A Step Too Far

Arsenal    2        Middlesbrough    0 

                          Giroud  27, 29

 

In his pre-match programme notes Arsene Wenger said that “the FA Cup is a long competition”, but in the space of three first half minutes yesterday afternoon his cup holding side had hurled one foot into the quarter final draw for the second year running.

Two goals from Olivier Giroud send Boro out

In a decisive 180 seconds the Arsenal manager watched in delight as striker Olivier Giroud scored twice to eliminate a plucky Middlesbrough side who had breached through Manchester City in the previous round and a sequel to that memorable upset never really looked on the cards.

Santi Cazorla ran the show in the midfield, never stopping, always probing for that killer pass to unlock the door. The Spanish magician was the major catalyst for Arsenal’s opener, a fluent move from the back on 27 minutes, in which all eleven red shirts touched the ball before Cazorla sipped the ball to Kieran Gibbs on the left and his first time cross was turned in by Giroud.

Before the visitors had time to draw breath in was two. Alexis Sanchez drifted in a low corner towards the near post where Giroud caught the Boro defence sleeping on the job stealing a march on them to turn his left foot volley home. 2-0. game over? As good as.

Middlesbrough didn’t have the same bite upfront like they did at City and once manager Aitor Karanka’s plan to contain the hosts had been blown out of the water there only looked like one outcome.

They battled hard just like a the Etihad, but with all due respect the likes of Cazorla, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez have a little bit more quality to unpick a defence than Fernando and Fernandiho of Manchester City.

For Karanka there are still bigger fish to fry in what is a persistent Championship schedule, he now takes his side to Birmingham on Wednesday before a home fixture with Leeds next Saturday. Maybe this was in the back of his mind when he withdrew key players Patrick Bamford and Lee Tomlin after 54 minutes.

As the cliché goes “it’s time to focus on the league” where Boro are unlikely to stumble upon the same quality Arsenal demonstrated here, nevertheless a promotion campaign requires its own challenges. It’s a similar situation for Wenger’s side who resume their assault to reach the top four away at Crystal Palace next weekend before a first leg Champions League encounter with Monaco.

That will be a tie they are expected to come through, but even the most optimistic Arsenal fan would quickly run out of reasons to argue that Wenger’s side will win the Champions League altogether.

The FA Cup is a different story though and with Chelsea and City already gone, the Gunners will be favourites to regain their title. Wenger’s team selection yesterday certainly gave all the signs that they were in it to win it, with ten of his eleven starters having played at International level.

The hosts threatened from the off, their passing was slick, at times their movement was mesmerising. Boro had keeper Tomas Mejias to thank as he made two splendid saves the first to deny Cazorla the second to keep out Giroud.

Boro had defended well until Giroud’s quick double, they threatened briefly before recording their first shot on target but Albert Adomah’s shot was comfortably saved by Wojciech Szczęsny.

Arsenal could have had more in the second half if it wasn’t for Mejias who kept out Ozil’s shot before making impressive interventions to stop Sanchez’s header and Theo Walcott went one on one.

Boro’s first genuine effort didn’t come until the final few minutes when Kike’s header hit the post, as it proved a step too far for the Teessiders.     

 

Boro Stun City On Dramatic Cup Day

Manchester City    0        Middlesbrough    2

                                                                                               Bamford  53  Kike  90+3 

 

Aitor Karanka and his players marched over to their 5,500 fans at the full time whistle as heroes, victors, gladiators who had just done battle and returned triumphant.

Patrick Bamford celebrates Boro's opener

They had just done the unthinkable by beating Manchester City, the Premier League Champions, at the Etihad Stadium and now they had the chance to lap up their entitled and hard-earned reward.

In 94 incredible minutes Boro defended like warriors as they shut out the likes of Sergio Aguero and David Silva, two of the most highly rated players in the Premier League, while at the other end they even had chances to add to an impressive 2-0 victory.

Yes the stats will say City had 65% possession and that they spent a majority of the first half camped on the edge of Boro’s penalty area, but even the most diehard City fan couldn’t argue that the best chances fell Boro’s way.

Following Patrick Bamford 53^rd minute opener, which sent the travelling fans ballistic, the visitors could quite easily have scored more. Lee Tomlin’s effort hit the inside of the post, Grant Leadbitter’s shot was blocked off the line and Jelle Vossen’s volley was saved by Willy Caballero.

In contrast City’s chances were not quite so clear cut. For all their intricate passes in and around the opposition penalty area they were, on the whole, reduced to a reel of long range shots which were usually met by a courageous block by a Boro defender or a smart save from keeper Tomas Mejias.

That laid the building blocks for an incredible Boro victory, which was sealed in the third minute of stoppage time when the ball broke to substitute Kike and with only the keeper to beat he slotted the ball home from close range to spark wild celebration in the away end.

The worrying thing for City manager Manual Pellegrini was that barring the goalkeeper, another central defender and the absent Yaya Toure this was arguably City’s strongest team, which should cause concern for the Pellegrini whose side face Chelsea in a decisive Premier League showdown next weekend.      

To be fair to the City manager he made no excuses in his post-match press conference stating that Boro deserved “to go through” and that his side got “nervous” after falling behind.

When asked about the clubs ludicrous decision to take a trip to their training camp in Abu Dhabi and not arrive back until late hours of Friday night, the City manager again refused to make excuses, at least in doing so he prevented a the situation becoming even more farcical than it already was.

Nevertheless take nothing away from Boro whose surge under Karanka is becoming more impressive by the day. They once again lived up to their label as the best defence in the Championship with centre back Ben Gibson and Daniel Ayala making tackle after tackle, block after block, whenever someone was forced out of position there was a teammate on hand to cover.

They were just the backbone, and everyone one of the Boro starting eleven could easily receive equal praise.  Lee Tomlin was the main catalyst in the Boro attack, as he Bamford, Vossen and Adomah caused havoc running at the City defence.

Grant Leadbitter and ex-City youth graduate Adam Clayton produced a shift and a half in the heart of midfield, full backs George Friend and Dean Whitehead stood their ground all game, with Mejias acting as the brink wall in the Boro goal.      

Karanka, the mastermind behind the operation later expressed how he was “proud of the players, the crowd, the fans, the staff and the club” and all must face a reality check with an away trip to Brentford next weekend. Nevertheless with more performances yesterday, trips to places like the Etihad won’t be too far away. 

  

 

It's The League From Here

Middlesbrough     0          Hull     2     

                                                                                                          McLean  9

                                                                                                          Prozwitchz  60

At times there is a fine line between the Premier League and Championship, especially when it comes to the FA cup. However for the 15,000 present at the Riverside yesterday afternoon that imaginary line between the two divisions will seem very thick indeed.

Boro finished 2013 with a flourish, picking up 10 points out of 12; a cup scalp of Premier League Hull City would have been the icing on the cake.

Nick Prozwitchz seals the game by adding Hull's second

But truth be told Boro never looked like flirting with the romance of a cup upset, they were not only given a firm reality check but a footballing lesson as they meekly bowed out of England’s biggest cup competition.

Hull were patient but thorough as they swept aside a rather bog-standard and disappointing Boro side who offered very little in the attacking third. City manager Steve Bruce appeared to get his tactic spot on, Hull’s five man midfield dominated the game leaving Boro totally overrun in the middle of the park.

The visitors didn’t create many chances but they didn’t need too, there may have been an element of fortune when Aaron McLean latched on to a loose ricochet to convert Hull’s opener after nine minutes, but there could be no complaints about the final result as Nick Prozwitchz added a second 30 minutes from time on an afternoon where Boro were totally outplayed.

Boro boss Aitor Karanka expressed that his side “could do much much better” but remained optimistic revealing that Boro had completed the loan signing of Kenneth Omeruo from Chelsea and that more could follow.  

The Boro side showed six changes from the side that started the league game Bolton on New Year’s Day, two were enforced as Shay Given and Daniel Ayala, who are both on loan, were ineligible to play.

That meant a Boro debut in goal for Dimi Konstantopoulos, as Boro lined up 4-4-1-1 with Rhys Williams moving to centre back alongside Ben Gibson and Jozsef Varga coming in at right back. Grant Leadbitter kept his place in midfield but was joined by Dean Whitehead in the middle and Luke Williams and Emmanuel Ledesma on the wings, Marvin Emnes also returned as he tucked in behind Curtis Main upfront.

Bruce had the luxury of making nine changes from Hull’s trip to Liverpool, as only David Meyler and Maynor Figueroa kept their place while Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore didn’t even feature on the bench.      

There was an early buzz that can only be created by the excitement of a cup tie but, to Hull’s credit, it gradually faded as the visitors were quick to suck the life out of the occasion, playing on their own terms.

The opening goal was a result of a careless Boro start as the hosts lost possession inside their own half. In a matter of seconds the visitors had worked the ball to the feet of Meyler on the edge of the Boro penalty area, his shot deflected off Gibson into the path of McLean who reacted quickly to dink the ball over Konstantopoulos.

From that point Boro’s afternoon slowly unravelled, the visitors were astute with the ball and played with the fluency only a Premier League side can muster. Their passing was crisp as they dominated possession in midfield, every time Boro did threaten a counter attack they quickly ran out of options in the final third.

Neither side created a great deal in front of goal, it took until the 38^th minute for Boro to produce their first shot on target when Ledesma cut in from the right onto his favoured left foot however his tame shot bobbled nicely into the grasp of City keeper Steve Harper. Minutes later Main fired over the bar from a tight angle but it was clear something had to change.

To Karanka’s credit he didn’t sit back and brought on Lukas Jutkiewitz and Albert Adomah at half time as Ledesma and Luke Williams made way.

For a few minutes Boro’s attack looked a little more potent, George Friend fired wide, before Emnes managed to direct a low cross into the Hull penalty area, the ball was half cleared to Whitehead on the edge of the box however the midfielder could only spray his shot and the host’s best chance wide of the post.

Any hopes Boro may have had of at least salvaging a replay were significantly reduced 30 minutes from time; George Boyd did well to avoid a number of challenges to the left of the Boro box before dragging the ball back across the area for Proschwitz to smash home from close range off the underside of the bar.

City threatened to make things embarrassing; a long pass from Steven Quinn, who had dominated the midfield all afternoon, towards Proschwitz had to be intercepted by Williams to prevent a one on one opportunity for the striker.

In the dying minutes Konstantopoulos was called into action to make a comfortable save from George Boyd’s long range effort.

Boro threatened to create a grandstand finish five minutes from time, Adomah’s attempted cross was heading goal bound and had to be tipped over by Harper, Main’s header found the side netting before Leadbitter forced another save from the keeper, but it was too little too late, overall Boro will know that were well outplayed and can learn a lot from their Premier League opponents.

Match Ratings  

Dimi Konstantopoulos    5.5- Made a few comfortable saves, couldn’t do much about either goal

George Friend    6.5- Solid defensively added some attacking threat from full back    

Ben Gibson   6- No major mistakes unlucky his deflection led to first goal

Rhys Williams   6.5- Moved back to centre half where he made some important interceptions and tackles

Jozsef Varga    6- Back in at right back and had a solid game

Luke Williams   5- Looked lost on the left of midfield, replaced at half time

Dean Whitehead   5.5- Pinned back by the Hull midfielders as Boro were overran in the middle

Grant Leadbitter   6- Gave a usual hard working performance but came out second best to the Hull midfield

Emmanuel Ledesma   5- Offered little on right the right of midfield, replaced at half time

Marvin Emnes   5.5- Created Boro’s best chance in the second half but was quiet for most of the game

Curtis Main   5.5 – Given little support in the first half, even less effective on the left after half time

Subs

Albert Adomah   6- Added some threat on right of midfield but didn’t have a huge impact on the game

Lukas Jutkiewitz   5.5- Lacked support upfront after coming on at half time

Jacob Butterfield- came on with six minutes to go not enough time to give a fair rating

My Boro Man Of The Match Rhys Williams

Rafa Gets The Last Laugh

Behind every great team lies a great manager, a tactician, a leader and in some cases you could even use the word genius. It is a position where even the best have a limited control over success or failure yet they are usually the first to get the blame when things go wrong.   

Of course the outcome of a football match is down to the players, however at times the strategic duel on the touchline has had a tendency to almost overshadow the action on the pitch.

A satisfying result for Benitez but he nearly stole the victory   

The past decade has provided some of the greatest managers the game has ever seen. But by carrying such big egos there’s no getting away from some of the unfriendly managerial rivalries that follow, after twenty seven years at the heart of Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson has no doubt experienced his fair share.

Still scarred from a cruel Champions League exit at the hands of Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid, Ferguson was forced to turn his attention to the FA Cup, now United’s major interest with the league practically sewn up. Although Ferguson’s respect for the so called “special one “is mutual his relationship with current Chelsea boss Rafa Benitez is a different story.   

In the stand out tie of the of the FA cup quarter final the two would once again do battle, and it was clear that it was personal. Not even liked by his teams own fans Benitez had everything to prove, but United are ruthless, two up inside eleven minutes thanks two defensive howlers from Chelsea, as John Terry sat helplessly on the Blues bench unselected by Benitez.

However United weren’t at their vintage best and despite retaining their two goal advantage at half time they had shown some unusual complacency in possession. The stick received by Benitez has been endless since he joined the London club and his decision to replace Frank Lampard with John Obi Mikel after the break brought more negative chants from the travelling Chelsea fans.

But the fact is the Spaniard got it right. His second substitution saw the introduction of Eden Hazard who replaced Victor Moses and the Blues were an ominous threat going forward. With half an hour to go, Hazard pulled one back with a stunning goal from the edge of the area giving the tie a different feel.

Mikel’s introduction gave cover to Chelsea’s defense allowing key players like Mata, Oscar and Ramires to bomb forward, leading to a deserved equaliser neatly finished by Brazilian Ramires.

From then on there was only going to be one winner, as Ferguson had goal keeper David De Gea to thank denying Mata the winner in injury time, as United hung on. After an almost humiliating first half it was Benitez who had the last laugh but couldn’t quite land the knockout punch on his bitter rival. The replay at Stanford Bridge is currently at an undecided date but is bound to be another eventful affair.    

Brave Boro Bow Out To Blues

Middlesbrough    0        Chelsea    2

                                                                                                       Ramires  50  Moses  73

With a daunting trip to Old Trafford awaiting the winners of last night’s FA cup tie between Middlesbrough and European Champions Chelsea , the  realistic chances of the of the trophy ending up on Teesside were unmistakably slim. 

Nevertheless, for fans and player alike, this was a night to relish and one which certainly brought the best out of the team and supporters.

On paper the 2-0 score line fails to reflect the heart and dedication that Boro put into the game, as Chelsea’s class and elegance finally broke through the barrier formed by the Championship side.

The game had a special feel caused by just under 28,000 fans; some understandably to watch Chelsea, packing out a vibrant Riverside.

The Boro side showed three changes from the side which lost to Millwall in the previous game. Kieron Dyer was cup tied, while Josh McEachran was ineligible to play against the side he is currently on loan from. Marvin Emnes also dropped to the bench, as Scott McDonald, Faris Haroun and Mustapha Carayol all started the game.

Without overdoing things Chelsea displayed a selection of their anticipated talent Fernando Torres, John Terry and Oscar the biggest names on show. Frank Lampard and Eden Hazard were sat in reserve on the substitute bench.

The atmosphere was buzzing from the start, but it was no surprise that the visitors started the brighter. Oscar and Victor Moses caught the eye early on; first the Brazilian Oscar had a powerful shot blocked by Andre Bikey. While the ever-present Moses gave full back George Friend plenty to think about in the opening exchanges.

However Boro weathered the early storm, and with twenty five minutes played,  created a chance of their own. Haroun did well to wriggle away two blue shirts before laying the ball back to Nicky Bailey, whose inviting cross was met by the  head of McDonald but drifted wide of the post.

Neither keeper had been overly busy, but in the Chelsea goal Petr Cech looked more than a little unsteady. His kicking was poor all night and Boro nearly capitalised six minutes from half time.

A clearance from the Blues keeper dropped nicely at the feet of Grant Leadbitter who quickly found Carayol on the left. The Boro winger darted at the Chelsea defence before cutting inside to unleash a bobbling shot. Cech failed to hold the effort, spilling the ball back into penalty area, fortunately for him right it fell into the path of Terry who cleared the danger.

The half time whistle was welcomed by a round of applause from the Boro fans, who clearly acknowledged the efforts of their side despite a lack of goal mouth action.

At the other end of the ground the Chelsea fans didn’t share the same admiration, but at the start of the second half the visitors found another gear.

Five minutes after the break the ball lingered in and around the Boro penalty area, before eventually falling to Ramires, who swept a curling shot beyond Jason Steele from the edge of the box. Replays showed a slight deflection of the shoulder of Torres nevertheless Boro’s task had now significantly grown.

The hosts continued to battle hard, but Chelsea weren’t taking any chances. With half an hour to go on came Hazard adding an extra thrust to the Blues attack, and his impact was almost instant.

Less than fifteen minutes after coming on Hazard made a menacing run towards the Boro goal. A neat one-two with Oscar cut several defenders out of the game, setting Hazard through on goal where he eluded Steele, coolly squaring the ball to Moses who tucked in Chelsea’s second. In terms of a team goal this was a good as any seen at this Riverside this season.

Boro introduced Ishmael Miller and after the goal Merouane Zemmama. Both added a bit more bite to Boro’s attack. Zemmama’s free kick forcing a rare save from Cech, before Miller connected with a fabulous long range pass from Rhys Williams, but the striker’s first time volley sailed over the bar.

Despite the result the fans largely appreciated the efforts of the Boro players who gave a decent account of themselves against strong opposition, but overall Chelsea just had that cutting edge.

The game was a welcome distraction from Boro’s woeful league form, but they can definitely take heart from this performance to re-launch their promotion campaign starting with another home game against table-topping Cardiff on Saturday.

Player Ratings

Jason Steele   6- Wasn’t given a heap of saves to make, not much he could have done about either goal

George Friend   7- Looked like Moses could be a threat early on but, he then kept him quiet for long spells of the game  

Andre Bikey   6- Was having a solid game but had to be replaced after 35 minutes with due to injury

Steven McManus   6.5- Solid performance at the back    

Nicky Bailey   7- Got forward when he could from right back, sometimes had the help out in middfield

Faris Haroun   7- Gave plenty of energy on the right, where he caused most of Chelsea’s problems      

Grant Leadbitter   7- Worked incredible hard first half, began to tire after the break but never gave up 

Rhys Williams (C)   6- Still adapting to midfield role after returning from injury

Mustapha Carayol   6- Had Boro’s only shot on target in first half, but failed to test the full back as often as he would have liked

Curtis Main   6.5- Replaced after an hour worked hard but struggled to have massive impact on the game

Scott McDonald   7- Little to feed off upfront, but linked up well with midfield, honest hard working performance

Subs

Seb Hines   6- Replaced Bikey in first half, decent performance could be needed on Saturday

Ishmael Miller   6.5- Added a physical threat up front, looked Boro’s most likely player to score

Meroune Zemmama – Came on for last 15 minutes, gave fresh legs free kick tested Cech late on  

My Boro Man Of The Match: Grant Leadbitter

Sunderland Salvage Cup Replay

Everton    1     Sunderland    1

                                Cahill 24                    Bardsley 11

Martin O’Neil said “a strength of character” would decide Sunderland’s FA cup quarter final with Everton and his side showed just that after they dug deep to earn a hard fought replay away at Goodison Park. 

Everton made six changes from their mid week humiliation to local rivals Liverpool, which largely overshadowed manager David Moyes’s ten year anniversary at the club. However the toffees have enjoyed recent success at their home ground, and created the first real chance when Seamus Coleman’s cross found Leon Osman whose header crept over the bar.

Both manager still have a chance of winning their first FA cup

But in was the visitors who landed the first punch in emphatic style when a quick free kick caught Everton asleep for Phil Bardsley to fire a long range shot into bottom left hand corner to open the scoring on twelve minutes.

With the support of 6,000 away fans O’Neil’s side looked to build on their early lead, giving Everton little space and time on the ball. However Moyes’s ten year reign over the Merseyside club has seen no silverware to remember and his side looked hungry for success before drawing level just ten minutes later.

Leighton Baines finally found space on the left hand side, when his cross was met by Nikica Jelavic for Tim Cahill to head the ball goal bound wrong footing Sunderland keeper Simon Mignolet. Resulting in the Australian international’s first goal since January.

The hosts then looked the superior team, after they clawed their way back into an exciting cup tie and could have taken the lead before half time. Cahill again found space forcing Mignolet into action, but Everton came even closer when Royston Drenthe’s free kick left the cross bar shacking with the keeper well beaten.

After the break Everton picked up where they left off, as their opponents began to tire. Jelavic’s header was blocked by the raised arm of Sunderland defender John O’Shea, only for referee Andre Marriner to turn down the appeals from the crowd and players.

A cagey second half saw fewer chances than the first, but Sunderland hung on and had Mignolet to thank. After he first denied John Heitinga’s powerful header, then showed quick reactions to stop Jelavic’s close range rebound. The result means a replay at the Stadium of Light holding the weight of both team’s seasons and the right of a Wembley semi-final.  

Sunderland Scupper Arsenal's Season

Arsenal’s seven year wait without a trophy now looks set to continue, after they were dumped out of this year’s FA cup by a determined Sunderland side. A first half strike from Kieran Richardson and an unfortunate own goal from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain concluded to a 2-0 defeat for the Gunners, which came off the back of their Champions league hammering to AC Milan in mid-week.

The first half began with Arsenal looking to press their opponents and put right the wrongs they suffered in Milan. But after an instant setback when fullback Francis Coquelin limped off the pitch with a hamstring problem, Arsene Wenger’s side struggled to re-find their early rhythm.

After the return of Sunderland captain Lee Cattermole, Martin O’Neil decided to play five in midfield leaving out striker Fraizer Campbell from when the sides met in the league just a week ago. The extra body made it difficult for Arsenal, as only Gervinho’s effort on 27 minutes tested Sunderland keeper Mignolet. 

A resolute home side slowly grew in confidence, and after a cheap free kick was given away by Arsenal they took their chance before the break. A Sebastian Larsson delivery was cleared by the Gunners only for Kieran Richardson  to fire the ball into the bottom corner  with a sweetly struck volley to lift the home fans off their seats and believing they could cause an upset. 

Throughout the second half Arsenal looked vulnerable to the pace of Sessegnon and McClean, as the hosts displayed more effort and determination than their opponents. Wenger introduced Theo Walcott and Tomas Rosicky to try and save the match, but his side still lacked the quality to break down the opposition. 

Sunderland’s second came 12 minutes from time when the ever present threat of Sessegnon broke clear of the Arsenal defence to pick out Larsson whose shot rebounded off the post to be nudged over the line by the backtracking Oxlade-Chamberlain. Sunderland were then never really troubled, as O’Neil’s ever improving side booked their place in the quarter final of the competition. While the defeat for Arsenal leaves them with another session without a trophy and a week to forget.    

Middlesbrough v Sunderland FA cup fourth round replay

A determined effort from a young Middlesbrough side wasn’t quite enough to overcome near neighbours Sunderland, after a late Stephane Sessegnon strike finally broke down the Teessiders to end their FA cup run in heart breaking fashion. Penalties beckoned when goals from Jack Colback and Lukas Jutkiewicz had forced extra time; however Benin international Sessegnon showed his premier league quality to prevent the shootout 7 minutes from time.

The game started with both teams cancelling out the other, with the Black cats seeing more possession but were unable to trouble Jason Steele’s goal. Boro’s attacking threat had been significantly weakened since the sides met in the original tie, as Barry Robson, Faris Haroun and Scott McDonald all joined an ever increasing injury list. However it was the home side who created the game’s first real chance with half an hour played, when Sunderland keeper Mignolet tipped over Seb Hines’s effort to keep the game level. But Sunderland who have been recently inspired by new boss Martin O'Neill finally broke down their resolute opponents. Fraizer Campbell drew the defenders to give Jack Colback space to produce the match’s first piece of quality, when his left foot volley from the edge of the area perfectly hit into the top corner giving keeper Steele no chance to silence the home fans on 42 minutes. Boro came close with a rapid response, both Tony McMahon and full debutant Curtis Main were denied the chance to level the match in quick succession. 

Sunderland remained in control at the start of the second half, with Boro digging deep to stay in the game. The home side were rewarded when a long ball from Justin Hoyte was headed down from Main showing strength and courage to find strike partner Jutkiewicz who made no mistake on converting his first goal for the club. After that Sunderland’s Phil Bardsley was denied by both the post and Steele, as the game swung towards extra time. Boro introduced top scorer Marvin Emnes, as his shot was blocked after a great run from Hoyte. But it was the Premier League side who found a late winner when Sessegnon made the most of an ever tiring young Boro side, as his run was halted before bouncing back for him to tuck away what turned out to be the winner. Sunderland’s reward is a home tie with Arsenal in this week’s fifth round match. While Boro will hope for the return of key players for an away fixture at Ipswich, now fully focusing on a promotion to the Premier League.
   

Match Ratings

Steele    7- made some important saves, could do nothing about the goal

Hoyte    6- pace of the side made occasional runs forward where he looked a threat

Bates (C)   8-great performance with crucial tackles and blocks

Hines   7- another solid performance drawn out of position for opening goal

Bennett   7- defended well and was one player who looked a threat going forward

McMahon   7- got in some good positions unlucky not to score before half time

Williams   7- worked hard and protected defence for long periods of time

Thompson   6- kept shape in midfield but a couple of wild shots at goal

Arca   6- found some good passes early on against former club

Main   7- stayed patient used physical strength to create goal

Jutkiewicz   7- not much service but took goal well when it came

Subs

Smallwood   6- came on in second half allowed Williams to get forward    

Reach   6- looked confident with the ball added some spark to the game

Emnes   5- came on in second half but didn’t look sharp  

Sunderland v Middlesbrough FA cup fourth round

A second half strike from Sunderland substitute Fraizer Campbell denied Tony Mowbray’s Middlesbrough side a place in the last 16 of the FA cup, after Boro put their recent league form to one side to create a highly entertaining game at the Stadium of Light. Barry Robson’s first half volley had set the standard, as the Championship side led at the break but Campbell’s goal marked a dream return to the Sunderland team and the sides will have to do it all over again in the return game at the Riverside.

Scott McDonald was the first to test Sunderland keeper Mignolet but Boro first real attack came on 15 minutes, when Sunderland thought they had cleared the danger only for Robson to fire the ball though the crowd with a moment of brilliance to launch Boro in front. Sunderland then struggled to respond, as they were unable to produce there premier league quality to break their rivals down. However the home side felt hard done by after their goal 5 minutes from the half time was not given for offside, when replays showed Sunderland striker Conner Wickham didn’t make contact with the ball. But the cameras also caught Craig Gardener handling the ball making the goal rightly disallowed. Boro then had the chance to double their lead but new signing Lukas Jutkiewicz couldn’t hit target after his first shot was saved missing a golden chance on the stoke of half time.

In the second half Sunderland manager Martin O'Neil introduced substitute Campbell in a risk that paid off. Boro were caught out from their own corner, as a sloppy pass from goal scorer Robson was well anticipated from James McLean resulting on three on one in Sunderland’s favour when he picked out Campbell to level the score. Sunderland looked the more likely side to win it after that with Danny Coyne the busier of the two keepers. But Sunderland never really found there best and the game remained level, as both sides now look to push on in the league before the replay in just over weeks time where the reward will be a home tie with Arsenal or Aston Villa.

Match Ratings

Coyne   8 – strong performance when called upon nothing he could do about the goal

McMahon   7 – generally kept main player McLean quiet

Bates (C)   7 – dealt with danger in area with confidence  

Hines   6 – solid performance on return to the team

Williams   7 – covered well in midfield while missing Bailey and Thompson

Hoyte   6 - didn’t really get chance to show pace going forward

Haroum   8 – looked strong and powerful going forward and keep shape in midfield

Robson   8 – stunning goal and stand out player but made mistake for the goal

McDonald   6 – early shot but quiet for long spells

Emnes   5 – found some space early on but then wasn’t his best day

Jutkiewicz   6 – worked hard but missed chance to make it 2-0

FA Cup 3rd round round up

The 3^rdround of the FA cup an historic event of upsets and drama. For non-league the 3^rd round is a target a chance to face big opposition where there is nothing to lose and everything to gain. While for the might of the premier league the 3^rd round usually only offers embarrassment for those under pressure. 

And this year was no exception as the stand out match paired up the premier league Leaders with the premier league Champions in the Manchester derby. For the first time city went in favourites but an early dismissal for Captain Vincent Kompany and United threatened to run a rout over their rivals, as goals from Wayne Rooney and one for Danny Welbeck gave United three without reply at the break. Yet a gutsy performance for Roberto Mancini s side produced a second half comeback, as goals from Kolarov and Aguero saw a careless United nearly throw away their place in the fourth round.

There were also wins for Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham after all comfortably despatching lower league opposition. While the scene was perfectly set for Thierry Henry’s Arsenal return. After coming off the bench to score 12 minutes from time proving to be the winner, as the Gunners saw off championship Leeds.

 

A dream return for Henry after scoring winner

The shock of the round came at league 2 Swindon after Paolo Di Canio’s side dumped out premier league Wigan. Despite this the fourth round fails to feature any non-league teams, as Fleetwood Tamworth and Salisbury could not produce the big cup upset. But the fourth round gave even more enthralling ties, as Liverpool host Manchester United and a potential Chelsea QPR clash if they overcome a home replay to MK Dons While Arsenals triumph earns them a home tie with Aston Villa