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SUNDAY, JANUARY 25, 2015 SPORTS Palace dump Saints out of FA Cup SOUTHAMPTON: Marouane Chamakh former Saints boss Pardew. scored two goals on his return to action as Southampton who beat Palace 3-1 at Crystal Palace twice came from behind to Selhurst Park when the teams last met on knock Premier League rivals Southampton December 26, took the lead with their first out of the FA Cup with a 3-2 fourth-round attack. Palace failed to clear a corner and win at St Mary’s Stadium yesterday. Italy striker Pelle seized on the loose ball to Victory saw Palace make it four wins in a make it 1-0. row in all competitions since manager Alan However, the Eagles were quickly back Pardew, who played in the Eagles side that on level terms when, after a swift counter- lost the 1990 FA Cup final, arrived from attack, Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster Newcastle to take charge of the south failed to hold Sanogo’s shot and former London club. Arsenal striker Chamakh followed up to All five goals came in a see-saw first half, score. But Ronald Koeman’s Southampton with four in 21 minutes leaving the match restored their lead in the 16th minute with all square at 2-2 before Morocco striker Palace central defender Dann, who scored Chamakh, back from six weeks out with a twice in the third-round win over non- hamstring injury, grabbed his second of the league Dover, turning Ryan Bertrand’s cross game to make it 3-2 to visitors Palace. into his own net. Graziano Pelle put the Saints, FA Cup The game’s fourth goal arrived in the winners in 1976 and losing finalists in 2003, 21st minute when Wilfried Zaha played in ahead in the ninth minute only for French striker Sanogo, on loan from Chamakh to equalise two minutes later. Arsenal, who scored his first Palace goal Scott Dann’s 16th-minute own-goal courtesy of a deflected shot. restored Southampton’s lead but Palace Relative calm ensued before, in the 39th were soon level again courtesy of recent minute, Chamakh gave Palace the lead for loan signing Yaya Sanogo’s first goal for the the first time in the match when he chested club and before the break Chamakh put down a diagonal ball, rounded Forster and the Eagles in front. eased the ball into the net. Following such South coast side Southampton, third in a breathless first half, the second period the English top flight, kicked off 19 points failed to produce a goal and Palace in front of a Palace side rejuvenated under advanced into the last 16. — AFP LONDON: Manchester City’s Fernando (right) fights for the ball against Middlesbrough’s Albert Adomah during the English FA Cup ourthf round soccer match. — AP M’brough shock City MANCHESTER: Patrick Bamford and Kike were numbered defenders ended with Bamford being minutes when the lively Jovetic was denied by a Middlesbrough’s goal-scoring heroes as they brought down on the edge of the area and, with spectacular dive. In the second half, Boro almost knocked Manchester City out of the FA Cup with the visitors granted the advantage, Kike swept had a second goal four minutes after taking the a stunning 2-0 win at the Premier League cham- the ball home. But for all their attacking lead when Caballero’s awful clearance fell pions’ Etihad Stadium yesterday. prowess, Middlesbrough had Spanish stand-in straight to Lee Tomlin. The defeat will inevitably raise questions goalkeeper Tomas Mejias to thank for keeping Caballerio atoned for that error with an about City’s decision to spend the week at a them in contention during the first half. impressive save while Grant Leadbitter’s follow- warm-weather training camp in Abu Dhabi and, After a cagey start, Sergio Aguero made room up shot was blocked. As City pushed for an more importantly, the fact that Manuel for himself after 24 minutes and unleashed a equaliser, Boro had a number of opportunities to Pellegrini’s side only returned to England late on near-post shot which Mejias turned into the side counter-attack, a tactic which Pellegrini’s men Friday. Middlesbrough broke the deadlock after netting despite referee Phil Dowd awarding a normally employ to good effect. 52 minutes with a goal that owed everything to goal kick. Indeed, in one remarkable two-minute peri- City’s growing nerves in defence as Fernando Moments later, City put together a flowing od, Middlesbrough might have put the tie underhit a back pass towards Willy Caballero, in move which switched the ball from right to left beyond all reasonable doubt. In the 62nd for the rested Joe Hart, and the goalkeeper and ended with Aleksandar Kolarov sprinting in minute, Adomah found himself clean through immediately came under pressure from Albert and Mejias saving his powerful shot impressive- with only Caballero to beat but his attempted Adomah. Caballero’s unconvincing clearance ric- ly. Seconds after that, Mejias was once more in chip lacked elevation. Tomlin was stunningly ocheted against the Middlesbrough man and City’s sights, this time keeping out Stevan unlucky seconds later when he received the ball the ball rolled towards the goal-line where Jovetic’s 20-yard shot. Fortune also smiled on on the edge of the box, spun past Kompany Fernando, in an attempt to clear, succeeded only Middlesbrough when City carved out their best acrobatically and eased in front of the defence in striking the ball against Bamford and into his chance of the half only for it to fall to defender before thundering his shot against the post. own net. Dedryck Boyata who first miskicked a James After 74 minutes, another Middlesbrough count- It was the start of a riveting second half and Milner cross and then placed the rebound yards er-attack almost ended in spectacular fashion as one which saw City substitute Frank Lampard over the goal. City kept building the pressure Adomah sped down the left, with the visitors strike the post in the 89th minute before and, in quick succession, Milner and David Silva enjoying a three-on-two advantage, and crossed Middlesbrough completed their shock victory in had shots from the edge of the area which to the far post where Jelle Vossen connected the third minute of injury time. Mejias again did well to keep out. with a superb volley which drew a reflex stop Yet another Boro counter-attack against out- But Mejias’s best save of the half came on 39 out of Caballero. — AFP LONDON: Southampton’s Dusan Tadic (left) is challenged by Crystal Palace’s Martin Kelly during their FA Cup Fourth Round match. — AP Blackburn sink Swansea LONDON: Rudy Gestede and Craig Conway Taylor. In the day’s two all-Premier League scored the decisive goals as second-tier ties, Southampton entertain Palace and Blackburn Rovers dumped nine-man Leicester City visit Tottenham Hotspur. Swansea City out of the FA Cup with a 3-1 Holders Arsenal continue their defence win yesterday. of the trophy at second-division Brighton Swansea had Kyle Bartley sent off in the and Hove Albion today. Manchester United sixth minute for impeding Josh King, only flirted with ridicule in the first tie of the for them to take the lead in the 21st minute round on Friday when they were taken to a when Gylfi Sigurdsson found the top-left replay by fourth-tier minnows Cambridge corner from 30 yards. United following a 0-0 draw at the Abbey But Chris Taylor hooked in an equaliser Stadium. Cambridge head coach Richard two minutes later before substitute Money has defended the quality of his Gestede and Conway struck in the second club’s playing surface after it was criticised half, the latter finding the net with a shot by United manager Louis van Gaal. that squirmed beneath Swansea goalkeep- “We don’t have the money to spend on er Lukasz Fabianski. the pitch to make it as it is at Old Trafford or Both Gestede and Conway used to play anywhere else,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live. for Swansea’s fierce local rivals Cardiff City, “The groundsman did a fantastic job to and Swansea’s misery was compounded in keep it in the condition it was. Yes, it broke stoppage time when Sigurdsson saw red up a little bit, but it’s the same for both for an ugly challenge from behind on teams, I have to say that.” — AFP LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur’s Erik Lamela (center) fights for the ball withLeicester City’s Ritchie De Laet (left) and Jeffrey Schlupp during the English FA Cup fourth round soccer match. — AP Schlupp’s fight stun Spurs LONDON: Leicester staged a dramatic late fight- Cup semi-final first leg, threatened another early Paulinho went close for Tottenham, shooting back to knock Tottenham out of the FA Cup as goal when Roberto Soldado almost converted wide after some fine build-up play by Erik Jeffrey Schlupp’s last-gasp goal sealed a 2-1 Townsend’s free kick. Lamela. Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor has fourth round win yesterday. Leicester striker Andrej Kramaric should have been under fire this week, enduring jeers from Nigel Pearson’s side travelled to White Hart bagged his first goal for the Foxes when he col- the Lane faithful in successive home games fol- Lane rooted to the bottom of the Premier lected Schlupp’s pass and was left unmarked six lowing his claim that Tottenham’s players didn’t League, but they belied their lowly status with a yards from goal, but Michel Vorm produced a like playing in home games due to the unrealis- dynamic recovery after falling behind to Andros superb save to deny the Croatian.