Arsenal to play Chelsea in League Cup

Arsenal will host Chelsea in the standout tie of the English League Cup fourth round after the draw was made on Wednesday.

Arsenal needed penalties to beat West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday while Chelsea booked their place in the next round with a routine win over Swindon Town on Tuesday.

Manchester United's prize for knocking out rivals Liverpool was a home tie against Norwich City.

Tottenham Hotspur will play Hull City, Newcastle United face Manchester City and Sunderland host Southampton in the other all-Premier League ties.

Second tier Birmingham City, who knocked out holders Swansea City, host another top-flight side in Stoke City, Leicester City host Fulham and Burnley welcome West Ham United.

The Capital One Cup's fourth-round ties will be played in the week beginning October 28.

Draw (Premier League unless stated):

Sunderland v Southampton
Leicester City (II) v Fulham
Birmingham City (II) v Stoke City
Manchester United v Norwich City
Burnley (II) v West Ham United
Arsenal v Chelsea
Tottenham Hotspur v Hull City
Newcastle United v Manchester City

Messi's image faces tax evasion test

Idolised for his immense skill on the field, four-time World Footballer of the Year Lionel Messi's squeaky-clean image off the pitch will come under scrutiny on Friday when he faces a judge accused of tax evasion.

The Argentine and his father Jorge Messi are due to appear in court on Friday morning in the coastal town of Gava near Barcelona, where the player resides, accused of evading tax on Messi's image rights to the tune of €4.16 million between 2006 and 2009.

Despite the looming court case, Messi's form on the field has scarcely been affected with the Barcelona forward scoring 10 goals in just seven matches this season as the Spanish champions remain unbeaten.

"I am not worried, I'm always on the sidelines of all that, just like my dad. We have our lawyers and our advisors who handle these things. We trust in them and they will solve the issue," he said back in July.

The case began in June when a prosecutor accused the Messis of evading tax by ceding the image rights of the player to "purely instrumental entities" in tax havens like Belize and Uruguay.

According to the prosecutor's report, Messi "obtained significant income" from image rights between 2006 and 2009 on which he "should have paid tax in his subsequent declarations" to the authorities and never did.

A week later, a judge accepted the footballer and his father had a case to answer and ordered for them to appear before the court.

Although the offences of which both men are accused are in principle punishable by a jail sentence, the Messis paid the tax authorities five million euros in August (the €4.16 million claimed by the taxman plus interest), which will significantly reduce any sentence should they be found guilty.

The news caused astonishment in Spain where Messi is looked upon as a more humble figure than other football stars, particularly his Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo.

"Messi is a very good player and he doesn't have a conflicting image. Rather, he has a very professional image, of being focused on what he does and very close to the public," says Carles Canto, a marketing expert for IMG Consulting.

However, despite the initial consternation, the player's popularity doesn't appear to have diminished at all due to the allegations.

"Messi's image among Barcelona fans is so solid that it is very difficult for it to be clouded by this case," adds Enric Baneres, a sports journalist for Catalan daily La Vanguardia.

"Tax evasion is something so common in Spain like the siesta or paella that the people are very permissive with it.

"A fan doesn't want to criticise their idols, so they are used to excusing them or putting the blame on someone else."

In this case the player's defence seems set to try to exonerate him of any responsibility and point the finger at his former agent Rodolfo Schinocca.

According to a document sent by Messi's father to the court, obtained by Catalan daily El Periodico, Schinocca was put in charge of organising the "structure and management" of the income from Messi's image rights.

However, Schinocca told Spanish radio station Cope that he had nothing to do with the case at hand because he stopped working with the Messis in 2006, before the supposed offences took place and accused Jorge Messi of wanting an off-shore account to manage the income from the image rights.

While Messi's 323 goals in 387 games for Barca have made him irreplaceable on the field, his income from endorsements off it has also soared.

Between 2007 and 2009 he earned more than 10.17 million euros in image rights, while American magazine Forbes make him the 10th highest paid sportsman in the world with an annual income of $21 million from endorsements alone.

Despite the court case, Messi continues to lead advertising campaigns for brands like Addidas and video games maker EA Sports, whose latest version of the immensely popular Fifa franchise is released in Spain the day before Messi is due to appear in court with the Argentine on the front cover.

"While the player is so good and his behaviour is quite normal and proper, it will not affect him too much," suggests Canto, adding that according to a study carried out by his firm in 2012, Messi has the best image of any foreign sportsman in Spain.

Spurs make case for defence v Chelsea

With the abundance of flair and attacking talent Tottenham Hotspur acquired knowing Gareth Bale was leaving, it has perhaps been surprising that their impressive start to the season owes a lot to a watertight defence.

Spurs anticipated the arrival of €100 million in Bale booty by bringing in the likes of Spain striker Roberto Soldado, Argentine forward Erik Lamela, Denmark playmaker Christian Eriksen and Brazil midfielder Paulinho.

While the new boys have already given more than a glimpse of their talents, the men in white forming an impregnable wall at the back have gone quietly about their business.

Spurs, who host London rivals Chelsea at White Hart Lane in Saturday's early kickoff, are level on points at the top of the Premier League with neighbours Arsenal and have conceded one goal in nine games in all competitions this season.

That came in a 1-0 loss away to their local rivals on September 1 but, apart from that blip, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and defenders Michael Dawson, Jan Vertonghen and Kyle Walker, along with Danny Rose and Kyle Naughton, have been rock steady.

Manager Andre Villas-Boas would dearly love a first victory over his former side since they sacked him in March last year and believes Spurs have hit the ground running.

"I think the team is playing very well, we have great strength in the squad, but I think, above all, great team spirit and ambition to do well," he said after Spurs strolled to a 4-0 League Cup third-round win at Aston Villa on Tuesday.

Chelsea, who themselves have only conceded two league goals, won 4-2 at White Hart Lane last season with Juan Mata scoring twice, but the Spain midfielder has been out of favour since Jose Mourinho returned to take charge at Stamford Bridge.

Mata has been told by the Portuguese coach that he must improve his defensive work and appeared to have taken the advice on board in their 2-0 League Cup win at Swindon Town on Tuesday when he was afforded only his third start this season.

"If you look at his performance tonight, he made Fernando's (Torres) chance early in the game, he was involved in the goal... then in injury time he conceded the final corner of the game supporting Ryan Bertrand in the left-back spot," said assistant coach Steve Holland.

"We were pleased with Juan's contribution, with and without the ball."

KNEE INJURY

Leaders Arsenal, who on Wednesday extended their away record in all competitions to 11 successive wins with a League Cup success at West Bromwich Albion on penalties, visit Wales to take on Swansea City.

Arsenal, who along with Spurs have 12 points from five games but with a slightly better goal difference, will be without sidelined winger Theo Walcott who has an abdominal injury.

Champions Manchester United will try to bounce back from last weekend's humiliating 4-1 drubbing by Manchester City when they host West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

United, who beat Liverpool 1-0 in the League Cup on Wednesday, are again likely to be without injured striker Robin van Persie.

The Dutchman has a mild groin strain and was not risked against Liverpool, with United manager David Moyes saying he had only an "outside chance" of featuring against West Brom.

Liverpool's Uruguay striker Luis Suarez made his comeback on Wednesday from a 10-game ban for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic and is set for his first league start since April when Brendan Rodgers's team visit managerless Sunderland on Sunday.

Suarez played for 90 minutes against United, looking a bit rusty but creating a few chances on his return to action.

Bottom side Sunderland, on one point, sacked Paolo Di Canio on Sunday with Kevin Ball taking temporary charge.

Third-placed Manchester City travel south for Saturday's match with Aston Villa, who will be missing leading scorer Christian Benteke for four to six weeks with a hip injury.

Chelsea's van Ginkel out for season

Chelsea's new Dutch signing, Marco van Ginkel, will miss the rest of the season and probably next year's World Cup after sustaining a serious knee injury, his agent revealed on Thursday.

The midfielder, in only his second start for Jose Mourinho's side since his switch from Vitesse Arnhem, tore his anterior cruciate ligament in Tuesday's League Cup win over Swindon.

The damage was confirmed by an MRI scan on Wednesday, his agent Rob Jansen told Dutch news agency ANP.

Jansen added the player would undergo surgery "in the next few days" and could be out for up to nine months.

His participation for Holland at the 2014 World Cup "is threatened", Jansen admitted.

Van Ginkel went down injured following an early challenge by Swindon's Alex Pritchard. Despite trying to play on, van Ginkel then went off in the 10th minute at League One Swindon's County Ground.

"We've got an injury to Marco which, it's a little bit too early to be certain but it doesn't look good," said Chelsea assistant first-team coach Steve Holland after the game.

Suarez damaged club brand - Ayre

Liverpool's managing director says Luis Suarez's racist abuse and biting incidents have damaged the club's brand.

Ian Ayre, though, says the troubled striker "has responded well to ... work on his character."

Suarez returned on Wednesday against Manchester United from a 10-game ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during an English Premier League game in April.

The Uruguay international had previously been banned for eight games for racially abusing United's Patrice Evra in 2011.

Speaking at the Sport Industry breakfast in London, Ayre says "any types of incident of that nature are damaging to the brand."

Suarez pushed to leave Liverpool during the offseason but was denied a move, with bids from Arsenal rejected.

Ayre sees Suarez as key to the team, saying "as a footballer, he's a street fighter.

Suarez returns 'ready to help

Luis Suarez made his long-awaited return to the Liverpool team on Wednesday and said: "I'm here to help."

"I know it was a difficult moment but for myself and for the team it's very important I'm back because I can help the team and off the pitch I can't," Suarez said after playing all 90 minutes of the 1-0 defeat by Manchester United in the Carling One Cup on Wednesday.

"We'll keep going for the week and for the next game. All the time I try my best on the pitch. I'm here to help the team and help Liverpool and I'll try my best."

The Uruguay striker was banned for 10 matches at the end of last season for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic.

Having been banned for eight games the previous season for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra, the 26-year-old is a controversial figure.

Suarez pushed for a move from Liverpool in the summer, claiming manager Brendan Rodgers had reneged on a promise to allow him to leave if they did not qualify for the Champions League.

But after Liverpool stayed strong and refused to sell him, Suarez said he was determined to help the team succeed.

"The result was not good because we lost but the feeling is good because we played very well, we created chances and we missed," he said of the United defeat.

Liverpool sit fifth in the Premier League, having picked up 10 points from their first five matches, two points off the lead.

Arsenal, Spurs look to keep pace

Arsenal and Tottenham, two rivals steeped in history, will look to keep pace with one another at the top of the English Premier League this weekend.

The two north London rivals sit together on 12 points from their first five matches, two points clear of Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Both sides have invested heavily in the transfer market this summer and though they each lost one match, they have begun to repay their initial outlay.

Arsenal take their squad, including Mesut Ozil, to Swansea, while Tottenham take on Chelsea at White Hart Lane.

The arrival of Ozil, for 42 million pounds (67 million dollars) from Real Madrid, has galvanised an Arsenal side that rebounded from an opening-day defeat by Aston Villa with four straight wins.

The Germany forward has impressed in his outings so far and manager Arsene Wenger believes his side's togetherness helped them bounce back to reach the top of the table.

"The fact that we could say 'look guys, we have been together for a while, we know that we have bounced back before, let's do that again'. That is where the stability is important," Wenger said.

"I would say mental togetherness, desire to win, motivational level and hunger, and of course on top of that, quality.

"I believe maybe the shock of the first home defeat as well, but overall if you consider the long-term run we are on since March you can say that this group has been remarkably consistent. That shows some special quality in my opinion."

Having reinvested the world record 86 million pounds they received from Real Madrid for Gareth Bale, Tottenham are full of confidence as they welcome Chelsea to White Hart Lane.

The new signings, including Paulinho, who scored the winner last weekend at Cardiff, are all bedding in well but it is the return to fitness of Jermain Defoe that has also sparked their boost in form.

The England striker moved up to fifth in the all-time Tottenham goalscoring list in midweek with his 139th goal and said he was enjoying his time.

"I look at all the great players in the top 10 and to be fifth, it's a dream," he said.

"I'm trying not to think about it too much as it's a long season but of course it's at the back of my mind every time I go on the pitch because I want to score. It's something special and I want to keep it going."

Behind the top two, the chase is already on with Manchester City riding high after Sunday's 4-1 drubbing of champions and neighbours Manchester United.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini, whose side travel to Aston Villa, was just as happy with a midweek League Cup win over Wigan.

"I spoke with the players before this game, telling them that we must always try and play in the same way as we did on Sunday," Pellegrini said.

"We can change names but for me it was important to see today the same team we saw on Sunday - the same philosophy, the same intensity and of course, scoring 12 goals in a week is very important."

United, who bounced back from their defeat at City by edging out Liverpool in the Cup in midweek, host West Bromwich Albion with manager David Moyes impressed by the character of his side.

"It was a big game for us," he said. "We lost at Anfield a few weeks ago and at the Etihad last week, so we wanted to put that right."

Bottom side Sunderland, managerless after the sacking of Paolo Di Canio, face Liverpool while second-bottom Crystal Palace travel to Southampton.

Fulham play Cardiff, West Ham travel to Hull, Stoke host Norwich and Everton take on Newcastle in the weekend's other matches.

Moyes heartened by United's reaction

Manchester United manager David Moyes spoke of how he felt encouraged after seeing his side bounce back from their derby drubbing by Manchester City to knock Liverpool out of the League Cup.

Sunday's abject 4-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium left United five points off the pace in the Premier League, but they showed signs of life in a 1-0 win over age-old rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

"What was important was that the whole club showed that we were hurt by the game on Sunday," said Moyes, after a victory that set up a fourth-round tie with Norwich City.

"We didn't perform to our levels. And they've gone out and the players have done a great job to get us a big result, so I'm really pleased with them.

"We know we have to improve. I'm getting to know them. They're a really good team; they won the Premiership last year. But we need to make sure that we're looking to improve as well."

Javier Hernandez scored the game's only goal, stealing away from Jose Enrique to convert a Wayne Rooney corner from close range in the 46th minute of an engaging and open-ended cup tie.

Paradoxically, despite United having made their worst start to a league campaign in nine years, the win over Liverpool meant that Moyes has made the best start as a United manager since the great Matt Busby in 1946.

He poured scorn on the statistic, but admitted he was eager to see more positive headlines about the early days of his United tenure.

"Somebody told me that before the game. That's the way it is," said the Scot, who also revealed that Tom Cleverley had sustained an unspecified injury in training.

"Everybody at the moment seems to be picking a stat out – you know, I've not won here or I've done this or I've not done that. Obviously that's one of the good ones, because I've not had that many good ones."

Hernandez's goal eclipsed the return of Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, who was making his comeback after serving a 10-game suspension for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in a league match in April.

The Uruguayan played for the full 90 minutes and almost claimed an equaliser with 18 minutes to play, only for his free-kick to flick off the United wall and crash against the crossbar.

"Considering he's been out for such a long time, he ran himself into the ground and you could see he was always a threat," said Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.

"He put defenders on the back foot, he had a couple of wee twists and turns. And obviously as he goes on he'll get a wee bit sharper, but overall he can be really pleased and I was really happy for him."

Rodgers was also heartened by the warm reaction that Suarez received from the club's travelling fans, despite his attempts to engineer a move away from Anfield during the close season.

"You heard them at the beginning. The support that they have given him is unheralded, really," he told reporters.

"They were brilliant towards him and he's given them everything. He had a clap to the crowd before the match started, so he recognises everything they've given him.

"Now he's just got to get his head down and give them that great talent that he has."

Liverpool conceded top spot in the Premier League after losing at home to Southampton on Saturday, but with no other distractions on their agenda, Rodgers has promised an all-out assault on the league.

"Now we can only concentrate on the league through to Christmas, so we have to make sure that we stay up in that top six in the league, keep fighting, and hopefully we can reinforce again in January," he said.

United 0 Chelsea 0

Manchester United and Chelsea cancelled each other out as David Moyes’ first Barclays Premier League home game in charge ended in a fascinating draw on a noisy evening at Old Trafford.Wayne Rooney started for the first time this season and was lively as the fulcrum in Moyes’ new-look 4-2-3-1 formation, but Jose Mourinho’s side coped with everything in United’s armoury, even if they rarely threatened David De Gea’s goal themselves.
The Reds enjoyed the better of the first half but Robin van Persie’s fizzed shot into the side-netting was as close as the champions came to scoring. Chelsea, meanwhile, relied largely on the counter-attack and De Gea was twice called into action to thwart Oscar.
The pattern continued after the break as United played the more penetrative football but couldn’t prise open the visitors. Danny Welbeck bent the ball just wide from inside the box after good work by Rooney, while Tom Cleverley had a strong penalty appeal waved away after his shot appeared to hit Frank Lampard on the arm.
Chelsea finally added some directness to their play with the introduction of Fernando Torres but United weren’t unduly troubled and Moyes sought to make a breakthrough by bringing on Ashley Young and Ryan Giggs.
However, despite the best efforts of Rooney, whose arrowing 25-yard drive was tipped wide by Petr Cech, United couldn’t break the deadlock and the spoils were shared.

Liverpool 1 United 0

Manchester United slipped to a first defeat of the 2013/14 season as Daniel Sturridge's early header for Liverpool decided a fractious meeting at Anfield.The former Manchester City and Chelsea striker alertly redirected Daniel Agger's header from a Steven Gerrard corner in the fourth minute to send the home support wild.
In an open start to the game, both sides could have embellished the scoreline. Robin van Persie hooked an overhead kick just over Simon Mignolet's goal, and the Liverpool goalkeeper was later relieved to see both van Persie and Danny Welbeck miss Ashley Young's low corner.
The hosts passed up two promising openings from dead ball situations, with David De Gea smartly clutching Gerrard's curling effort, before the game descended into a fractious affair which yielded bookings for Tom Cleverley, Michael Carrick, van Persie and Liverpool's Iago Aspas.
David Moyes' side dominated proceedings in the second period, but without forging enough clear-cut openings. Antonio Valencia, Nani and Chicharito were gradually introduced from the bench, and the latter pair combined to release van Persie in the 87th minute for United's clearest chance. However, the Dutchman could only fire wide of Mignolet's near post.
Despite grasping almost total control of the game and reducing the hosts to a defensive mass, the champions couldn't muster the penetration to reap rewards and suffered a first defeat of the season.

United 2 Crystal Palace 0

United collected a first home league win under David Moyes by seeing off Crystal Palace with a goal in each half through Robin van Persie and the returning Wayne Rooney.

Ashley Young was a central figure in the first half as he was brought down by Kagisho Dikgacoi to allow van Persie to net a penalty after earlier being booked by referee Jon Moss for simulation after tangling with the same player.

Both sides seemed to take time to settle in the early kick-off and there were precious few efforts on goal until the match livened up following a magical backheeled attempt by van Persie that flew wide.

Van Persie opted for power rather than precision after chesting down an exquisite pass by Rooney and crashed past Julian Speroni but against the bar. Rooney, playing wearing a protective headband, was unable to reach a Young cross but Dwight Gayle lofted a clear opportunity at the other end wide after getting the better of Rio Ferdinand.

The key moment came just before half time as referee Moss awarded United a penalty and sent Dikgacoi off after some sloppy defending allowed Young through on goal. Van Persie kept his cool to beat Speroni from the spot for his fifth goal of the domestic season.

Any thoughts that the Reds would run away with the game after the interval were dismissed as Young could only fire a precise Anderson through ball at Speroni. The introduction of Marouane Fellaini and Adnan Januzaj helped spark sustained pressure as Speroni scrambled away a Fellaini drive, van Persie curled over the top and Rooney had shot blocked. The killer second finally arrived when Rooney swept a free-kick beyond Speroni's reach after Januzaj had been fouled.

United 4 Leverkusen 2

The Reds kicked off the 2013/14 European campaign with a 4-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen as Wayne Rooney reached the 200-goal mark for the club.In David Moyes’ first Champions League game as boss, United secured a hard-fought win in their opening Group A game thanks to a Rooney double and a strike apiece from Robin van Persie and Antonio Valencia.
After a pretty even opening 20 minutes, Rooney broke the deadlock in the 22nd, volleying home Patrice Evra’s left-wing cross after excellent work from Robin van Persie in the build-up. Rooney and Kagawa went close to doubling the advantage in quick succession just before the break, and soon after the restart Rooney somehow failed to find the goal or van Persie when he rounded Leverkusen keeper Bernd Leno after pinching the ball from Omer Toprak.
United were made to pay seconds later when Leverkusen captain Simon Rolfes curled a 25-yard shot past David De Gea, via a wicked deflection off Michael Carrick. It wasn’t long before the Reds were back in front though with a rare strike in front of the Stretford End for van Persie, his first there since Stoke last season. It came via a cross from Valencia with van Persie hooking an excellent right-foot volley past Leno, who got a touch to it but couldn’t keep it out.
Rooney fired his landmark strike on 70 minutes, finishing with aplomb after Leverkusen failed to deal with De Gea’s long punt upfield, before he teed up Valencia to blast home the fourth. There was still time for Leverkusen to grab a second through Toprak and van Persie to miss an open goal, but the most important thing was three points for United.

Report: City 4 United 1

A powerful display from Manchester City condemned Manchester United to a 4-1 defeat in a chastening local derby for the Barclays Premier League champions.

Sergio Aguero’s superb opener put the hosts in the ascendancy after 16 minutes, and Yaya Toure’s close-range goal in first-half injury-time left the Reds - shorn of the injured Robin van Persie - struggling to retain a foothold in the game.

That perilous position was compounded by a disastrous opening to the second half, as City struck twice in five minutes, again with slack marking playing a part in United’s demise as Aguero and Samir Nasri were given time and space to beat the exposed De Gea.

Pride smarting and with City increasingly inclined to sit back on their advantage and look to strike on the counter-attack, United showed greater purpose thereafter and began creating chances.

However, City’s defence was as obdurate as its midfield and attacking counterparts were incisive, and the Reds' only consolation came when Wayne Rooney curled home a magnificent 87th-minute free-kick.

David Moyes’ side had been condemned to a second defeat of the season long before that point, though, and now must quickly switch their sights to Wednesday’s Capital One Cup clash with Liverpool.

Beyond that, next Saturday brings the league visit of West Bromwich Albion to Old Trafford, and a chance for the champions to emerge positively from a taxing start to the defence of their title.

Dortmund edge Munich in extra time

Borussia Dortmund needed extra-time to edge past second-tier 1860 Munich 2-0 and book their spot in the last 16 of the German Cup after dominating Tuesday's tie and hitting the woodwork four times.

Substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang converted a penalty after 1860's Dominik Stahl was sent off for a foul on Marco Reus in the 105th minute and Henrikh Mkhitharyan added another after a textbook break two minutes later.

"We must and can win difficult games like this," said Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp.

"We had the best chances but did not use them and then hit the woodwork four times. That does not happen every day.

"If we had scored earlier it would have maybe been a different game. The goals we scored were super in their execution. I just would have liked to see them in the 90 minutes," he told reporters.

Dortmund were kept at bay in the first half by a well-oiled 1860 defence before the visitors rattled the crossbar with a Jakub Blaszczykowski effort right after the restart.

Dortmund, eager to rebound from their opening Champions League defeat to Napoli and a 1-1 draw at Nuremberg last week, upped the pressure and had more than 70 percent possession in the second half but could not work their way into the box.

The 2012 Cup winners were also repeatedly denied by 1860's veteran keeper Gabor Kiraly, who at 37 showed he had lost none of his reflexes when he flicked a Marco Reus shot onto the post with his foot early in extra time.

Germany international Reus then rattled the bar in the 97th, curling a free kick over the wall before earning a penalty following a push by Stahl, who was given his marching orders.

LATE GOALS

Gabon international Aubameyang sent Kiraly the wrong way to break the deadlock after his team had 32 shots on target compared to two for their opponents.

With 1860 down to ten men and suffering with tired legs having made no substitutions, Dortmund struck again two minutes later after a dazzling move.

Keeper Mitchell Langerak fed Jonas Hofmann, who sprinted down the right, cut into the box at just the right moment and fed the Armenian forward to round Kiraly, beat a defender and slot in. Aubameyang still had time to whip a free kick against the bar with three minutes left to play.

Augsburg enjoyed a much easier evening, cruising past third tier Preussen Muenster 3-0 while fellow Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg also booked their last-16 spot with a 2-0 win over second-division Aalen.

Hamburg SV briefly forgot their Bundesliga troubles to beat second tier Greuther Fuerth 1-0 and earn some respite before Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk takes over from sacked Thorsten Fink on Wednesday.

Bayer Leverkusen, third in the league, continued their positive start to the season with a 2-0 victory over second division club Arminia Bielefeld with South Korean Son Heung-min and Sidney Sam on target.

Bundesliga club Mainz 05 suffered a different fate, falling 1-0 at home to second tier Cologne on Tuesday, with former Mainz player Marcel Risse benefitting from some bad defending to score the winner in the 53rd minute.

Holders Bayern Munich take on Hanover 96 in an all-Bundesliga second round match on Wednesday.

Marseille get back to winning ways

Marseille put their recent patchy form behind them to beat Saint-Etienne 2-1 at the Stade Velodrome in Ligue 1 on Tuesday evening.

After a fine start to the season, OM had gone four matches without a win in all competitions before hosting Les Verts.

However, Saint-Etienne had not won in Marseille since August 1979, when Michel Platini was among the scorers, and their miserable record in the fixture was extended as they failed to fully recover from the concession of two first-half goals.

Elie Baup's side came flying out of the blocks and opened the scoring in the 22nd minute when Benjamin Mendy connected first-time with a Mathieu Valbuena cross from the right, his shot bouncing over the stranded Stephane Ruffier and into the net.

The young full-back's first Ligue 1 goal was followed by a first top-flight goal for midfielder Giannelli Imbula four minutes later.

Imbula slotted low past Ruffier from a Rod Fanni cross at the end of a fine Marseille move, to leave Saint-Etienne facing a second straight defeat already.

The visitors were handed a lifeline just after the half-hour mark when Alaixys Romao was harshly adjudged to have handled a Yohan Mollo cross right on the edge of the area and Faouzi Ghoulam stepped up to slot the penalty past Steve Mandanda in goal.

However, they could not find an equaliser, and might have lost by more goals, with Ruffier notably saving twice from Valbuena before the interval.

"After they came back to 2-1 we found things a bit more complicated," admitted Baup, speaking to Canal Plus television after the game.

"But we have played well since the start of season, even in losing to Monaco and Arsenal, and we were rewarded tonight."

The win takes Marseille above Saint-Etienne and provisionally into second place in the table, behind leaders Monaco on goal difference before the unbeaten principality club play host to Bastia on Wednesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, Lille followed up their weekend 2-0 win at Sochaux with a convincing 3-0 home victory against Evian.

Salomon Kalou's neat back-flick turned a Florent Balmont shot into the net to give Lille an early lead in France's far north, and the unfortunate Jesper Hansen then scored an own-goal 32 minutes in.

The Danish goalkeeper, who was making his Ligue 1 debut, did well to tip a Nolan Roux header onto the bar, but the ball then richocheted off him and into the net to make it 2-0.

Ronny Rodelin then took advantage of poor defending to seal the victory in the second half.

Among the other games on Wednesday, defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, who trail the leaders by two points, go to struggling Valenciennes without captain Thiago Silva, who faces six weeks out with a thigh injury.

Own goal gives Udinese home win

Udinese beat visiting Genoa 1-0 from a second-half own goal in the opening game of a mid-week Serie A round on Tuesday.

Substitute striker Calaio nodded a free-kick into his own goal, after Antonio Di Natale curled the shot from the left flank 11 minutes from time. The Udine side have seven points from five games, while Genoa stayed rooted on four.

Roma and Napoli lead on a maximum 12 points when they play on nesday at Sampdoria and at home to promoted Sassuolo, respectively.

Champions Juventus, on 10 points, visit Chievo, while Inter Milan and Fiorentina, also on 10, play a final top-billing game Thursday.

Byrne explains Di Canio sacking

Sunderland chief executive Margaret Byrne said on Tuesday that the club sacked manager Paolo Di Canio in order to avoid becoming "cut adrift" at the foot of the Premier League.

The 45-year-old Italian was fired on Sunday after Sunderland drew one and lost four of their opening five league games, culminating in a 3-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion.

Reports in the British media suggest Sunderland's players were unhappy with the outspoken Di Canio's methods, but Byrne said he was removed purely to improve the club's chances of staying up.

Writing in the match-day programme ahead of Tuesday's League Cup third-round tie with Peterborough United, she said: "While the focus is on tonight's game, I know how disappointed each and every supporter was after Saturday's result at West Brom. Everyone at the club felt the same disappointment.

"After Paolo saved us from relegation last season, we gave him an opportunity to take the club forward this season.

"When it became obvious it wasn't working, we had to take the decision to part company with him. We felt it was better to do this now as we ran the risk of being cut adrift at the bottom of the Barclays Premier League.

"We wish Paolo and his staff well for the future."

Development coach Kevin Ball has been put in temporary charge of first-team affairs, with former Brighton and Hove Albion manager Gus Poyet the favourite to succeed Di Canio on a permanent basis.

Mascherano suffers hamstring injury

Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano is a doubt for the Catalans' Champions League clash with Celtic next week after picking up a hamstring problem against Real Sociedad on Tuesday.

The former Liverpool man was replaced by Marc Bartra 10 minutes before halftime with Barca already leading 3-0.

"Mascherano has suffered an elongation of his right hamstring," Barca said on the club's official Twitter account.

"He will undergo more tests on Wednesday."

Barca are extremely short of options in central defence should the Argentine international be out for any sustained period of time.

Apart from Gerard Pique, the inexperienced Bartra is the only match-fit centre-back at the club as captain Carles Puyol works his way back to full fitness following knee surgery in July.

Brazilian full-back Adriano was also used at the heart of the defence last season, but he is currently deputising for Jordi Alba at left-back as the Spanish international is also sidelined with a hamstring problem.

Celtic stunned by second-tier Morton

Celtic suffered an embarrassing Scottish League Cup third round exit, losing 1-0 at home to second-tier Morton after extra time on Tuesday.

Dougie Imrie scored a penalty for the Scottish Championship strugglers in the 97th minute after Efe Ambrose was penalised for handball.

Celtic manager Neil Lennon made five changes for the tie and, while it was one-way traffic for the Scottish champions and Champions League participants, they could not find a way through.

The Scottish League Cup is the only domestic trophy Lennon has yet to win.

Morton have won just one of their six second division games this season and are second-bottom of the table.

Lambert irked by Helenius's bum deal

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert expressed disbelief after Nicklas Helenius had his shorts pulled down but was denied a penalty in Tuesday's loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup.

With Villa trailing 1-0 early in the second half at Villa Park, Spurs defender Jan Vertonghen tugged Helenius's shorts down to his knees as the Danish striker shaped to shoot inside the Spurs area.

Despite having his underpants on show, Helenius proceeded to fire a shot over the bar, but Lambert felt he should have been awarded a penalty.

"It is the first time I have seen something like that happen," said the Villa manager, whose side went on to lose 4-0.

"You hope you get those decisions. I don't think anybody could believe he wasn't pulled back.

Odemwingie back among the goals

Tuesday night was a bitter sweet one for controversial Nigerian striker, Peter Odemwingie who scored for Cardiff City, the club he joined on transfer deadline day from West Bromwich Albion.

The forward scored late in the second half in City’s 2-3 loss to West Ham United at Upton Park as the Bluebirds crashed out of the Capital One Cup.

Odemwingie’s finish in the 76th minute had temporarily pegged scores at 2-2 but Ricardo Vaz Te’s finish two minutes from time stuck a dagger in Cardiff hearts.

The Nigerian who endured a difficult last six months at WBA will however be pleased with his goal as he got to the end of Jordan Mutch’s cross to finish with his left foot from close range.

It was his first goal for City following his acrimonious departure from the Hawthorns and he duly took to Twitter to discuss his performance in the five-goal thriller.

“Happy to score my first goal for Cardiff City. Hope many more to come in the league which is our main objective. Big thanks to our supporters for travelling down on a Tuesday night. Bad result but a good lesson for the games to come in the league,” he tweeted to his 204,453 followers via @OdemwingieP.

Odemwingie has previously played for La Louviere, Lille, Lokomotiv Moscow and West Bromwich Albion.

City, Chelsea, Spurs cruise to wins

Stevan Jovetic and Jesus Navas scored their first goals for Manchester City who avenged last season's shock FA Cup final defeat by Wigan Athletic with a 5-0 victory in the League Cup third round on Tuesday.

Montenegro striker Jovetic, signed for 25 million pounds from Fiorentina in the close season, scored twice on a night when fellow Premier League heavyweights Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur also eased into the next round.

Fernando Torres started for Chelsea and scored their first goal in a 2-0 win at League One (third tier) Swindon Town while Jermain Defoe, who is also often left on the bench, made the most of his outing at Aston Villa with a brace in a 4-0 victory.

Everton, the only unbeaten team in the Premier League, squandered a lead at Fulham for whom Darren Bent clinched a 2-1 win. In another all top-flight tie West Ham United beat Cardiff City 3-2 at Upton Park with a late winner from Ricardo Vaz Te after the visitors had battled back from 2-0 down.

Manchester City's 1-0 defeat by Wigan at Wembley in May led to manager Roberto Mancini being shown the door and Chilean Manuel Pellegrini taking his place at the Etihad Stadium.

Wigan, who were relegated from the Premier League last season, also have a new man in charge in Owen Coyle but never threatened a repeat of their FA Cup heroics.

Edin Dzeko put City ahead after 33 minutes and Jovetic scored from close range to make it 2-0 on the hour.

Yaya Toure curled in a free kick for City's third before Jovetic, who will be hoping to put a dent in England's World Cup hopes next month, headed his second.

Spain winger Navas then wrapped up an easy win for City who made 10 changes to the side that thrashed champions Manchester United in the Premier League at the weekend.

"We can change names but, for me, it was important to see today the same team we saw on Sunday - the same philosophy, the same intensity and, of course, scoring 12 goals in a week is very important," Pellegrini said.

WHOLESALE CHANGES

Chelsea's Jose Mourinho also made wholesale changes to his side with Juan Mata, David Luiz and Torres, none of whom were in the squad for the win against Fulham on Saturday, coming in.

Torres pounced in the 29th minute when Mata's shot was turned into his path by Swindon goalkeeper Wes Foderingham.

The Spain striker then played an astute pass to Brazilian midfielder Ramires whose silky finish gave Chelsea some breathing space.

Tottenham, who host Chelsea on Saturday in the Premier League, warmed up with a convincing display at Villa as they registered an eighth win in nine matches in all competitions.

Defoe headed Spurs in front from Lewis Holtby's clever lobbed pass and their Brazil midfielder Paulinho hooked in a second from Holtby's corner shortly after the interval.

Belgium winger Nacer Chadli got his first Tottenham goal before Defoe completed the rout from Holtby's assist late on.

Sunderland earned some respite in their first match since Sunday's sacking of their controversial Italian manager Paolo di Canio, winning 2-0 at home to third tier Peterborough.

Norwich City needed a stoppage-time equaliser at second tier Watford before winning 3-2 in extra time while Hull City and Southampton completed the march of the Premier League sides with a 1-0 win over Huddersfield and 2-0 victory against Bristol City respectively.

Former League Cup winners Nottingham Forest lost 2-1 at fellow Championship (second division) side Burnley while Leicester City, another side to have won the competition, beat Derby County by the same score.

SCHWARZER: THE RIGHT WAY

Mark Schwarzer is expected to make his debut away at Swindon Town this evening, bringing with him a strong League Cup pedigree.

The Australian appeared in three finals as a Middlesbrough player, losing to Leicester City in 1997 and a Gianluca Vialli-managed Chelsea in 1998 before finally lifting the trophy in Cardiff after victory over Bolton Wanderers in 2004.

Now working under Jose Mourinho, Schwarzer is looking forward to a first outing after understudying Petr Cech since his summer switch from Fulham, and retains the hunger for another final.

'Over the years my sides have done reasonably well and I've won it once before with Middlesbrough, as well as playing in a couple of finals, so generally I've had a pretty good time,' Schwarzer said.

'I played at the old Wembley Stadium twice, once against Chelsea, which was fortunate, and then at Cardiff for the final we won in 2004, but I've never played at the new Wembley, which is something to aspire to this time around for sure, and I'd like to help the club reach another final.'

We are yet to lift the League Cup since the reopening of Wembley in 2007, having won it earlier that year in Wales before losing to Spurs after extra-time a year later. Last season we were beaten semi-finalists as Swansea went on to beat Schwarzer's former side Bradford City in the final.

Schwarzer is determined for there to be no slip-ups this time around, starting tonight at the County Ground as he prepares, at 40, to become Chelsea's oldest ever debutant.

'I've been made aware of it before,' he smiled. 'I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, and I don't even tend to look at those sort of statistics. I just want to go and do my thing, play as well as I possibly can and hopefully help the team get through to the next round.

'We will approach the game in the right way, we've got a very strong squad travelling and we will approach this game as seriously as any other

TEAM NEWS: SWINDON V CHELSEA

Mark Schwarzer makes his Chelsea debut and Ceser Azpilicueta makes his 50^th Chelsea appearance.

There is plenty of experience in defence with David Luiz, Gary Cahill and Ryan Bertrand also selected.

Captain for the night Michael Essien and Marco van Ginkel are the central midfield pair, with Juan Mata ahead of them in the no.10 role.

Willian plays his second game for his new club and Fernando Torres leads the attack.

Lewis Baker, an 18-year-old midfielder who has come through the Chelsea Academy, is on the bench for the first time.

Swindon make one change - Alex Pritchard coming into midfield for Louis Thompson.

Chelsea are expected to line up in the following 4-2-3-1 formation:

1 Mark Schwarzer; 28 Cesar Azpilicueta, 24 Gary Cahill, 4 David Luiz, 34 Ryan Bertrand; 5 Michael Essien (c), 16Marco van Ginkel; 15 Kevin De Bruyne, 10 Juan Mata, 22 Willian; 9 Fernando Torres.

Substitutes: 46 Jamal Blackman, 26 John Terry, 7 Ramires, 47 Lewis Baker, 14 Andre Schürrle, 19 Demba Ba, 29 Samuel Eto'o.

Swindon are expected to line up in the following 4-3-3 formation:

Foderingham; N Thompson, Hall (c), Ward, McEveley; Luongo, Kasim, Pritchard; N'Guessan, Ranger, Ajose.

Substitutues: Belford, Elgabas, Barthram, Storey, L Thompson, Branco, Wood.

The referee is Michael Oliver.

Follow the game via our Live Matches from 7.15pm (UK time).

MATCH REPORT: SWINDON TOWN 0 CHELSEA 2

Chelsea are safely through to the Capital One Cup fourth round thanks to goals from Fernando Torres and Ramireson Tuesday evening.

Two strikes within eight first-half minutes did the damage against a Swindon side on a good run of form capable of playing tidy football but lacking a killer edge.

For much of the game the same could be said of Chelsea, with a number of chances passed up over the 90 minutes, but at the decisive moments, our class, and that of Torres in particular shone through, first when he poked home from close range after Juan Mata's shot had been saved, and then when he turned exquisitely to release substituteRamires to chip home.

The Brazilian was only involved due to Marco van Ginkel's early injury, which saw the young Dutchman limp off after twisting a knee, and Ramires himself was withdrawn at the break.

In the second half, Swindon had one effort ruled out for offside while Mark Schwarzer saved well on his Chelsea debut before Torres, Willian and Demba Ba all came close to adding to the winning margin. Next up is Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Saturday.

Team newsJose Mourinho made 10 changes from the side which beat Fulham on Saturday, with Gary Cahill the only survivor in the centre of defence. That meant a debut for Schwarzer, our oldest ever debutant at 40, and a first Chelsea appearance in over a year for captain Michael Essien, who was taking the armband for the first time.

As promised by the manager, there were recalls for Cesar Azpilicueta, Ryan Bertrand, David Luiz and Mata, while Van Ginkel and Willian made only their second starts for the Blues.

First halfThere was bad news early on for the Blues, however, as Van Ginkel had to be replaced after just nine minutes following a painful looking fall in which he looked to have twisted his knee. Ramires was the replacement.

Soon afterwards came the game's first attempt at goal, David Luiz testing the reflexes of Swindon goalkeeper Wes Foderingham with a wicked, dipping free-kick that was beaten away into play. Fifteen minutes later Foderingham was called into action again, this time saving bravely from Torres who had been slipped through one-on-one by Mata.

Torres would soon make amends, putting the Blues in front with a simple tap-in after the home keeper had made an excellent stop to deny Mata after Ramires had squared for the playmaker.

FINAL WHISTLE VERDICT: CAPITAL GAINS, AND LOSSES

Steve Holland was on post-match media duties following our Capital One Cup tie at Swindon, and was pleased to have won but admitted there are injury concerns over Marco van Ginkel and Ramires.

First-half goals from Fernando Torres and Ramires, who had replaced Van Ginkel early on, were enough to see us past our League One opponents, as a much-changed Chelsea side dominated proceedings for much of the match.

Jose Mourinho made 10 changes to the side which beat Fulham at the weekend, allowing various members of his squad some important match practice ahead of a busy period of important fixtures.

Assistant Holland believes several of those figures will be in contention to face Spurs at the weekend, having impressed at the County Ground, but there will be concerns over Tuesday's casualties.

'It wasn't perfect because we've got an injury to Marco which is a little bit too early to be certain but it doesn't look good,' Holland said. 'He'll have a scan tomorrow on the injury to his knee and his substitute Ramires had to go off with a muscular injury at the top of the hip in the gluteal area which was causing more discomfort as he tried to run it off. He'll be a major doubt for the Tottenham game at the weekend. They're the two major disappointments of the evening.'

Injuries aside, there were positives in the performances of Juan Mata and Fernando Torres, with the kind of work-rates demanded by Mourinho in his forwards. Holland discussed both at length. On Mata, he said:

'A lot has been made of the Mata situation because he's a high-profile player. The message from Jose to all our attacking players from day one has been they need to contribute offensively in terms of their production, not just look a good player but to score goals, make chances and be a threat to the opposition goal, but of course they have to contribute out of possession and defend. That's been the challenge not just to Juan but to all our attacking players.

'If you look at his performance tonight, he made Fernando's chance early in the game, he was involved in the goal, so if you take those moments, it's goal-making and goalscoring actions, and then in injury time he conceded the final corner of the game supporting Ryan Bertrand in the left-back spot, which is how he as all night. That's been the message from Jose from day one to all our attacking players, not just Juan Mata.

'Jose has made it quite clear what he wants the attacking players to do in all those positions. That message is not just to Juan, it's to Willian, Kevin, Andre Schurrle, all those players. Tonight we are very pleased with Juan's contribution, with and without the ball.'

On Torres, Holland admitted he felt the goal would be good for the striker, adding:

'Similar to Juan, he has threatened the goal, got the goal and had maybe three other chances, so he got in good positions and worked very hard for the team all night, which is the standard we're looking for across every position.

'Whenever you have a game in training and you speak to a midfielder or defender in a five-a-side, they don't know the score, you ask a striker and he knows, and he knows how many he has scored. It's part of their DNA, I'm sure they're all the same, they want to score goals and it's ultimately how they're assessed so I'm sure from that point of view I'm sure Fernando is delighted but his contribution in all aspects was very good.

'The attacking players have got to produce, to be productive. The number nine, you look for more goals from than the number 10, seven or 11.'

The win moves us into the last 16 of the Capital One Cup, and Holland believes the manager is determined to bring silverware to Stamford Bridge as soon as possible.

'We have four chances and we have a squad of 20 outfield players where there is not a lot in between the majority of the players. At this stage of the season it's important we play twice a week to give regular games to all of the squad.

'That might change a bit towards the end of the season when you're looking to rest players, but it's good to have the regular fixtures and it's an opportunity to win a trophy in February, the first one, and that's the target.

'The most important factor is Jose wants to win trophies full stop. What it looks like and what it's called, I don't think it makes a great deal of difference. Everything we are in we want to have a go at, and we have the squad to back that up.'

Finally, Holland was asked about plans for the Tottenham game this weekend, though he explained straight off the back of facing Swindon, it was too early to tell.

'The first thing to do is take stock tomorrow. We got at least two potential casualties. We've got a group that will train tomorrow. The lads not involved tonight have had a relatively quiet couple of days, the boys that have been involved tonight will have a day off tomorrow.

'Tomorrow will be a day of reflection and discussion. We'll look at the game again and then have two days to put the plan forward. We're very fortunate to have a squad where in the majority of positions there is very little between the players and I'm quite sure Jose will decide based on who is doing well at that particular moment