Manchester City’s Stevan Jovetic (centre) celebrates with team-mates after scoring a goal against Chelsea during their English FA Cup fifth-round match at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, northern England, yesterday.
LONDON: Manchester City rediscovered their swagger to beat Chelsea 2-0 and move into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup yesterday, Manuel Pellegrini winning the battle of tactical wits against Jose Mourinho.
Stevan Jovetic and Samir Nasri scored either side of halftime for City as Pellegrini finally fell upon a winning formula to get one over his managerial rival having lost both Premier League fixtures this season.
The result completed a difficult week for Mourinho, whose side drew with West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Tuesday, and returned City to winning ways after their defeat by Chelsea 12 days ago was followed by a draw with Norwich City.
Manchester City, who had drawn a blank in their previous two games having scored more than a 100 goals this season, will be joined in the draw for the last eight by holders Wigan Athletic and Sunderland.
Ben Watson, who grabbed the winner when Wigan shocked Manchester City in last year’s final, continued his love affair with the competition by firing the second-tier side to a 2-1 upset victory over Premier League strugglers Cardiff City.
Sunderland punished Southampton for taking the competition too lightly and making a raft of changes, with a 1-0 defeat thanks to a stunning strike from Craig Gardner.
Sheffield Wednesday’s home game with Championship rivals Charlton Athletic was called off because of a waterlogged pitch.
Today, Arsenal host Liverpool, Swansea City travel to Everton and Championship side Nottingham Forest visit third tier Sheffield United.
Championship club Brighton and Hove Albion entertain Hull City tomorrow.
Meanwhile, branded a “specialist in failure” by his Chelsea counterpart Mourinho, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will hope his side prove otherwise when they host Liverpool in the FA Cup today.
In characteristic style, Chelsea manager Mourinho tried to up the tension in the Premier League title race on Friday when he accused Wenger of being a serial underachiever due to Arsenal’s nine-year trophy drought.
The Portuguese was responding to a suggestion from Wenger that Mourinho’s reluctance to talk up Chelsea’s own title credentials stemmed from a “fear to fail”.
Chelsea currently lead Arsenal by a point at the top of the table, with Manchester City and Liverpool in close pursuit, and with the four teams facing off in the cup this weekend, sparks seem set to fly.
Chasing a first trophy since their 2005 success in the FA Cup, Arsenal will not want for motivation against a Liverpool side who thrashed them 5-1 when the teams met last weekend.
Brendan Rodgers’s side smashed four goals past Wenger’s men inside the opening 20 minutes of their game at Anfield as Arsenal were ruthlessly toppled from the league summit.
Arsenal recovered to draw 0-0 at home to Manchester United in mid-week, but Wenger admitted afterwards that his players has been left “nervous” after their chastening experience at Anfield.
Nevertheless, the London club prevailed 2-0 when the sides met at the Emirates Stadium in November and Wenger is confident that his players will be determined to restore pride after their capitulation seven days ago.
“These guys are winners. When they lose in that way, believe me, they are hurt,” said the Frenchman. “When you can put things right, you want an opportunity to do that and we have an opportunity.”
Like Mourinho, Liverpool manager Rodgers has been eager to play down his side’s title chances, but after winning 3-2 at Fulham on Wednesday the Merseyside club are only four points off the pace in the league.
The Northern Irishman described Liverpool as the “chihuahuas” of the title race afterwards, in a reference to a remark from Mourinho that Chelsea were the “little horse” to Arsenal and City’s stallions.
Rodgers, however, is reluctant to become further embroiled in the verbal sparring.
“It is getting stupid now, isn’t it?” he said. “It is probably more for the media, who will make more of it than it actually is. I focus on the players.”AGENCIES
