FA Cup review - Sat 29th Jan

A review of Barclays Premier League sides in FA Cup fourth round action.

FA Cup holders Chelsea earned a 1-1 draw and a fourth-round replay with Everton after substitute Salomon Kalou came to their rescue at Goodison Park.
Louis Saha had headed the Toffees in front just after the hour mark, but Kalou's precise finish 15 minutes from time earned Chelsea a replay in a hard-fought encounter.
Everton were rewarded for a good spell of pressure when Saha got behind John Terry and rose highest to powerfully head home a Leighton Baines corner in the 62nd minute.
The visitors hung in there though and Seamus Coleman was denied from close range by a combination of Terry and Michael Essien before Chelsea were level.
Sub Kalou picked the ball up on the edge of the box and fired a low angled shot just inside Tim Howard's far post.

Star Restored

In another all-Barclays Premier League early match, Robert Pires' first goal for Aston Villa helped them continue their recent dominance over Blackburn Rovers in cup competitions with a 3-1 win at Villa Park.
The former Arsenal star restored Villa's lead after Ciaran Clark's opener had been cancelled out by Rovers substitute Nikola Kalinic.
Nathan Delfouneso further increased Villa's lead, and even the red card after 62 minutes for defender Nathan Baker for a challenge on Junior Hoilett failed to halt their progress.
Forgotten men Stuart Parnaby and Kevin Phillips were the heroes as Birmingham City carved out another cup day to remember by coming from two down to beat local rivals Coventry City 3-2 and reach the fifth round of the FA Cup.


The Blues were on a high after booking their place in the Carling Cup final in midweek but they were brought back down to earth as Marlon King and Richard Wood put the visitors two up with 26 minutes gone.
David Bentley reduced the deficit before half-time with a stunning strike from 25 yards for his first Birmingham goal and, after a sustained spell of pressure, two goals in six minutes from Parnaby and Phillips midway through the second half completed the turnaround.

League Form

Wigan Athletic manager Roberto Martinez saw his side shrug off their poor league form and force a replay against Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium.
Martinez made eight changes to the team that lost at Aston Villa and his largely young side did him proud in a 0-0 draw.
In fact, veteran goalkeeper Mike Pollitt had a quiet afternoon as Bolton struggled to test the opposition defence.

Javier Hernandez's smart finish helped Manchester United avoid an upset against Southampton at St Mary's.
The home side bossed the first half and deservedly broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time, with Richard Chaplow smashing the League One side ahead.
While Southampton dominated possession, United's introduction of Nani and Ryan Giggs 13 minutes into the second half swung the tie.
The pair gave Sir Alex Ferguson's side the width they craved and helped the visitors come from behind to secure victory with two goals in 10 minutes.
Michael Owen equalised with his first goal since September, before Hernandez ghosted in to wrap up the tie with a quarter of an hour remaining.