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Chelsea's bid for Quadruple fails at Newcastle!
Chelsea ousted from FA Cup
Stephen Wade / Associated Press
Posted: 17 minutes ago
LONDON (AP) - Chelsea's quest to win four major titles ended Sunday when Newcastle ousted the understrength Blues from the FA Cup with a 1-0 victory at St. James' Park.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho gambled and came up short in the fifth-round game, losing only his third match since taking over the Blues last summer.
Mourinho started with seven regulars on the bench, hoping to save them for Wednesday's high-profile Champions League match at FC Barcelona.
The strategy went wrong in the fourth minute when Patrick Kluivert gave the Magpies a quick lead, heading in a cross from 8 meters (yards) to the right of diving goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini.
Mourinho had been dubbed the "Portuguese Man of Four." Now he will have to settle for three.
Chelsea leads the Premier League by nine points, goes in as a slight favorite against Barcelona, and plays next weekend in the League Cup final against Liverpool.
With centerback John Terry suspended, Mourinho rested starters Petr Cech, Paulo Ferreira, Frank Lampard, Claude Makelele, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Damien Duff.
Bowing to the tradition of the FA Cup, Mourinho put Lampard, Duff and Gudjohnsen on to start the second half - using all his substitutions trying to salvage the game.
That move went wrong when winger Wayne Bridge was taken off with an ankle injury just two minutes into the half, forcing Chelsea to play with 10 men. Three minutes into second-half injury time, 'keeper Cudicini was sent off on a red card. By the end of the match, Duff was also limping.
Mateja Kezman had Chelsea's best chance to score in the 24th, banging a shot off the upright.
Chelsea loss to Manchester City 1-0 in league play, and fell to FC Porto 2-1 in the Champions League.
Sunday's two other fifth-round matches ended in draws, forcing replays: Burnley 0, Blackburn 0; and Tottenham 1, Nottingham Forest 1.
In Saturday's fifth-round results, it was: Arsenal 1, Sheffield United 1; Bolton 1, Fulham 0; Charlton 1, Leicester 2; Everton 0, Manchester United 2; and Southampton 2, Brentford 2.
The draw for the quarterfinals is Monday with play beginning March 12.
The FA Cup quarterfinals are sure to have a non-Premier League flavor.
Manchester United, Newcastle and Bolton are in, but Charlton is out after falling to lower-division Leicester. Four Premier League teams - Arsenal, Southampton, Blackburn and Tottenham - face replays to advance to the last eight.
Blackburn's 0-0 draw at bitter northern rival Burnley now forces a replay at Burnley, which is only 13 kilometers (8 miles) away.
Both teams had trouble playing artful soccer on a badly cut up field at Burnley. Jack Straw, Britain's foreign secretary and a Blackburn fan, attended the match and likened the playing surface to "a plowed field."
Burnley won its only FA Cup in 1914, and last reached the finals 43 years ago. Blackburn last won the Cup 77 years ago.
Tottenham drew 1-1 at home against Forest. Jermain Defoe gave Tottenham a 1-0 lead in first-half injury time, but Gareth Taylor scored the equalizer in the 56th.
In Saturday's big game, Wayne Rooney failed to score on his first return to Everton, but Manchester United didn't need him.
Booed when he stepped onto the field at Goodison Park, the 19-year-old Liverpool native also got a smattering of cheers from fans who still adore him despite his 27 million pound (US$50 million; ?38 million) move over the summer to United.
Quinton Fortune put Man United ahead in the 23rd - on a header off a cross from Cristiano Ronaldo - and Ronaldo sealed the 2-0 win with a 58th-minute goal.
There were problems on and off the pitch.
Stepped-up security to protect Rooney didn't prevent United 'keeper Roy Carroll from being struck in the head late in the game by a mobile phone thrown from the stands. Carroll fell to the pitch when he was struck, but finished the game.
Five police officers were injured and 33 people were arrested during fights and street brawling following the game. One policeman was hospitalized with minor injuries and rival fans clashed. Heavy drinking was partly blamed. Bernard Hogan Howe, chief constable of the local Merseyside Police, questioned starting the match at 5:30 p.m., giving fans all afternoon in local pubs.
"I will also be urging a review of the behavior of both sets of football supporters and talking to the BBC about the kickoff time for future football games which will be held on Merseyside," he said.
Stephen Wade / Associated Press
Posted: 17 minutes ago
LONDON (AP) - Chelsea's quest to win four major titles ended Sunday when Newcastle ousted the understrength Blues from the FA Cup with a 1-0 victory at St. James' Park.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho gambled and came up short in the fifth-round game, losing only his third match since taking over the Blues last summer.
Mourinho started with seven regulars on the bench, hoping to save them for Wednesday's high-profile Champions League match at FC Barcelona.
The strategy went wrong in the fourth minute when Patrick Kluivert gave the Magpies a quick lead, heading in a cross from 8 meters (yards) to the right of diving goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini.
Mourinho had been dubbed the "Portuguese Man of Four." Now he will have to settle for three.
Chelsea leads the Premier League by nine points, goes in as a slight favorite against Barcelona, and plays next weekend in the League Cup final against Liverpool.
With centerback John Terry suspended, Mourinho rested starters Petr Cech, Paulo Ferreira, Frank Lampard, Claude Makelele, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Damien Duff.
Bowing to the tradition of the FA Cup, Mourinho put Lampard, Duff and Gudjohnsen on to start the second half - using all his substitutions trying to salvage the game.
That move went wrong when winger Wayne Bridge was taken off with an ankle injury just two minutes into the half, forcing Chelsea to play with 10 men. Three minutes into second-half injury time, 'keeper Cudicini was sent off on a red card. By the end of the match, Duff was also limping.
Mateja Kezman had Chelsea's best chance to score in the 24th, banging a shot off the upright.
Chelsea loss to Manchester City 1-0 in league play, and fell to FC Porto 2-1 in the Champions League.
Sunday's two other fifth-round matches ended in draws, forcing replays: Burnley 0, Blackburn 0; and Tottenham 1, Nottingham Forest 1.
In Saturday's fifth-round results, it was: Arsenal 1, Sheffield United 1; Bolton 1, Fulham 0; Charlton 1, Leicester 2; Everton 0, Manchester United 2; and Southampton 2, Brentford 2.
The draw for the quarterfinals is Monday with play beginning March 12.
The FA Cup quarterfinals are sure to have a non-Premier League flavor.
Manchester United, Newcastle and Bolton are in, but Charlton is out after falling to lower-division Leicester. Four Premier League teams - Arsenal, Southampton, Blackburn and Tottenham - face replays to advance to the last eight.
Blackburn's 0-0 draw at bitter northern rival Burnley now forces a replay at Burnley, which is only 13 kilometers (8 miles) away.
Both teams had trouble playing artful soccer on a badly cut up field at Burnley. Jack Straw, Britain's foreign secretary and a Blackburn fan, attended the match and likened the playing surface to "a plowed field."
Burnley won its only FA Cup in 1914, and last reached the finals 43 years ago. Blackburn last won the Cup 77 years ago.
Tottenham drew 1-1 at home against Forest. Jermain Defoe gave Tottenham a 1-0 lead in first-half injury time, but Gareth Taylor scored the equalizer in the 56th.
In Saturday's big game, Wayne Rooney failed to score on his first return to Everton, but Manchester United didn't need him.
Booed when he stepped onto the field at Goodison Park, the 19-year-old Liverpool native also got a smattering of cheers from fans who still adore him despite his 27 million pound (US$50 million; ?38 million) move over the summer to United.
Quinton Fortune put Man United ahead in the 23rd - on a header off a cross from Cristiano Ronaldo - and Ronaldo sealed the 2-0 win with a 58th-minute goal.
There were problems on and off the pitch.
Stepped-up security to protect Rooney didn't prevent United 'keeper Roy Carroll from being struck in the head late in the game by a mobile phone thrown from the stands. Carroll fell to the pitch when he was struck, but finished the game.
Five police officers were injured and 33 people were arrested during fights and street brawling following the game. One policeman was hospitalized with minor injuries and rival fans clashed. Heavy drinking was partly blamed. Bernard Hogan Howe, chief constable of the local Merseyside Police, questioned starting the match at 5:30 p.m., giving fans all afternoon in local pubs.
"I will also be urging a review of the behavior of both sets of football supporters and talking to the BBC about the kickoff time for future football games which will be held on Merseyside," he said.
Mourinho thought he would run over NUFC easily and rested 7 starters for the Champions' League. Looks like Sourness' boys showed 'em that that was a bad idea! Now, Chelsea's bid for 4 is done, and it happened at St. James!
At least the Magpies did something good this year!
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