The Final of the Carling Cup in Cardiff ended in ugly scenes when Obi (Chelsea) clashed with Toure (Arsenal) and several players from both teams, including both managers, Mourinho and Wenger, got involved in an ugly altercation.

Referee Howard Webb had no alternative but to brandish three red cards to Mikel (Chelsea), Toure and Adebayor (Arsenal) as well as yellows to Fabregas and Lampard.

There were over 11 minutes of added-on time before the final whistle was blown to hand the first major trophy of the season to Jose Mourinho’s side, who are still in the hunt for three other pieces of silverware.

Before the ugly scenes Arsenal had taken the lead on 12 minutes through young Theo Walcott after he easily beat the Portuguese defender Ricardo Carvalho. However Didier Drogba scored a brace, the second just six minutes from time to see Chelsea come from behind to secure the first piece of major silverware of the season.

Arsenal’s young side [average age less than 21] could feel a little aggrieved to lose what was an intriguing final, the last to take place at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, having domination large portions of the game. The youngsters showed few nerves and produced some lively flowing football before eventually running out of steam to the more experienced team and the clinical finishing of Drogba, who scored his 27th and 28th goals of an excellent season.

How things looked very different for Chelsea early on in the game as the dynamic Arsenal midfield made Chelsea expensive line up look a little ordinary. The early pressure and good play rewarded by Walcott’s first goal for the Gunners. Not a bad time to score your first goal, a major showcase final. Unfortunately their lead did not last too long, but the equaliser from Drogba, even though clinical, was also controversial. When Michael Ballack played a ball over the top for Drogba, the Arsenal back line pushed up, but Ballack ran on to slip the ball under Manuel Almunia.

It was an extremely close decision given in favour of the attacking team and Wenger, in somewhat typical fashion, spent much of the remainder of the first half displaying his anger at a linesman’s failure to flag offside.

The young Gunners continued to attack Chelsea from all angles and could have resgained their lead just before half-time but for Carvalho to intervene and to deny Jeremie Aliadiere.

And even after the break, Arsenal continued to look the more likely scorers, with Diaby denied by Cech and Fabregas shooting just the wrong side of the post.

Chelsea then lost skipper Terry midway through the half when he took a boot in the face from Diaby as he tried to finish off an Arjen Robben corner.

Terry looked to be knocked unconscious and a mask was applied to his face to help with his breathing before he was carried off the field and taken to hospital. Terry really is having a bit of a bad time at the moment with regards to injuries. He had been doubtful for the final after only lasting a few minutes of the Champions League tie in Porto after spraining his right ankle.

However, the loss of Terry only seemed to fire up his team-mates and they finished strongly and Arsenal’s young legs surprisingly began to tire.

Drogba had a shot excellently saved by Almunia and then Lampard produced a long-range dipping shot that rattled against the bar.

However, Chelsea’s increased pressure paid off in the 84th minute when Robben’s cross picked out Drogba and he headed past a stranded Almunia.

Shevchenko had an opportunity to make the extended injury time more less uncomfortable but his drilled shot thundered back off the bar again.

So it was a game too far for the young Gunners but Wenger should be applauded for sticking with them. As Alan Hanson once famously said, “You don’t win anything with youngsters!” Oh yes, he got that wrong didn’t he and Wenger proved it again!

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Charlton thrashed their local rivals West Ham at The Valley, in the massive relegation six-pointer at the bottom of the Premiership table.

Neither side could really afford to lose the game at the Valley that saw both Alan Curbishley and Alan Pardew return to their former clubs. However, it was Charlton got the better of West Ham with an impressive 4-0 mauling of a hopeless Hammers team.

It was a fairly even start at The Valley until Darren Ambrose’s expert finish in the middle from Marcus Bent’s right-wing cross gave The Addicks the lead.

West Ham threatened to level matters but found themselves with an uphill battle thanks to further goals from Jerome Thomas and Darren Bent.

Alan Pardew’s side nearly stretched their lead when Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s effort crashed off the post while at the other end Carlos Tevez’s free-kick was saved by Scott Carson.

Despite The Hammers improving after the break they conceded a fourth when Ambrose strode down the right before sending in the ball for Thomas to slot home at the near post.

Watford failed to capitalise on the chance to move ahead of West Ham after being undone 3-0 by Everton at Vicarage Road.

First half goals from Manuel Fernandes and Andy Johnson put the visitors in firm control of the tie with Leon Osman’s late strike adding the icing on the cake.

Rafa Benitez’s good week continued with Liverpool easing to a 4-0 success over Sheffield United on the back of their superb midweek win in Barcelona.

Liverpool were gifted the chance to open the scoring when Robert Kozluk hauled down Steven Gerrard in the box leaving referee Steve Bennett little option but to point to the spot.

Robbie Fowler did not score from the ensuing penalty until a few minutes later as Peter Crouch was stretchered off in the incident after being caught in the face by Rob Hulse’s boot.

Fowler made it two-nil just five minutes later, again from the penalty spot, after Nick Montgomery hauled down Gerrard again, who had cleverly got himself goal-side of the midfielder.

The Reds added a third in the second half with Sami Hyypia capitalising on some poor defending from Jermaine Pennant’s corner to drill home at the near post.

Liverpool stamped their superiority on the game shortly after when Gerrard collected Fowler’s superb flick-on before lashing a right-footed effort past Kenny into the far post.

Middlesbrough exacted sweet revenge on Reading for their opening day defeat at The Madejski Stadium with a 2-1 win over Steve Coppell’s Royals.

The home side opened the scoring early on with Mark Viduka superbly controlling Emmanuel Pogatetz’s header back across goal before back-heeling the ball past Marcus Hahnemann.

The game was wrapped up in the second half when Yakubu Aiyegbeni collected Viduka’s fine pass before turning and firing a left-footed drive into the roof of the net.

John Oster did pull one back in the closing stages, but were unable to snatch a leveller as Gareth Southgate’s side held on for the win.

In the lunchtime kick off, leaders Manchester United produced the proverbial smash-and-grab raid on Fulham to extend their lead at the top of the Premiership table.

Brian McBride gave The Cottagers a deserved advantage, but a Ryan Giggs volley and last-gasp Cristiano Ronaldo strike gave Utd a somewhat undeserved three-points.

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Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler has defended his club captain Steven Gerrard against accusations that Gerrard had dived to win a penalty against Sheffield United at Anfield on Saturday.

The Blades manager Neil Warnock, never one to flinch from controversy himself, launched an attack on Gerrard following his team’s 4-0 defeat. Warnock felt that the England midfielder conned Steve Bennett, the referee, into awarding The Reds a penalty.

Gerrard went down under a challenge from Rob Kozluk and Robbie Fowler, who easily converted the penalty, insists his team-mate is an honest player.

Fowler reportedly told Sky Sports that, “I think everyone knows what he [Gerrard] is about, he’s a born winner.

“I know what he [Warnock] is insinuating, but Stevie G will play for the cause and if he has got a chance he will carry on.”

Fowler also simply stated, whilst responding to a direct question as to whether Gerrard dived: “No.”

Liverpool were actually awarded two penalties by Bennett and Fowler converted both with equal aplomb. Gifting Liverpool a 2 goal lead was always going to make it difficult for Warnock’s team but in truth they [Sheffield Utd] never really threatened Liverpool and this 4 - 0 victory was an easy stroll the Merseysiders. The other Liverpool goals were scored by defender Sami Hyypia and by the Liverpool captain himself, Gerrard.

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Nicolas Anelka, the famously temperamental French striker, has stated that he is delighted with his first season so far at Bolton Wanderers and has even suggested that he could be ready to end his career at The Reebok Stadium.

Wherever Anelka has gone, he has always been seen as a gamble signing and it was no different when Sam Allardyce emptied the club’s coffers and tempted him to Bolton. At first Anelka cut a somewhat forlorn figure on his return to the North West (he had a brief loan spell at Liverpool and also Played for Man City). He struggled to adapt to a style of football more direct than he is used to.

However, since then Anelka has proved the adage that ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’, with a series of classy performances, particularly against Arsenal hos first English club) which have delighted his manager and fans alike.

Allardyce has been unstinting in his praise for the 27-year-old nomad and it would appear, for now at least, Anelka is ready to lay some roots and create his own mini-legacy at Bolton.

“I can see myself finishing my career here,” said Anelka. “Why not?

“I have experienced a lot of things with clubs in different countries.

“I could settle here even though I have qualities to play for a bigger club.

“I know that I can have one, two or three good seasons and bounce back with another club.

“But I can also stay at Bolton for the rest of my career and still play well.”

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Rangers made easy work of booking their passage into the last 16 of the Uefa Cup, (where they will meet Spanish side Osasuna), with a 4 - 0 win at Ibrox. However they were assisted by some woeful defending by the Israelis. Hapoel were better at passing the ball around but in all honesty did do anything really constructive with it and never truely threatened the Rangers goal.

Rangers captain, Barry Ferguson, scored twice and he must have please his boss, Wlater Smith, who described his display as magnificent. Smith stated his skipper had “a fantastic evening”.
He continued, “I thought it was an extremely good performance from us. Overall I felt we had a really good night.

“I don’t like to pick them out but I felt Barry Ferguson, who was given the man of the match, was outstanding again,” the Rangers boss went on.

“He’s been playing exceptionally well for us,” he added.

“He got his two goals which were the icing on the cake. His performance was fantastic.”

It must be difficult for Rangers at the moment watching their arch rivals 19 points ahead in the League and uncatchable and playing the likes of AC Milan in the Champions League whilst they are playing Hapoel (no disrespect to them). Even so, this must have been a nice distraction for them and they will be looking forward to the next round against Osasuna with relish.

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