Cap One Cup: Liverpool Advances After 15 Rounds of PK

((HT: Beanyman Sports))

The match between Liverpool and Middlesbrough took almost two and a half hours to complete- with the teams going into the 15th round of penalty kicks before it was decided in the bottom half off a Boro miss...

Here's the highlights


And manager Brendan Rodgers discussing a long night


Albert Adomah, for the record, is the Boro player who punched his shot wide in the bottom of the 15th after a spirited comeback at Anfield by a squad that didn't seem all that bent out of shape having to play a 4th Round game on the road.

Threr were, probably, a lot of records set in the match. But Liverpool advances into the Round of 16 with the other 6 squads who join the 10 advancing today tomorrow.

OSG Prem: van Gaal Now Says It Will Take A Year

((HT: Sky Sports))

It was weird to say the very least...

Manchester United got bounced from the Capital One Cup yesterday. Which, in and of itself, may not have been a surprise at some point but it was the manner in which they got bounced.

The loss was to League One side MK Dons 4-0...

Yup... 4-0...

And while Manchester United were without a lot of its stars in that line-up, it's still the principle of the thing.


So, we have gone from a third of the season to a full year...

That can't be good...

OSG Prem: Don't Call 911 If Your Team Sucks...

((HT: ProSoccerTalk/Mendola))

Because the operator can't help you...

It all started because of this...
((HT: beInSports))


And the HQ is sure that this didn't help...
((HT: SkySports))


So, one enterprising lad decided to call the British version of 9-1-1...
((HT: Manchester Evening News))


Still doesn't help...
And for those of you who think this is a work... the Manchester Police responded on their Facebook page...

So, if you think United is in trouble... whaddya think they think over there...???

OSG Prem: ManU Problems Continue In Cap One Semi

By losing to Sunderland in penalty kicks...

How is that going to sit with the Red Devil faithful...???

Here's the evidence from the shootout...
((HT: beInSports))


In a dreadful start to the season, the Black Cats have now made it to a cup final to play Manchester City...

"My feelings are for them (the Sunderland fans)," Poyet told Sky Sports after the game.

"It's been a difficult season, nothing to enjoy. They deserve that, so let's see if we can go one better and win the final as well.

"This match was immense. What we need(ed) to do to win this game! This is the good thing with cups, you never know what is going to happen."

Here's David Moyes- still confident he has a job, but refusing to answer questions about obtaining Juan Mata in a very expensive transfer...


In a note purely based on capitalism, Manchester United have dropped to fourth place for the first time in a list of the world's highest earning clubs.

United's total revenue has increased from £323.7m to £346.5m in the last season, but Bayern Munich passed them with a revenue increase by 17 percent to £352.5m

And United's books are based on trophy success... which they're not having this year at all...

British Fan Violence: Round 4,012

((HT: Sky Sports))

It is well known at HQ that fan violence and/or participation in British soccer has its moments of silliness, stupidity, worry, and just outright hooliganism...

What happened the other night in the Capital One Cup had a little bit of a lot of the above mentioned antics...

Preston North End was playing Blackpool in Round One- and for those not completely engrossed in the sport, Blackpool is in the Championship (think triple-A baseball) and Preston is in League One (think double-A).

Preston scored late for a 1-0 win and all blue hell broke loose...

Preston's fans stormed the pitch and taunted the 4,000 Blackpool supporters which, of course, led to more Preston fans storming the pitch. And what's worse is that some of the horse-drawn cops inadvertently trampled a home steward after a fan pushed the steward into the line of traffic.

Blackpool manager Paul Ince has had enough:

"It’s an absolute joke. Who knows what could happen? It’s going to take someone to get stabbed or something else to happen before we’re going to listen. I wonder if there are enough stewards there."

Here's the worst part involving the steward who was hospitalized...


Instead of wondering when it will stop, the HQ just wonders what's next...

OSG Prem: Nathan Dyer REALLY Wanted That Hat Trick

((HT: SkySports))

The Capital One Cup was decided today at Wembley between Premier League side Swansea City and League Two side Bradford City. The Bantams knocked off three Prem sides- Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Wigan on their way to the final.

But today was an entirely different ballgame for them...

It ended up being a 5-0 whitewash for the Swans as Nathan Dyer and Jonathan DeGuzman scored twice and Michu scored once. They become the first Welsh side to win the Cap One Cup, but not without a heated moment...

The Bantams keeper, Matt Duke, took out Dyer that set up the penalty kick at 3-0 early in the second half. Dyer was the player Duke fouled, but he didn't get to take the PK...

Dyer wasn't happy about it...


It would have been the first player to get a hat trick in the history of the event, but the Swans will have to settle for having the largest margin of victory...

Bradford City To Honor Valley Parade Victims In Cap One Final

((HT: youtube))

League 2 Bradford City has had a run for the ages in the Capital One Cup and they'll go against Swansea for the title.

But they'll have others on their mind when they take to Wembley for the Cup...

Their tracksuit tops will have the number 56 and the words 'Always With Us' embroidered on the front- marking the occasion by remembering the 56 fans who died in the fire at their home stadium, Valley Parade, almost 28 years ago.

Bradford City supporters camped out overnight in the snow last week for tickets and almost 32,000 will get to go to Wembley.

But here's how the event fell out live May 11th, 1985...

OSG Prem: Chelsea's Hazard Kicks Ball Boy

((HT: Capital One Cup/youtube))

Chelsea was trailing Swansea City 2-0 on aggregate in the Capital One Cup action this afternoon/tonight and Eden Hazard, in a moment of desperation, decided to do the following to a ball boy in Wales...


Classy move... and it got him an instant red card from the official...

Manager Rafa Benitez was livid, but Hazard will be the one getting a major fine and suspension for this one when it's all done...

More when we know more...

THURSDAY UPDATE: Apparently, Hazard won't face any criminal charges for the incident. But the Football Association is reviewing the whole thing...

From SkySports:

Hazard told Chelsea TV: "The boy put his whole body onto the ball and I was just trying to kick the ball and I think I kicked the ball and not the boy. I apologise.

"The ballboy came in the changing room and we had a quick chat and I apologised and the boy apologised as well, and it is over. Sorry."