Peter Crouch rolled home a penalty in the third minute of injury time for a 2-1 victory on Saturday as Southampton manager Harry Redknapp saw his new team knock former club Portsmouth out of the FA Cup.
By contrast, Wayne Rooney scored two spectacular goals as defending champion Manchester United outplayed Middlesbrough 3-0 to reach the last 16.
PHOTO: AP
In a dramatic finish to a tense game, 10-man Portsmouth appeared to be holding on for a replay with the Saints when a cross by David Prutton struck Matt Taylor high on the arm.
The linesman signaled a penalty while the Portsmouth defender protested the ball had struck him on the shoulder and Pompey players surrounded the officials while referee Steve Bennett consulted the linesman.
He eventually awarded the spot kick and Crouch, a former Portsmouth player, shot coolly past debut-making Greek goalkeeper Konstantinos Chalkias.
It was a cruel ending for the Portsmouth players who had created better chances in the game and should have gained at least a tie.
Manchester United's game against Middlesbrough was one-sided with the Reds created plenty of chances. John O'Shea put Alex Ferguson's men ahead in the 10th minute before Rooney produced his high quality strikes.
The teenager audaciously lobbed a long-range shot over Boro goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer for the second goal and powered a first-time volley past the 'keeper from the edge of the area for the third.
In other fourth round games, Arsenal beat League Championship Wolves 2-0 and West Bromwich Albion and Tottenham tied 1-1. Charlton labored to beat League Two leader Yeovil 3-2 and Fulham was held to a 1-1 tie by League One Derby at Pride Park.
But there were easy victories for Blackburn, Everton and Newcastle over teams from the lower divisions. Blackburn beat Colchester 3-0, Everton outplayed Sunderland 3-0 and Newcastle scored a 3-1 victory over Coventry.
Premier League leader Chelsea hosts Birmingham City on Sunday when League Two Oldham, which knocked Manchester City out in the third round, hopes to upset another Premier League neighbor, Bolton Wanderers.
In a red hot atmosphere at St. Mary's, Redknapp, who left Portsmouth six weeks ago only to move down the road to Southampton, was the target of the visiting fans who repeatedly shouted "Judas" at their former manager.
"It was a difficult day for me all round really," said Redknapp, who shook hands with players from both teams after the game and had security staff by his side.
"I think when you've had such a fantastic time at a club as I had and get on so great with all the players as I do it's always difficult. One or two people said some silly things but there wasn't a problem.
"Pompey supporters have got the needle with me now because of what happened but maybe I don't deserve the stick I have been getting from them recently."
Matt Oakley had fired Saints ahead in the 54th minute only for Nigerian striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu to level three minutes later from the penalty spot. Portsmouth was reduced to 10 men when Diomansy Kamara was sent off 18 minutes from the end for two yellow cards.
Patrick Vieira broke the Wolves resistance at Highbury with a penalty and, after visiting goalkeeper Paul Oakes had made four standout saves, Fredrik Ljungberg added the second for the Gunners.
An amazing own goal by Colchester defender Steve Watson, whose back pass was completely missed by goalkeeper Aidan Davison, put Blackburn on the way to victory at Ewood Park. American striker Jemal Johnson scored his first goal for Rovers and Dominic Matteo added the third.
Alan Shearer's 20th goal in 30 FA Cup games put Newcastle on the road to victory over Coventry while James Beattie scored one of Everton's three against Sunderland at Goodison Park.
Charlton controlled most of its game against Yeovil, which has a history of cup upsets, but was run close by the League Two side. Paul Terry, brother of Chelsea and England defender John Terry, leveled for Yeovil and Arron Davies' second goal for 3-2 made it a tense finish for the Addicks.
Marcus Tudgay's goal for Derby threatened an upset but Fulham hit back through substitute Collins John seconds after he had entered the game.
West Brom, last in the Premier League, went ahead against Spurs at the Hawthorns through Rob Earnshaw's first goal of the season but Martin Jol's team hit back through a Jermain Defoe penalty for a replay.
Glasgow Rangers jumped back to the top of the Scottish Premier League on goal difference with a routine 3-0 beating of Livingston.
Croatian striker Dado Prso gave the Gers a 14th minute lead and second half strikes by Fernando Ricksen and Nacho Novo made sure Alex McLeish's team maintained the pressure on defending champion Celtic, which visits Kilmarnock today.
The two teams are level on 59 points but Celtic has played one game fewer and will regain its three point lead by winning at Rugby Park.
Third place Hibernian, which is 16 points behind, lost further ground because a frozen field at Fir Park meant its game at Motherwell was called off.
Hearts stayed fourth after a 1-0 victory over fifth place Aberdeen through a Dennis Wyness penalty.
The Dundee derby at Tannadice ended all square at 2-2 even though United twice went ahead through Stuart Duff and Jim McIntyre. Dundee hit back through Thomas McManus and Steve Lovell.
After playing half the season at Aberdeen's Pittodrie, Inverness returned to its refurbished Caledonian stadium and beat Dunfermline 2-0 with strikes by Barry Wilson and player manager Craig Brewster.
Kaiserslautern handed Schalke only its second defeat since September, winning 2-0, and opened the door for idle Bayern Munich to move three points clear atop the Bundesliga.
Schalke, which lost three of its first four and has climbed from 15th after the fourth round, missed its chance to take the German first-division lead and remained tied with Bayern with 37 points.
Nuremberg gave third-placed Stuttgart its first lost in six games, 4-2, and Leverkusen climbed to fourth with 4-0 victory over Bochum.
Kaiserslautern was held to two scoring attempts in the first half -- the fewest in 10 years -- and it appeared to be a matter of time before a dominant Schalke scored.
Instead, Ioannis Amanatidis ran past Schalke's defense on a breakaway and gave Kaiserslautern the lead in the 56th minute. In the 74th, rookie Stefan Blank sealed the win with a penalty, giving Kaiserslautern its fifth straight victory at home.
"We were lucky not to fall behind in the first half, then in the second we used our chances," Kaiserslautern coach Kurt Jara said. "We're just so much more disciplined -- if you see how many goals we gave up then and now, that's the difference."
Kaiserslautern, which lost its first three and six of its first eight this season, has won four of its last five and has climbed from last place to 10th, 10 points off the lead.
Blank, who was raised in Gelsenkirchen where Schalke plays, scored for the second time in three matches since joining Kaiserslautern from the second division.
Since losing four of its first six matches, Schalke had suffered only a 3-1 loss at Hertha Berlin on Nov. 13.
In front of 37,000 in Kaiserslautern, the club hung a banner from the upper decks saying "be fair" to the referees. Many worried fans would jeer referees throughout the country over revelations of a match-fixing scandal.
But there were only a few scattered insults following Friday's confession by a referee that he had accepted bribes to influence second-division and German Cup matches.
Because of the scandal, German soccer authorities changed the referee assignments for all first-division games Saturday, switching them to different matches.
VfB Stuttgart, which also could have taken the Bundesliga lead with a two-goal victory, remained third with 34 points.
Leverkusen climbed past Hertha Berlin and Wolfsburg with a second impressive rout. It beat Hannover 3-0 last week.
Benjamin Lauth made an impressive return from his latest injury, scoring an 80th-minute winner as Hamburg edged Bochum.
The popular Lauth, known as "Benny Bomber" to the German public, entered the game only five minutes before his goal, sidestepping a defender and catching the keeper on the wrong foot.
He lofted a high shot into the net -- his second goal in just 22 minutes of action this season due to injuries.
Samuel Eto'o scored his league-leading 16th goal of the season, and FC Barcelona crushed Sevilla 4-0 to stretch its lead to 10 points.
The Cameroon forward's 49th-minute tally began a second-half goal rush which included an own-goal by Sevilla forward Julio Baptista, and strikes by Ronaldinho and Ludovic Giuly.
The match at Sevilla's Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium was thought to be one of the toughest Barcelona would face this season. But the game was transformed when Barcelona mounted a devastating display which boosted its chances of winning its first league title since 1999.
"This was a result which looked as if we didn't have any difficulty but we did. The first half was very equal, Sevilla pressed hard and was a bit more aggressive than us," Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard said. "The result doesn't mean the title is ours. We still have to work hard in every match we play."
Also, Spain striker Fernando Torres scored his eighth goal of the season to help Atletico Madrid to a 3-1 victory over lowly Albacete.
Barcelona leads the league with 51 points, followed by Real Madrid with 41. Valencia is in third place with 36 points, one ahead of Sevilla.
In Seville, a host of goal chances were produced in first 15 minutes with Ronaldinho and Eto'o coming close. Sevilla had a chance when winger Adriano Correia, one of eight Brazilians on the field, grazed the bar with a deft chip.
Sevilla then had two penalty claims rejected. Striker Antonito Ramiro fell after an apparent push by midfielder Deco in the 35th minute, and Barcelona right back Juliano Belletti seemed to touch the ball with his outstretched arm three minutes later.
Barcelona twice came close to scoring just before the interval when Ronaldinho's shot trickled wide in the 44th minute and the FIFA World Player of the Year then blazed over with a scissors kick.
Alberto Gilardino scored his 10th goal of the season Saturday to give relegation-threatened Parma a 1-0 win over visiting Udinese, its third victory in four games.
Chievo Verona beat Livorno 1-0 on a first-half goal by striker Simone Tiribocchi, giving the team it's first Serie A win in 40 days.
At Parma Gilardino, who is expected to join AC Milan next season, netted the winner in the 35th minute, heading in from a few meters a ball that was deflected by Australian teammate Mark Bresciano.
The Parma striker missed a second goal in the closing minutes when his shot struck the post.
Udinese pressed the attack for long periods but forwards Vincenzo Iaquinta, David Di Michele and Antonio Di Natale were unable to create any clear scoring chances at Tardini stadium.
Parma improved to 22 points, remaining in 17th place just ahead of last three teams that will be relegated to the second division next year.
AZ Alkmaar reclaimed the lead in the premiership, beating FC Den Bosch 1-0 on a goal by Belgian Stein Huysegems to move a point ahead of idle PSV Eindhoven.
The victory gave AZ 46 points and the league lead that it held over the midseason winter break, but lost last week with a 1-1 draw with NEC Nijmegen.
Bulgarian international Dimitar Berbatov has signed a two-year contract extension with Bayer Leverkusen, the German club announced Saturday. The forward, who turns 24 today, is now bound to the club until 2009.
MOTHER KNOWS BEST: Warriors’ coach Kerr said his 91-year-old mother criticized him for his attitude toward officials that led to his ejection from Monday’s game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz. The reigning NBA champions looked to be heading for a third straight loss after the Jazz inched into a 114-112 lead following Lauri Markkanen’s layup with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. However, NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander drained a superb 13-foot jump shot to tie it up at 114-114 as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander then took over in the extra period with nine points as the Western
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt knocked reigning champions Ivory Coast out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 3-2 win in the quarter-finals on Saturday, while Victor Osimhen starred as Nigeria beat Algeria 2-0 to set up a clash with hosts Morocco. In Agadir, Morocco, a thrilling last-eight tie saw Omar Marmoush and Ramy Rabia net in the first half for the Pharaohs before an own goal by Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh brought the Ivorians back into it. Salah then got Egypt’s third early in the second half and they held on after Guela Doue again reduced the deficit. Egypt is to face Senegal
AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE: Sabalenka aims to follow up with a third Australian Open win, while Taiwanese Joanna Garland claimed a WTA 125 title in Canberra Aryna Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her third Brisbane International final in a row yesterday, a week ahead of the Australian Open. Sabalenka looked in great touch against the tricky Czech, who had won their last three meetings and went into the match as one of the few players with a winning record over the world No. 1. However, Sabalenka showed her class and power as she broke Muchova once in each set to take the semi-final 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes to face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final. “I struggled against her a couple of times [in
His team were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in agonizing fashion on Tuesday, but the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DR Congo) human statue Michel Kuka Mboladinga would be remembered as the tournament’s most remarkable supporter. The colorfully dressed Kuka has earned fame as the fan who stands completely immobile throughout his team’s games, looking toward the sky with his right arm raised and palm open. He has become a media star and on Tuesday was accompanied by a delegation of several hundred Congolese supporters whose trip to Morocco was paid for by the country’s government. They took their