Monday, 6 January 2014

League Cup Preview: Sunderland v Man United

League Cup Preview: Sunderland v Man United

League Cup Preview: Sunderland v Man United

Posted: 05 Jan 2014 12:27 PM PST

Both clubs have fallen some way short of expectations in the Premier League so far this season, with Sunderland languishing at the foot of the table and United 11 points behind leaders Arsenal in seventh. United were also dumped out of the FA Cup on Sunday as Swansea City claimed a shock 2-1 win at Old Trafford to pile further pressure on David Moyes. However, both United manager Moyes and Sunderland head coach Gus Poyet will know a trophy is well within reach when their teams meet at the Stadium of Light for the first leg of a League Cup semi-final. Sunderland have already sprung one major surprise in this season's League Cup, knocking out Chelsea at the last-eight stage courtesy of Ki Sung-Yueng's extra-time winner. In contrast to United, Poyet's men also tasted success in the FA Cup at the weekend, beating League One side Carlisle United 3-1 to reach the fourth round. Although Sunderland will have significant concerns over their own Premier League position, it is United who will surely go into Tuesday's match under the greatest pressure. In his first season since taking over from the legendary Alex Ferguson, Moyes has overseen five home defeats and will be eager to head back to Old Trafford for the second leg against Sunderland with a lead. United, who ran out 2-0 winners at Stoke City in the previous round, have lifted the League Cup on four occasions, with three of their triumphs coming in the last eight seasons. Sunderland's only final appearance came in 1985, when an own goal from Gordon Chisholm enabled Norwich City to claim a 1-0 victory at Wembley. Moyes will have to cope without Fabio after the defender picked up a straight red card in the defeat to Swansea. Fabio's dismissal came just four minutes after he had been introduced as a replacement for Rio Ferdinand, who appeared to suffer a knee injury. United were without strikers Robin van Persie (thigh) and Wayne Rooney (groin) against Swansea and both appear likely to be unavailable at Sunderland. Sunderland are without goalkeeper Keiren Westwood (shoulder) and defender Carlos Cuellar (thigh), while captain John O'Shea, who spent more than 10 years with United, has been troubled by a persistent shoulder problem in recent weeks. The two teams last met in the League Cup 13 seasons ago, with Sunderland winning a fourth-round tie 2-1 after extra-time at home.

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Laudrup unsurprised by FA Cup win at Man United

Posted: 05 Jan 2014 12:27 PM PST

Wayne Routledge's early goal and a last-minute Wilfried Bony header ensured Swansea picked up their first victory at Old Trafford by dumping out the 11-time winners in round three. Sunday's result marked United's fifth home defeat of the season, but Laudrup claimed he was confident in his side's ability and did not rely on the Premier League champions' underwhelming form at their own ground. "It's a great day for the players and the fans as well," the Dane said. "It's a game we won, another game where we showed confidence, which we have done in recent games as well. "It's obvious that Man United have got less points than they are used to, (but) for us it's much more important to go in and analyse what you can do and how you play. "If you can do it against other big teams then you can do it here as well. "(You need to) forget that they are wearing Manchester United shirts and just say 'we can do it', not (just) because four other teams won here." Swansea were under plenty of United pressure for periods in the second half, but were helped by the dismissal of Fabio for a late challenge on Jose Canas 10 minutes from time. Laudrup was delighted to see his side being clinical with their opportunities as they put David Moyes' men to the sword. "To win against teams like this, you need to score your chances. You need, two or three times, a little bit of luck," he added. "I don't think we needed that much luck today because I don't think Manchester United created as many chances as I expected them to."

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Moyes: Man United unlucky in FA Cup exit

Posted: 05 Jan 2014 11:50 AM PST

In what was his first FA Cup game in charge of the club, Moyes saw his men battle back from an early Wayne Routledge opener to go in level at the break. However, United collapsed in the final 10 minutes with Fabio dismissed for a rash tackle of Jose Canas before Wilfried Bony grabbed a last-gasp winner to dump the Premier League champions out of the competition at the first hurdle. Despite this disappointment, Moyes claimed United played well enough to at least earn a replay. "We are a bit unlucky to lose but we probably didn't do enough to win it," Moyes told BT Sport. "We made some opportunities, not enough, and when you're down to 10 men you want to see it out and take a replay but we didn't quite get that far. "We played quite well at times, we got near the edge of the box quite regularly but didn't make the opportunity to score a goal or when we did get an opportunity take it. That was the disappointing thing, as we went behind and came back. "We had certain periods of good control but we didn't get a goal or create enough chances. "When we went down to 10 men, we kept trying to go for it and got caught a bit." Moyes, who also saw Rio Ferdinand limp off in the match, acknowledged that losing five home games this season has not been good enough. However, he remains confident the return of injured star performers such as Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie will herald a change in fortune. "The sooner we get them back, the better. But they're not ready yet," the former Everton boss added. "Our results at home haven't been good enough."

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FA Cup Wrap: Swansea shock Man United

Posted: 05 Jan 2014 11:05 AM PST

Michael Laudrup's side took advantage of United being reduced to 10 men with 10 minutes remaining to record a maiden victory at Old Trafford courtesy of Wilfried Bony's last-minute winner. Swansea went ahead on 12 minutes with a superb lofted effort from Wayne Routledge, but United responded quickly through Javier Hernandez's close-range finish. United full-back Fabio came on as a 76th-minute substitute for Rio Ferdinand, but the Brazilian lasted just four minutes before receiving a straight red card for a lunge on Jose Canas. And Laudrup's men made the most of the extra man, as Bony headed home Routledge's cross in the 90th minute to earn a tie at Birmingham City, Bristol City or Crawley Town and pile the misery on United manager David Moyes. Pressure also continued to mount on West Ham boss Sam Allardyce, as his side's Premier League form continued with a 5-0 thrashing by Championship outfit Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. Jamie Paterson starred for Billy Davies' men with a second-half hat-trick - his first goals for the club. Djamel Abdoun opened the scoring on 12 minutes from the penalty spot, and Forest's lead was doubled midway through the second half by Paterson. The 22-year-old confirmed the hosts' superiority on 71 minutes with a deflected effort, before completing his treble with 11 minutes remaining. Andy Reid then netted a fifth in injury time to set up a fourth-round encounter with Ipswich Town or Preston North End. Liverpool face a visit to Bournemouth or Burton Albion in after avenging last year's shock fourth-round defeat to Oldham Athletic with a laboured 2-0 triumph over the same opponents at Anfield. Iago Aspas volleyed home the opener in the 54th minute, his first goal for the club, and Brendan Rodgers' men ensured their progression when Raheem Sterling's strike deflected in off James Tarkowski in the 82nd minute. Jose Mourinho's Chelsea, meanwhile, overcame a tricky encounter with Derby County at Pride Park by battling to a 2-0 success. After keeping Chelsea at bay for the opening 45 minutes, Derby's resistance was broken when John Obi Mikel marked his 300th appearance for Chelsea with the opener on 66 minutes, the Nigerian rising highest to head home Willian's free-kick. Four minutes later, the tie was essentially put to bed courtesy of Oscar's powerful drive from the edge of the penalty area, as Chelsea set up a meeting with fellow Premier League outfit Stoke City in round four. In other matches, Sunderland put their Premier League woes behind them to defeat League One side Carlisle United 3-1 at the Stadium of Light, while Plymouth Argyle overcame a two-goal deficit to earn a replay with a battling 2-2 draw at Port Vale.

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FA Cup: Man United 1 Swansea 2

Posted: 05 Jan 2014 10:35 AM PST

Ten-man United, who lost their opening game of 2014 to Tottenham on Wednesday, recovered from going a goal down early on asJavier Hernandez cancelled out Wayne Routledge's opener, but failed to break down a stern Swansea back line on Sunday. And the 11-time FA Cup winners were punished for their lack of cutting edge when Wilfried Bony headed home in the 90th minute to pile the pressure on United manager David Moyes and inflict a fifth home defeat of the season and fourth in the side's last six Old Trafford outings. Things began badly for Moyes in his first FA Cup clash as United manager, when Routledge scooped an effort over a helpless Anders Lindegaard 12 minutes in. However, the visitors' joy was short-lived as Hernandez restored parity from close range four minutes later. United had Fabio sent off 10 minutes from time for a rash tackle on Jose Canas and Bony then struck a dramatic winner when he buried Routledge's cross in the dying stages. Rio Ferdinand also hobbled off injured during another disappointing afternoon for the Premier League champions, while Swansea can now look forward to a fourth-round tie against eitherBirmingham City, Crawley Town or Bristol Rovers. Moyes handed starting spots to goalkeeper Lindegaard and defenders Ferdinand and Alexander Buttner, while Danny Welbeck and Hernandez led the line in the absence of injured pair Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie. There were five changes from the Swansea side that lost to Manchester City in the Premier League on Wednesday. Captain Ashley Williams was on the bench with manager Michael Laudrup forced to contend with an injury list featuring the likes of Michu and Michel Vorm. The hosts began the brighter and should have gone ahead after 11 minutes, but Hernandez failed to connect with an effort from inside the area after good link-up play between Welbeck and Chris Smalling. United were made to pay soon after, when Alejandro Pozuelo played in Routledge, who produced a delightful lob over Lindegaard to put Swansea ahead. Four minutes later, United were level, Hernandez making amends for his earlier miss to prod home Buttner's cross inside the six-yard box. After the early goals, chances dried up for both sides before Jonathan de Guzman and Buttner threatened from set-pieces for either side. Hernandez wasted another opportunity a minute before the break, volleying Jonny Evans' lofted ball wide of Gerhard Tremmel's right-hand post. The sides cancelled one another out in the early stages of the second half, with Swansea perhaps enjoying greater possession, without causing any problems. Bony's swerving effort had Lindegaard worried on the hour before it whistled wide, while Swansea's resolute defending at the other end stifled United's forward line. United's cause was not helped by the loss of Ferdinand to a suspected knee injury and the dismissal of his replacement Fabio, who was shown a red card for a late challenge on Canas 10 minutes from time. And Bony compounding Moyes' misery to secure Laudrup a first win in eight.

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Charlton labels Eusebio a true sportsman

Posted: 05 Jan 2014 10:30 AM PST

One of the most notable moments of Eusebio's distinguished career came in 1968, when Benfica played Manchester United in the final of the European Cup at Wembley. With the score locked at 1-1 heading into the closing stages, the Portugal international had a powerful shot superbly saved by Alex Stepney and responded by stopping to applaud the United goalkeeper. United went on to win 4-1, and Eusebio's gracious gesture has not been forgotten. Former England international Bobby Charlton, who featured in the game, told the Football Association's website: "Without doubt, Eusebio was one of the finest players I ever had the privilege to play against. "Not only that, he was a true sportsman, as he proved in applauding Alex Stepney for his save in the European Cup final." Recalling the incident, Stepney added: "He had the hardest shot in football and for me, luckily, I anticipated he'd stick it in my chest and it took us into extra-time to win the game. "But the best thing about it, throughout his career he was respected and even when I made that save he stood and applauded me. Now you wouldn't get that today." Elaborating on his respect for Eusebio, who scored 733 games in 745 professional matches, Charlton added: "His goals record, for Benfica and overall, is incredible and stands the test of time. "I met him on numerous occasions after our playing careers had finished and he always represented both his club and his country in exemplary fashion. "I feel proud to have been both an opponent and friend and am saddened to hear of his passing. "My thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time." Stepney said: "When you play for Manchester United you get the chance to play against world-class players, and that's what Eusebio was. "An absolute world-class forward, (he) scored unbelievable goals. It was an honour to play against such a great player. "The supporters from that era in the sixties and seventies will always remember Eusebio."

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Coventry handed plum FA Cup tie at Arsenal

Posted: 05 Jan 2014 06:31 AM PST

Coventry, the winners of the competition in 1987, have suffered financial problems since their 34-year stay in England's top division came to an end in 2001. Steven Pressley's side currently sit 10th in League One, having been hampered by a 10-point deduction for going into administration and play their home games at Sixfields in Northampton after being forced to leave their own home, the Ricoh Arena. Chelsea will host fellow Premier League side Stoke City should they come through Sunday's third-round tie against Derby County, while Manchester City, who drew with Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, could face Bristol City or Watford in round four. Former Hull City boss Phil Brown, now in charge of League Two Southend United, has been handed a reunion with his old club at Roots Hall. Elsewhere, Manchester United or Swansea City face an away game at Birmingham City, Bristol Rovers or Crawley, with the latter two yet to play their second-round tie. If Liverpool see off Oldham Athletic, they will head to Bournemouth or Burton Albion, while Everton are away to Stevenage, another lower-league side. The draw in full: Sunderland or Carlisle United v Kidderminster Harriers or Peterborough United Bolton Wanderers v Cardiff City Southampton v Yeovil Town Huddersfield Town v Charlton Athletic or Oxford United Port Vale or Plymouth Argyle v Brighton Hove Albion Nottingham Forest v Ipswich Town or Preston North End Southend United v Hull City Rochdale v Macclesfield Town or Sheffield Wednesday Arsenal v Coventry City Stevenage v Everton Wigan Athletic or Milton Keynes Dons v Crystal Palace Derby County or Chelsea v Stoke City Blackburn Rovers or Manchester City v Bristol City or Watford AFC Bournemouth or Burton Albion v Liverpool or Oldham Athletic Birmingham City or Bristol Rovers or Crawley Town v Manchester United or Swansea City Sheffield United v Norwich City or Fulham

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Hamstrung Nani suffers injury setback

Posted: 04 Jan 2014 06:11 AM PST

The Portugal international has not been named in a matchday squad since the League Cup win over Stoke on December 18, having sustained the problem in training. He will be unavailable for David Moyes for the forseeable future, although the United manager expects defender Rafael to return soon. "Nani has got a hamstring injury which is probably going to keep him out for quite a while," he told the club's official website. "It's a serious hamstring injury that he picked up in training. "I don't think Rafa is too far away, though, as his injury isn't too serious. Hopefully, we're beginning to get one or two back." Rafael was withdrawn after 18 minutes of United's 3-2 victory against Hull City in the Premier League on December 26.

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FA Cup is still important trophy, insists Moyes

Posted: 03 Jan 2014 04:00 PM PST

United have won 11 FA Cups but last lifted the trophy in 2004 when they overcame Championship side Millwall 3-0. Moyes said he is keen to end the drought starting with their Premier League opponents in the third round. "To have not won the FA Cup for 10 years is something which is a bit of a surprise but it's something which we'll try and do," Moyes said. "We're trying to win all the competitions we enter which we're sure most people are trying to do but as far as I'm concerned we'll do everything we possibly can. "The cup is important to me, it always has been but I'm sure it's important to every club." The Scot admitted however it has been a difficult period for the squad in terms of injuries, and that Ashley Young had hurt his shoulder in the previous match against Tottenham. "The challenge which (Hugo Lloris) had on Young is going to keep Young out now for a time, so it's something we're going to have to look at," Moyes said "We've got some other injuries as well that we'll just need to look at and see how they are over the next few days."

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