Eurosport - Mon, 05 Jan 16:46:00 2009
The good and the bad from the weekend's FA Cup action, with Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard back to his old tricks in their 2-0 FA Cup win at Preston.
Click on individual result links for goalscorers, text comments and match reports!
WINNERS
Nottingham Forest: What a result. The once-great Forest have become a shell of the club they were and came to Eastlands with many expecting a hiding from the Premier League's rich-kids. But they handed fellow 'big' club Manchester City a 3-0 history lesson and earned a trip to struggling local rivals Derby County in the fourth round.
Andy Johnson: 'AJ' is hitting the form to justify his transfer fee, some of which he repaid with a brace - including a late winner - in the 2-1 victory at Sheffield Wednesday that extended Fulham's unbeaten run to 10 games.
James Milner: The former Leeds winger recently received praise from England boss Fabio Capello and he fired Aston Villa into the fourth round of the FA Cup with both goals in a 2-1 win at Gillingham.
Steven Gerrard: In the aftermath of his arrest for an alleged nightclub assault in Southport, Liverpool's captain weighed in with assists for both goals in the 2-0 win at Preston, unselfishly handing Fernando Torres a simple tap-in for the second.
Hartlepool United: The League One side managed to beat Premier League Stoke City with relative ease and set up a tantalising home clash with West Ham. The Potters barely raised a whimper while Hartlepool could have scored more.
LOSERS
Mark Hughes: Manchester City are woefully inconsistent, both in displaying their quality as players and in showing the spirit one takes for granted from Hughes's teams. A 3-0 home reverse to Championship relegation-battlers Nottingham Forest was "inexcusable" according to 'Sparky', who will count himself fortunate to see out the week let alone the season.
Mike Riley: Not the best performance from the Leeds official in Manchester United's 3-0 win at Southampton. He allowed Danny Wellbeck to score from an offside position and incorrectly awarded United a penalty when Nani's free-kick struck the head and not arm of Saints striker David McGoldrick. Incurred the post-match wrath of Saints' Dutch boss Jan Poortvliet.
Roy Carroll: The Derby keeper's side managed to come back twice to beat non-league Forest Green 4-3, but it was in spite of Carroll's performance. Shaky from the moment he was beaten by Jonathan Smith's 14th-minute rocket, the former Manchester United shot-stopper let Alex Lawless fool him at the near post and allowed a Paul Stonehouse drive to squirm into the bottom left.
Matthew Paterson: The 19-year-old Southampton striker's big day was ruined when he was sent off for a late, studs-up tackle that would have maimed anyone other than professional Serb Nemanja Vidic. The Scot was backed by his manager and even excused by Sir Alex Ferguson, but it was a clear red card.
Chelsea: Why are they so much worse at Stamford Bridge? Luiz Felipe Scolari's superstars could only manage a 1-0 lead over League One Southend and there was little surprise when former Everton trainee Peter Clarke headed a late equaliser. Could the attitude of the fair-weather element of Chelsea's support have something to do with it? The away fans certainly impact positively on performances.
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What about Barrow? They put on a great performance and didn't deserve to lose. They should be a winner even though they lost.
What about Barrow? They put on a great performance and didn't deserve to lose. They should be a winner even though they lost.
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