Premier League leaders Arsenal overcame fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, while Aston Villa were dumped out by third-tier Sheffield United.
Tottenham had won at Manchester United in their previous outing, and new manager Tim Sherwood made only one change to his starting eleven, but his side fell behind in the 31st minute at the Emirates Stadium.
Teenager Serge Gnabry was the architect, picking the ball up wide on the Arsenal right and driving infield before finding Santi Cazorla, who arrowed a left-foot shot past goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Photo: EPA
Spurs were unable to react and Tomas Rosicky sealed victory in the 62nd minute, robbing Danny Rose on halfway and bearing down on goal before adroitly lifting the ball over the advancing Lloris.
The game ended on a sour note for Arsenal when forward Theo Walcott had to be stretchered off after falling awkwardly, but he showed that he remained in high spirits by goading the visiting fans as he was carried away.
Earlier, last season’s beaten finalists Manchester City tasted fresh disappointment in the competition when they drew 1-1 against second tier side Blackburn Rovers.
Stunned by Wigan Athletic in last year’s final, City took the lead at Ewood Park through an Alvaro Negredo goal on the stroke of half-time, only for Scott Dann to equalize early in the second period.
City, currently second in the Premier League, also had defender Dedryck Boyata sent off late in the match for two bookable offenses and now face an unwelcome replay against Gary Bowyer’s side.
“I think it was a very close game,” City manager Manuel Pellegrini told BT Sport. “They’re a difficult team and they play here with a lot of intensity, so we must decide who continues in the FA Cup at home.”
Villa became the first major casualty of the third round after losing 1-2 at home to League One representatives Sheffield United.
Nicklas Helenius appeared to have kept Villa in the competition when he canceled Jamie Murphy’s deflected opener in the 75th minute, only for Ryan Flynn to give the Blades victory six minutes later.
“For us and our 6,000 fans who came today, I think you saw how much it meant,” winning manager Nigel Clough said. “It’s still a special, special competition, and we’d just like a home draw next because we’ve had three away games on the spin, so it would be nice to get one at Bramall Lane.”
Former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tasted success in his first game Cardiff City’s manager after his new side won 2-1 against Newcastle United.
Solskjaer, who succeeded the sacked Malky Mackay on Thursday, saw his new charges fall behind to a 66th-minute Papiss Cisse strike, but two goals in seven minutes from substitutes Craig Noone and Fraizer Campbell gave Cardiff victory.
“It’s not about me, but it is a perfect start to these new times,” Solskjaer said. “I think the lads have had a lot to deal with lately and it’s nice for them to start with a win in the cup.”
In the day’s two other results between Premier League sides, goals from Dwight Gayle and Marouane Chamakh gave Crystal Palace a 2-0 win at West Bromwich Albion and Fulham drew 1-1 at Norwich City.
Everton crushed Queens Park Rangers 4-0, with Nikica Jelavic claiming a brace, while Southampton edged Burnley 4-3 in an entertaining game at St Mary’s.
Hull City won 2-0 at Middlesbrough and Stoke City defeated Championship leaders Leicester City 2-1.
Wigan’s trophy defense began in uncertain fashion as they were held to a 3-3 draw by third-tier Milton Keynes Dons, while Millwall, semi-finalists last year, crashed out after an embarrassing 4-1 defeat at fourth-division Southend United.
Bolton Wanderers belatedly exacted revenge for their 3-4 loss to Blackpool in the 1953 final by beating their Championship rivals 2-1, while Leeds United fell to a shock 0-2 defeat at Rochdale.
The lowest-ranked team in the tournament, non-league Macclesfield Town, claimed a 1-1 draw at home to second-tier Sheffield Wednesday thanks to a 72nd-minute equalizer from Steve Williams.
Other results were: Barnsley 1, Coventry City 2; Brighton and Hove Albion 1, Reading 0; Bristol City 1, Watford 1; Doncaster Rovers 2, Stevenage Football Club 3; Grimsby Town 2, Huddersfield Town 3; Ipswich Town 1, Preston North End 1; Kidderminster Harriers 0, Peterborough United 0; Newcastle United 1, Cardiff City 2; Rochdale 2, Leeds United 0; Wigan Athletic 3, Milton Keynes Dons 3; Yeovil Town 4, Leyton Orient 0; Blackburn Rovers 1, Manchester City 1.
Two games, Bournemouth versus Burton and Charlton against Oxford, were postponed due to waterlogged pitches.
Set to be played yesterday were Derby against Chelsea, Liverpool versus Oldham, Manchester United and Swansea, Nottingham Forest against West Ham, Port Vale versus Plymouth and Sunderland up against Carlisle.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
AGING WELL: Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, 22, was sent packing after being dispatched by world No. 97, Laura Siegemund, the second-oldest player in the draw at 36 Novak Djokovic yesterday created a slice of Grand Slam history on his way into the Australian Open third round, but last year’s women’s finalist Zheng Qinwen was knocked out in the biggest shock so far. Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, in-form Coco Gauff, two-time Melbourne winner Naomi Osaka and a rampant Carlos Alcaraz were all victors on a rainy day four. Play was suspended on the outside courts for a couple of hours in the early evening because of the wet weather. That led to the rescheduling of a women’s doubles match between wild-cards Tsao Chia-yi of Taiwan and Thailand’s Peangtarn Plipuech and 11th
RSS