LONDON, 20 February 2005 — Second division Sheffield United scored a last-minute penalty to draw 1-1 at 10-man Arsenal on a day of upsets in the FA Cup fifth round yesterday.
Further surprises followed as second division Leicester City snatched a late winner to beat Charlton Athletic 2-1 at The Valley and third division Brentford came from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Premier League strugglers Southampton.
The only other team to join Leicester in the quarterfinals from the afternoon games were Bolton Wanderers, who beat Premier League rivals Fulham 1-0.
Arsenal added a replay at Bramall Lane on March 1 to their already busy fixture list after a largely second-string side paid for a 90th-minute lapse in concentration.
They were down to 10 men after 35 minutes when Bergkamp, captain for the day in the absence of the rested Patrick Vieira, was controversially sent off for pushing an opponent in the chest during a confrontation between players of both sides.
There was a let-off for the Premier League champions just before halftime when United’s Danny Cullip headed the ball into the net from eight meters, only for the effort to be harshly disallowed for pushing.
Arsenal looked to have overcome Bergkamp’s dismissal when substitute Robert Pires struck from close range 12 minutes from time. United kept pushing forward, however, and won a penalty when Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos handled the ball in the area, Andy Gray calmly converting the spot-kick. Leicester striker Dion Dublin headed the winner in the 90th minute in south London.
Inspired Makaay Leads Bayern Munich Rout
In Frankfurt, Dutch international striker Roy Makaay scored a hat trick and set up two more goals to lead Bayern Munich to a crushing 5-0 win at home to crisis club Borussia Dortmund yesterday. Bayern’s third successive home victory gave the Bavarians a provisional three-point lead at the top of the Bundesliga and provided the perfect tonic ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Arsenal.
Germany’s two other Champions League teams also posted classy victories yesterday.
Werder Bremen, last season’s double winners, won 4-1 at Hanover 96, while Bayer Leverkusen won 4-2 at FC Nuremberg.
Bayern coach Felix Magath was relieved to see his side back in form after last weekend’s 3-1 defeat at Arminia Bielefeld.
Leaders Juventus Draw at Messina, AC Milan Within Touching Distance
In Milan, leaders Juventus were held yesterday to a scoreless draw away to Messina, a result that could allow AC Milan to draw level with them at the top of the Italian Serie A.
The result moves the Turin side on to 54 points from 25 games a couple of hours before the Milanese title holders play a seemingly easy home game against newcomers Cagliari.
Cheered on by a brimming San Filippo stadium, The Sicilian newcomers showed no respect for the front-runners, who were missing playmaker Pavel Nedved, striker David Trezeguet and were allowed few chances to attack early in the game.
Messina also had some players missing and squandered a good chance on 15 minutes when Gaetano D’Agostino misfired after a defensive blunder by French defender Jonathan Zebina.
Hibernian Thrash Dundee to Tighten Grip on Third Place
In Glasgow, Hibernian swept Dundee aside with a comfortable 4-0 home win yesterday to bolster their hold on third place in the Scottish Premier League.
Garry O’Connor grabbed a double while Steven Whittaker and Steven Fletcher piled in with the other goals to keep them firmly in third spot with 47 points from 26 games.
Motherwell beat Hearts 2-0 at Fir Park with goals from Scott McDonald and Marc Fitzpatrick and also missed an early penalty when Jim Hamilton shot tamely at goalkeeper Craig Gordon. Mid-table Kilmarnock won 2-1 at home to Dunfermline Athletic with goals from Steve Naismith and Kris Boyd.
