The Sporting Hack

Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United FA Cup R3, Etihad Stadium, Att: 46,808 Two headed goals from Wayne Rooney helped Manchester United put out arch-rivals, and Cup holders, Manchester City in one of the most compelling FA Cup games of all time. A re-run of last season’s FA Cup semi-final provided the spectacle for an unforgettable derby day, which at half time seemed to be going only one way after Rooney’s double (right) sandwiched Danny Welbeck’s acrobatic volley which saw the visitors enter the break with a 3-0 lead. A City fightback seemed all the more improbable on 12 minutes, when, at 1-0 down, Vincent Kompany was shown a contentious straight red card by referee Chris Foy for a two-footed lunge on Nani. If it looked like United were going to return the 6-1 drubbing they received earlier on in the season with interest then all inside the Etihad Stadium, and across the country were wrong. Goals from Aleksandar Kolarov and Sergio Aguero within 20 minutes of the interval set up...

England under 21's 1-2 Czech Republic under 21's England Under-21’s hopes of progressing through to the European Championships semi-final against hosts Denmark were ended by a demoralising last gasp double against the Czech Republic in Group B. Danny Welbeck’s 76 th minute header looked to have given the Young Lions all three valuable points that would see them finish second behind group winners Spain – who defeated Ukraine 3-0. However, Czech coach Jakub Dovalil’s double substitution proved to be decisive as first Jan Chramosta in the 89 th minute, and then Tomas Pekhart in the 94 th minute, broke English hearts. In an all too familiar position for any England side in a major tournament, only a win would do for Stuart Pearce’s side. The Czech’s played a risky game, choosing to defend for large periods, but their robust and well drilled back line coped well with both Danny Sturridge and his namesake: Welbeck. When breached, goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik demonstrated he...