Soccer Central

It was veteran midfielder Nick Barmby that opened the scoring for Hull City this evening, putting the club on the front foot in just the 13th minute of the match. For much of the game the score remained at 1-0, and Hull continued to lead Arsenal despite heavy pressure. Hull tried hard to remain in the cup, and even had a second goal ruled out for offside soon after the first; Robin van Persie equalised in the 74th minute though, and once Arsenal had a goal back; the team continued to push on.

In the 84th minute William Gallas controversially scored the winner from a header, scoring his goal from an offside position. The goal should not have stood, it’s the goal that has ultimately sent Arsenal flying through to Wembley for the next round of the FA Cup though, and a semi-final against Chelsea is now what Arsenal fans have to look forward to.

Arsenal deserved to win, and it’s a shame that the goal that sent them through should not have counted. Just to make matters worse, Hull City manager Phil Brown accused Cesc Fabregas of spitting at his assistant Brian Horton in the tunnel after the match. Arsenal captain Fabregas denies it, but if it is indeed true then that’s just absolutely disgusting behaviour from the Arsenal player.

Hull City fans have a right to feel aggrieved about the result given the controversial nature of the winner; on the balance of play it was Arsenal that deserved to win this one though, and although Hull City was unlucky to be punished so controversially, Arsenal perhaps would have gone on to score the winner anyway, and there’s no guarantee that had the goal been ruled out then it wouldn’t have spurred the Arsenal players on even more to push on and win the match.

Hull City was unlucky, but it was Arsenal that was the best team over the course of the 90 minutes. The end result could have been so different had it been Hull City that had their offside goal counted; sadly for them luck was not on their side though, and the most talented and impressive team won.

Hull City 1-2 Arsenal

Burnley travelled to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal today, with Burnley the last hope of a Championship team reaching the FA Cup semi-final. Burnley knocked Arsenal out of the League Cup earlier in the season, and the club was hoping for another upset today as the team travelled to the Emirates Stadium for the first time since its opening in July 2006.

Sadly it was not to be Burnley’s day; Arsenal went ahead through Carlos Vela in the 25th minute of the match, and although Burnley did have a couple of decent chances; Arsenal was always the better team, and ultimately won the game 3-0.

With second half goals from Eduardo and Emmanuel Eboue the victory was in the bag for Arsenal, and as Burnley had a late penalty shout turned down it was just never going to be their day. Burnley fans will be pleased that the club got so far in the FA Cup, but sadly the team’s cup run has now been ended.

Arsenal will now play Hull City in the FA Cup quarter-finals for a chance to play Chelsea at Wembley in the semis on April 18th. Arsenal will be the favourites to face Chelsea, Hull City will no doubt put up quite a fight though, and having gotten so far already will not be easy to overcome.

Arsenal played with a lot of style and flair against Burnley today; if the team can play like that again against Hull then I’m sure that some more sensational goals will be scored. Carlos Vela and Eduardo were both phenomenal today, and with the return of Theo Walcott also; Arsenal is a team returning to its very best right now, and will be looking to get as far in the cup as possible.

With a 4-0 FA Cup quarter final victory over Fulham today; Manchester United have kept the quintuple dream alive, with the club still on course to bag five major trophies this season.

Two first half goals from Carlos Tevez and United was already well on the road to Wembley; second half goals from Wayne Rooney and Ji-Sung Park made sure the victory was achieved in style though, and this 4-0 win at Craven Cottage was nothing less than Manchester United deserved.

Fulham began the game well and had a number of early opportunities to score; despite Fulham’s early spirit though, United soon became dominant, and as soon as Carlos Tevez scored the opener in the 20th minute of the match there was only one team ever in it.

Roy Hodgson will be pleased with the way Fulham attacked the game from the off, the fact of the matter is that Manchester United were just the better team though, and always looked very menacing going forward.

Carlos Tevez’s second goal was an absolute stunner, Wayne Rooney also scored with a very well placed shot, and Ji-Sung Park’s 81st minute effort was very similar in style to Rooney’s. United could have had more, and in the first half Wayne Rooney did in fact hit the post from close range when it looked easier for him to have scored. Manchester United thoroughly deserved the win, and although Fulham certainly didn’t perform badly; even without Cristiano Ronaldo in the squad, and with Dimitar Berbatov on the bench, Manchester United was always by far the better team.

Alex Ferguson’s men seem to be gaining in momentum, with every passing match Manchester United just seems to be getting better, and right now there just seems to be no stopping Manchester United.

The League Cup and Club World Cup are already in the bag, the Premier League looks sewn up, and now United is into the FA Cup semi-final also. United face Inter Milan at Old Trafford on Wednesday, and I wouldn’t be too surprised if Manchester United now goes undefeated until the very end of the season.

The FA Cup final is to be played after the Champions League final this year, and if all goes according to plan; the FA Cup final will be United’s final game of the season, and the match with which United can make history in winning the quintuple.

Coventry City has tonight completed a cup shock in knocking Blackburn Rovers out of the FA Cup. Leon Best scored in the 59th minute of the match to provide Coventry with a 1-0 win, and Coventry City of the Championship will now be heading through to the FA Cup quarter finals where the team will face Chelsea.

Eleven changes were made by Sam Allardyce to the team that was named against Manchester United at the weekend, and although this was by no means a full strength Blackburn squad; it’s still a huge win for Coventry, and the fact that the team will now be facing Chelsea really is something for the fans to start getting excited about.

Blackburn was second best for much of the game, and the Coventry win was thoroughly well deserved. It will have meant a lot to the players to have got one over on a Premier League team, and victory is always all the sweeter when it’s not expected.

Blackburn can now concentrate on Premier League survival, Coventry City meanwhile is now just two wins away from Wembley. Cardiff City was the Championship team to make the FA Cup final last year, but can Coventry City make it to the FA Cup final of 2009? Only time shall tell.

Manchester United defeated Derby County 4-1 today in order to cruise through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. With goals from Nani, Darron Gibson, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Danny Wellbeck; United eased to victory, and will now face a quarter-final tie against either Swansea City or Fulham.

Alex Ferguson will no doubt have been very pleased with the performances his Manchester United players put in, and ultimately United enjoyed a fantastic victory over Derby. United’s win was most definitely deserved, and not a single Manchester United player disappointed in this one.

Manchester United is a team at the very top of its game right now, and there’s a very real possibility that United could even pull off a spectacular quadruple this season. The team certainly has the potential to do so, and United just can’t seem to lose at current. Several key players have been missing in recent weeks; Manchester United carries on churning out results though, and despite injuries the club is still triumphing on all fronts.

Ryan Giggs’ performance was key to United’s success today; he’s been rewarded with a one year contract extension this week which will keep him with the club until 2010, and the 35 year-old was arguably the best player on the pitch in the game against Derby County today. Giggs has been in supreme form of late, and having scored the winner against Blackburn last Saturday; Giggs’ performance was pivotal to United’s success in today’s FA Cup game, and he once again showed that he’s still an incredibly important part of the Manchester United first team.

The formidable force of a football club that is Manchester United is through to the FA Cup quarter-finals, and United’s supreme record in all competitions continues. Alex Ferguson has a fantastic team right now, and not only does he have some brilliant first team regulars, but an excellent depth of squad also. United can win comfortably even with key players absent, and Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United players are right now showing themselves to be truly exceptional.