Another unbelievable night of
Capital One Cup action saw
Chelsea gain revenge for
Sunday's controversial league
defeat to Manchester United
by beating the Red Devils on
Wednesday, on a night when
defending champions Liverpool
and 2008 winners Tottenham
were both knocked out.
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Roberto Di Matteo saw
everything go against his
Chelsea side when they lost to
Manchester United at the
weekend, with referee Mark
Clattenburg subsequently
reported for alleged
"inappropriate language" after
a highly charged encounter.
Wednesday's match provided
more controversy as official
Lee Mason awarded Chelsea
two penalties - both justified -
as the Blues scored a 93rd-
minute leveller to force extra-
time. They eventually ran out
5-4 winners thanks to goals
from David Luiz, Gary Cahill,
Eden Hazard, Daniel Sturridge
and Ramires.
Di Matteo made six changes
from the team that lost in the
league, with Cesar Azpilicueta,
Ryan Bertrand, Oriol Romeu,
Victor Moses, Lucas Piazon and
Sturridge all coming into the
starting XI. Sir Alex Ferguson
also mixed up his team with 10
new faces selected, Rafael the
only man to keep his place.
Significantly the two men
linked to the Clattenburg case,
John Obi Mikel and Juan Mata,
both started, and Mikel was
booked inside 25 minutes.
Chelsea also fell behind in that
period and they were
contributors to their own
downfall, with Petr Cech's pass
to Romeu inviting United
pressure that led to Ryan
Giggs scoring the opener.
Chelsea were level within eight
minutes thanks to a similarly
ridiculous piece of defending,
with Alexander Buttner
recklessly sliding in on Moses
inside the area. The resulting
penalty was dispatched by
Luiz, although Anders
Lindegaard did get a hand to
it.
The defensive calamities
continued as United scored
again on the stroke of half-
time, with Luiz this time the
culprit. Attempting an
ambitious mazy run near the
halfway line, Luiz was robbed
of the ball - allowing United to
feed Javier Hernandez who
slotted past Cech.
An enthralling cup tie took
another twist seven minutes
after the break as Cahill
produced a trademark header
at a corner that crossed the
line before Rafael could clear,
but United quickly restored
their advantage for a third
time. Nani exchanged a sharp
one-two with Anderson inside
the area, before the
Portuguese chipped the ball
over Cech as the keeper
raced from his line.
Moses and Hernandez both
wasted glorious chances to
affect the scoring again, and
Mason drew the wrath of the
crowd when he failed to spot
Michael Keane's handball inside
the final 20 minutes. However,
the ref did point to the spot
three minutes into injury-time
for a foul by Scott Wootton,
rolled calmly home by Hazard
for 3-3 to force extra-time.
It was a tough night for
Wootton who then gifted
Sturridge Chelsea's fourth as
the Blues led for the first time
in the evening, sending a
powerpuff header to Sturridge
who rounded Lindegaard for
4-3. Luiz rattled the bar late
on before Hazard created the
goal of the night, bamboozling
the United defence before
slipping in Ramires for 5-3, and
there was still time for Giggs
to score from the spot in the
final minute on another
incredible night.
Holders Liverpool welcomed
Brendan Rodgers' old club
Swansea to Anfield as they
targeted a place in the last-
eight of the Capital One Cup,
but it proved an unhappy
reunion for Rodgers who saw
his team lose 3-1 thanks to
strikes from Chico, Nathan
Dyer and Jonathan de Guzman.
Liverpool had gone four games
unbeaten in all competitions
prior to Wednesday's match,
and Rodgers was able to play
a number of his fringe staff as
Jack Robinson, Jamie
Carragher, Sebastian Coates,
Jordan Henderson, Jonjo
Shelvey, Joe Cole, Oussama
Assaidi, Stewart Downing and
Samed Yesil all came into the
starting XI.
However, the changes led to
an extremely disjointed display
as the Reds barely found Cole
and Yesil in the forward
positions. Instead it was
Swansea who deservedly took
the lead after 34 minutes
when Chico rose completely
unmarked to bury Dyer's
delivery from six yards.
Rodgers responded by
throwing on Luis Suarez and
Steven Gerrard for Cole and
Yesil at half-time, and it should
have reaped its reward when
Gerrard's shot was tipped
onto a post, only for Downing
to miss an easy rebound.
They were made to pay when
Dyer tapped home a second
for Swansea 18 minutes from
time, although Liverpool did
rally through Suarez's 78th-
minute header from Gerrard's
free-kick. Swansea had the
final say, though, with De
Guzman killing the tie off in the
final stages.
Norwich scored twice in the
last six minutes to dump out
Tottenham 2-1 at Carrow
Road. Gareth Bale's goal
appeared to have won it for
Spurs with 84 minutes on the
clock, but a Jan Vertonghen
own goal followed by a Simeon
Jackson strike turned the
game on its head.
Andre Villas-Boas fielded plenty
of star names with the likes
Bale and Kyle Walker retaining
their places, and it was the
Welsh winger who broke the
deadlock on 66 minutes.
Cutting in from the flank, Bale
beat three players across the
edge of the area before
sending a right-footed shot
past Mark Bunn.
However, Alex Tettey's 84th-
minute shot deflected off
Vertonghen to pull Norwich
level, before Jackson won it
three minutes later. Spurs still
had a chance to force extra-
time as Walker was brought
down inside the area, but Clint
Dempsey's penalty was woeful.