Rovers inflict fresh Cup misery on Arsenal

LONDON: Arsenal’s hopes of ending their eight-year trophy drought suffered a huge setback after they were dumped out of the FA Cup at home to second-tier Blackburn Rovers yesterday.
Colin Kazim-Richards scored the only goal in Rovers’s 1-0 victory when he followed up in the 72nd minute, with a strike that went in off the post, after Gunners goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny failed to hold Martin Olsson’s shot.
Arsenal, who haven’t won a major piece of silverware since lifting the FA Cup in 2005, must now raise their spirits for a last 16 Champions League first leg tie on Tuesday when German giants Bayern Munich come to the north Londoners’ Emirates Stadium.
But this defeat can only add to the pressure on long-serving Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, whose side are a massive 21 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester United.
The Frenchman, who had never seen Arsenal lose to lower league opposition in the FA Cup since taking charge of the Gunners in 1996, is sure to come under fire for not including star players such as Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla in his startling line-up.
The trio did all come off the bench only for Kazim-Richards to break the deadlock shortly afterwards and ensure Arsenal suffered a second embarrassing cup exit this season after fourth-tier Bradford knocked them out of the League Cup.
“It’s obviously a great achievement to get the win, get through to the next round and also get the clean sheet,” delighted Blackburn defender Scott Dann told the BBC.
“We were on a high from the previous results we’ve had in the league. But we knew it would be a tough a task coming here. We knew we had to dig in and cut down the space we gave them. We did that very well.” Arsenal’s defeat meant the first three sides into this term’s last eight of the FA Cup all came from the second-tier Championship.
Earlier on Saturday, Millwall won 3-0 away to non-league Luton Town.
Goals from James Henry, Rob Hulse and Dany N’Guessan saw the second-tier south London club into the last eight for the first time since they went all the way to the 2004 FA Cup final only to lose Manchester United.
As soon as the fifth round draw was made, memories were revived of an infamous match between the two clubs in 1985 when rampaging Millwall fans wrecked Luton’s Kenilworth Road ground.
But the clubs have met on several occasions since and Saturday’s match, which ended a cup run for Luton that saw them knock out top-flight Norwich, appeared to pass off without a major incident inside the ground.
Elswehere, Barnsley won 3-1 away to third-tier Milton Keynes Dons.
Chris Dagnall opened the scoring in the third minute before setting the seal on victory with his second goal just seconds before the final whistle after Marlon Harewood had doubled the Yorkshire club’s lead in the 19th minute.
Dean Bowditch pulled a goal back for the hosts just after the hour mark.
Later on Saturday, Oldham, who have already knocked Liverpool out, will look to claim a second Merseyside scalp when they welcome Everton to Boundary Park.
Sunday sees faltering FA Cup holders Chelsea taking on fellow west Londoners Brentford in a fourth round replay at Stamford Bridge after only a late equalizer by Fernando Torres prevented a mammoth Cup shock at Griffin Park.
Struggling Premier League champions Manchester City are at home to a Leeds team who ended Tottenham Hotspur’s FA Cup hopes in the previous round, while top-flight Wigan travel to Championship side Huddersfield for a tie which has the hallmarks of a potential upset written all over it.
Manchester United, looking to win the FA Cup for the first time in nine years, face divisional rivals Reading at Old Trafford on Monday.