LONDON, 18 January 2007 — The FA Cup served up two classic third round replays on Tuesday when the Premier League twice overcame the second division, Middlesbrough holding off Hull City 4-3 and Manchester City beating Sheffield Wednesday 2-1.

In a remarkable game at the Riverside Stadium 18-year-old debutant Seb Hines’ 32nd minute goal for Boro was a rare moment of excitement in the first half.

It all changed after the interval when Boro stretched their lead to 3-0 and 4-1 but then spent the last 20 minutes desperately clinging on. Mark Viduka got Boro’s second after Aiyegbeni Yakubu’s shot came back off a post and when Yakubu added the third with a 57th minute penalty it looked all over.

However, Hull pulled one back with a glancing header by defender Andy Dawson two minutes later and then made it 3-2 with a Jon Parkin penalty in the 63rd minute.

Viduka scored Boro’s fourth with a clinical finish a minute later but Hull refused to lie down and Dawson, whose last goal before Tuesday came almost three years ago, got his second to bring it back to 4-3.

From then on it was all Hull, with Boro defending desperately and just about holding out against a team fourth-last in the second division. It was end-to-end action from the start at the City of Manchester Stadium with both goalkeepers kept constantly busy.

It somehow stayed goalless until the 44th minute when City midfielder Joey Barton, who spent the day embroiled in transfer speculation, squared for Stephen Ireland to touch into an empty net. Lee Bullen headed Wednesday level in the 51st minute but City reclaimed the lead four minutes later when Darius Vassell cracked a shot into the top corner. There were chances galore at both ends but City held out to earn a fourth-round meeting with Southampton, when Barton says he will still be around despite interest from Everton. Wolverhampton Wanderers won 2-0 at Oldham to set up a first FA Cup derby with West Bromwich Albion since 1962.

In other replays, Ipswich Town beat Chester 1-0, Southend won 2-0 at Barnsley and Plymouth beat Peterborough 2-1. Luton’s game against Queens Park Rangers was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

There are three more replays on Wednesday, all Premier League against second division. Newcastle United host Birmingham City, Tottenham Hotspur face Cardiff City and Fulham take on Leicester.

Bordeaux End League Cup

Dreams of Once-Great Reims

In Reims France, Girondins Bordeaux survived a late red card to reach the French League Cup final with a 2-1 win over once-great Stade Reims on Tuesday.

Florian Marange opened the scoring in the 59th minute with a kick, which rebounded twice in the penalty area before hitting the net. Jean-Claude Darcheville grabbed Bordeaux’s second when he converted a penalty in the 75th. The goals ended Reims’ dream of glory more than 40 years after they played and lost 4-3 to Real Madrid in the first European Cup final in 1956.

However, in front of a 9,000 crowd of their Auguste Delaune stadium, which hosted the feats of Raymond Kopa, Just Fontaine and Roger Piantoni, the unsung players of the new Stade Reims, now in Ligue 2, put Bordeaux under pressure from the start.

In the first half, the best scoring opportunity fell their way when former France goalkeeper Ulrich Rame had to dive full-length to palm off a 20-meter kick from Siaka Tiene.

Reims, who reached the last four through wins over Ligue 1 clubs Monaco and Stade Rennes, pushed hard at the end of the game and made it 2-1 through a David Jemmali own goal three minutes from time. In a desperate finish, Bordeaux’s David Jurietti was shown a straight red card in injury time.

Olympique Lyon or Le Mans, who meet in Wednesday in Lyon, will be Bordeaux’s opponents in the final on March 31 at the Stade de France.

“With all due respect to Le Mans, I hope Lyon will win. It would be a beautiful final,” Darcheville said. The winners qualify for the UEFA Cup.