Malaga rally to 4-2 win over Rayo Vallecano

Barcelona: Malaga came from behind to beat Rayo Vallecano 4-2 through Jose Rondon's double to stay in the hunt for a top-four finish in the Spanish league on Thursday.

Diego Costa stroked in a spot kick to give Rayo the lead five minutes in after Malaga defender Jesus Gamez fouled Emiliano Armenteros in the area.

But Malaga dominated the rest of the way at La Rosaleda Stadium.

Rondon headed home Eliseu Pereira's cross to equalize in the 35th. The Venezuela striker then netted again in the 58th when he took Eliseu's pass, held off his marker, and shot under the goalkeeper for his ninth goal of the season.

Substitute Enzo Maresca put the result beyond doubt for the hosts with a header in the 70th.
Roberto Trashorras scored Rayo's second with a penalty in the 84th after goalkeeper Willy Caballero brought Diego Costa down in the box, but two minutes later Malaga substitute Sergio "Duda" Barbosa hit from long range.

Malaga's fourth win in a five-game unbeaten streak lifted it even on points with fourth-place Levante, the team currently holding Spain's last Champions League spot.

"More than good results, we are looking to perfect our playing style," Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini said. "If the team continues in this dynamic we can aspire to the highest possible positions. We have never lacked ambition."

Earlier, Sevilla revived hope of a late-season surge by beating Racing Santander 3-0 thanks to Manu del Moral's brace, while Walter Pandiani's stoppage-time goal earned Espanyol a 1-1 draw at Real Betis.

Spain winger Jesus Navas volleyed in Sevilla's 34th-minute opener. Manu extended the lead by firing under the goalkeeper in the 52nd and capped the win in added time.

Racing played the last 10 minutes a man down after Papakouly Diop was sent off with a direct red card for a hard tackle.

"This was a great game for Sevilla," said Sevilla coach Michel Gonzalez. "But you also have to consider the low morale of the team we were facing. That played in our favour."

Sevilla's first win in four games left them four points from sixth place and Spain's Europa League positions with 10 games to go.

Racing is four points from safety after their 10th straight match without a victory.

In Seville, Betis looked set to make good on Ruben Castro's 10th goal of the season until Pandiani rifled a shot from outside the area just under the bar to split the points.

"I felt that the game was unfairly slipping away from us, but (Pandiani) scored because we never gave up," said Espanyol coach Mauricio Pochettino.

On Wednesday, Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, assistant Rui Faria, and two players were all sent off during its 1-1 draw at Villarreal. The league leader's second straight draw reduced their advantage to six points over Barcelona.

Lionel Messi became Barcelona's all-time leading scorer with 234 goals by hitting a hat trick in Tuesday's 5-3 win over Granada.

Also in round 28, it was: Osasuna 0, Getafe 0; Real Sociedad 1, Levante 3; Valencia 1, Zaragoza 2; Atletico Madrid 2, Athletic Bilbao 1; and Sporting Gijon 2, Mallorca 3.

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EPL | Arsenal beat Everton 1-0 to move into 3rd place

Liverpool: Thomas Vermaelen scored the only goal of the game as Arsenal beat Everton 1-0 at Goodison Park to move above rivals Tottenham into third place in the Premier League.

Arsenal made just one change to their team that beat Newcastle 2-1 last time out as Aaron Ramsey replaced Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the starting line-up. The Gunners kept their three-pronged attack with Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott playing just behind Van Persie.

The Gunners started the game at a rapid pace and got into their passing game immediately, which lead to an early chance for Theo Walcott who was put through down the middle. He twisted and turned and his shot was blocked only as far as Ramsey who saw his effort deflected over.


From the resulting corner, Vermaelen jumped to head Van Persie’s pinpoint cross past a stranded Tim Howard to give Arsene Wenger’s side a deserved lead in the eighth minute after a great start.

Arsenal had the home-side well and truly on the backfoot and could have gone further ahead when Mikel Arteta slipped a ball through to Van Persie who saw his effort blocked, the ball then fell to Ramsey who saw his shot well-saved by Howard.

The Toffees were restricted to counter-attacks in the first-half as they struggled to get any control over the game but they went close through Nikica Jelavic as he was put through Marouane Fellaini but he failed to get his effort on target.

Moyes’ side took confidence from that attacking surge and should have been level if not for a poor decision from the linesman, who wrongly disallowed Drenthe’s strike when it appeared he was well onside, following a wonderful pass from Fellaini to set up the Dutchman.

In the second half, Arsenal were struggling to find the tempo they had before the interval and Everton were taking advantage, pressing the Gunners midfielders whenever they had the ball. The pressure carved out a chance for Fellaini but he could only head his chance straight at Szczesny.

The Gunners regained their composure and should have doubled their lead through Van Persie who was found unmarked in the area. The Dutchman composed himself and struck the ball well, but saw his shot smack the post and bounce away.

After Van Persie’s near miss Arsenal began to regain control of the game and used their accurate passing game to keep the ball away from Everton which was working to great effect and helped run down the clock as well.

As the Toffees tried to press Wenger’s side in possession it opened up the field and space in behind which was nearly exploited in a good move between Walcott and Ramsey.

The England international broke free down the right, then drifted the infield and found the Welshman who let fly with a powerful shot which was saved by Howard as he got down well to his right to make the stop.

Moyes’ side kept plugging away at Arsenal however and came close to getting an equaliser when Drenthe shot from the edge of the area after the Gunners had failed to clear their lines from a corner, but his shot went just over the bar.

Both teams pushed for a goal, as the home side pressed to get back into the game while the visitors looked to kill the match. Van Persie and Ramsey had chances but couldn’t convert them, while Fellaini and Jelavic couldn’t find their way past a stubborn Arsenal defence.

Wenger’s side held on for all three points despite a late onslaught and sealed their sixth win in a row in the Premier League to move above rivals Tottenham into third place while Everton remain in 10th place.

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EPL | City set record with 2-1 win over Chelsea

London: Manchester City narrowed the gap on leader Manchester United to a single point on Wednesday, scoring twice in the last 13 minutes to beat Chelsea 2-1 and win a Premier League-record 20th straight home game.

Chelsea led through Gary Cahill's 60th-minute deflected shot but Sergio Aguero leveled the scores in the 78th with a penalty and Samir Nasri scored the winner seven minutes later following an exchange of passes with Carlos Tevez, who returned to action after six months away.

"When they scored, I think we didn't deserve to go behind," City manager Roberto Mancini said. "But we wanted, we desired to win this game.

"It's more than three points, this game."

Chelsea had won four straight under new coach Roberto Di Matteo but their opening goal came completely against the run of play. Ramires forced a corner on the right wing, City failed to clear the cross and Cahill pounced on the loose ball to hit a shot that bobbled off Yaya Toure to leave City goalkeeper Joe Hart stranded.

The goal prompted Mancini to introduce Tevez, who was on strike for some of the past six months following a dispute that began in September when he refused to warm up as a substitute in a Champions League match, as a 66th-minute substitute.

Tevez was met by a mix of cheers and jeers but Aguero soon equalized with his penalty after Pablo Zabaleta's shot ricocheted off Michael Essien's arm.

Tevez had a crucial part in the winning goal as his deft pass on the turn allowed Nasri to break into the box and lift a shot over goalkeeper Petr Cech.

"I am really happy for him," Nasri said. "He has showed great spirit and today showed he can be really important until the end of the season.

"It's good that it was him who gave the assist."

City has 69 points to United's 70 with nine games remaining and Chelsea in fifth place with 49 points.

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EPL | Blackburn beat Sunderland 2-0

Blackburn, England: Blackburn eased their relegation worries with a 2-0 home win over Sunderland in the Premier League on Tuesday.

Blackburn moved six points clear of the drop zone with nine games remaining after second-half goals by Junior Hoilett and Ayegbeni Yakubu.

After a dull first half, Hoilett broke the deadlock in the 58th minute when he volleyed in after Sunderland keeper Simon Mignolet's weak punch from a long throw-in.

Yakubu wrapped up a deserved win for the hosts when he headed home in the 86th from Bradley Orr's cross.

Players from both teams wore 'Pray for Muamba' T-shirts during the warm-up before the game in support of Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba, who is recovering in intensive care following a cardiac arrest during a match on Saturday.

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Terry ruled out of Chelsea's trip to Man City

London: Chelsea defender John Terry has been ruled out of their vital upcoming Premier League clash against Manchester City after failing to overcome a knock picked up against Napoli.

The 31-year-old was substituted during the latter stages of the Blues' thrilling extra-time win over the Italian side in the Champions League after injuring his knee and will miss the match at the Etihad Stadium, although Roberto Di Matteo is hopeful that his captain will be fit to face Spurs.

"We almost have a fully fit squad for the City game, only [Oriol] Romeu and Terry are out,” the interim coach told reporters.

"It's still a bit too early for Terry. He did very well to come back in such a short time and we were lucky. He should be fine for the weekend [against Spurs]."

With Vincent Kompany also out for the hosts, Chelsea's game against Manchester City on Wednesday is 21/10 with William Hill to feature over 3.5 goals.

Former West Brom boss Di Matteo has won all four of his matches since taking over from Andre Villas-Boas and he believes that it is important that the players build on this by continuing to work hard.

He added: "We need to prevent Man City from expressing themselves, they have quality players all over, from defence to attack.

"A confident team can be the difference between now and end of season, every player needs to put the effort in."

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Coppa Italia | Juventus beat Milan to the final

Italy: An extra-time goal from Mirko Vucinic was enough to take Juventus through to the Coppa Italia final after a pulsating 2-2 draw with AC Milan at Juventus Stadium on Tuesday.
Holding a 2-1 lead from the first leg, the Turin giants were boosted by an Alessandro Del Piero goal in the first half, but goals after the break from Djamel Mesbah and Maxi Lopez subjected the Bianconeri to their first defeat of 90 minutes this season and took the tie into extra-time. Vucinic stepped up though to score a sumptuous goal to send the Old Lady to the final.

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With the Bianconeri holding all the cards going into the game, it was the Rossoneri who started the brighter of the two sides. Milan were completely dominating possession in the early stages, and perhaps should have made Antonio Conte's side pay on 20 minutes. Zlatan Ibrahimovic turned past Andrea Pirlo on the edge of the Juventus area, and, opening up his body, sent a shot goalwards, only to see Marco Storari push it wide of his left-hand post.

Seedorf had a long-range effort that went just a whisker over the bar midway through the half, but on 27 minutes Milan were cursing their wastefulness as the hosts opening the scoring.
A superb run from Stephan Lichtsteiner down the right-hand side culminated in a low cross towards Del Piero, who flicked the ball over the on-rushing Marco Amelia, and coolly tapped it into the net.

Milan were still dominating the play – ending the half with just under 60 per cent of the possession – but it was Juve who had the best chance just before the break. Mirko Vucinic was played through by Arturo Vidal, but delayed his cross for too long, and the eventual ball to Emanuele Giaccherini was slightly too high as he headed wide.

The sides returned for the second period, and almost immediately a deep searching through ball from Philippe Mexes alluded all the Juventus defenders inside the area and reached the far post, where Mesbah finished brilliantly with a diving header into the top right-hand corner of the net.

With the scoreline on the night level, the wind was really in the Rossoneri's sails, and they perhaps should have added a second goal just 15 minutes later. A deep cross from the right by Luca Antonini found Sulley Muntari at the back post, but he couldn't quite bundle the ball home under pressure from Leonardo Bonucci.

The wave-after-wave of Milan attacks eventually paid dividends though on 81 minutes. Maxi Lopez received the ball just outside the area, turned Chiellini, and smashed it into the top right-hand corner past Storari.

Juventus substitute, and former Milan striker, Marco Borriello, had the best opportunity to avoid extra-time just moments later. Played through by Giaccherini, the Italian forward found himself one-on-one with Amelia, but he could only hit his effort straight at the keeper, and with that, the teams went into the added 30 minutes.

Extra-time began with exactly the same frenetic tempo as the game itself, and within minutes, Juventus had two great chances to score. Firstly, a cross from the right found Claudio Marchisio, but he blazed over. And secondly, Vucinic played Giaccherini clean through on goal, but the former Cesena man, deciding to go around Amelia, had the ball taken from under his feet by the keeper.

But midway through the first period, all of that was forgotten as Vucinic struck a beautiful effort from 30 yards into the top right-hand corner of the net to give the Bianconeri a 4-3 aggregate lead going into half-time.

The second period quickly turned into a scrappy midfield battle, with lots of late, niggling challenges. And despite a late charge from Milan, the referee blew for full-time to take Juventus through to their first cup final since 2004.

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La Liga | Messi sinks Granada in record show

Barcelona: Lionel Messi hit a hat trick to become Barcelona's all-time leading scorer and keep the defending Spanish champions in the title chase with a 5-3 win over Granada on Tuesday.

Less than two weeks after scoring a Champions League record five times, the three-time world player of the year took his career club tally to 234 goals, beating a 57-year-old milestone held by Cesar Rodriguez by two goals.

Messi set up Xavi Hernandez's opener before extending Barcelona's lead in the 17th.

And after Granada surprisingly rallied with two quick goals after halftime, Messi scored twice more to secure the win, recording his eighth hat trick of the season.

"Messi doesn't score goals, he scores incredible goals," Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said. "Messi has entered into the history of the club. I want to thank the entire team for the great game and Messi for his achievement."

Barcelona's sixth consecutive league victory reduced leader Real Madrid's advantage to five points, turning up the pressure on their archrivals to avoid a costly slip at Villarreal on Wednesday that would tighten the title hunt further.

A three-time FIFA player of the year, Messi has 17 goals during a seven-game scoring streak and leads La Liga with 34 goals, two ahead of Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.

The hat trick was Messi's 18th for Barcelona and gave him 154 goals in his last 153 games over three seasons. His six hat tricks in La Liga this season tie the record set by Ronaldo last year.

True to their style, Barcelona dominated possession from the start and soon began toying with the visitors after Xavi put his team ahead four minutes in.

Xavi volleyed in a headed pass from Messi, sending a bouncing shot into the right side of the net as goalkeeper Julio Cesar was caught flatfooted. It was Xavi's 10th goal — the midfielder's previous best scoring haul for a league campaign was seven — and Messi's 10th assist in league play so far this season.

Julio Cesar saved Messi's hard strike shortly after, but could do nothing but look on as Messi made club history in the 17th.

Messi appeared alone on the right flank to slice in Isaac Cuenca's cross with a left-footed volley that hit the far post before settling into the back of the net.

Granada did what they could to hold back Barcelona's attacking waves, and Messi uncharacteristically misfired a low cross from Cuenca with only the keeper to beat at point-blank range at the start of the second half.

Barcelona, however, soon let their guard down, and Granada pulled one back through defender Diego Mainz, who lifted a floating header over keeper Victor Valdes in the 55th.

The contest then briefly swung in the promoted side's favor seven minutes later when Barcelona's Dani Alves fouled forward Dani Benitez on the edge of the area and Siqueira stroked home the penalty to even the score at 2-2.

"Granada found themselves behind by two goals, but then showed they play good football," Guardiola said. "It is a team that not only looks to defend, but also to attack from the flanks, where it has great players."

But just when the nerves at Camp Nou began to show, Messi burst free behind the defense in the 67th, controlled Dani Alves' lobbed pass with one touch, and flipped the ball over Julio Cesar with the next.

Substitute forward Cristian Tello sliced in a rebound of a shot by Messi for Barcelona in the 82nd as the game spiraled to a wild finish.

Dani Alves again passed for Messi to round the goalkeeper and grab his hat trick in the 86th, only to give away a second penalty three minutes later when the Brazil right back handled a ball in the area for Siqueira to score his second spot kick.

Messi matched his best ever league haul of 34 goals in 27 games so far from two seasons ago when he also scored 34 goals, albeit in 35 games.

"Messi is the best because in the most difficult moments the rest of his teammates know that he will step up," Guardiola said.

Barcelona's players wore shirts saying "Fabrice!!! We are behind you." before the game in support of Bolton player Fabrice Muamba, who is recovering from cardiac arrest three days after collapsing on the field during a match.

Earlier on Tuesday Osasuna was held to a 0-0 home draw by Getafe.

Also on Wednesday, it's: Real Sociedad vs. Levante, Valencia vs. Zaragoza, Atletico Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao and Sporting Gijon vs. Mallorca.

On Thursday, it's: Racing Santander vs. Sevilla, Real Betis vs. Espanyol and Malaga vs. Rayo Vallecano.

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Real Madrid draw 1-1 with Malaga

Madrid: Real Madrid's 11-game winning streak in La Liga came to an end as Malaga secured a dramatic 1-1 draw late on at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Despite the visitors enjoying large spells of possession during the game, Karim Benzema put Los Blancos ahead until Santi Cazorla fired in a beautiful stoppage-time equaliser to ensure the spoils were shared, meaning the gap to Barcelona at the summit of the table is now eight points.

The Real Madrid players showed respect to the plights of Eric Abidal and Fabrice Muamba at kick-off, wearing two-sided shirts offering messages of support to the duo in their respective battles with illness.

When the game began, a flurry of chances for both sides made for an exciting spectacle, and Willy Caballero was the first goalkeeper to be called into action after just two minutes. Benzema met Lassana Diarra’s cross at the near post and flicked it on goal, with his effort almost looping over the keeper and into the net.

Malaga, coming off the back of a three-game winning streak, were unperturbed, and forced a save from Iker Cassilas just two minutes later. Cazorla spotted Salomon Rondon’s run across the top of the box but the Venezuelan could not find the corner of the goal with his effort.

After Caballero made another two saves from Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka respectively, the visitors forged another great chance to take the lead on the 15-minute mark.

Nacho Monreal breezed past makeshift right-back Lassana Diarra and played the ball to Isco, but he dragged his shot wide of the goal, when perhaps he should have did better.

In an open game, Los Boquerones seemed unfazed by the task at hand but looked occasionally vulnerable to the Madrid counterattack.

With 28 minutes played, Benzema changed the pace of the attack with a cute one-two on the left of the box with Ronaldo. The France international opened his body and looked to bend the ball into the bottom corner, but failed to hit the target.

But the deadlock was broken in the 35th minute and it was the hosts who took the lead. Ronaldo was given too much space on the left and bent in a delightful ball for Benzema to finally get his goal with a simple header at the back post.

The second half was a much more subdued affair, with both sides adopting a tentative approach in order to not be exposed.

Visiting coach Manuel Pellegrini brought Ruud van Nistelrooy on for the final 30 minutes as his side tried to find an equaliser, and the Dutchman was given a rapturous ovation by the home crowd for whom he won two Liga titles.

Moments after Monreal produced a last-ditch clearance to deny Benzema a tap in, Caballero then saved expertly from Ronaldo. With an hour played, Kaka’s through ball put the Portuguese in on goal, and although he attempted to caress the ball past the Argentine keeper, his strong hand kept the ball out.

Malaga were clinging on as Madrid upped the tempo with two efforts in quick succession. Mesut Ozil was proving dangerous on the ball as he initiated a move that ended with Jose Callejon seeing his header cleared behind by Monreal.

One minute later, Benzema missed a golden chance to put the game to bed. Ozil’s cutback from the left looked to have gifted him a goal but he somehow fired the ball wide of the target.

The visitors searched for an equaliser and it came in dramatic fashion. Cazorla fired in a glorious free kick from 25 yards out to rescue a point for his side in stoppage time, helping their own efforts in their attempts to clinch Champions League football.

The late goal means that Jose Mourinho's men saw their lead over Barcelona at the summit of La Liga reduced to eight points over the weekend, and Malaga now sit joint-fourth with Levante.

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Cisse seal Newcastle win over Norwich

London: Newcastle United got their Europa League bid back on track with their first victory in four games against Norwich City at the Sports Direct Arena.

The Magpies moved within two points of Chelsea in fifth place thanks to Papiss Cisse's solitary strike, during Alan Pardew's 500th career league game as manager.

The scoreline could easily have been different as Canaries' keeper John Ruddy kept his side in the game with a string of impressive saves, but Paul Lambert's men failed to conjure a comeback to extend their winless run to four games.

Pardew was able to recall Cisse back into the side alongside top scorer Demba Ba, whilst midfield lynchpin Cheikh Tiote missed out through injury.

Norwich top scorer Grant Holt was relegated to the bench in place of Steve Morison, whilst Jonny Howson returned after missing out through illness last weekend.

The home side started brighter, and Cisse wasted a golden opportunity to open the scoring inside two minutes after springing the offside trap, but his weak lob failed to beat Ruddy.
The Senegalese forward made amends for the miss on the ten minute mark though, when he was on hand to expertly guide Jonas Gutierrez’s cross into the top left hand corner.

Norwich, who were struggling to provide any attacking threat, were gifted an opportunity soon later when Mike Williamson was dispossessed on the edge of his own box, but the returning Howson could only fire high into the Gallowgate end.

Just before the half hour mark, Ruddy produced a breath-taking fingertip save to deny Ba’s close-range volley as he stretched to meet Yohan Cabaye's deft centre.

The Magpies were then denied a contentious penalty claim when Elliott Bennett appeared to handle the ball in the box.

Newcastle get behind the Norwich defence yet again when Jonas Gutierrez sent Cisse through on goal, but his shot was blocked by the onrushing Ruddy.

Andrew Surman spurned an opportunity for the visitors on the stroke of half time, wastefully firing wide from a tight angle target after Coloccini had failed to head clear Bennett’s cross.

Newcastle begun the second half in the same manner as the first, and Hatem Ben Arfa skewed an effort narrowly wide. But Norwich replied with two dangerous chances in close succession during their best spell of the game.

Anthony Pilkington was firstly denied by the legs of Tim Krul after running onto David Foxs’ defence-splitting pass. The Dutch stopper then produced a stunning save seconds later to acrobatically divert Zak Whitbred’s bullet header over the bar from Bennett’s cross.

The game fizzled out as Newcastle were content to hold onto their slender lead to continue an impressive home record on Tyneside this season, where they have only succumbed to Chelsea and West Brom.

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Suarez, Downing fire Liverpool into FA Cup semis

Liverpool: Liverpool advanced to the semi-finals of the FA Cup after beating Stoke 2-1 at Anfield thanks to strikes from Luis Suarez and Stewart Downing as they kept alive their pursuit of a cup double.

The Uruguayan gave the Reds the lead with a great right-footed strike in the 22nd minute following a good attacking move by the home-side.

However they were pegged back minutes later by the former player Peter Crouch who headed home from close range in controversial circumstances.

Downing, who hadn't scored since his 20 million pounds move from Aston Villa in the summer, finally got on the score-sheet when he fired a powerful shot past Sorensen to send his team into the semi-final's of the competition.

Liverpool made one change from the team that beat Everton in midweek with Maxi Rodriguez coming into the starting line-up replacing Jordan Henderson, while Andy Carroll and Suarez continued their partnership upfront.

Tony Pulis made four changes to his Stoke side that lost at Chelsea last weekend. Former Liverpool striker Crouch returned along with Thomas Sorensen, Glenn Whelan and Matt Etherington. They replaced Asmir Begovic, Salif Diao, Ricardo Fuller and Kenwyne Jones in the starting line-up.

The Reds started the game well and had a good opportunity to take the lead after just three minutes when an unmarked Maxi headed just wide of the post from a dangerous Steven Gerrard free-kick from the left-wing.

After a quiet opening 20 minutes, Liverpool sprang to life and took the lead through Suarez, who picked the ball up in the Stoke half and played a lovely one-two with Maxi before striking at goal and his curling shot flew into the bottom corner of the net, giving Sorensen no chance.

The Potters responded immediately and were level within minutes through Crouch who headed home Etherington’s corner from close range beating Reina with a bullet header after he peeled off Carroll, who neglected his marking duties inside the area.

There was controversy in the goal as the decision to award the corner in the first place was proved to be incorrect as the ball had originally deflected off Ryan Shawcross before going out of play behind the Liverpool goal.

Stoke had an excellent opportunity to take the lead when Dean Whitehead broke upfield and slid a wonderful through ball to Jonathan Walters, beat Martin Skrtel for pace but couldn't put his effort on target after breaking into box.

Crouch's goal knocked the Reds out of their good early rhythm however late in the half they rallied and came close to regaining their advantage as Suarez's chipped effort was well saved by Sorensen and a Gerrard free-kick went just over the bar.

Kenny Dalglish's side came out in the second-half reinvigorated were within a few inches of taking the lead through Suarez as he headed Gerrard’s free-kick just wide of the post with Sorensen beaten.

The Reds began to dominate possession and got their reward when Downing struck in the 58th minute after he cut inside from the right and took advantage of a deflection which knocked the ball into his stride and made no mistake lashing the ball into the net with a ferocious left-footed shot.

Liverpool were beginning to up the ante and could have gone further ahead if not for a good save from Sorensen who dove well to his right to stop a Suarez effort from distance, as the ball looked to be creeping into the corner.

Stoke tried to get back into the tie as Pulis added more firepower upfront by bringing on Cameron Jerome but the Potters failed to find that final bit of quality needed to get an equaliser as deliveries from Jermaine Pennant and Etherington were disappointing.

Dalglish’s side were comfortable in defence as the Potters threw everything at them towards the end of the game, including several long throws into the box, as they held onto to win to send them to Wembley in the last four of the competition.

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Torres scores as Chelsea enter FA Cup semis

London: Fernando Torres ended a 25-hour goal drought by scoring twice for Chelsea in a 5-2 victory over Leicester on Sunday to guide his team into the FA Cup semifinals.

The Spain striker had failed to score for Chelsea since October until he found the net in the 67th minute, and he added another goal in the 85th at Stamford Bridge.

Gary Cahill opened the scoring with a 12th-minute header. He marked his first Chelsea goal by unveiling a "Pray 4 Muamba" T-shirt in tribute to his former Bolton team-mate, who is in intense care after going into cardiac arrest and collapsing in Saturday's abandoned match at Tottenham.

Salomon Kalou doubled Chelsea's lead in the 17th with a neat finish, and Raul Meireles rounded off the win in the 90th.

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Champions League | Chelsea thrash Napoli 4-1 to enter quarters

London: Chelsea have progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League following a 4-1 win over Napoli at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, winning 5-4 on aggregate.

Chelsea made four changes from the team that beat Stoke at the weekend as David Luiz replaced Gary Cahill in the centre of defence, Michael Essien started in favour of John Obi Mikel, Juan Mata came in for Raul Meireles and Daniel Sturridge took the place of Salomon Kalou in attack.

Napoli also made changes, but following their incredible 6-3 win over Cagliari at the weekend, only two changes were made to the team. Andrea Dossena was replaced by Christian Maggio and danger man Edinson Cavani returned to the starting line-up for Goran Pandev.

Chelsea opened the scoring through Didier Drogba, finding the net with his head in the first-half, and they doubled their lead on the night just after halftime as John Terry nodded in from a corner.

Napoli put themselves back in the lead on aggregate soon after as Gokhan Inler smashed an effort home on the edge of the area, but Frank Lampard restored their two-goal lead on the night as he scored from the penalty spot, and Branislav Ivanovic got the goal to send Chelsea through in extra-time.

The first chance of the match fell to Sturridge as he volleyed goalwards at an angle in the penalty area, but Morgan De Sanctis palmed it behind for a corner.

It didn't take long for Napoli to show their attacking ability, however. Inler played the ball into Ezequiel Lavezzi on the edge of the penalty area and after swivelling, he let rip, but Petr Cech made the save, if a little awkwardly.

The visitors were continuing to look extremely imperious in attack. This time it was Cavani who went close, getting on the end of Maggio’s low cross at the back-post, but much to the relief of the Chelsea fans the Uruguayan could only find the side netting, and Chelsea eventually made him pay.

After 27 anonymous minutes, Drogba gave the home team the lead. Ramires took up possession on the left wing and delivered an excellent ball towards the near-post for Drogba to throw himself at and nod down past De Sanctis.

Chelsea continued to control much of the action and went close to extending their lead just before halftime. Following a corner, Ramires found Luiz in space on the right side of the area, but the Brazilian’s low drilled cross was brilliantly cut out by Paolo Cannavaro, just ahead of Drogba, giving De Sanctis the opportunity to gather it to keep the score at 1-0 at halftime.

It didn't take long for the hosts to level the aggregate score after halftime, however. Napoli sloppily gave away a corner, and Terry rose highest to head the ball out of De Sanctis’ reach and double Chelsea’s lead on the night.

Chelsea’s two goal lead didn’t last long, though. With 54 minutes gone, Terry headed substitute Dossena’s cross out to the edge of the area, but only as far as Inler, who chested the ball under control and smashed a half-volley into Cech’s bottom right corner.

The Napoli goal hardly ushered in a new sense of urgency in the Chelsea performance, but Roberto Di Matteo did see fit the decision to bring on Fernando Torres, who had gone 25 matches for club and country without a goal.

A little later, Drogba again tested the former Sevilla goalkeeper. Ivanovic’s throw-in found its way to the Ivorian, who spun and volleyed with his left foot, but De Sanctis threw himself down to his right and tipped the ball round the post for a corner.

With 20 minutes left on the clock, the visitors came so close to levelling the score on the night. Camilo Zuniga linked well with Lavezzi and a slip from Ashley Cole allowed the Colombian to march into the area, but his shot was saved by the right hand of Cech, who did well to palm it away from the lurking Cavani.

Five minutes later, however, Chelsea won themselves a penalty and took a 3-1 lead on the night. From a corner, Ivanovic headed the ball onto the right hand of Dossena, with the referee rightly pointing to the spot, from where Frank Lampard buried his effort.

Clear-cut chances were few and far between after Lampard's penalty and the two teams were forced to play another half-hour of football as the aggregate score was tied at 4-4.

Following a few chances for Ivanovic and Torres in the opening half of extra-time, Chelsea got the goal to send themselves through just before halftime as the Serbian defender slammed a shot into the roof of the net after excellent work on the right from Drogba.

The second-half of extra-time was very nervy for the hosts, but after Drogba missed a golden opportunity in the dying moments, Chelsea held on despite pressure from their visitors and progressed to the next round.

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Champions League | Real Madrid smash CSKA to enter quarters

Madrid: Real Madrid have progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League after making short work of CSKA Moscow with a 4-1 win in their second-leg clash at the Santiago Bernabeu.

With the tie still on a knife edge after a 1-1 draw from the first encounter in Moscow, a Cristiano Ronaldo brace alongside goals from Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema proved enough for Jose Mourinho's men to comfortably see off the threat of the visitors on their way into the last eight.

Zoran Tosic's brilliant effort with 13 minutes remaining was nothing but bitter consolation, as the Russian outfit crashed out of the competition by a 5-2 aggregate scoreline.

CSKA began with promise, and fired an early warning shot Madrid's way after seven minutes, with Seydou Doumbia striking just over when he really should have buried an incisive through ball by Alan Dzagoev.

Mourinho's men immediately stormed down the pitch in response, Ronaldo cutting in from the left to force Sergey Chepchugov into a smart stop at his near post.

The visitors' encouraging start continued with just under a quarter of an hour gone, as Ahmed Musa was offered the freedom of the Bernabeu to gallop down the right flank and send a ball across the face of goal that flashed inched ahead of the waiting Doumbia.

Madrid would not be second best for long, however, and slowly began to exert their influence over proceedings with sustained pressure in the CSKA half. The opener duly arrived in the 26th minute - Sami Khedira picked out Kaka, who hooked the ball back into six yard area for Higuain to poke home.

The home side played out the half with confidence, but were still wary of the visitors’ threat on the counter attack after Musa again broke free down the right to test Iker Casillas with a stinging drive from range 10 minutes before the break.

Madrid came storming out of the interval, Kaka sending a 20-yard effort inches wide before Ronaldo was put though on goal, only for Chepchugov to again thwart him with a strong block at the near post.

Ronaldo was not to be denied though, and scored the home side's second in the 55th minute after a costly gaffe by Chepchugov. The CSKA keeper appeared to have the Portuguese's strike from 30 yards out covered, but fumbled at the last second as the ball slipped in under his arm.

The visitors lost all impetus after the second, and found themselves further behind in the 70th minute. Benzema, on only seconds earlier as a substitute, was picked out in the area and saw his initial effort saved, before toe-poking the rebound into the far corner.

The tie seemed done and dusted, but CSKA managed to pull a goal back out of nothing with 13 minutes remaining. Tosic strode forward on the break, cut in from the left and blasted in an unstoppable shot off the crossbar from 20 yards out.

Substitute Tomas Necid nearly made things interesting in the 2nd minute after making space at the top of the box, but his vicious shot was punched clear by Casillas.

Ronaldo added the icing on the cake at the death, stroking come Benzema's pass on the break from a few yards out as Madrid ran out comfortable winners.

Madrid now take their place in the last eight and await their next challenge, with the draw for the quarter-final set to take place in two days' time on March 16.

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Hazard excited by Man Utd interest

Manchester: Eden Hazard has admitted that he is excited by the interest shown in him by Manchester United, after Sir Alex Ferguson made the trip to France to see the Lille starlet in action over the weekend.

The Red Devils boss attended the Ligue 1 club's 2-1 defeat away at Lyon to check on the progress of the talented Belgian, who has caught the eye of many Premier League sides.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has also made no secret of his desire to bring the 21-year-old to England.

Hazard, who has scored 11 times in 27 appearances so far this season, concedes that he is likely to move onto an English club when the time is right and that the interest shown by United excites him, but insists that he must keep focus on his duties with Lille.

The Belgium international told La Voix du Nord: "Of course [United interest me], this is a club that excites everyone, but for now my focus is on Lille.

"But yes, it is a pleasure to be watched by one of the best coaches in the world, if not the best."

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Ranieri seeks more emotion from Inter in CL

Milan: Inter Milan manager Claudio Ranieri was moved to tears when he saw his squad end a nine-match winless streak at the weekend, and he's hoping the emotion carries over for another inspirational victory against Marseille in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Marseille carries a 1-0 first-leg lead to the San Siro but the French club is reeling after slipping to its fourth league defeat in a row without scoring a goal on Friday night, 1-0 away to Ajaccio.

Inter beat Chievo Verona 2-0 Friday with late goals from Walter Samuel and Diego Milito for its first win since defeating Lazio 2-1 on Jan. 22 and Ranieri had tears in his eyes after Milito's strike.

"It shows how much this means to me," Ranieri said. "This win comes just at the right time, it should give us the enthusiasm necessary to turn the result around."

Inter has endured an up and down season, with Ranieri being drafted in to replace Gian Piero Gasperini in September, and there had been speculation recently that Ranieri could be on his way out, too.

But Inter started its turnaround with two late goals in a 2-2 draw with Catania eight days ago following another show of emotion — a changing-room speech from goalkeeper Julio Cesar at halftime.

"Julio told us that we had to go out and turn the result around, that everyone had to give a little more, because we couldn't allow ourselves another loss at home," Milito said. "And so we showed some courage and pride and we drew."

While defender Cristian Chivu is suspended, Inter is relatively healthy and Milito will likely partner Giampaolo Pazzini in attack against Marseille, with Diego Forlan providing another option. Playmaker Wesley Sneijder is nearing 100 percent after missing two months with a right leg muscle injury and Samuel and Lucio form a solid pairing in central defense.

Marseille's last goal was Andre Ayew's injury-time winner that decided the first leg at Stade Velodrome. Since then, Marseille has been blanked at home by Toulouse and away by Brest, Evian and Ajaccio. It is Marseille's longest scoreless run since the 2006-07 season.

But coach Didier Deschamps will be boosted by the return of top scorer Loic Remy, winger Mathieu Valbuena, and defensive midfielder Stephane M'Bia.

"It's a good thing for us that they're coming back," Deschamps said. "Even if that doesn't explain our bad results."

Remy and Valbuena both came on in the second half at Ajaccio, and could both start. Ayew, who has been struggling with repeated dislocations of his left shoulder, is also in line to return after sitting out the Ajaccio game.

Deschamps insists the players will be able to forget their league form.

"It's such a big competition that we won't have any problem being motivated for it," he said. "Even if we have the advantage of one goal, we will be coming up against a team whose whole season depends on this result. We're going to go for it."

Inter, the 2010 winner, is aiming for its third successive quarterfinal appearance, while Marseille is looking to reach the last eight for the first time since lifting the trophy in 1993.

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Munich confident of comeback vs Basel

Munich: After putting seven goals past Hoffenheim, Bayern Munich is confident it can overcome a one-goal deficit to FC Basel in the Champions League on Tuesday.

The Swiss champion holds a slim advantage going into the second leg of their round of 16 tie thanks to substitute Valentin Stocker's 86th-minute winner at St. Jakob Park.

But Bayern thrashed Hoffenheim 7-1 on Saturday in its 900th Bundesliga win to lift sagging morale after a difficult start to the year that had yielded only three wins from six league games.

"This will give us a push for Tuesday. We know we have to make good a one-goal deficit," Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes said. "We're capable of scoring goals."

After boasting of "textbook goals," ''sublime football" and "a frenzy," however, Heynckes warned that "Basel won't make it as easy for us as Hoffenheim did."

Basel ousted Manchester United in the biggest upset of the group stage, but progression is seen as mandatory for three-time winner Bayern with the Champions League final to be played In Munich on May 19.

"We have to get past Basel," said Bayern president Uli Hoeness, warning that failure would make it "difficult for us to make amends for this season."

Falling short of the quarterfinals for the second year in a row would be considered disastrous by the Bayern hierarchy, but Heynckes was keen to play down the pressure.

"Right now, you don't think what's at stake in the game. I'm very confident because the game against Hoffenheim came at the right time," the 66-year-old said Monday.

"You have to play these kinds of games again and again over the course of your career," Heynckes added. "It's what makes football interesting."

Bayern's problems this season have come away from home but its record at home is impressive, with 16 wins from 18 games in all competitions.

The Bavarians' home record in the Champions League is no less formidable, with 11 wins from its last 12 appearances in Munich in the competition, with four straight victories this season.

However, Basel is unbeaten away from home in the Champions League this season, and on the road in all competitions since August, when it picked up its last defeat in the Swiss League.

The Swiss champion won 2-0 at Grasshoppers Zurich on Saturday, with goals from future Bayern player Xherdan Shaqiri and Philipp Degen, to extend its lead in the standings to 12 points.

Basel's South Korean left-back Park Joo Ho missed the league match to rest a calf injury.

Basel forward Alex Frei said the team is looking for a third miracle following its wins over Manchester United and Bayern at home in its last two Champions League matches.

"If we should qualify ... it would be even bigger. It would be extraordinary," Frei said. "For a Swiss club to qualify for the quarterfinals of the Champions League is already not normal, but to eliminate Bayern to get there this is really unusual."

Frei has previously faced Bayern at the Allianz Arena when playing for Borussia Dortmund, and suggested that the opening 20 minutes will be key.

"The Bayern players are going to press like crazy and try to score as quickly as possible to get the fans on their side," he said. "If that's the case, and we can put them in danger on the counterattack — indeed, score the first goal — we will have taken the first step toward a famous result."

Bayern midfielder Toni Kroos said the players "know we have to win" but "we won't start out coming forward like crazy and playing haphazard football."

Mario Gomez, who scored his fourth hat trick of the season in Bayern's rout of Hoffenheim to bring his season tally to a league-leading 21 goals, also proposed a more measured approach.

"We didn't give Hoffenheim any air to breathe. It will have to be the same against Basel," said Gomez, who should shake off minor shin and hip injuries to play.

The 26-year-old's 11th Bundesliga hat trick puts him one behind former Schalke striker Klaus Fischer, though he still has some way to go to catch former Bayern striker Gerd Mueller who managed the feat 32 times.

Dutch winger Arjen Robben, who scored twice on Saturday, and Bayern defender Jerome Boateng should also shake off minor knocks to play.

"We have to keep playing this way. It can't be that we play differently again on Tuesday," Robben said after Saturday's win.

Bayern was given a further boost in that game when Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger came on as a substitute to make his return from a month out with an ankle injury.

"I'm ready," the 27-year-old proclaimed with an eye on Tuesday's season-defining game.

Bayern winger Thomas Mueller is also itching to play.

"We have to cancel out their lead, but I'm confident," Mueller said. "If we play like we did (on Saturday), without a care in the world, with so much passion, with plenty of bite in the tackle and utter determination up front, we can do it."

Basel coach Heiko Vogel will be familiar with several Bayern players, having coached Mueller, Philipp Lahm, Holger Badstuber, Toni Kroos and Diego Contento during his time as Bayern's youth coach from 1998 to 2007.

"It's obligatory for Bayern to progress against us," Vogel told Monday's edition of German daily Bild. "It's not a battle of equals. It's a David vs. Goliath duel, and the Goliath should really progress. But we're still waiting to see how it looks after the game on Tuesday."

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Messi scores twice as Barca beat Racing

Barcelona: Lionel Messi scored his 49th and 50th goals of the season to lead Barcelona to a 2-0 win at Racing Santander in the Spanish league on Sunday.

Four days after scoring a Champions League-record five goals in Barcelona's 7-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen, Messi reached the 50-goal mark for the second straight season and closed to within five of matching Cesar Rodriguez's all-time club record of 235.

Barcelona' fourth straight victory kept them 10 points behind runaway leader Real Madrid, but with 12 rounds to play the defending champions' chances of catching their fierce rival are dwindling.

Messi broke through Racing's 10-man defense in the 29th minute, and the three-time FIFA World Player of the Year added a penalty in the 56th as Barcelona enjoyed a rare easy win away from Camp Nou.

Racing coach Alvaro Cervera, who was hired on Friday, could do little but watch as Barcelona easily kept the relegation-threatened side winless for an eighth straight week.
Cervera made Racing's strategy clear from the start. While some teams have pressed Barcelona, the former Racing and Spain player opted for his side to sit back and try to resist their opponent's precision passing game.

But the hosts' defensive stance led to zero shots on goal and failed to stop Messi from taking his league goal tally to 30 — two behind Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of the list.

Barcelona hardly missed the injured David Villa and Alexis Sanchez, with the trio of Messi, Cesc Fabregas and Andres Iniesta proving to be too much for Racing.

Barcelona dominated possession from the start but needed to get the hang of the uneven turf at El Sardinero stadium before Andres Iniesta hit the crossbar with a delicate chip shot in the 23rd.

The European champions eventually besieged Racing in their own area for Messi to score. He combined with Fabregas, laying off to the midfielder and pushing forward to dive and knock his cross into the net for the sixth goal set up by Fabregas in the league this season.

Racing sent on striker Christian Stuani at halftime but to no effect.

Messi made it 2-0 in the 56th from the penalty spot, coolly stroking the ball into the bottom right corner after Fabregas had been fouled in the area by Racing defender Domingo Cisma.

With the double, Messi has scored 16 goals in his past six matches for Barcelona and Argentina.

He had 53 goals in 55 matches for his club last season. Messi already has 50 in 43 matches so far this campaign.

Villarreal plays Getafe on Monday.

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Espanyol thrash Vallecano 5-1, Valencia held 2-2

Barcelona: Espanyol thrashed Rayo Vallecano 5-1 thanks to Kalu Uche's hat-trick for their first win in six games in the Spanish league on Sunday.

The Nigerian striker headed in the fourth-minute opener at Cornella-El Prat stadium as Espanyol sought to rebound from last week's 5-0 loss at Real Madrid.

Coutinho then scored his first goals since arriving at Espanyol on loan from Inter Milan. The 19-year-old Brazilian tapped in a cross from Sergio Garcia in the 10th and slalomed through two defenders to add another in the 23rd.


Uche found the net with a superb chip shot from the edge of the area to make it 4-0 before halftime.

Former Espanyol striker Raul Tamudo pulled one back for Rayo in the 54th, but Uche capped his hat-trick from a pass by Garcia in the 68th.

"The satisfaction is enormous after our thrashing at the Bernabeu," Espanyol coach Mauricio Pochettino said. "I'm very proud of the intensity and sacrifice my players showed. We played a great game."

Also, Valencia slipped to a draw 2-2 with Mallorca, while Atletico Madrid beat Granada 2-0 from goals by Miranda and Radamel Falcao to end a five-week winless run.

The victories by Atletico and Espanyol kept both teams in the hunt for a place in European competition next season. Atletico rose to seventh and Espanyol to eighth.

At Mestalla stadium, Valencia went ahead 2-0 by halftime through goals by Tino Costa and Aduriz Aritz, but forward Emilio Nsue pulled one back for Mallorca in the 57th before setting up Victor Casadesus' equalizer nine minutes later.

Valencia remained third, four points clear of Malaga.

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AC Milan open up 4-point lead on Juventus

Rome: AC Milan bounced back from their loss to Arsenal by beating Lecce 2-0 on Sunday, as the Rossoneri opened up a four-point lead atop Serie A after Juventus were held to yet another draw, 0-0, by Genoa.

Italy midfielder Antonio Nocerino put Milan ahead seven minutes in at the San Siro and Zlatan Ibrahimovic doubled the lead in the 65th with his league-leading 19th goal of the season.

In Genoa, Juventus hit the woodwork three times in the second half but could not find the target and had to settle for their 14th draw of the season - the most in the league.

Also, it was: Atalanta 1, Parma 1; Catania 1, Fiorentina 0; and Cesena 0, Siena 2.

While they still managed to advance in the Champions League, Milan were beaten 3-0 by Arsenal on Tuesday after allowing three first-half goals.

Against Lecce, which remained third from the bottom, Milan immediately took control when Nocerino took a pass from Ibrahimovic and had a shot deflected in off a defender.

It was the ninth goal this season for Nocerino, who Milan acquired from Palermo on the last day of the preseason transfer market for the relatively low fee of $660,000.

In the 19th, Ibrahimovic just missed a delicate chip shot from a near impossible angle along the end line but the Sweden international then found the target with a powerful shot from beyond the area after taking a pass from Urby Emanuelsson.

Ibrahimovic was highly critical of Milan's performance against Arsenal, telling Swedish media that manager Massimiliano Allegri used him out of position, but he was at the center of all the action on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Juventus was missing their three top defenders - with Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli injured and Leonardo Bonucci suspended - and they looked like that might cause a problem for the Turin club when Rodrigo Palacio threatened with a lob shot in the opening minute, but Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon leaped up and swiped the ball away.

Genoa goalkeeper Sebastien Frey was also in form and thwarted a couple chances for Juve in the first half, but the Bianconeri had only themselves to blame for failing to score after the break, hitting the goalframe three times in the space of seven minutes.

First, Mirko Vucinic headed off the crossbar in the 53rd, then the Montenegro striker hit the outside of the post with another header five minutes later. On the hour mark, Simone Pepe struck the post to waste a perfect pass from the far left flank from Andrea Pirlo, who was playing his 400th match in the Italian league.

Pirlo placed the ball right at Pepe's foot with only Frey to beat but the winger's shot squarely struck the right post.

Claudio Marchisio threatened again for Juve in the 69th, but Frey blocked his swerving long-range effort, and Pepe had a goal annulled for a debatable offside call in the 71st.

Genoa protested to no avail for a penalty in added time when Pirlo appeared to trip Marco Rossi inside the area.

Juventus remain the only undefeated squad in the league, but they have more draws (14) than wins (13).

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Stunned Man City lose top spot to Man United

Swansea: Manchester City lost their top spot in the Premier League to rival Manchester United after a shock 1-0 defeat at Swansea on Sunday.

Luke Moore scored with a powerful close-range header for the Welsh side in the 83rd minute as City, unbeaten in the league at home, lost their fourth away match this season.

Man United beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 to move first - one point ahead of City.

City's Micah Richards had a goal called back for offside in the dying minutes of the game at the Liberty Stadium.

Joe Hart saved a penalty from Scott Sinclair in the 7th minute after the England goalkeeper was judged to have brought down Wayne Routledge.

Yaya Toure was caught in possession by Gylfi Sigurdsson and Swansea coolly put Routledge down the right to deliver a cross that Moore headed beyond Hart's despairing dive. The goal triggered all-out attack from City and Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm made an acrobatic save to deny a Kolo Toure effort.

City thought they had salvaged a point when Richards headed in as Vorm came and failed to reach a cross, but the fullback was ruled offside.

Sinclair almost added a second in added time as Swansea broke after Hart had gone up for a corner, but his strike from halfway came up short of the line as the keeper recovered.

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Europa League | Sporting rally to beat City

Lisbon: Sporting Lisbon will take a lead to England next week in their Europa League round of 16 tie with Manchester City, after a 1-0 victory at the Estadio de Alvalade.

A classy backheel finish from Xandao early in the second half proved the difference between the two sides, as City failed to prove their credentials against a well-organised home outfit. Ricardo Sa Pinto's team created the best chances of the match, and only Ricky van Wolfswinkel’s nervousness prevented Sporting from taking a bigger lead to Manchester.

The hosts were first to create danger just three minutes into the game, when Daniel Carrico tried to find Van Wolfswinkel with a long ball, forcing Joe Hart to leave his place between the posts to nod away. The clearance fell into the path of Stijn Schaars who tried to chip it over the goalkeeper, but his effort went just wide of the goal.

City then suffered a heavy blow, as Vincent Kompany picked up a muscular injury. With the visitors momentarily down to 10 men, Sporting surged forward and almost scored in the ninth minute, but Hart punched away a Joao Pereira shot from inside the box.

Kompany eventually had to be replaced, and in the 11th minute, City went close to scoring for the first time, as Aleksandar Kolarov whipped in a cross from the left after a corner was played short. Kolo Toure rose unchallenged in the six yard box, but his header was denied by Rui Patricio's right leg.

The match was being played at a slow pace, with neither side able to stamp their authority on the game, but every time that City upped the tempo, they created Sporting all sorts of problems.

Sporting began the second half the brighter and opened the scoring in the 50th minute through Xandao. Joe Hart tipped away a free-kick from Matias Fernandez into the path of the Brazilian defender, who clipped home a backheel finish on the rebound after his first shot had been blocked by the goalkeeper.

The hosts were now in control of the game, and they almost doubled their lead in the 62nd minute. A Schaars pass opened City up on the left side of the box, where Insua, with plenty of room to operate, played the ball back to Van Wolfswinkel, whose shot from close range went straight against Joe Hart.

Mario Balotelli came on for Edin Dzeko in the 70th minute, and the Italian striker almost caused an immediate sensation, running down the left side of Sporting's box before cutting a low pass into the middle for David Silva, but the Spaniard’s shot went wide of the left post.
Aguero almost equalised in the 89th minute after finding himself in a one-on-one situation with Patricio, but the Argentine's chip over the goalkeeper was cleared by Xandao.

The result gives Sporting a narrow lead for the return leg in England, on March 15.

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United go down to Bilbao in Europa League

London: Manchester United slipped to yet another poor home defeat in Europe this season after being beaten 3-2 by Athletic Bilbao at Old Trafford in the Europa League.

The home side took the lead, against the run of play through Wayne Rooney before Fernando Llorente equalised with a powerful header on the brink of half-time.

Oscar De Marcos turned home a wonderfully crafted winner and Iker Muniain hit a late third before Rooney turned home a penalty in stoppage time to round off a thrilling affair.

United made five changes to their side, Phil Jones moved into midfield as Chris Smalling was reintroduced to the defence and Javier Hernandez partnered Rooney in attack.

Athletic made one change to the side that beat Real Sociedad in Sunday's Basque derby, highly rated midfielder Javi Martinez moved into defence to cover the suspended Fernando Amorebieta with Ander Iturraspe coming into the middle.

The Spanish side made an assured start to the match and went close to taking a deserved lead in the fourth minute as Llorente fired just wide after displaying nimble feet on the edge of the area.

United were struggling to cope with Bilbao's fluid formation and the Spaniard had a good shout for a penalty turned down as Llorente was dragged to the turf by Smalling.

Just as an Athletic goal looked imminent Sir Alex Ferguson's side struck, Ryan Giggs bundled his way through midfield before exchanging passes with Hernandez, the Mexican turning sharply in the box but saw his effort saved by Gorka Irazioz but Rooney was on hand to follow in and smash home.

The goal could have sucked the life from Marcelo Bielsa's side but they persevered, Llorente unlucky to see his header fly over the bar before Markel Susaeta could only chip wide when through on De Gea's goal.

Andoni Iraola tried to sneak an effort in at the near post before Athletic grabbed a richly deserved equaliser just before the break, Susaeta was given too much space by Evra and picked out the on-rushing Llorente who planted a firm header into the net and sent the 6,000 travelling fans into ear-shattering delirium.

The start of the second half saw Muniain's 20-yard drive bringing a magnificent sprawling save out of compatriot De Gea before the 21-year-old made another stunning stop to deny Llorente's curled effort.

United were forced to reshuffle their pack as Smalling's head wound, sustained in England's defeat to the Netherlands, re-opened and Michael Carrick was brought on in his place with Jones moving back into the defence.

Hernandez was looking the most potent of the home side's strikers but the Mexican could not find space in the box and saw two efforts blocked.

A change was needed and Ferguson responded, sending Anderson on in place of Park Ji-Sung, moving Giggs to the left flank.

United were still looking sluggish and once again had De Gea to thank as he blocked Muniain's effort after a great twisting run from the teenage attacker.

The home side went straight up the other end and Hernandez may have equalised but his touch from Giggs' ball got away from him and Irazioz was able to smother the ball.

The Basque side were the game's much better side and scored their second goal with 20 minutes remaining, Muniain and Susaeta combining brilliantly through the middle to bypass Anderson before Ander Herrera chipped an excellent ball to De Marcos who swept the ball past De Gea first time to give Athletic the lead.

Nani was sent on in place of Giggs as United chased an unlikely and undeserved equaliser.
Rooney hit a rasping effort into the gloves of Irazioz before Llorente was substituted to thunderous applause from the Basque supporters.

Athletic further extended their lead late on, De Gea saved De Marcos' initial effort but was powerless to resist as Muniain raced in to tap home a third.

Rooney smashed home a late penalty to narrow the deficit but United will have much work to do if they are to salvage the tie in a week's time.

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Relieved Milan grateful for rare Van Persie miss

London: With AC Milan's Champions League hopes under attack, the ball rebounded invitingly to Arsenal's Robin van Persie in front of goal and the striker seemed certain to level the last-16 tie at 4-4 on aggregate to complete an amazing comeback on Tuesday.

Unbelievably, though, the Dutchman who cannot stop scoring chose the wrong option and his attempted dink went straight into the arms of relieved Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati, and with it Arsenal's best chance of staying in the competition.

The incident early in the second half proved a pivotal moment in the match as Arsenal, who had roared into a 3-0 half-time lead, ran out of steam and Milan held on for a 4-3 aggregate victory to move into the quarter-finals.

"All that really mattered was the result and that we got through to the next stage," relieved Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri told reporters. "Today was in some ways the match of the season for us because now we are among the best eight teams in Europe and that has not happened to Milan for a few years."

"Right now, although we lost I am very happy, I am delighted we've qualified and that was the main objective, although we have to play better than that."

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was left to rue the one that got away, but he was full of praise for the Milan keeper. "What can I say?" he told reporters about the chance spurned by Van Persie, whose 32 goals in all competitions this season, including a penalty against Milan before the break, have lit up the club's otherwise stuttering season.

"The one you would want the chance to go to is Van Persie. But he wanted to chip the keeper. You have to give credit to Abbiati, he came up so quickly, it was a fraction."

"Players have to make decisions so quickly. If he scores it's great, but credit to the keeper," added Wenger.

Milan had suffered a fright night until that moment as their 4-0 lead from the first leg almost evaporated, with Arsenal scoring through Laurent Koscielny, Tomas Rosicky and Van Persie. After Van Persie missed the chance to put a rampant Arsenal 4-0 up, however, Milan finally woke from their slumber and could have put the tie to bed on several occasions.

As it was, squandered chances by Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Antonio Nocerino did not in the end prove costly as the Italians reached the last-eight for the first time since they won the trophy for the seventh time in 2007.

It was too close for comfort, though, for Allegri, who spent most of the first half gesticulating furiously from the touchline.

"When we went two behind, we were not in control and credit must go to Arsene for how Arsenal played in the first half," he told reporters. "We suffered in the first half after conceding a goal in the first few minutes and all credit to Arsenal because I knew the first half was going to be tough and they made it hard for us."

"But we played very well in the second half and only gave them one real chance in the second half."
He said his side would have to improve if they were to challenge the Spanish axis of Barcelona and Real Madrid for Europe's most prestigious club trophy.

"We struggled a lot, though, and in that respect I think we need to improve a lot. We've got experienced players but we need to make sure we don't struggle that much," he said.

Wenger's Arsenal have been left trying to make sure they clinch a top-four spot in the Premier League and qualify for the Champions League again next season. While the Frenchman praised his players' fighting display after the San Siro debacle, he was ruing what might have been.

"I don't know if it's one of my proudest nights but it's a night when the players can feel proud to play for this club because they put absolutely every effort in and if you win 3-0 at home you can only say well done," he said. "But if you play 180 minutes and are missing for 90, well it's difficult at that level. But we were very close."

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Inter break five-game losing streak with draw

Milan: Inter Milan came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 at home to Catania in Serie A on Sunday and end their five-game losing run.

Alejandro Gomez and Mariano Izco gave Catania a solid halftime lead as Inter was roundly booed throughout the first period.

The game changed in less than 10 second-half minutes, however, as Diego Forlan helped Inter hit back with the team's first goal in six games before Diego Milito leveled.

Inter are still winless in their past nine games, but the result could give coach Claudio Ranieri a stay of execution as he seeks to avoid becoming the club's second managerial casualty of the campaign.

Inter are a point behind sixth-place Roma, which lost 2-1 in a heated derby match against Lazio with both sides reduced to 10 men.

"It was an important response," Ranieri said. "Finally we got a goal and now we have to continue to fight, but this is a squad that never gives up. We looked at each other in the dressing room, it was a really troublesome moment, but these champions knew how to react.

"We are united and we have to get out of this situation all together, as usual. Unfortunately there still remains the problem that at the first scare we seem less determined. Tonight we started well, but we went behind on the first counterattack and then we became scared and got in difficulty."

However, club president Massimo Moratti might well consider Javier Zanetti's comments that it was goalkeeper Julio Cesar's halftime speech that led to the comeback, as questions arise as to whether the players are losing faith in Ranieri.

Ranieri opted to leave key playmaker Wesley Sneijder on the bench after less than impressive performances from the Dutch star, although he was brought on to start the second half.

Inter found themselves on the back foot when Gomez bamboozled his way past Yuto Nagatomo on the left of the area before firing into the bottom right corner in the 21st minute.

Catania doubled their lead six minutes before the break when Giovanni Marchese picked out Izco, who tapped in from close range, although the goal should have been disallowed for offside.

Forlan finally broke Inter's 541-minute goal drought in the 71st. The Uruguayan weaved down the left flank before cutting inside and firing in an effort which goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo failed to hold.

Milito lashed in the equalizer nine minutes later. Inter should have scored in stoppage time, but Giampaolo Pazzini somehow failed to score when he was picked out completely alone in the center of the area.

Lazio did the double over Roma for the first time in 15 years to claim the advantage in the race for third place.

Lazio took the lead in the seventh minute after Maarten Stekelenburg brought down Miroslav Klose. The Roma goalkeeper was sent off and Hernanes converted the resulting penalty.

Despite the man disadvantage, Fabio Borini, who has now scored six of Roma's past nine goals, levelled less than 10 minutes later. However, Stefano Mauri fired in what was to prove the winner on the hour mark.

Lazio defender Lionel Scaloni was sent off five minutes from time after receiving a second yellow card.

Lazio are now third, two points above Udinese, who were held to a 0-0 draw by Atalanta, and five above Napoli after Ezequiel Lavezzi and Edinson Cavani scored yet again to help their side to a controversial 2-1 victory at Parma.

Cristian Zaccardo had levelled for Parma in the 76th.

Lavezzi and Cavani have scored 10 goals between them in the past five matches.

Lecce maintained their impressive recent run in drawing 2-2 against Genoa. Judged by many as relegation certainties a month ago, Lecce have gone five games unbeaten.

A Giuseppe Sculli brace either side of a Luis Muriel strike and a stunning 25-yard free kick from Davide Brivio saw both sides share the spoils.

Bologna remain four points clear of the drop zone after scraping a 1-0 win against 19th-place Novara. The game was put back in the day so as not to coincide with the funeral of singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla — a staunch Bologna fan — who died on Thursday.

Bologna, playing with black armbands, could have taken the lead when Santiago Garcia fouled Alessandro Diamanti in the area. However, Novara goalkeeper Samir Ujkani — who saved two spot kicks for Albania against Georgia midweek — pulled off another great stop to deny Marco Di Vaio.

The home side snatched all three points eight minutes from time. Diego Perez's effort was tipped onto the post by Ujkani and fell to Di Vaio, whose effort also crashed off the left upright before Robert Acquafresca finally converted.

Elsewhere, struggling Siena strolled to a comfortable 3-0 win against Cagliari, thanks to goals from Erjon Bogdani, Emanuele Calaio and Cristiano Del Grosso.

Last-place Cesena look even more in trouble. Defender Vangelis Moras headed into his own net and Matija Nastasic scored his first Serie A goal to give Fiorentina a 2-0 win.

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Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas sacked after 8 months

London: Andre Villas-Boas was fired by Chelsea after barely eight months in charge of the Premier League club on Sunday, leaving owner Roman Abramovich ruing his gamble on the inexperienced Portuguese and searching for his eighth manager in nine years.

A regular visitor at training recently, the Russian oligarch lost patience with the 34-year-old Villas-Boas after Chelsea's first loss to West Bromwich Albion since 1979 on Saturday left the club fifth in the league, with 46 points from 27 games, and out of the lucrative Champions League qualification places.

"Andre Villas-Boas has parted company with Chelsea," the club said in a statement. "The board would like to record our gratitude for his work and express our disappointment that the relationship has ended so early."

"Unfortunately the results and performances of the team have not been good enough and were showing no signs of improving at a key time in the season."

First-team coach Roberto Di Matteo, a former Chelsea player and West Bromwich Albion manager, will take charge of the Blues until the end of a season that is in danger of becoming the worst since Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003.

"The club is still competing in the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup, as well as challenging for a top-four spot in the Premier League, and we aim to remain as competitive as possible on all fronts," Chelsea said. "With that in mind, we felt our only option was to make a change at this time."

Villas-Boas has been under constant pressure since being hired in June on a three-year contract to replace Carlo Ancelotti, who was fired after failing to win a trophy last season despite a league and FA Cup double the previous year.

That change of managers cost Chelsea 28 million Pounds in compensation. Villas-Boas is likely to receive compensation after being fired with more than two years remaining on a contract reportedly worth 5 million Pounds annually.

Having repeatedly insisted he had the owner's full backing, Villas-Boas appeared to acknowledge his job was under threat after the 1-0 loss to West Brom left Chelsea with just three wins in the last 12 league matches and in danger of missing out on qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in the Abramovich era.

Amid reported unrest in the changing room, Villas-Boas struggled trying to bring younger players into the team while phasing out the older, big-earning stars such as midfielder Frank Lampard.

"He has had to take on a club there with a lot of senior pros in the background; probably had a very, very difficult job," Newcastle manager Alan Pardew said.

Villas-Boas' attempts to revive Chelsea's fortunes were not helped by Fernando Torres' woes in front of goal, with the Spain striker failing to score in 22 club games and counting.

"You don't get very much time these days and I genuinely couldn't be more disappointed," Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill said. "I feel for him."

Villas-Boas - the youngest manager in the league this season - had just two seasons of top-flight managerial experience behind him when he was hired by Chelsea last June on a three-year deal.
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Winning four trophies with Porto last season had established him as one of Europe's most highly-rated coaches. He was dubbed by many as the 'Mini-Mourinho', after the current Real Madrid coach who has been one of the most successful managers in Europe in recent years.

Villas-Boas was a scout at Chelsea between 2004-07 under Mourinho, who won five major domestic trophies in that time.

However, Mourinho and his successors Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti always came up short in the Champions League.

Since Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003, the club has enjoyed a trophy-laden period that has harvested three English titles, three FA Cups and two League Cups.

But the Champions League is the competition Abramovich is said to be obsessed with and the Blues face another season of failure unless they can overturn a 3-1 loss to Napoli next week in the last-16.

On Friday, Villas-Boas insisted he would "never" quit Chelsea.

"Am I the right man for the job? Yes," he said. "I wouldn't have taken it if I didn't think that."

Di Matteo's first game in charge will be Tuesday's FA Cup fifth-round replay at Birmingham.
The departure of Villas-Boas, however, will do nothing to quieten fans' calls for Jose Mourinho to make a return to the club he led to back-to-back Premier League titles.

The self-anointed 'Special One', currently manager of La Liga leaders Real Madrid, has featured in British newspapers in recent days, with photographs showing him in London and reportedly looking for a new house.

Mourinho told reporters on Saturday that he would be visiting London again on Monday but declined to give any details, saying: "I don't have to explain my private life to anyone."

Villas-Boas had said this week that Mourniho's shadow hung over the club, while his relationship with players from his compatriot's golden era has also been under scrutiny.

Vice-captain Frank Lampard said last month that his relationship with Villas-Boas had "not been ideal" but the Portuguese had dismissed any notion of unrest, saying the only reason for an unhappy dressing room was their league position.

Major cracks, however, appeared this week when Villas-Boas said in an interview with Portugal's TSF radio that he was unsure if he still had the backing of Abramovich.

As if predicting what might be around the corner, he pointed to the owner's notorious lack of patience with managers who did not deliver silverware and in particular the coveted Champions League trophy.

"The pattern of behaviour of the owner has led to a downfall (of coaches) in similar situations or even 'better' situations," he said.

"What will be the reaction? It will be one of the two, a continuation of the project and full support or just the cultural pattern that has happened before."

Chelsea's managers under Abramovich:

Claudio Ranieri — September 15, 2000 to May 31, 2004

Jose Mourinho — June 2, 2004 to September 20, 2007

Avram Grant — September 21, 2007 to May 24, 2008

Luiz Felipe Scolari — June 11, 2008 to February 9, 2009

Guus Hiddink — February 11, 2009 to May 30, 2009

Carlo Ancelotti — June 1, 2009 to May 22, 2011

Andre Villas-Boas — June 22, 2011 to March 4, 2012

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Real crush Espanyol to be in the driver's seat

Barcelona: Real Madrid brushed aside Espanyol 5-0 on Sunday to march on toward their first Spanish league title in four seasons with their 10th consecutive win.

Real dominated throughout, barely breaking a sweat in a commanding victory that restored their 10-point lead over defendings Barcelona.

Cristiano Ronaldo took advantage of a defensive error by Espanyol to open the scoring with his league-leading 30th goal.

Germany midfielder Sami Khedira added a goal before halftime. Gonzalo Higuain then scored twice and Kaka also found the net in the second half to seal Real's 12th win in 13 league games at Santiago Bernabeu stadium this season.

"The team was focused on what it needed to do and we played the easiest game we could," Kaka said. "We have to continue winning points because we face a very competitive adversary."

Earlier, Athletic Bilbao prepared for their Europa League clash with Manchester United by beating Real Sociedad 2-0 thanks to a double from Markel Susaeta.

Marcelo provided Real's first glimpses of danger with his incursions down the left flank in an otherwise lackluster start for his team that had more offside decisions go against it than scoring chances.

But for as slow as Real began, Espanyol's nerves led them to losing the ball again and again due to pressure, and it was just a matter of time before the hosts went ahead.

Mesut Oezil latched on to Espanyol defender Raul Rodriguez's poor pass and linked with Higuain, who slipped the ball for Ronaldo alone in the area to rifle home the 23rd-minute opener for his 38th goal in all competitions.

Ronaldo, who has scored in his past five outings overall, is on pace to break his own league record of 40 goals set last season.

"It was a night to forget," Espanyol coach Mauricio Pochettino said. "I leave frustrated because we didn't compete, because we gave in early on with mistakes we don't usually make."

Khedira made it 2-0 in the 38th when he started and finished off a beautiful series of one-touch passes with Ronaldo and Oezil to split open the center of the defense before firing into the lower left corner of the net.

Real almost put the game away before halftime. But Espanyol goalkeeper Kiko Casilla denied Higuain on the break before blocking Ronaldo's long strike.

Yet Jose Mourinho's team only had to wait two minutes into the second half for Kaka to gallop free into the area and lay off for Higuain to beat Casilla from close range and celebrate his 150th appearance career appearance for Real.

With Espanyol demoralized, Kaka rolled a shot in off the far post in the 66th before again setting up Higuain to volley into the top corner of the net in the 78th for his 16th goal of the season.
"We knew we needed to maintain our lead in the table," Higuain said. "We are happy not only with the victory but with the way we went about earning it."

Bilbao's victory in the lively Basque derby extended their home unbeaten run to six games and provisionally lifted them into fourth place.

Susaeta put Bilbao ahead in the 25th and secured the result with a superb free kick in the 81st as Bilbao rose two points clear of Levante, who play Real Betis on Monday.

"This was a game every player dreams of," said Susaeta, who has scored 10 goals in all competitions this season. "We played well in the first half, but in the second half our pressure fell off and they gave us problems until the second goal."

The Basque team plays at Man United on Thursday for the first leg of its round-of-16 series.
Elsewhere, Sofiane Feghouli's first-half goal gave Valencia a hard-fought 1-0 win at Granada as they reinforced their hold on third place, while last-place Zaragoza scored twice late on to beat Villarreal 2-1.

On Saturday, a 10-man Barcelona team beat Sporting Gijon 3-1.

Also, it was: Getafe 1, Malaga 3; Mallorca 1, Osasuna 1; Rayo Vallecano 4, Racing Santander 2 and Sevilla 1, Atletico Madrid 1.

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