LONDON, 22 December 2005 — Manchester United won 3-1 at Birmingham City to reach the League Cup semifinals on Tuesday and Wigan Athletic continued their dream season by joining them courtesy of a 2-0 home victory over Bolton Wanderers.
Two goals for Louis Saha and one for Park Ji-sung gave United their comfortable success and a place in the last four for the second successive season, while two for Jason Roberts late in the first half sent Wigan into their first major semifinal in their first season in top flight football.
United, out of Europe and nine points adrift of Chelsea in the Premiership, fielded a strong side in a competition that has suddenly become an important part of their season.
They started well and Giuseppe Rossi hit the bar in an early attack but Birmingham settled and held their own until halftime.
It all changed at the start of the second half, with the introduction of Wayne Rooney adding spark to the United attack.
The goals came from less familiar sources, however. Injury-ravaged French striker Saha slid in to convert a Cristiano Ronaldo cross two minutes after the restart and then turned provider as he set up Korea midfielder Park to shoot home his first goal for the club.
Saha, whose season began a month ago following a string of injuries, then smashed in the third in the 63 minute before Jiri Jarosik headed a consolation for Birmingham in the 75th.
Wigan, who ended a run of five successive league defeats with a 3-0 win over Charlton on Saturday, continued their recovery with an impressive victory over a Bolton side fresh from beating Everton 4-0 in the league.
Barca Beat Celta for
13th Successive Win
In Madrid, Cameroon striker Samuel Eto’o and newly-crowned World Player of the Year Ronaldinho inspired Barcelona to their 13th consecutive victory in all competitions on Tuesday after a 2-0 win over Celta Vigo in the Primera Liga. Eto’o scored both goals, in the 38th and 57th minutes, to take his tally for the season to 17, with Brazilian playmaker Ronaldinho involved in the build up to both.
Celta made Barca work hard for the victory in a first half where they could easily have taken the lead, but it was Barca who finished the stronger with visiting keeper Esteban preventing the score from creeping higher.
Barca moved up to 40 points after 17 games, extending their lead at the top of the table to five points over second-placed Osasuna, who play Atletico Madrid at home today.
The rest of this round’s matches are played on Wednesday including third-placed Real Madrid’s home tie with Racing Santander.
The Primera Liga enters its winter break after this round of games. Barcelona laid siege to Celta’s goal early on with Ronaldinho showing few signs of suffering from being delayed in Switzerland overnight, after Monday’s Player of the Year award ceremony.
Mainz Beat Kaiserslautern
on Penalties in German Cup
In Frankfurt, Mainz beat fellow Bundesliga strugglers Kaiserslautern 4-3 on penalties on Tuesday to reach the quarterfinals of the German Cup.
Germany midfielder Marco Engelhardt put Kaiserslautern ahead in the 29th minute with a powerful header from a Mihail Mikic cross, before the Brazilian Antonio da Silva equalized with a wonderful swerving free kick to force extra-time.
Kaiserslautern, who had Ervin Skela sent off in the 97th minute, looked well set in the penalty shootout when Mainz missed from their first two attempts but nerves then got the better of the home side.
Ferydoon Zandi, Halil Altintop and the 17-year-old Daniel Halfar all failed from the spot before Petr Ruman chipped into the center of the goal with his side’s sixth effort to give Mainz victory.
