The last dance of the season, of every season, the FA Cup Final is the jewel in the English Football Crown. Last year’s final between Cardiff and Portsmouth was arguably the exception, but this year’s certainly isn’t:

Underdogs Everton come into the final for the first time in 14 years, since Joe Royle’s infamous ‘dogs of war’ – led by the terrifying Duncan Ferguson – beat Manchester United in a final that was described by many as “rubbish”. This is David Moyes’ first appearance in an English FA Cup Final, as either a player or manger, but with the experienced Phil Neville leading the side, there is no shortage of big match experience. Neville himself is going for his fourth FA Cup triumph, after wins in 1996, 1999 and 2004 with Manchester United. A crucial penalty in the semi final against his former club, he says, was the first time that he really ”felt like an Everton player” despite being captain for two years. Hmmm. Unfortunately, talented centre half Phil Jagielka misses out on the Wembley showpiece with a knee injury sustained in a game against Manchester City on 25th April. Nigerian Joseph Yobo is likely to take his place in the back four.

Favourites Chelsea bid a fond farewell to Guus Hiddink on Saturday, after the dutchman guided the Blues to third position in the league and a European Cup semi final, as well as tomorrow’s FA Cup Final. Midfield maestro Frank Lampard has been passed fit to play as Chelsea are bidding to add to their FA Cup haul of four, the last of those being in 2007, where a Didier Drogba goal in extra time saw off league champions Manchester United. Like Moyes, this is Hiddink’s first taste of an English FA Cup Final, but as a European Cup winner with PSV in 1988, he is no stranger to success and the battle of wits between the Scot and the Dutchman could be where this game could be decided.

You better add this to your favourites before you go to bed because  it’s an early start American viewers, so bring your coffee and join me at around 9.30 EDT (2.30pm GMT, so not that early my fellow Brits) for this season’s denouement. Should be a good one. Maybe. Click Here for the live blog.

Editor’s Note: During the FA Cup Final live blog/chat experience on EPL Talk today, host Michael Scallon will be awarding an official EPL Talk T-Shirt to one lucky winner. Log in to find out how to win.

With their typical class, Chelsea players and staff asserted their belief, following their 1-1 agg defeat to Barcelona, that UEFA conspired against them to prevent an all-English final in the Champions League.

Players, such as Didier Drogba, displayed their sentiment by all but physically assaulting the referee as he left the pitch. Manager Guus Hiddink took a more measured tone in the subsequent press conference, but offered much the same sentiment.

“Conspiracy is a very tough word and you have to prove it,” Hiddink said. “I don’t want to go with that tough word. It was said in the build-up that it would be nice to have a repetition of last year’s final, but I can only say what I see.

“I cannot say if Uefa would not like another all-English final. What I’m sure about that, in big games like this, you need top-notch referees. Players make many mistakes, coaches makes mistakes and referees can make mistakes. But if you have seen three or four situations waved away, then it’s the worst I have seen. At this moment I’d have to think a lot if I have seen worse.”

It may have been better for UEFA business had Barcelona won, but that alone does not justify a conspiracy claim. If UEFA had conspired to fix this match, they did perhaps the worst job in the history of conspiracy.

UEFA so pressured the referee for a Barca victory at the Camp Nou that he ignored a blatant Chelsea penalty committed against Thierry Henry, booked Carles Puyol rashly causing him to miss the second and leg and sent off neither Michael Ballack nor Alex when he easily could have.

The anti-English junta flexed it’s influencing muscle even further in the second leg when Eric Abidal received a red card for being in the vicinity when Nicolas Anelka tripped over his own feet, forcing Barcelona to play with ten. Claims that UEFA was fixing the match for Chelsea are absurd.

Moreover, most of the Chelsea penalty claims in the second leg were specious.

For Alves’ foul on Malouda, the foul began outside the area and was only given at all because Malouda hurled himself to the ground against physics. Abidal’s miniscule touch on Drogba was followed by a blatant, delayed dive. Toure’s foul on Drogba, if he committed one, was outside the box. He tackled fairly in the box.

Pique’s handball, perhaps, was a penalty. But, the call was a mistake and hardly conspiracy. The referee had a shocker, but both teams had to live with him, not merely Chelsea.

Chelsea played to score one goal over two legs. They deployed 11 men in Barcelona purely to kick and stifle the opposition, forgoing an away goal. The played defensively once they went 1-0 up at Stamford Bridge, pulling off Drogba for defense, despite facing ten men.

Scoring goals and preventing the other team from scoring, not referees, decides football matches. Chelsea’s negative tactics left defeat plausible. Andres Iniesta snatched an opportunity. Conspiracy did not fell Chelsea. It was karma.

What was Guus Hiddink thinking?

Yes, clean sheet at the Camp Nou is a commendable achievement, and I still feel Chelsea are the more likely to go through to the final. But after promising that the Blues would try to score in the away leg, Hiddink’s tactics against FC  Barcelona show he had absolutely no intent of doing anything but protect his own net.

The key to containing Barcelona was controlling the midfield, and Hiddink saw this. But he took this tactic so far he didn’t give Didier Drogba any legitimate attacking support whatsoever. Frank Lampard had a decent look at goal and Florent Malouda enjoyed a threatening moment or two. But apart from that, all five of the midfielders played so defensively, one wonders if Barca were facing one of the EPL’s bottom three sides rather than one of the top four.

The best chances Drogba had came from a Barca fumble rather than a Chelsea feed. Rafa Márquez’s bungle put Drogba in on Victor Valdés who blocked his first shot. The ball fell for Drogba again and he looked sure to convert, but the grounded Valdés managed to snap to his feet and get both hands on the second attempt.

Most of Chelsea’s “attempts” on goal consisted of Petr Cech launching the ball up the pitch, hoping it would find Drogba. This allowed Barcelona to maintain a monstrous share of the possession and Chelsea relied on overcrowding them to keep a clean sheet.

The enterprise proved effective, but it would have been far wiser to chase the coveted away goal.

If Chelsea had used their ability to dominate the midfield to put more pressure on Barca, Chelsea could have pushed play into Barca’s half more often, rather than merely keeping the attacker’s in check against their ten-man defensive wall. By playing deep and defensive, Chelsea let Barca’s midfielders stay forward, which is when Barca play their best, traffic or not. And while Barca could not find the finishing touch, they dominated in possession and, apart from Drogba’s double attempt, were the only side to create any convincing chances.

There was one brief period where Chelsea forced the home side’s midfielders to pull back and help defend, and Chelsea looked like they might get something from the shift in pressure. But after Barca cleared the ball and survived the attack, the Blues never made a move to repeat it.

Chelsea will surely attack Barcelona in the London leg, but now, with no away-goal insurance, a single Barca goal would be a devastating blow, forcing Chelsea to score at least two. Two Barca goals could be the match.

The saving grace for Chelsea is Carles Puyol’s yellow card accumulation. With Márquez out injured and Puyol suspended Barca will be improvising with the back line. If Chelsea can capitalize on this, they will prevail. But Chelsea may have to give up more space to the Spanish giants once they commit midfield bodies to attack. The away goal would have allowed them to dictate play and pick their moments. Now they won’t enjoy that security, knowing the slimmest Barca chance can completely shift the balance.

Hiddink should have gone for the goals at Camp Nou. Too much can happen in this sport to rely on home form alone. Had he given Drogba even minimal attacking support and encouraged his players to use their strength and skill to promote the ball up the pitch rather than launch it, Chelsea might have come back to Stamford Bridge with a convincing edge already.

Again, I expect Chelsea to go through. But they should have taken the advantage earlier on. Some are congratulating Hiddink for containing Barcelona, but I think the man should have fielded braver tactics.

How do you stop the best player in the world, Lionel Messi will probably be keeping Guus Hiddink awake tonight as he prepares for his stiffest test yet as Chelsea’s interim manager. Whilst I appreciate the bravado that Hiddink is giving in regards to his own players, he is right to dampen down the furore over just concentrating on the supreme Argentine magician. He knows that Barcelona are the best side in Europe right now, by a country mile and to focus all their energies on Messi will see Chelsea fall straight in to Guardiola’s trap. The loss of Ashley Cole is a major problem, without another left back in the squad means the balance of the Blues will be off kilter. Dealing with that lack of balance will be Hiddink’s major concern.

Sometimes, I’m not sure people actually watch European football before commenting on it, if anyone thinks that Barcelona are a one man team, then they need their eyes testing. Of course, Messi is in phenomenal form this season, continuing on the excellent season he had for club and country in 2007-2008 and proving finally that Argentina can produce a player to cope with the tag of being “The Next Maradona”. 34 goals in 45 games for Barcelona plus 5 for Argentina is a phenomenal record, simply mind blowing.

Yet, this is a Barcelona side rescued from the indignity of underachievement through Frank Rijkaard’s last two seasons and their are several factors for this. Firstly, Daniel Alves’ signing was a masterstroke, in another season he’d be favourite for the World Player Of The Year and Chelsea and Liverpool must be kicking themselves after watching his performances this year. Thierry Henry’s second season has shown him return to form after a season of transition, with 24 goals so far and now forms part of Europe’s most famous attacking trio with Eto’o and Messi. Eto’o has also been reborn this season, with 32 goals this season.

Yet, Barca’s side oozes quality throughout but it’s the back line where perhaps Chelsea may profit, with Puyol still struggling, Marquez and Pique join Alves and Abidal in front of Victor Valdes. Now Valdes perhaps gets a little more stick than he deserves, of course he’s not one of the best goalkeepers in Europe, but he’s probably the most underated. The midfield of Xavi, Iniesta and Toure shouldn’t be underestimated at all. Toure adds the steel to the silk that Xavi and Iniesta provide and the ammunition they create has seen the strikers at Barca score 90 goals between them so far in all competitions. A staggering amount under any circumstances.

The British media seem to feel that if you stop Messi, you stop Barcelona, but that simply smacks of jingoism of the highest order. This is a side that could rule Europe for the the next 3 or 4 seasons if they strengthen the back line and tonight is the beginning of a three game period that could define Barca’s season. Hiddink knows that Chelsea are about to face their sternest test in any competition this season and if they can achieve any positive result tonight, it will be his biggest achievement so far in his short tenure at Stamford Bridge.

The general feeling from the British pundits is that Chelsea will have too much for Barcelona, but Hiddink will be instilling in his players in the dressing room that to believe their own hype is the basis for them to come away from the Camp Nou with a kicking. Even a 1-0 defeat will be viewed as a great result so for the Blues to get anything else will be an astounding result. Let’s hope it lives up to the build up and Chelsea fans will be hoping that Hiddink has their team switched on to concentrate on Barcelona and not just Lionel Messi.

It appears the pitch isn't winning as many fans at Wembley

Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger’s post match reactions following last weeks FA cup semi finals predictably brought up the issue of the Wembley pitch. To be fair to the man with a KBE and his old rival, the surface at Wembley doesn’t seem fitting to a stadium as iconic (and costly) as the re-built Wembley. But as Guus Hiddink rightfully pointed out “If you go to a lot of places in Europe and Africa you get pitches that are a lot worse than that. I don’t think you should start talking about the pitch, whether you win or lose. Fergie used the pitch as an excuse after seeing his plans to field fringe players backfire, claiming in post match interview he didn’t want his strongest team to go to extra time on the much-maligned surface because it “Looked spongey and dead”.  It is worth putting on record to say the team he fielded in no way let themselves down but I’m sure a full United side would have had more chance of winning the game. 

The pitch conditions are more often used as an excuse in domestic cup ‘giant killings’ by the losing manager. An example i remember very clearly was the league cup semi-final first leg at Bramall Lane between Sheffield United and Liverpool. Liverpool were beaten 2-1 in a scrappy encounter in which United only really looked dangerous for 20 minutes. Houllier blamed the defeat on a poor pitch and the over-physical approach of the Blades. I was at that game and accept that readers will perceive a level of bias here but I didn’t see this as the case. United were (and have been perennially) like most teams at that level, packed with of triers that try to make up for a lack of quality with work rate, commitment and trying to make games into a battle. Surely a team of Liverpool’s quality should have cruised it? Incidentally Liverpool prevailed (and deservedly so) 2-0 after extra time in the return leg and went on to lift the cup. Rafa Benitez opted not to blame the Turf Moor pitch for their defeat to Burnley in 2005 after Traore’s gaffe that dumped the Reds out of the FA Cup in 2005

Football is often labelled as a ‘man’s game’ and teams at Premier League level should be more than capable of adapting to any ailments and conditions that the weather or the pitch would throw at them and still be capable of grinding out a win against a team who in terms of quality are inferior. Surely triumphing in the face of so-called adversity is the mark of champions?

Every season we see big clubs from the Premier League take on lower division clubs and normally prevail comfortably, the reason being these players are top of their profession. They are not only physically capable of prevailing in such challenges but they are gifted enough to make the ‘lesser teams’ look like donkeys.  The long and short of it is a poor pitch maybe an excuse for an ugly game but not a defeat - especially when it is concerning players that earn the sort of wages that make the rest of us wince.

Three other silly excuses i’ve heard in football:

1) Heavy traffic affecting preparations for Sheffield Wednesday according to boss Brian Laws earlier this season. Granted the players may have cramped up in the second half due to a shortened warm-up but Wednesday lost 6 – 0 to Reading.

2) The penalty changed the game according to Harry Redknapp . Now it appears to me Spurs were leading 2-0 at the time of this undoubtedly poor decision. They shipped another four after Ronaldo converted the controversial spot-kick. For the record I’m sorry to pick on Harry, this excuse is used by a manager at some level every week.

3) A Grey shirt. This hilarious incident occured at The Dell in April 1996. Manchester United played the first half in their snazzy grey number and found themselves 3-0 down at the interval away to Southampton. Fergies storms in, orders the players to change into their blue and white third kit. They lost 3-1

I’m sure there are many of these but i can’t think of them at this moment. Please submit them, they always make me chuckle.

So Chelsea have one foot in the semi-finals of the Champions League after the marvellous 3-1 win at Anfield last week and Saturdays 4-3 win against Bolton was probably the kick up the backside the Blues needed. It’s easy to fall for the fallacy that Liverpool can’t overturn the deficit that they’ve given themselves from the first leg.

For me, there are 3 teams in Europe that you should never bet against overturning improbable results, Liverpool, Manchester United and Barcelona. Liverpool, especially in Europe have a history of doing the impossible, not just in 2005, but throughout their European campaigns going back to the 1960′s. Manchester United can always dig their way out of most holes and Barca have always had a player or two that can turn any game on it’s head but for Liverpool to pull this back would be a footballing miracle.

Hiddink’s been saying the right things since Saturday’s scare against Bolton, he knows that the worst thing for his players to think tonight is that they’re already in the semi-finals. That would play straight into Liverpool’s hands, though the fact Gerrard isn’t fit enough to even make the bench shows the size of the task ahead of them, yet with a player of Torres’ abilities and explosive finishing, an early goal could cause shock waves through Stamford Bridge.

Look at both of Torres’ goals on Saturday against Blackburn, the first an inspired half volley, the second was a towering header that saw him out jump the man mountain of Christoph Samba. Both finishes oozed class and panache and those goals will have shown Hiddink and his players that they cannot take the result for granted tonight.Torres can destroy Chelsea’s dreams if he gets any space at all.

Yet, let’s not do Chelsea down, they were magnificent at Anfield, Essien and Lampard inspired in midfield and Drogba was back to his bustling busy self. Hell, Hiddink’s even got Malouda playing somewhere near the form he showed for Lyon for so long. Lucky Guus, as his odd nickname in Holland shows, has been around far too long for him to take anything for granted. He’s shown throughout his career an ability to create sides that were much better than the sum of their parts, from PSV in the 80′s to Holland at France 98, South Korea in the 2002 World Cup and finally got Australia back to a World Cup after nearly 40 years.

He thrives on upsetting apple carts and throwing curve balls to the opposition and he has an eye on the prize of the glamour tie against Barcelona, who face a similar battle against complacency in Munich tonight. He knows that to get there, they have to navigate this tie tonight and he will have instilled in his team the need to keep fighting as if the game was 0-0. Nothing derails tactics more than a team thinking about the game after the one they are playing and that is the only thing that can stop the Blues taking their place in the semi-finals.

Liverpool have to come and go for it, they have nothing to lose and need to either win by 3 goals or score at least 4 with a 2 goal margin of victory. The task facing Liverpool is enormous but Hiddink will take nothing for granted. Let’s just hope it’s a cracking match and may the best team take the spoils.

Guus Hiddink and Chelsea saw the magic come to a deflating end against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, as a Luka Modric’s  strike in the 50th minute put a serious dent in the West London club’s title chances.  After the improvement in form that always seems to come with a change in managers, Chelsea had won four straight, pulling themselves back into the title race in the process.  Events around the league conspired to make Chelsea’s match with Tottenham their most critical to date, and Guus Hiddink’s first loss as manager could not have come at a worse time.

Hiddink, despite rampant speculation about his future at both Chelsea and as the Russia manager, managed to bring his club to life over the past month.  After showing every indication of fading from the race under Scolari, Chelsea seemed dead in the water, more likely to play for position in the top four than for a shot at the Premiership title.

Enter the Dutchman, and suddenly everything seemed right again.  Players who had chafed under the Brazilian came to life under Hiddink, and while catching front-runners Manchester United seemed somewhat unlikely, Chelsea put themselves in position to capitalize on any points dropped by their northern rivals.   The winning streak gave them hope, with a strong title push possible thanks to a remaining schedule littered with bottom half and relegation zone clubs.

More significant than the arrival of Hiddink, however, was the return of midfield stalwart Michael Essien.  Chelsea never seemed quite right without Essien patrolling the middle of the pitch, and his insertion back into the starting lineup after a lengthy injury stint was just the tonic Chelsea needed.  A new manager and the resulting dressing-room enthusiam, the return of a midfield workhorse, and a gap to the top that remained within reach despite the premature coronation of Manchester United: everything Chelsea could have wanted seemed ready for the taking.

Add the knowledge, thanks to a late start caused by a suspicious vehicle at White Hart Lane, that United was struggling against mid-table side Fulham, and Chelsea should have been primed to jump on a golden opportunity.  Instead, Spurs shut down Chelsea’s vaunted midfield, frustrated strikers Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba, and made the lone goal of the match stand up.

So what went wrong?

Perhaps Chelsea simply locked up, simply froze in the face of the opportunity presented them by United’s simultaneous struggles at Craven Cottage.   Perhaps Hiddink forgot himself and let his mind wander to Russia’s upcoming World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan.  Perhaps Spurs were just better, and Harry Redknapp’s own magic rose up to aid Tottenham’s effort.

Regardless, Chelsea let a chance to join Liverpool on sixty-four points, just one point behind leaders United, slip through their collective fingers.  Liverpool’s thrashing of Aston Villa, combined with United’s meltdown against Fulham, created intrigue at the top of the table when it appeared that there would be none.  If Chelsea had seized their opportunity the way that Liverpool did, two clubs would be hot on the heels of the leaders, a situation that could only make for a more dramatic finish to the season.   While United still have a game in hand, and therefore control their own destiny, the pressure is now on.

Just not from Chelsea.

Why is Michael Essien so underrated is a mystery to me. I must admit that I was nonplussed about him as a player, knowing next to nothing about him when he signed for Chelsea from Lyon in August 2005 for £24 million. That was in the dark days before I had Setanta and could immerse myself in French football as often as I wished. Yet, it took next to no time for me to be impressed by his dynamic style and work rate, for me he’s easily one of the best midfielders in world football and this season has shown just how important he is for Chelsea.

His performances in the three games he’s played since returning from the damaged cruciate ligament he picked up playing for Ghana against Libya have been sensational, I consider him a swashbuckling player, dynamic runs, powerful in the tackle, yet a lovely range of passing, good in the air and the positional adaptability that all managers would adore to have in their team. His goal against Juventus showed that he wasn’t held back by his injury as some players can be on their return. By throwing himself at the ball and the imposing figure of Gianluigi Buffon, without a care about his knee showed he wanted to score over anything else, he just wanted to drag his team level and also evaporate any doubts over his long term fitness.Against Manchester City yesterday, he could have had a hatrick.

Essien has shown in those games just how important he is and yet he knows he has to push the continual development of his game. When he first joined, the only thing about his game that I thought he lacked was his goalscoring, only getting two in his debut season at Chelsea. He’s certainly added that to his game since though, and his two goals in Chelsea’s last two games were massive, massive goals. The goal against Juventus, coming when it did, was such a crucial strike. If Chelsea had gone in at half time one nil down, especially scoring a goal that the referee and linesman missed, they’d be out of Europe now, no question about it. The dreadful decision would have weighed down on them and I don’t think they’d have been able to pick themselves up enough in the second half, but Essien saved the day.

His return to fitness couldn’t come at a better time for the Blues and Guus Hiddink as we reach the final furlong in European football. The Premiership is too far out of reach, regardless of Liverpool’s destruction of Manchester United on Saturday, but with Chelsea still in the F.A.Cup and Champions League, the possibility of having two cracks at silverware is tantalising close. Essien will be crucial in this run in now, his drive and effervescence, matchless in Chelsea’s engine room.

With sounds emanating from Stamford Bridge that Chelsea look likely to have a major clear out in the Summer, Essien, along with Lampard and Anelka, would be top of the list of players to keep hold of with no question of selling any of that trio and building the new Chelsea around them for a serious assault on four fronts. Essien has to be the fulcrum, the pivot that allows the team to move freely. Get that balance right and Chelsea can look to scale the heights they achieved under Mourinho once again next year.

Tuesday and Wednesday bring a full slate of Premier League action to us as the reverse fixtures of the opening weekend are played. Tonight I’ll preview Tuesday’s action, tomorrow night I’ll preview Wednesday’s action. Remember all times are Eastern.

Portsmouth v Chelsea (2:45 pm live on Fox Soccer Channel). Portsmouth have had plenty of time to prepare for Chelsea after having a ten day break. Pompey will have seen Chelsea barely scrape by Juventus and Wigan Athletic. They will have heard Guus Hiddink say that Chelsea need to find a killer instinct. The last three Chelsea performances have proven that they can be had in the second half. The question is can Portsmouth take advantage? I don’t think so, but not for a lack of trying. Portsmouth 0 Chelsea 1

West Bromwich Albion v Arsenal (2:45 pm live on Setanta Xtra. On Setanta Sports 5:00 pm). The two sides who probably at present have the most in common. Plenty of ‘pretty passing’, but no goals to show for it. Arsenal have certainly had their chances, West Bromwich Albion not so much. Both sides are desperate for points for their own individual reason. The one thing that Arsenal have going for them is the fact West Brom leave massive gaps at the back. I just don’t think they can exploit them. Yes until Arsenal can prove they can score goal for two consecutive matches, my prediction for their matches set themselves. West Bromwich Albion 0 Arsenal 0

Liverpool v Sunderland (3:00 pm live on Setanta Sports). Liverpool will be without Fernando Torres  and Alvaro Arbeloa, but will be looking to respond after their horrific performance against Middlesbrough. Sunderland have had plenty of time to prepare for Liverpool, but right now I don’t think it matters much. Liverpool will be looking to take out their bad performance against Boro on somebody, Sunderland will get to face the brunt of that revenge. This one won’t be pretty. Liverpool 3 Sunderland 0

Other Stories
So the story that seems to be getting the most legs tonight is Guus Hididnk’s pledge that he will chase Manchester United until the end of the season for the title. Well he’s right in one thing, it’ll be an uphill battle. As a Chelsea fan, I know this title race is over. There will be no repeat of what happened last season.

Sol Campbell feels that clubs that continue to see racial abuse towards players should see points deductions. That’s a start.

Brad Friedel is comparing Aston Villa’s remaining schedule as ‘11 cup finals‘. Talk about strong talk for a side just looking to get into the Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo is saying that Chris Foy wrongly booked him for diving in the Carling Cup Final. From my eyes watching the game, it sure looked like he got it right.

Speaking of the Carling Cup Final, Ben Foster will not have any action taken against him after it was revealed he used his video iPod to watch Tottenham players take penalties during the break between extra time and penalties.

And finally, David James warns there is still plenty of work to do in order for Portsmouth to avoid the drop.

I’m happy Guus is not as thrilled about Chelsea’s 1-0 win as I am.

A bit of a side bar before I get into the news tonight. Chelsea are extremely lucky they are a goal to the good heading into their Champions League second leg. For starters, I don’t believe Didier Drogba’s goal should have counted. Frank Lampard was actively offside, and when Drogba and Lampard are both teeing up to shoot, sorry the referee has to throw the flag up.

Then there are the two obvious penalties that should have been called on both Petr Cech and Michael Ballack. Then the icing on the cake, the man in the middle completely blows the last kick of the game. Alex did get the last touch and the referee didn’t seem to care.

Guus Hiddink has every right to not be happy with Chelsea’s performance Wednesday night against Juventus. Yes the first half went by fine, but Chelsea mentally checked out in the second half. Guus was the first to admit that. He isn’t satisfied with a one goal advantage heading into the second leg, but that’s understandable knowing the task at hand heading to Italy. Being complacent on an away European night could result in their ultimate undoing.

If preparing for Real Madrid wasn’t enough, having reports over your head about your job added to the difficult task Rafa had in front of him Wednesday night. The first denials about Rafa leaving hit my RSS feeder at 9:34 Wednesday morning, but nothing concrete from the ownership at Anfield.

Liverpool will be happy with their 1-0 victory. For starters they got that cliched away goal and got a road shut out. That is Rafa Benitez at his best. Every time Rafa has been under the gun, an European night has always given him comfort. Even his post match press conference was a happy place as he committed his future to Liverpool. We’ll see come this summer.

Other Stories
For those wondering, Middlesbrough are in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup after a 2-0 win over West Ham United. Now Gareth, can you get that result in league play?

And Phil Brown is hoping that an FA Cup win Thursday night will kick start Hull City’s dead form.

More FA Cup talk as Roy Hodgson is warning Manchester United that Fulham won’t be laying down. The problem is, it’s Manchester United. Even if you don’t lay down you may end up rolled over.

So Kolo Toure didn’t know the rule about not coming onto the pitch until the referee said so once play resumed? Along with a new ritual, maybe a look at the laws of the game wouldn’t hurt.

Martin O’Neill has added his two cents into the artificial pitch debate. Of course he had to use the Champions League Final jab in his comments.

So another Premier League player has been arrested. This time it was Stoke City’s Ricardo Fuller. What driving offense (or offenses) could it take to be brought in for questioning.

And finally, Tony Mowbray intends to use loan signing Juan Carlos Menseguez as a super sub for that extra spark off the bench. West Brom could use one from the start as well.