Wigan Athletic 2 Fulham 1
Wigan stormed on as THE team of the Worthington Cup when they disposed of a third Premiership side to set up a dream quarter final tie with owner Dave Whelan's former club, holders Blackburn Rovers. And, once again, it was hit man Nathan 'Duke' Ellington who called the tune with both goals to dump Al Fayed's multi-million pound team out of a potential route into Europe.
It is the first time that the Second Division side have figured in a major quarter final and ironically Ellington, who scored in previous victories over West Brom and Manchester City, had not netted for nine games before facing Fulham.
But it only took 'Duke' 20 minutes to open the scoring and he put Wigan ahead after a neat back heel from strike partner Neil Roberts pierced the visitors' defence. The finish was as precise as the pass and Wigan were on their way.
Confusion in the Fulham defence, eight minutes later, contributed to the second 'Latics goal. Ouaddou and Knight failed to deal with a long ball from De Vos and after two unsuccessful attempts Ellington rattled home his 13th goal of the season.
The striker had a number of chances to repeat his hat-trick heroics of the earlier win against West Brom, but spurned them all. Luis Boa Morte pulled a late goal back to ensure a tense final four minutes but Wigan held on to look forward to a home quarter-final tie against holders Blackburn. I think Dave Whelan will relish that one.
Wigan assistant boss Chris Hutchings lavished praise on goalscoring hero Ellington, saying: "I think Nathan's confidence did drop a little bit but it's natural for a goalscorer who has not scored for six or seven games to wonder where the next one is coming front.
"But he has improved a lot recently as an all-round player and we knew his goals would come again. Nathan's still got a lot to learn and he knows that, and he works hard to improve on the training field."
CHELSEA 4 EVERTON 1
Chelsea achieved more than a comprehensive victory over high-flying Everton in this one-sided affair between two top Premiership sides, which could have produced an even more emphatic scoreline. The serial under-performers have finally announced themselves as serious title contenders.
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink hit a brace of goals but it was the Italian genius Gianfranco Zola who was the star of the show. Before he exited the game in the second half the maestro, who must be a strong contender to win Footballer of the Year again, had illuminated Stamford Bridge with the kind of football everyone has come to expect from the mercurial 36-year-old.
Hasselbaink put Chelsea ahead but the sublime pass from Zola that put Jimmy through was outstanding and the work of an artist. Petit made it 2-0 thanks to another laser-precise pass from Zola, giving him the rare opportunity of getting on the scoresheet.
With the Italian running the show a packed Stamford Bridge was willing him to get a goal himself and they were disappointed to see him beat Wright only for off-side to rule it out. But then there was a cameo from Zola that few others are capable off.
With the board being readied for the midfielder to be substituted Zola took a free-kick, wide on the Everton right. Everyone on the planet knew what Zola was planning. Everyone on the planet knew that he was well capable too and he deserved a goal from the set-piece, but the whipped free-kick was a fraction too high and smacked the top of the bar. What a parting shot that would have been.
Poor Everton were as bemused as rabbits in headlights and they thought they were safe with Zola gone and when Jimmy Floyd went across to take a corner, far away from threatening in the box. Not so, the striker fired in a wicked flag kick and Stanic wrapped his head around the worst marking in the world, by Li Tie, to head home number three and become the 15th Chelsea player to net this season.
Then Jimmy Floyd resumed his day job by making it 4-0. When his corner kick rebounded to him Jimmy sold a sublime dummy to cut inside and fired across several defenders and Richard Wright, inside the far netting. A top strike from a top striker.
Poor old Everton, who host Chelsea on Saturday in the league, thought that they were back in the game when the referee awarded a penalty for hand ball, against Gallas. But when Wayne Rooney insisted on taking the kick, rather than Unsworth, his poor shot was easily read by Cudicini.
The Goodison outfit did pull one back, when Naysmith scored from close range, ten minutes from time, but it was scant consolation for Everton. After the game, ahead of the league fixture, David Moyes said: We'll be much better then.
"All credit to Chelsea, but it wasn't a good performance from us. We did not have quite as much energy, and obviously Chelsea are a good team and in good form. Having three up front didn't work particularly well, but it still took a wonderful couple of passes from Zola to create the goals."
Rather than taking all the praise himself Zola preferred to turn the spotlight on his strike partner, saying: "I'm just pleased for Jimmy because he's such an important player. Nobody believes it's not important for him to score because he is a goalscorer. I'm pleased to help him because his goals are going to help the club."
BLACKBURN 4 ROTHERHAM 0 The holders swept aside First Division Rotherham with a four-goal, first half blast that owed as much to a striker who didn't play as the two who did.
On the day that Hakan Sukur arrived at Ewood Park and was introduced to the home fans, the incumbents that the Turkish World Cup star has to displace finally clicked into scoring action. With shades of their Old Trafford past Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole had Rovers 2-0 up in just a quarter of an hour.
Yorke made it 1-0 before Cole struck with a good shot on the run. Rotherham had no answer to the Premiership outfit and Yorke made it 3-0 with an embarrassing effort that bounced into the ground before squirming over Pollit.
Blackburn's fourth was equally embarrassing for Millers boss, Ronnie Moore, who described the first half as 'abysmal', saying: "I have never been as embarrassed as I was for the first 45 minutes. It was embarrassing for me, for the supporters and if it was not embarrassing for the players there is something seriously wrong."
Damien Duff it was who finally killed the game, two minutes from the interval, when he played a one-two off the left hand post before running, unmolested, across the six yard box to stick the ball inside the right hand post to make it 4-0. Game, set and match.
Graeme Souness and his side will face a sterner test at the JJB Stadium in the quarter final, but the Rovers' boss was naturally in buoyant mood afterwards and looking forward to the selection problems which lie ahead, following the arrival of Suker and the revival of the Cole and Yorke combo.
Souness said: "I think competition is a very healthy thing and it's the best way to motivate players. We've got Andy, Dwight, Hakan, Egil Ostenstad, Matt Jansen and Corrado Grabbi and they are all first-rate. There will be pressure on all of them every time they go out there on to the pitch because all they have got to do is look over at the bench and see the quality we've got there.
"They know if they want to keep their places they have to give 100 per cent every time they play and every time they train."
