Division One leader West Bromwich knocked Manchester United out of the League Cup 2-0 on Wednesday and now has to beat Arsenal to reach the semifinals.
A second-half goal by Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink made sure that Premier League leader Chelsea didn't join the upset victims as Claudio Ranieri's star-studded Blues gained a 1-0 victory at division one Reading.
PHOTO: REUTERS
In other fourth round games, Aston Villa overpowered division one Crystal Palace 3-0 and Tottenham scored a 3-1 victory over Manchester City. Middlesbrough edged Everton 5-4 on penalties after a 0-0 extra time tie.
Swiss defender Bernd Haas hit the first after seven minutes and Scott Dobie added the second with his first touch as a substitute as the Baggies, relegated from the Premier League last season, gained its first victory over the Reds in 19 seasons and reached the quarterfinals for the first time in 22. West Brom also missed a first-half penalty.
Minutes after one of its biggest results in recent years, Gary Megson's West Brom discovered it again had a lucrative home draw in the quarterfinals on Dec. 15. But it faces an Arsenal team which on Tuesday thrashed Wolves 5-1 fielding a team of youngsters rather than its world-class stars.
The other quarterfinals are Bolton versus Southampton, Aston Villa versus Chelsea and Tottenham versus. Middlesbrough.
In United's defense, manager Alex Ferguson rested 10 players from Saturday's 1-0 loss at Chelsea and fielded a team of youngsters with no Ruud van Nistelrooy, Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs or Tim Howard. But those on the field at the Hawthorns were denied by some standout saves by Albion goalkeeper Russell Hoult.
"In the main we controlled the match but [West Brom] are dangerous when they get into the last third," the United manager said. "You're always in the game at 1-0 down but the second goal, with the experience West Brom have got, meant it would have been difficult to beat them after that."
After his team's upset victory over Ferguson's Reds, Megson congratulated his team but said he was more interested in staying top of division one.
"United are in the Champions League and going for the Premiership and I can understand them putting out the team they did," he said. "Scott took his goal well. He goes on as a substitute and scores and looks terrific. But he has got to play like that when he starts.
"Now we've got to be ready to go again against West Ham on Saturday."
West Brom went ahead after seven minutes with Haas' first-time volley after Neil Clement's leftwing cross had been flicked on by Rob Hulse. Roy Carroll, given his chance instead of American 'keeper Howard, dived to his left to make a brilliant save to block a Jason Koumas penalty in the 23rd minute after the Welsh international had been tripped just inside the area by Danny Pugh.
The lanky Danny Dichio headed against the crossbar and, at the other end, Hoult did well to push a shot from World Cup star Kleberson around the post.
A second West Brom goal came in the 57th minute when Clement crossed from the left and Dobie, who had replaced top scorer Hulse seconds earlier, dived to glance a low header past Carroll.
As United's youngsters tried to hit back, Hoult blocked a powerful shot from Ronaldo and then tipped a low shot from Kleberson around the post.
At Anfield, Brazilian striker Mario Jardel was unmarked when he headed home Djorkaeff's fourth-minute corner to give Wanderers the lead. England midfielder Danny Murphy leveled in the 66th and, although Nigerian star Jay-Jay Okocha regained the advantage for the visitors in the 79th, Czech forward Vladimir Smicer made it 2-2 with two minutes to go.
The game appeared headed for extra time when Senegal midfielder Salif Diao fouled Kevin Davies and Djorkaeff fired home the penalty off the inside of the post.
Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier was furious with his players.
"I am very, very angry," he said. "And they will certainly know all about it when they report for training."
At Villa Park, a shot by Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel appeared to be going wide until it struck Palace defender Kit Symons on the shoulder and flew into the net.
Angel set up a second for Gavin McCann in the 70th and ended a six-game run without a goal by adding the third nine minutes later.
Chelsea fielded plenty of its stars at the Madejski Stadium, including five who beat Manchester United on Sunday, but failed to break down Reading until Frank Lampard's long ball found Hernan Crespo, who squared it for Hasselbaink to fire home.
At White Hart Lane, Darren Anderton controlled a Ledley King cross to fire Spurs ahead in the ninth minute. Helder Postiga netted his first for the club in the 30th minute when City's Trevor Sinclair lost possession of the ball on the edge of his own area and the Portuguese striker fired home a low shot.
Robbie Fowler replied for City before Frederic Kanoute made sure for Spurs with a third in the final minute.
After Middlesbrough and Everton had struggled for 120 goalless minutes at the Riverside Stadium, the game went to penalties.
No one had missed before Boro's Australian 'keeper, Mark Schwarzer, saved from Leon Osman and Spanish star Gaizka Mendieta fired the winner past Nigel Martyn.
Scottish League Cup
Chris Burke marked his debut with a goal as defending champion Rangers cruised into the semifinal of the Scottish League Cup with a 3-0 beating of St. Johnstone on Wednesday.
Burke, who turned 20 on Tuesday, scored a solo goal after 16 minutes at Ibrox Park before Egil Ostenstad and Michael Mols added further strikes to make sure of an easy victory.
In another quarterfinal, cash strapped Dundee reached the semifinal with a 1-0 semifinal victory over Hearts.
Bobby Linn scored the winner in the second period of extra time for a Dundee club which went into administration last week and had to released 20 players and staff including Italian star Fabrizio Ravanelli.
In Tuesday's quarterfinal, Livingston edged Aberdeen 3-2 after extra time.
Celtic visits Partick Thistle today, which fired manager Gerry Collins on Sunday after failing to win any of its 14 league games.
Spanish league
Brazilian ace Ronaldo netted after 15 seconds Wednesday as Real Madrid downed crosstown rival Atletico 2-0 and moved into first place in the Spanish league.
Spanish international Raul Gonzalez also scored in a victory which maintained Madrid's perfect record this season at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
In other 14th-round matches, striker Salva Ballesta scored a hat-trick as Malaga crushed FC Barcelona 5-1, while Deportivo de La Coruna drew 1-1 with Valladolid.
Ronaldo was in fantastic form as Madrid won the battle for local pride and put itself in good heart for its visit to Barcelona tomorrow.
The Brazilian, the league's leading marksman, immediately stunned Atletico when he received a pass from Roberto Carlos and charged through the defense before chipping the ball past Argentine goalkeeper German Burgos. The goal was Ronaldo's 11th of the season.
Madrid doubled its lead in the 20th when David Beckham sent a flighted pass from the center line to Raul Gonzalez, who was lurking unmarked at the edge of the area.
The Spanish star had no trouble nodding over Burgos and into the net.
Atletico, which came into the match with six wins in its last seven matches, never lost heart, and teenage striker Fernando Torres almost reduced the deficit when he shot narrowly wide in the 33rd minute.
Madrid came even closer to scoring in the 50th when Ronaldo burst through to hit Burgos' left post and Raul met the rebound, only to send the ball onto the same post.
Atletico pressed hard in the final stages and Torres again came close in the 82nd minute with a low shot which flew just past goalkeeper Iker Casillas' right post.
German Cup
Werder Bremen hammered Hertha Berlin 6-1 on Wednesday in the third round of the German Cup and likely sealed the fate of Berlin's coach Huub Stevens, while Bayern Munich cruised into the quarterfinals with a 3-0 victory over Hamburger SV.
Berlin began the season with high ambitions but has dropped into the relegation zone in the Bundesliga under Steven's guidance. The Dutchman has survived earlier pressure to resign, but the latest defeat was likely to trigger his dismissal.
Ivan Klasnic scored two goals and Johan Micoud, Valerien Ismael, Ailton and Angelos Charisteas added the others for Bremen's high-flying team. Marcelinho got a late goal Berlin.
Claudio Pizarro put Bayern ahead after 28 minutes and Roy Makaay raised the score moments into the second half. Hasan Salihamidzic got the third after 73 minutes.
In other games Wednesday, second-division Luebeck upset Freiburg 1-0 and another second-division team, Greuther Fuerth, ousted Cologne 3-1 on penalties after holding the Bundesliga side to a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
dutch league
Ali Elkhattabi scored twice as AZ Alkmaar beat FC Groningen 2-1 to keep Co Adriaanse's side in third place in the Dutch premiership.
The Moroccan took his tally to 10 for the season, just one behind leading marksman Mateja Kezman of PSV Eindhoven. AZ lies one point below PSV and five adrift of leader Ajax, but both the top two have a game in hand.
Elkhattabi drove a low shot through a forest of defenders in an early goalmouth melee and caught the Groningen defense playing offside to notch a late second. Zimbabwean Glen Salmon pulled one back for Groningen.
SC Heerenveen climbed to eighth with a 2-0 victory over relegation candidate ADO The Hague. The goals came from Gerald Sibon, thanks to a huge blunder by ADO goalkeeper Roland Jansen, and Greek striker Georgios Samaras.
italian cup
An own-goal helped defending champion AC Milan beat Sampdoria 1-0 in a third-round, first-leg match of the Italian Cup as the Milan powerhouse began a tough series ahead of the Dec. 14 Intercontinetal Cup in Japan.
The Milan team, owned by Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi, scored the game-winner in the 79th minute when a shot by midfielder Cristian Brocchi was deflected in by Sampdoria defender Mirko Conte at Genoa's Marassi stadium.
Otherwise, Milan, resting stars Andriy Shevchenko, Filippo Inzaghi, Paolo Maldini and Serginho, mostly controlled play without pushing too hard.
Milan, unbeaten in 11 league matches this season and co-leader with AS Roma in the Serie A standings, will be at Empoli for a league match Saturday before playing a Champions League match with Celta de Vigo early next week.
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