After yesterday's discussion of how many teams use the Carling Cup to trot out their youngsters, it's not really a shock that there were a number of upsets. The biggest was Burnley defeating Chelsea 5-4 on penalty kicks, after tying 1-1. Drogba opened the scoring for Chelsea, and after taunting the visiting Burnley supporters, a coin was thrown at him. Drogba threw the coin back in the crowd, and now the police have launched an investigation(in a country without guns, throwing metal is a crime). Chelsea's side wasn't exactly second rate, with Deco, Drogba, Malouda and Kalou all starting and Lampard coming on early after an injury to Belletti. Ade Akinbiyi pounced on a rebound to score the equalizer for Burnley. Chelsea squandered a number of opportunities, and had problems in extra time when Franco Di Santo had to leave with an injury. Burnley were also reduced to ten men, when Steven Caldwell picked up his second yellow. Wade Elliott put Burnley's first chance to win in pk's over the bar, but Brian Jensen's second save on John Obi Mikel sent them through. It has been a tough couple of weeks for Chelsea, losing at home to Liverpool, away to Roma and now on pk's to Burnley. This match probably means the least, but it definitely damages their champions persona and Drogba might be facing a suspension.England's other top team also went down, as defending champions Tottenham defeated Liverpool 4-2. Fraizer(his misspelling, not mine) Campbell and Roman Pavlyuchenko made a case for their strike partnership as each netted a brace. Torres, in an attempt to get match fit, was Liverpool's only consistent starter. Rafa won't be too upset, as this means his side won't have to play more games than Chelsea. Manchester United defeated QPR 1-0, thanks to a late Carlos Tevez penalty. QPR had knocked off Aston Villa in the previous round, but couldn't even muster a shot on goal against a second string United side. Arsenal defeated Wigan 3-0, as the 'Young Guns' kept a clean sheet against a first choice Wigan side. Jay Simpson and Carlos Vela did the scoring, and with Adebayor and Van Persie out, Vela may see some minutes this weekend. Blackburn defeated Sunderland 2-1, thanks to Bardsley own goal. Santa Cruz scored within minutes of being subbed in, and the teams will play again in the Premiership this weekend. Derby defeated Leeds 2-1, as Paul Jewell finally gave supporters something to smile about. Stoke defeated Rotherham 2-0, and were able to trot out their own second string side against the League Two outfit. Watford defeated Swansea 1-0, to start life without Aidy Boothroyd on a good note.
One Liners
- Drogba throws coin at fans, says he was just trying to give his 2 pence
- Kinnear regrets calling ref Mickey Mouse, says he was much more of a Donald Duck
- Maradona set to quit over choice of coaches, lasted 10 more days than I thought he would
- Van Nistelrooy out for the season, coming to Colorado where all the great knee surgeons live
- Celtic fined £42,430 for pitch invasion, as UEFA shows that running naked on the pitch(field) is much worse than racist chants
