The Hindu : Sport / Football : Cole helps Chelsea survive Colchester scare

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 21, 2006

Sport

Sport - Football

Cole helps Chelsea survive Colchester scare

LONDON: Joe Cole struck twice to ensure Chelsea staved off what would have been one of the all-time great upsets to advance into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a 3-1 win at home to Colchester United.

When Colchester went ahead at Stamford Bridge on Sunday through Ricardo Carvalho's own-goal, a shock was on the cards.

But order, of a sort, was restored when the defender's fellow Portuguese Paulo Ferreira poked home from close range to level before half-time.

Substitute Cole netted for the hosts 11 minutes from the finish but it was not until he scored again in stoppage time that Chelsea fans could finally relax and dream again about a treble.

The visitors, on a poor surface made worse by persistent rain, then stunned their illustrious hosts by going ahead in the 28th minute when Carvalho turned Richard Garcia's dangerous cross past Carlo Cudicini.

But, nine minutes later, Carvalho rose highest to get on the end of a Damien Duff corner and Ferreira turned the loose ball home.

England duo Frank Lampard and Cole came as replacements for midfielders Nuno Maniche and Lassana Diarra.

And when Colchester keeper Aidan Davison parried Crespo's shot, Cole fired home the rebound from close range.

In the day's late kick-off tie 17-year-old Micah Richards kept Manchester City in the FA Cup with a superb 94th minute header from a corner to rescue a 1-1 draw against Premiership rivals Aston Villa.

Nigeria striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu scored twice as Middlesbrough won 2-0 away to Championship Preston.

Birmingham booked their place in Monday's draw by also defeating Championship opposition, Mikael Forssell's goal securing a 1-0 win over Stoke.

The results:

London (FA Cup): Aston Villa (Baros) drew with Manchester City (Richards) 1-1; Chelsea (Ferreira, Cole 2) bt Colchester (Carvalho); Preston lost to Middlesbrough (Yakubu 2) 0-2, Stoke lost to Birmingham (Forssell) 0-1; Charlton (Bent, Bothroyd, Hughes) bt Brentford (Rankin) 3-1; Liverpool (Crouch) bt Manchester United 1-0; Newcastle (Dyer) bt Southampton 1-0.

Madrid (Primera Liga): Cadiz lost to Osasuna 3-1, Deportivo Coruna drew with Real Zaragoza 1-1, Getafe lost to Atletico Madrid 0-3, Malaga lost to Real Mallorca 0-2; Racing Santander lost to Athletic Bilbao 0-1; Real Sociedad lost to Valencia 1-2; Barcelona bt Real Betis 5-1; Real Madrid bt Alaves 3-0; Sevilla bt Celta Vigo 1-0; Villarreal bt Espanyol 4-0.

Rome (Italian Serie A league): AS Roma bt Empoli 1-0; Chievo Verona drew with Palermo 0-0; Fiorentina lost to Lazio 1-2; Sampdoria lost to Ascoli 1-2; Treviso lost to Parma 0-1; Udinese lost to Siena 1-2; AC Milan bt Cagliari 1-0; Messina drew with Juventus 2-2.

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