpool to head home believing they can turn things around in front of their own supporters.

Cole's goal was a delight to watch and the kind of quick break that visiting sides to Stamford Bridge usually dream of. That Chelsea were the home side yet still found themselves attacking on the break was of little importance to those fans waving blue and white flags.

The opening period belonged to the Blues and Cole's goal was just reward for a display which had Liverpool pegged back deep in their own half for long spells. Chelsea could have been in front as early as the eighth minute when Ashley Cole's cross was headed down by Didier Drogba for Lampard to fire in a shot which brought an excellent save from Jose Reina.

It was a warning that Liverpool failed to heed and when John Arne Riise's pass was intercepted by Drogba three minutes later, Chelsea looked certain to open their account. But Drogba, with 31 goals to his credit this season, failed to find Joe Cole with his pass and another opportunity went begging.

Drogba's lack of bravery moments later allowed Liverpool to escape yet again when he paid far too much attention to the onrushing Reina than the flight of Joe Cole's cross and missed the ball completely. When Frank Lampard's free-kick flew inches wide of Reina's right-hand upright in the 22nd minute, Mourinho could have been forgiven for thinking it was not going to be his side's night.

But all that changed seven minutes later with a goal of such simplicity that it was difficult to believe Chelsea had scored it against a side with one of the meanest defences in England. t began with Ricardo Carvalho breaking-up a Liverpool attack and racing out of defence before slipping a sublime pass to Drogba. The striker, who gave Daniel Agger a torrid evening, turned him superbly before crossing for Cole to find the net from six yards.

Liverpool, not surprisingly, upped the pace of their own game in the second period and it almost paid dividends. But in Petr Cech, Chelsea have a guardian of the sticks who, like Cole, epitomises the spirit of defiance in the Stamford Bridge camp.

Cech, out for three months with a fractured skull sustained in a Barclays Premiership match against Reading last October and who still has to wear a protective helmet, flung himself to his left to keep out a goalbound volley from Steven Gerrard.
Liverpool were now in the ascendancy but despite replacing Craig Bellamy with the lanky frame of England striker Peter Crouch, they failed to produce another telling moment.

Instead it was Reina who kept Liverpool in the tie with a fantastic save to deny Lampard when the England midfielder volleyed the ball towards the top corner 10 minutes from time.

Drogba almost scored a second in stoppage-time but headed wide of the target from six yards. The tie remains delicately poised ahead of the return leg at Anfield and while Liverpool will feel they are capable of overcoming the deficit, Chelsea's remarkable spirit may prove to be unbreakable yet again.

Chelsea: Cech, Ferreira, Carvalho, Terry, Ashley Cole, Makelele, Joe Cole (Wright-Phillips 84), Mikel, Lampard, Shevchenko (Kalou 76), Drogba.
Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Boulahrouz, Geremi, Bridge, Diarra.

Goals: Joe Cole 29.

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Agger, Riise, Gerrard, Alonso (Pennant 83), Mascherano, Zenden, Kuyt, Bellamy (Crouch 52).
Subs Not Used: Dudek, Hyypia, Gonzalez, Sissoko, Paletta.

Booked: Mascherano.

Champions League, Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool extended highlights:

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Champions League, Liverpool 1-0 Psv Eindhoven (agg 4-0)

Liverpool beat PSV again!

Liverpool FC booked a UEFA Champions League semi-final date with English rivals Chelsea FC for the second time in three years as Peter Crouch's solitary strike wrapped up a comfortable 4-0 aggregate win over PSV Eindhoven in the quarter-final at Anfield.

PSV finishe the game with 10 men after the unfortunate dismissal of teenager Dirk Marcellis on his debut, a decision that even drew sympathy from the Kop. Peter Crouch scored the winner midway through the second-half, but this was little more than a functional performance that failed to match the creditable efforts of United and Chelsea 24 hours earlier.

Benitez opted to rest both Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher with a 3-0 lead already in the bag from the first match in Holland last week. Along with Javier Mascherano, they were both on the substitutes' bench. Sami Hyypia, Bolo Zenden and Alvaro Arbeloa were in the starting line-up as Liverpool attempted to secure what was by now an expected semi-final spot.

Liverpool felt they could coast through the occasion, despite the fact the Kop had come to party and kept up a constant barrage of noise. Alarm bells were ringing in the third minute when Farfan sent in a powerful header from Phillip Cocu's right-wing cross, and it took a fine reflex save from Jose Reina to keep it out.

Then Liverpool lost Craig Bellamy. He attempted to block a cross from Csaba Feher, and only connected with his boot. The Welshman collapsed behind the goal-line and was eventually carried off on a stretcher, with a damaged right leg, Robbie Fowler coming on as substitute.

The arrival of Fowler certainly sparked the crowd even more. Liverpool fans are priming themselves for a final goodbye to their hero, 32 earlier this week. Fowler came close with a flicked header, and his movement in the box certainly gave PSV something to think about.

There was little to entertain them on the pitch, and there was only one chance to cheer in the first half when Carlos Salcido was booked in the 41st minute for a foul on Fowler. Zenden curled the 20-yard free-kick just wide of the post.

Liverpool's urgency hardly improved after the break, and it was PSV coming forward with Reina making another fine save from a Farfan drive. Patrick Kluivert and China international Sun Xiang were introduced by the Dutch before PSV were totally deflated by a crazy sending off.

Italian referee Roberto Rosetti clearly decided to liven up the proceedings with a ridiculous red card for 18 year-old Marcellis on his debut. A tackle on Zenden caused the incident, hardly a serious foul and Liverpool's fans booed the decision. PSV were stunned, but resistance was futile and the home fans applauded the youngster from the pitch.

Three minutes later, Liverpool were ahead and the tie was really over. John Arne Riise crossed from the left, Gomes pushed the ball away and Fowler turned it back for Crouch to score from two yards, his 18th of the season. The game over now, Mark Gonzalez replaced Xabi Alonso in the 71st minute and Gabriel Paletta took over from Daniel Agger soon after.

Another Riise cross spooned up for Crouch to head over the bar from eight yards!

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Hyypia, Agger (Paletta 78), Riise, Pennant, Sissoko, Alonso (Gonzalez 72), Zenden, Crouch, Bellamy (Fowler 17).
Subs Not Used: Dudek, Gerrard, Mascherano, Carragher.

Goals: Crouch 68.

PSV: Gomes, Marcellis, Simons, Addo, Salcido, Feher (Sun 62), Cocu, Vayrynen, Culina, Farfan (Kluivert 62), Kone (Van Eijden 71).
Subs Not Used: Moens, Da Costa, Tardelli, Ter Horst.

Sent Off: Marcellis (64).

Booked: Salcido.

Champions League, Liverpool 1-0 PSV highlights:

FA Cup, Manchester United 1-0 Middlesbrough

Ronaldo Wins It For Red Devils

A second-half penalty won and converted by Cristiano Ronaldo sent Manchester United through to the FA Cup semi-finals where they will meet Watford next month.

The otherwise outstanding Middlesbrough defender Jonathan Woodgate brought down Ronaldo from behind as the Portuguese winger cut in on goal along the by-line from the left in the 76th minute.

Ronaldo coolly converted the penalty kick to clinch the tie for United.

Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer twice denied Wayne Rooney in one-on-ones when the England striker was clean through as United applied pressure in their quest to keep alive the dream of another treble.

The closing 15 minutes after the goal became quite heated, with four bookings and a sending off for disgruntled Boro players. But it could not prevent United joining Arsenal on a record number of 25 Sem-Final appearances.

Substitute James Morrison was red-carded for a nasty lunge at match-winner Ronaldo.

Victory was deserved for United, as they should the greater ambition to win. Boro appeared to have come for a draw and penalties - they way they got through the previous two rounds.

But United were not interested in extra time or a shoot-out, and had Boro on the back foot for most of the game. As a result, the visitors' goal attempts were confined to speculative efforts from distance that posed little threat to home keeper Tomasz Kuszcak.

It made for a frustrating evening for Boro's main striker, Mark Viduka, while at the other end Woodgate led by example to repel Ronaldo and Rooney.

Just before half-time, though, Rooney was played through by an astute Ryan Giggs pass, and it took a magnificant save from Schwarzer, diving at his feet, to thwart him.

Middlesbrough's best chance arrived ten minutes into the second-half, when Viduka worked an opening for Stewart Downing, only for the winger to slice the ball wide.

Ronaldo then hit the outside of the post from a tight angle before Schwarzer again enied Rooney, this time with his foot.

However, the Australian keeper stood no chance when Ronaldo sent him the wrong way with a deftly-placed penalty.

The award of the spot-kick seemed straightforward enough - Ronaldo was upended by Woodgate in the England defender's one (costly) error of the night. But it angered Woodgate's team-mates, with George Boateng booked for shoving a ball-boy and Morrison sent packing for his challenge on Ronaldo.

That triggered an ugly melee in which Rooney, already booked, was lucky not to have been further disciplined.

Man Utd: Kuszczak, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Heinze, Ronaldo, Carrick, Giggs, Richardson (Park 60), Smith (O'Shea 71), Rooney.
Subs Not Used: Heaton, Cathcart, Eagles.

Booked: Smith, Rooney.

Goals: Ronaldo 76 pen.

Middlesbrough: Schwarzer, Xavier, Woodgate, Pogatetz, Taylor (Huth 88), Cattermole (Morrison 62), Boateng, Arca (Rochemback 69), Downing, Yakubu, Viduka.
Subs Not Used: Jones, Lee.

Sent Off: Morrison (90).

Booked: Xavier, Woodgate, Pogatetz, Boateng, Rochemback.

FA Cup, Manchester United 1-0 Middlesbrough, Ronaldo's goal:

Champions League, Manchester 1-0 Lille

Larsson bows out in style

Henrik Larsson bowed out of Old Trafford on Wednesday with a reminder of why Manchester United had been so desperate to keep him until the end of the season as Sir Alex Ferguson's side stumbled into the last eight of the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Lille. It was the perfect farewell gift from the veteran Swede, who is due to head for home next Wednesday, having completed a successful 10-week loan stint from Helsingborg.

Manchester United had two good chances in the first half but Wayne Rooney's shot was blocked and John O'Shea hit the bar. Lille grew in confidence but failed to capitalise as Jean Makoun wasted a header from six yards and Peter Odemwingie's header rattled the post.

Larsson sealed victory in the 72nd minute when he headed home Cristiano Ronaldo's cross from the left.

Larsson might have marked the occasion with a goal after ten minutes, Larsson's exemplary first touch letting him down for once after Paul Scholes defence splitting pass found him in a couple of yards of space on the edge of the area.

Normal service was resumed five minutes later when a half-volleyed flick from the outside of his boot sent Scholes into the area. The midfielder duly chipped to the back post for Rooney, whose volley was bravely blocked by the Lille captain, Gregory Tafforeau, resulting in a corner that John O'Shea headed on to the bar.

Lille's Senegal goalkeeper Tony Sylva did well to hold a deflected shot from Scholes after a neat exchange of passes with Larsson but the biggest cheer of the first half was generated by the midfielder's attempt to take a quick free-kick, echoing the manner in which Ryan Giggs scored the first leg winner.

Giggs, watching from the stand, enjoyed the joke but once the free-kick was finally taken, Ronaldo's effort was sent straight into the Lille wall, as was a second attempt he was accorded because the visitors had not retreated the full ten yards.

Lille almost punished Manchester United at the start of the second half, when Peter Odemwingie's header beat van der Sar but came back off the post.

On the touchline, the mood of an increasingly irate Ferguson would not have been improved by the sight of Nicolas Plestan scything into Wayne Rooney from behind. The challenge earned the French defender a yellow card and most of Old Trafford breathed a collective sigh of relief when the England forward quickly got to his feet.

Manchester United were in desperate need of an injection of quality and, as so often this season, it was Ronaldo who provided it. Having show-boated his way through the preceding 70 minutes,Cristiano Ronaldo suddenly produced an unstoppable burst down the left flank before picking out Larsson on the edge of the six-yard box with a deft cutback.

It left Larsson with the simple task of steering his header beyond the hopelessly exposed Sylva.

Manchester United: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Silvestre, Carrick, Scholes, O'Shea, Ronaldo (Richardson 82), Rooney (Park 82), Larsson (Smith 74).
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Heinze, Brown, Giggs.

Booked: Ronaldo, Richardson.

Goals: Larsson 72.

Lille: Sylva, Chalme, Tavlaridis, Plestan, Tafforeau, Makoun, Dumont (Fauvergue 74), Keita, Obraniak, Michel Bastos (Debuchy 46), Odemwingie (Mirallas 74).
Subs Not Used: Malicki, Youla, Franquart, Lichtsteiner.

Booked: Makoun, Chalme, Tafforeau, Plestan.

Champions League Manchester United 1-0 Lille highlights and Larsson's goal:

Champions League, Milan 1-0 Celtic

Brave Celtic edged out by AC Milan

AC Milan advanced to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for the sixth consecutive season but they needed extra time to secure a 1-0 victory over Celtic FC at San Siro.

AC Milan's starting line-up included seven of the team that played in the 2003 Champions League final in which they beat Italian rivals Juventus on penalties. Milan came close to taking the lead in the fourth minute when Clarence Seedorf fed Kaka in space, but KAKA's curling right-footed shot was clawed away by Boruc's fingertips.

Undeterred, Celtic came forward and had a penalty appeal turned down when Jiří Jarošík's angled strike came off Maldini in the area. Kaká was the key figure, though, and he put Marek Jankulovski through with a perfectly-timed pass which the midfielder cut back for Filippo Inzaghi at the near post, only for McManus to make a vital block. Milan's next move required another such intervention, as Inzaghi shaped to despatch Seedorf's cross but was denied by Lee Naylor.
Celtic advanced in search of an away goal yet were almost made to pay when Shunsuke Nakamura lost possession outside the Rossoneri box. The hosts broke in a flash, Jankulovski releasing Kaká down the left though the latter drove wide. Kaká was relishing his supporting role behind Inzaghi and was at the hub of everything Milan created, even conjuring a shot on goal from a prone position which was foiled by another goalline clearance on 37 minutes.

AC Milan still dominated possession with Andrea Pirlo, Seedorf and Kaká weaving numerous intricate exchanges, although Celtic continued to hold firm with Boruc making comfortable stops from Pirlo and Massimo Oddo. Carlo Ancelotti's men spurned a great chance when Maldini's header was saved and he slipped at the crucial moment as the ball fell into his path with the goalkeeper prostrate. In a frenetic finale, Boruc brilliantly clawed a Seedorf free-kick away from the top corner, before Kaká's long-range strike rebounded off the bar.


AC Milan, who had 25 goal attempts in the 90 minutes, finally found a way through when Kaka drove at a backpedalling Celtic defence and coolly finished.



Carlo Ancelotti, Milan coach
We won playing with simplicity and maturity but also by taking a few risks as our defenders, especially the full-backs, were pushing forward for most of the game. In the latter stages of the match we attacked with eleven players, probably risking too much. But the chances we created during that period gave us more confidence for extra time. Kaká is a great player and I don't take it as a bad thing when people say we are dependent on his performances. Milan always play their own way, no matter who the opponents are. Our philosophy is always the same - try to win every game. I don't think we are favourites to win the Champions League, but a few teams who were considered favourites are out of the tournament. If I had to choose one team I would like to face in the quarter-finals, I would say Liverpool.



Gordon Strachan, Celtic manager
Milan had more technique, but we had more determination. We have to improve the technical aspects of our game but I'm really proud with what my team has done. We gave our very best and only the goal was missing. We were fantastic from both an attacking and a defensive point of view. We have a lot of young players and this is a fantastic experience for us that will be extremely useful for the future. If we improve technically we can become tough opponents for anybody. I feared Milan would score in the latter stages of the 90 minutes when they pushed forward, forcing us to defend in the box. However, we believed until the end we could have scored.

AC Milan: Dida, Oddo (Simic 116), Bonera, Maldini, Jankulovski, Gattuso (Brocchi 79), Pirlo, Ambrosini, Seedorf, Kaka, Inzaghi (Gilardino 73). Subs Not Used: Kalac, Favalli, Gourcuff, Oliveira.

Booked: Ambrosini.

Goal: Kaka 93.

Celtic: Boruc, Telfer, McManus, O'Dea, Naylor, Nakamura (Miller 106), Lennon, Sno (Beattie 97), McGeady, Jarosik (Gravesen 62), Vennegoor of Hesselink. Subs Not Used: Brown, Wilson, Kennedy, Riordan.

Booked: McManus, Naylor, McGeady, Lennon.

Champions league Ac Milan 1-0 Celtic, highlights and goals video:

FA cup fifth round replay, BlackBurn 1-0 Arsenal

McCarthy's late strike breaks Arsenal's hearts.

Substitute Benni McCarthy came off the bench to finish a strong left-wing run with a superb 87th minute shot to settle this FA Cup Fifth Round replay in Blackburn's favour and deliver a second cruel blow to Arsenal's cup aspirations in the space of four fateful days.

McCarthy's 16th goal of his inaugural season in English football was an extraordinary strike in an otherwise ordinary tie, a moment of genuine class in a game that had hitherto been as colourless as tap water. The upshot is that Arsenal, the beaten Carling Cup finalists, have been dumped out of two competitions in the space of four days and have lost three games in succession for the first time since October 2002. Blackburn, eliminated from the Uefa Cup last week, will go on to face Manchester City at home in the FA Cup quarter-finals on March 11 and there were scenes of wild jubilation at the final whistle. As Mark Hughes pointed out, Blackburn have already beaten City at home and away this season.

FA CUP fifth round replay, Blackburn 1-0 Arsenal, highlights and goals video:

Blackburn: Friedel, Emerton, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock (Khizanishvili 46), Bentley, Tugay (Dunn 63), Mokoena, Pedersen, Nonda (McCarthy 63), Derbyshire. Subs Not Used: Enckelman, Roberts.

Booked: Tugay, Dunn, Derbyshire, McCarthy.

Goal: McCarthy 87.

Arsenal: Almunia, Eboue (Walcott 61), Senderos, Gallas, Traore (Clichy 66), Hleb, Denilson, Silva, Ljungberg, Aliadiere, Julio Baptista. Subs Not Used: Poom, Gavin Hoyte, Randall.

Booked: Traore, Clichy.

UEFA Champions league, PSV 1-0 Arsenal

Harsh lesson for Arsenal

Edison Mendez punished wasteful Arsenal with a stunning strike to clinch a 1-0 win for PSV Eindhoven in the first leg of their Champions League first knockout round tie. Arsene Wenger's side enjoyed total control at the Phillips Stadium for an hour, but Ecuador midfielder Mendez's moment of magic gave PSV the edge going into the return at the Emirates Stadium on March 7.

"From tonight we're in a tricky situation because we'll have to score two goals without conceding," Wenger admitted, "but I feel from the game we have seen tonight we have enough confidence and belief that we can achieve that."

PSV were depleted by the loss of their top scorer, Jefferson Farfán, because of a swollen left foot but his presence would have provided little assistance to a PSV side who spent almost the entire first half defending. Wenger had criticised the PSV manager, Ronald Koeman, for employing "negative" tactics when Arsenal twice drew with his Ajax side in the 2002-03 competition and the Frenchman was frustrated again last night.
"I felt that they started the game to play a nil-nil. It was important to score the first goal and afterwards they defended even more," he said. Koeman rejected Wenger's claim and said: "It was a deserved result and we are in a fantastic position."

Match Analysis:
Tomas Rosicky almost gave Arsenal the perfect start when he squeezed in a shot from a tight angle that Gomes got a hand on before Carlos Salcido scrambled the ball off the line as Henry prepared to pounce. Jens Lehmann was only called into action once in the first 25 minutes and even then he easily dealt with a speculative drive from Mendez.

Henry should have broken the deadlock in the 43rd minute when Rosicky and Aleksandr Hleb combined to set him up, but Henry's shot from 12 yards was too close to Gomes. Henry's frustration at that miss was evident as he fought to win possession moments later and sent a curling shot just past the far post.

PSV striker Arouna Kone had been well policed by his Ivory Coast compatriot Kolo Toure for long spells, but he escaped early in the second half to meet Salcido's cross with a volley that went narrowly wide of the far post. That near-miss sparked PSV into life and they took the lead in the 61st minute thanks to a moment of pure class. Kone's lay-off gave Mendez the chance to drive in a raking 30 yard strike that skimmed off the turf past Lehmann, who will feel he should have done better after getting a hand to the ball.

Arsenal had been punished for failing to turn their dominance into goals, but they responded well and Cesc Fabregas' fierce effort forced Gomes into a superb tip-over. But Wenger's side were left to rue those early misses as PSV held on for their first win over Arsenal in five attempt.

Arsenal's lost chance and PSV's goal: