Liverpool 1, Manchester United 0
Sorry to keep harping on this. If you’d told me a few years ago when gangly striker Peter Crouch was struggling in vain to help QPR avoid relegation to the old Division 3 that the Rodney Trotter doppelganger would someday play a pivotal role in top flight football (domestic and international), well, I’d have suggested a short stay at this place.
In addition to suffering their first FA Cup defeat to Liverpool in 85 years, United have lost Alan Smith who suffered a broken leg and dislocated ankle with a minute left before full time.
Brentford’s unlikely FA Cup run came to end earlier today, the Bees falling 3-1 at Charlton.
Newcastle are a few minutes away from advancing to the quarterfinals, as they lead Southampton 1-0 courtesy of a 68th minute strike from Kieron Dyer after a nice feed from Charles N’Zogbia. The Saints lost goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski to injury with about 15 minutes to go — Dexter Blackstock has substituted. Neither of the commentators seem certain whether or not Blackstock has ever played the position before – I don’t recall his having done so at Plymouth, Colchester or Derby, but I’d appreciate a correction if one is due.