In a one-sided affair Mohammedan went 3-0 up within 12 minutes to seal the fate of the match as Muktijoddha toiled throughout the ninety minutes. They lacked an attacking bite up front with forward Kanchan and Nigerian defender Prommie out for three yellow cards. Michael Dbumba, the other Nigerian, was busy in the defence and in the later stages defender Titu played as a forward.
   Mohammedan moved ahead in the very second minute when Muktijoddha’s Nigerian goalkeeper failed to clear an Arman Aziz cross allowing Bukola to ram the ball home.
   Bukola scored his second in the sixth minute when right-back Nasir broke free in the right flank and provided Bukola a nice through pass and the Nigerian striker sent the ball at the far post with a rasping drive.
   Abdul Baten Kamol scored the third in the 12th minute, drilling a shot home from a Bukola minus.
   Bukola completed his treble in the 34th minute, the third hat-trick of the league, when James Paul dived to his right to block a rasping drive from Arman Aziz but an unmarked Bukola tapped the ball home from close range.
   Kamol scored his second in the 63rd minute as Nasir dribbled past two defenders and provided a square pass to Komal who put the ball at the far post with a neat grounder.
   Kamol wasted two chances in the dying minutes and Robin missed one, otherwise the winning margin would have been much bigger.
   Mukitjoddha’s lone chance came in the 69th minute when Titu rounded his marker and also an onrushing Aminul but his shot went wide of the side post.
   Mohammedan moved up to second, just a point behind Abahani, with 25 points from 12 matches. Muktijoddha have eight points from the same number of games.

Rajshahi defeated Sylhet by 17 runs, Barisal trounced Chittagong by 30 runs and Khulna registered a narrow two-run win over Dhaka in the one-day matches of the Ispahani Mirzapore Tea National Cricket League at different venues of the country on Monday.
   
   Rajshahi v Sylhet
   At the BKSP, Rajshahi opted to bat first and scored 192 all out in 48.3 overs and later restricted Sylhet to 175 in 48.3 overs to win the match by 17 runs.
   Skipper Anisur Rahman chipped in with 36 while talented all-rounder Sohrawardi Shuvo scored 62 batting at number seven. Number eight Sabbir Rahman added 44 to propel Rajshahi to a moderate score.
   Saikat Ali grabbed three wickets for17 runs. Monir Hossain’s 43, Rezaul Haque’s 31 and Tapash Ghosh’s 37 were not enough for Sylhet as Shanjamul Islam picked up four wickets for 11 runs and Sohrawardi Shuvo took three for 35.
   
   Khulna v Dhaka
   At the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium, Khulna scored 231 all out against Dhaka in 48.4 overs while Dhaka finished their 50 overs making 229 for nine to concede a two-run defeat.
   Khulan opener Najmus Sadat hit the day’s highest 87 runs while Amit Majumder added 37 and Raihan Anas put on 35. Mahmudullah Riyad and Arafat Sunny both scalped three wickets for 48 and 28 runs respectively.
   After Mehrab Hossain Opee gave Dhaka a sound start scoring 37 runs, Javed Omar’s 22, Mahmudullah Riyad’s 32 and a brave 39 off 27 balls by No 10 Md Azim took Dhaka close to victory but they fell short of three runs. Najmus Sadat grabbed three wickets for 40 runs.
   Barisal v Chittagong
   Barisal scored 162 for nine and Chittagong were all out for 132 to concede a 30-run defeat at the Fatullah stadium.
   Imran Ahmed scored 40 and Arafat Salahuddin added 36 as Barisal were stopped on a paltry total. Tarek Aziz had a three-wicket haul for 29 runs.
   Monowar Hossain took the heart out of Chittagong top-order taking four wickets for 11 runs. Sajjadul Hossain’s 45 at number eight and 22 off the bat of No 10 Kamrul Islam saved them from more humiliation.

   Peter Siddle picked up his first five-wicket Test haul as Australia seized a notable advantage on day three of the final Test against South Africa.
   Resuming the day on 125-1, and with Graeme Smith out with a broken hand, South Africa were dismissed for 327.
   Australia then reached 33-0 for a lead of 151, Matthew Hayden surviving a very close lbw appeal from Dale Steyn.
   South Africa’s score owed much to a 115-run partnership between Mark Boucher (89) and Morne Morkel (40).
   Their sixth-wicket stand either side of tea was the only high point in a generally uncertain performance by South Africa, who were understandably suspicious of a pitch with widening cracks - one of which had caused their skipper Smith’s injury.
   Monday’s play was always going to be an important baptism for the inexperienced Australian attack.
   With Brett Lee and Stuart Clark both out injured, Shane Warne in the commentary box and Glenn McGrath encouraging the crowd to turn pink for breast cancer awareness in his late wife Jane’s memory, Ricky Ponting was relying on a bowling group that boasted Mitchell Johnson (17 Tests) as its most experienced member.
   Australia seem in excellent position to produce a Test victory - even with this novice attack - albeit having won a vital toss on a wicket that by the day is creating havoc for the confidence of batsmen
   The first session was a good one for the hosts. South Africa lost three wickets and were unable to score with much freedom.
   Hashim Amla concentrated hard to bring up his half-century from 125 balls, having lost his overnight partner Jacques Kallis early in the day when the veteran all-rounder slashed carelessly at a wide one from Johnson and edged to slip.
   The next wicket was highly avoidable, AB de Villiers (11) run out at the striker’s end by a direct hit from Johnson at mid-on. The batsman began the run without sufficient urgency and was several inches short of his ground when the stumps were broken.
   Johnson chipped in again after lunch - and after Amla himself had departed - when he jagged one back off a crack to pin JP Duminy in front for 13.
   And so, with the scoreboard reading 193-5, Boucher and Morkel began their recovery mission.
   Boucher began in a defensive mode before gradually building up his strokeplay. He took three fours from an off-target Andrew McDonald to move past 50, although he missed the chance for a sixth Test hundred when he was the last man out, bowled by paceman Siddle.
   Morkel defended with a straight bat and attacked with pulls and cuts but both he and Boucher had their moments of fortune.
   The Australians saw a bail bob up and back down into position not once but twice, when Nathan Hauritz turned one into Boucher’s leg stump and when Morkel’s inside edge off Johnson clipped the side of his off stump.
   Doug Bollinger had a couple of perilously close lbw shouts turned down. He was unable to break through for a maiden Test wicket.
   McDonald’s big moment came when he had Amla lbw for 51 just before lunch, although he struggled later on.
   Siddle’s accuracy was rewarded by his late wickets, two men bowled and two lbw. In this form, he is likely to emerge from the series as a major part of Australia’s future plans.
   He said afterwards: ‘I’m really pleased, they’ve been a good crowd. They got behind me after the first couple of wickets and it spurred me to go on and get my first fiver-for.
   ‘There’s always pressure, I had a disappointing match over in Perth [for the first Test] and the 13th man [Ben Hilfenhaus] had come into the squad so there’s pressure on everyone.
   ‘You want to get your rhythm right and start bowling well. It happened [in the second Test in Melbourne] and I started feeling comfortable so it’s all going well at the moment.’
   Boucher said: ‘We have to put on a good fight. The wicket is deteriorating quickly but we have done some miraculous things throughout the series and hopefully we can do more of that in this match.
   ‘I don’t want to talk about the sort of target we would feel comfortable chasing but obviously anything above 250 is going to be difficult. I thought we did very well to make as many runs as we did in the first innings.
   ‘I would say that the pitch is one of the three most difficult ones I have had to bat on the third day of a Test match.’

Peter Moores is set to find out later this week whether he will still be England’s coach, according to reports in the British press here Monday.
   Moores’s relationship with England captain Kevin Pietersen has broken down to the point where it now seems all but impossible the pair can work together on the upcoming tour of the West Indies. The squad leave England on January 21.
   Pietersen is understood to believe that Moores lacks the tactical nous required of an international coach.
   Worryingly for Moores, speculation has already started regarding a successor with English county Kent’s former South Africa coach Graham Ford, who worked alongside South Africa-born Pietersen at Natal, the front-runner to take over on a full-time basis.
   Meanwhile former Test spinner Ashley Giles, now an England selector and a former Test team-mate of Pietersen, is being touted as a stop-gap option for the West Indies tour.
   England managing director Hugh Morris spent the weekend trying to broker a compromise but that appears an increasingly forlorn hope.
   England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive David Collier is the man who will decide Moores’s future.
   So far, the ECB has refused to comment on the speculation engulfing Moores.
   But Pietersen gave credence to the rumours that have been swirling for some time by telling Sunday’s News of the World, the paper for which he is a columnist: ‘This situation is not healthy, we have to make sure
   it is settled as soon as possible and certainly before we fly off to the West Indies.
   ‘Everybody has to have the same aims and pull in the same direction for the good of the England team.’
   The Ashes are up for grabs again this year and with Australia no longer looking invincible after series defeats by India and South Africa, ECB chiefs will want this row settled long before Ricky Ponting’s men arrive in England.
   Former England captain Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports there could be only one winner in the current dispute.
   ‘If you are asking me who is more important, Kevin Pietersen or Peter Moores, then there is only one winner and that’s Kevin Pietersen; that’s what he knows and that’s why he’s probably flexing his muscles,’ he said.
   Hussain added: ‘It’s absolutely not ideal in an Ashes year for the public to know the captain and the coach are not gelling, not getting on but more importantly the players now know.
   ‘At any meeting, whether it be before the Ashes or before the West Indies, when Moores speaks the players will be thinking, ‘KP doesn’t buy into this, or KP thinks this is a load of rubbish. Who are we going to listen to?’’
   Star batsman Pietersen, who became captain in August following the resignation of Michael Vaughan, is understood never to have been the greatest fan of Moores, regarded as a ‘clipboard’ coach by some England players.
   A former Sussex wicket-keeper, Moores - who has come up through the county and ECB systems - never played international cricket himself.
   That need not be an insurmountable hurdle but Moores’s task was made harder by having to follow Duncan Fletcher.
   The former Zimbabwe all-rounder, who improved England’s batsmen against spin bowling, had strong views on personnel and tactics which were reflected in the make-up of the team and the way they played.
   Moores is a much more low-profile figure and it has been hard to see how, since Fletcher resigned in April 2007, he has made the members of the England side into better players.
   In Moores’s 22 Tests as coach, England have won eight, lost six and drawn eight.
   But seven of those victories came against New Zealand and the West Indies, two teams below England in the world rankings, while a win over South Africa, in Pietersen’s first match in full charge, only took place after the series had been lost.
   Moores is on a one-year rolling contract and any attempt to sack him could cost the ECB as much as 250,000 pounds (363,047 dollars).
   But that could be a small price to pay if a contented Pietersen is able to inspire England to Ashes success.

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza said Monday she had recovered from a ‘career-threatening’ injury with help from top cricketer Yuvraj Singh.
   A beaming Mirza was delighted to be back on court after the painful wrist problem which forced her out of the Beijing Olympics in tears and left her unable even to lift a fork to eat.
   Mirza is taking part in the World Team Challenge exhibition event here following treatment recommended by Singh, her friend and an Indian Test batsman.
   ‘Coming back from a career-threatening injury makes it very special to be back,’ said Mirza.
   ‘Suddenly, from a professional athlete, you become someone who can’t pick up a fork,’ she said. ‘I’m just living in the moment and I’m just happy to be back.’
   The 22-year-old, who reached a career-high ranking of 27 in August 2007, plummeted down the rankings last year as injury blighted her season and is now ranked 100.
   The World Team Challenge, from January 7-10, features four teams representing Europe, Russia, the Americas and Asia-Pacific.
   Players include world number one Jelena Jankovic, Wimbledon champion Venus Williams, world number seven Vera Zvonareva and China’s top player, Zheng Jie.
   The Australian Open, the first of the season’s four Grand Slams, starts on January 19.

The Standard Chartered 1st National School Kabaddi Tournament (Boys and Girls) starts at the outer stadium kabaddi court and Dhanmondi Women’s Sports Complex from Thursday.
   A total of 24 schools – 12 girls’ and 12 boys’ – will take part in the six-day tournament.
   Sponsors Standard Chartered Bank will provide Tk 10 lakh to the federation for running this tournament and the national championship later.
   Osman Morad, the CEO of Standard Chartered Bank, will inaugurate the meet as the chief guest.
   At a press briefing held at the NSC auditorium on Monday, Shah Masud Imam, regional head of corporate affairs of Standard Chartered Bank and Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation general secretary Nazrul Islam revealed the details of the meet to the press.

Visiting Zimbabwe take on GP-BCB Academy team in a three-day warm up match at the Shahid Chandu Stadium Bogra starting from today.
   Both the teams reached Bogra on Monday and had practice sessions at the venue on Monday afternoon.

India are seeking to play an extra Test during the upcoming tour of New Zealand to offset losses after the cancellation of matches against England and Pakistan, a top official said Monday.
   ‘We have requested New Zealand to accommodate an extra Test to the series,’ said Ratnakar Shetty, chief administrative officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India .
   ‘We are waiting for a response from them.’
   India are scheduled to play two Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match in New Zealand in March-April.
   The BCCI reported Saturday that it lost around 25 million dollars after two one-day internationals against England and this month’s tour of Pakistan were cancelled in the wake of the terror attacks in Mumbai in November.
   ‘This includes the loss of revenue arising out of the postponement of the 2008 ICC Champions Trophy,’ the board said in a statement.
   The Champions Trophy, slated to be held in Pakistan in September last year, was postponed for security reasons.
   The Indian government refused to allow its cricket team to tour Pakistan, blaming Islamic militants based in that country for the Mumbai attacks, which left 172 people dead, including nine attackers.
   India were to play three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match in Pakistan from January 6 to February 19.
   Media reports recently said India were also in talks with Sri Lanka to stage a one-day series before touring New Zealand.

A South African official who blew the whistle on alleged corruption in the building of a stadium for the 2010 World Cup has been shot dead, an official said Monday.
   Jimmy Mohlala, a member of the local organising committee for the World Cup, was killed on Sunday in the northeastern city of Nelspruit, local government spokeswoman Bessie Pienaar told AFP.
   “He was shot dead at his home in Nelspruit yesterday evening,” said Pienaar, adding that more details would be released later Monday. Mohlala was a former vice president of the South African Football Association and headed the local council for the municipality of Mbombela, where the stadium is being built in Nelspruit for the games.
   He made headlines a year ago with reports that some members of the ruling African National Congress wanted him sacked for allegedly turning in a colleague over graft claims in the construction of the Mbombela stadium.
   His claims sparked an investigation into a range of allegations, including the manipulation of tenders in 2010 construction contracts, SAPA news agency said.
   The 46,000-capacity Mbombela stadium, scheduled for completion this year, is one of 10 venues for the 2010 World Cup.
   His death is a “huge setback” for organising the event in Nelspruit, the head of South Africa’s organising committee, Danny Jordaan, said in a statement.

Prosper Utseya, the Zimbabwe captain, has said his side will be under pressure to perform on the tour of Bangladesh in order to prove their place among the top teams.
   During their 16-day stay in Bangladesh, Zimbabwe will play a triangular series, also involving Sri Lanka, followed by a three-match ODI contest against the hosts. They begin their tour with a three-day game against Bangladesh’s Academy team, which starts on January 6.
   ‘We are currently out of the Test arena and, as we speak, I hear some people are saying we mustn’t even be playing ODIs,’ Utseya told the Associated Press. ‘This is distressing. We need to go there and show that we still belong here. Our aim is to reach the tri-series final and win the series against Bangladesh.’
   Zimbabwe have not played a Test since 2005, and lost 11 of their 12 ODIs – three were abandoned – in 2008. They recently lost a home series against Sri Lanka 5-0, although they did challenge a below-par opposition, and also suffered a defeat against Kenya. Their only win of the year was a 156-run victory over Ireland. ‘The pressure is on us against Bangladesh because we should be beating them,’ Utseya said. ‘Previous Zimbabwe teams used to beat them quite easily. We recently lost 5-0 to Sri Lanka but against Bangladesh the pressure is different. We are sort of in the same league, Nos 9 and 10 on the ODI rankings, and when you play another lowly team there is always pressure to win.’
   Besides hosting Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe’s only other high-profile engagements last year were the Twenty20 tournament in Canada, a five-ODI series in Pakistan and a tri-nation tournament in Kenya. ‘The guys are excited to be touring again,’ Utseya said. ‘We had a good Christmas break and satisfying training afterwards. We are all positive going into the tour.’
   During their last visit to Bangladesh, in 2006, Zimbabwe lost all five ODIs and a Twenty20 international. Bangladesh defeated them 3-1 in the ODIs on their return visit in 2007.

Herschelle Gibbs has completed his rehabilitation programme and is now preparing for South Africa’s one-day series in Australia.
   Gibbs was ordered by Cricket South Africa to undergo an alcohol-related rehabilitation course after a number of incidents over recent years. At the weekend he finished his month-long stay at a Hout Bay clinic, near Cape Town, and then headed straight for the gym to prepare for the trip to Australia.
   Gibbs’s father, Herman, said his son felt the experience had been beneficial. ‘I was a little scared that it would perhaps cause a personality change.

A brilliant solo goal from Dutch winger Arjen Robben helped Real Madrid close their gap on runaway leaders Barcelona to 12 points as the champions defeated Villarreal 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.
   Real coach Juande Ramos handed debuts to French midfielder Lassana Diarra and Dutch international striker Klass-Jan Huntelaar – 40 million euros worth of talent – but it was Robben that proved the difference.
   The former Chelsea man jinked his way past several opponents – leaving Spanish star Marcos Senna sprawling on the ground – before unleashing an unstoppable 31st-minute winner.
   ‘We are getting some good results and that is the best way for us to move forward and gain confidence,’ explained Ramos.
   ‘We were tired because there were a lot of players who hadn’t played for a while and it was a tough second half.’
   It was Ramos’s second league win in charge and Real climb to third but they need Barcelona, who came from behind to defeat Real Mallorca 3-1 on Saturday, to start slipping up.
   Barca are 11 points clear of Valencia who hold on to second spot after Sevilla drew 1-1 with bottom side Osasuna on Sunday.
   Jesus Navas’ goal looked set to propel Sevilla up to second but Walter Pandiani equalised in the final minute to stun the home fans.
   ‘It is a real shame because even though we didn’t play well we had victory in our hands – but then we let it slip from our grasp,’ said Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez.
   Sevilla are now level on 32 points with Real while Villarreal’s third straight league defeat leaves them 15 adrift of Barca.
   Ramos had no hesitation in giving league debuts to Diarra, who he signed for 20 million euros from Portsmouth during the transfer window, and Huntelaar who was a 20 million euro buy by former manager Bernd Schuster.
   ‘Lass (Diarra) did an excellent job and was shattered while Huntelaar had a decent first half and then got tired too,’ added Ramos.
   The Christmas break also allowed Real to recover injured players and they welcomed back Pepe and Gabriel Heinze to strengthen the back four.
   Real hit the woodwork on 11 minutes when Robben’s deflected shot took a ricochet off the top of the crossbar for a corner.
   Robben was Real’s standout player and the Dutch star scored a terrific goal just after the hour.
   Cutting in from the right flank Robben faked to shoot – deceiving Spanish international Senna who threw himself to the ground in a last ditch block – before firing a fierce drive into the top corner with his left foot.
   Six minutes before the break Huntelaar should have got a debut goal but Diego Lopez foiled the Dutchman with a reflex save.
   ‘I came close to scoring my first goal,’ reflected Huntelaar. ‘I really wanted to score to show my appreciation to the crowd for all their support.’
   Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini’s half-time dressing down seemed to work and his team were transformed in the second period putting Real on the back foot with a series of corners.
   ‘Real were good up until the goal and then we took control of possession and looked like the home side,’ said Pellegrini. ‘It is three consecutive defeats and although they were narrow we still lost them.’
   Villarreal pushed forward and their best chance came on 70 minutes when Giuseppe Rossi’s header was pushed onto the crossbar by Casillas.
   The visitors were the better side in the second half but the ball wouldn’t go in.
   Former Real legend Hugo Sanchez, who won five consecutive league titles in Real colours from 1985 to 1990, had a great start with new club Almeria with his first match in charge ending in a 1-0 win over Real Betis.
   Elsewhere, Recreativo Huelva did their chances of staying up a power of good with a 3-1 win over Numancia on Sunday that lifted them out of the bottom three.

Premier League champions Manchester United and fellow top four side Aston Villa both made it through to the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday.
   English, European and world champions United ensured there was no repeat of their shock defeat by Southampton in the 1976 FA Cup final with a 3-0 victory away to the struggling Championship side, reduced to 10 men for more than half the match.
   ‘I think it was okay,’ Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said of his side’s display.
   ‘They (Southampton) are a very young team so you would expect us to win but we could have done it more comfortably,’ he also told Setanta.
   Earlier, Villa were made to work hard for a 2-1 away win against League Two team Gillingham.
   ‘We knew it would be tough,’ Villa manager Martin O’Neill told ITV. ‘It was very hard. I’m delighted we got through, delighted for the supporters and we went as strong as we possibly could.
   ‘They (Gillingham) are very strong, they played very well and good luck to them this season.’
   United will now welcome top-flight rivals Tottenham Hotspur to Old Trafford in the fourth round.
   But Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, previously in charge of FA Cup holders Portsmouth, knows how to win a Cup away to United having overseen Pompey’s shock 1-0 quarter-final win at Old Trafford last season.
   Meanwhile, Villa will be away in the fourth round to lower league opposition in either Cheltenham or Doncaster.
   At St Mary’s, United’s 18-year-old striker Danny Welbeck followed up to score from close range in the 20th minute after Saints keeper Kelvin Davis had pushed John O’Shea’s header on to the crossbar.
   Southampton’s task was made all but impossible after Matthew Paterson was sent-off shortly before half-time after receiving a straight red card from referee Mike Riley for a studs-up challenge on United’s Nemanja Vidic.
   United, who’ve won the FA Cup a record 11 times, went 2-0 up early in the second-half when Nani scored with a penalty awarded by Riley after he ruled the Portugal midfielder’s free-kick had been blocked by David McGoldrick’s hands.
   Replays suggested the ball had in fact hit McGoldrick on the back of the head but, by raising his arms, the Saints player clouded the issue.
   Substitute Darron Gibson made it 3-0 with his first United goal nine minutes from time. Villa saw James Milner mark his 23rd birthday by scoring both their goals at the Priestfield Stadium.
   But in between Simeon Jackson drew League Two Gillingham, 74 places below Villa, level with a superb shot before Milner’s 79th-minute penalty, awarded after Ashley Young was fouled in the box, settled the tie.

Sir Alex Ferguson may have said it was ‘not realistic’ for Manchester United to win a unique European and domestic quadruple but he still believes his squad can compete on four fronts.
   United opened their FA Cup campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win away to Championship strugglers Southampton at St Mary’s here Sunday.
   Goals from youngsters Danny Welbeck and Darron Gibson either side of a controversial Nani penalty maintained Ferguson’s proud record of having never lost a third round tie in his 22-year reign at Old Trafford.
   United, well placed in their quest for a third successive Premier League title, are also through to the last 16 of the Champions League and face Derby in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
   No team have ever won all four trophies in the same season but Ferguson said: ‘I think we have a good enough squad to compete in every competition, as long as we do not pick up any injuries. That is the most important thing.
   ‘Cup football is a knockout situation so you never know what is going to happen,’ the 67-year-old Scot added.
   ‘We have some good young players at the club and these games are an opportunity for them to get some experience under their belts.
   ‘Players like Welbeck and Gibson have shown today they have the confidence and the right temperament.’
   United’s next FA Cup opponents are Tottenham, whose manager Harry Redknapp was in charge of Portsmouth when the holders defeated Ferguson’s men in a quarter-final at Old Trafford last season.
   ‘It’s a mouth-watering game. Matches between us are always very competitive and we beat them at the same stage last season.
   ‘Their manager Harry Redknapp was in charge at Portsmouth when they knocked us out in the quarter-finals so hopefully we can get our own back.’
   Ferguson was able to rest star winger Cristiano Ronaldo while England striker Wayne Rooney was left on the bench until the final 27 minutes.
   Teenager Welbeck was not even born when Ferguson lifted the first of his five FA Cups in 1990 but the 18-year-old showed he has ability beyond his years by opening the scoring in the 20th minute.
   John O’Shea headed against the underside of the crossbar from Ryan Giggs’s corner and Welbeck was quickest to react and nod the rebound into an empty net. Southampton’s hopes of an upset were all but ended eight minutes before half-time when striker Matt Paterson was shown a straight red card for a reckless two-foot lunge on Nemanja Vidic.
   Nani doubled United’s lead from the penalty spot three minutes into the second half after referee Mike Riley harshly adjudged David McGoldrick to have handled the Portugal international’s free-kick.
   Victory was secured nine minutes from time when substitute Gibson applied the finish to Rooney’s pinpoint cross to register his first United goal.
   Ferguson singled out Welbeck for praise, saying: ‘Danny did fine. We know about his temperament, he has got quality and is learning all the time.’
   Southampton, who upset the odds to beat United in the 1976 FA Cup final, are now second from bottom in the second-tier Championship.
   They were always likely to struggle against a United team, which also featured Edwin van der Sar, Michael Carrick, Dimitar Berbatov, Anderson and Gary Neville.
   Saints manager Jan Poortvliet said his side had been on the wrong end of several bad decisions by Riley.
   ‘Their first goal was offside, in my opinion, it was not a sending-off and it was not a penalty,’ the Dutchman insisted.

With one hand already on the domestic championship, Barcelona begin the second stage of their treble bid when they take on Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Kings Cup today.
   Barcelona came from behind to defeat Real Mallorca 3-1 on Saturday to start 2009 on a high note and sit 11 points clear of Valencia and 12 points ahead of Real Madrid and Sevilla.
   Coach Pep Guardiola rested Lionel Messi against Mallorca and the Argentine international is expected to return for the first leg of the cup at Atletico who will be determined to avenge their 6-1 thrashing by Barca back on October 4.
   ‘They are a tough rival and we know it will not be like the league match,’ explained Messi. ‘It is a difficult two-legged match but we have the return leg at home which is good.’
   Barca lost to eventual champions Valencia in the semi-finals last season and are keen to win a trophy they have not lifted since 1998.
   Barca are also still in the Champions League where they face Lyon in the last knockout stage with the first leg in France on February 24.
   ‘We have had the first game of the year and the time has now come to start thinking about the cup,’ explained goalkeeper Victor Valdes.
   ‘We are taking it very seriously. It is a tournament we haven’t won for many years. Atletico are hard to beat and it is the little details that make the difference over two legs.’
   Eidur Gudjohnsen, who seems to have won favour with Guardiola, admitted the capital side will be out for revenge at the Vicente Calderon.
   ‘We have to forget the league game against Atletico Madrid because we’ll be against a team looking to make amends,’ said the Icelandic striker. ‘But we have to get a good result in Madrid.’
   Gudjohnsen admitted Barca were far from their best against Mallorca but said the three points was the only thing that mattered. We took some time to get started but it was a very important win,’ he added.
   ‘After January there is still a lot left to do. But every game we win is one step closer to the title.’
   Thierry Henry, Yaya Toure and Andres Iniesta were the Barca goalscorers and Spanish international Iniesta was particularly delighted to net in his first appearance since getting injured at the beginning of November.
   ‘I am happy to have played again and helped the team,’ said Iniesta. ‘I am very pleased with the way it all went. I got a great reception from the fans and it gives me goose bumps when I remember it.’
   Guardiola was delighted to have Iniesta back and that his team showed great character to come from behind to win.
   ‘Wins like this are worth more than winning 5-0,’ declared Guardiola. ‘Games like this, after the holiday period, are always dangerous. It was hard work but we were patient, kept our discipline and stayed calm.
   ‘We have not won anything yet and it isn’t even the halfway point. We just need to carry on.’

Premier League leaders Liverpool will face city rivals Everton in the FA Cup after the Merseyside teams were the first two clubs selected in the fourth round draw.
   The north-west giants met in the 1986 and 1989 FA Cup finals, Liverpool winning on both occasions.
   ‘It’s going to be a massive game,’ former Everton captain Kevin Ratcliffe told Sky Sports. ‘The FA Cup is one that maybe Everton thought they could go all the way in.
   ‘Obviously this has made it a bit harder, coming up against Liverpool. It’s hard enough going up against Liverpool but when you’re without your main strikers then it’s going to be difficult. But anything can happen.’
   Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest’s reward for knocking out Premier League Manchester City was a fourth round clash with East Midlands rivals Derby, who also play in the second-tier Championship.
   It will be a particularly significant tie for former Derby boss Billy Davies who takes over as Forest’s manager on Monday.
   ‘I’m absolutely delighted,’ Davies said. ‘I’ve got lots of great friends and lots of great memories at Derby. But I’ve moved on to the next chapter at Forest and I’m excited by that challenge.’
   Third-tier Hartlepool, conquerors of Stoke in the third round, will have the chance to inflict further Cup misery on a Premier League side when they welcome West Ham to the north-east.
   Hartlepool assistant manager Ian Butterworth said: ‘It’s a fantastic draw for the club. If the lads can produce the performance of Saturday, and the guts and character, we’ll give them one hell of a game.’
   Manchester United, who’ve won the Cup a record 11 times, will be at home to Premier League rivals Tottenham after a 3-0 win over Southampton.
   ‘A home tie is all you can hope for, it’s quite a good draw,’ said United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
   Kettering, one of four non-league clubs left in the draw, are at home to Premier League Fulham
   ‘Any Premier League side is brilliant for us, especially getting them at home as well,’ said Kettering striker Gareth Seddon.
   Cardiff, last season’s losing finalists, are up against Arsenal in a repeat of the 1927 final which the Welsh club won to become the only non-English side to lift the FA Cup.
   ‘We’ve got the most passionate crowd and at home we stand a chance but let’s not forget Arsenal are one of the best teams in the world,’ Cardiff chairman Peter Ridsdale said.
   Holders Portsmouth, who must first get past Bristol City after a goalless draw at Fratton Park, could face either non-league Histon, conquerors of fallen giants Leeds, or Swansea.
   Ties will be played on the weekend of January 24-25, with third round replays due to take place on January 13.
   FA Cup 4th round draw:
   Liverpool v Everton
   Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur
   Hull or Newcastle v Millwall or Crewe
   Sunderland v Blyth Spartans or Blackburn Rovers
   Hartlepool v West Ham
   Leyton Orient or Sheffield United v Charlton or Norwich
   Cardiff v Arsenal
   Portsmouth or Bristol City v Histon or Swansea
   Chelsea or Southend v Ipswich
   Cheltenham or Doncaster v Aston Villa
   West Brom or Peterborough v QPR or Burnley
   Torquay v Coventry
   Kettering v Fulham
   Watford v Leicester or Crystal Palace
   Derby v Nottingham Forest
   Birmingham or Wolverhampton v Middlesbrough
   Ties to be played over the weekend of Jan 24-25
   Third round replays Jan 13

English football icon David Beckham is set to make his much anticipated debut for AC Milan in a friendly against German side Hamburg on Tuesday, club coach Carlo Ancelotti said Monday.
   Speaking on Monday from Dubai, where the squad is at a training
   camp, Ancelotti said: ‘there has been a lot of curiosity surrounding David Beckham.
   ‘And I can calmly say that he is available and that he can therefore play.’
   Ancelotti added: ‘The past few days he (Beckham) has been working hard and I’ve noticed his commitment to showing that he wants to play for the team.’
   Former Manchester United and Real Madrid star Beckham plays for Los Angeles Galaxy in the United States but has joined AC Milan on a short-term loan as he bids to extend his England career.
   LA Galaxy resume competition in March.
   AC Milan’s first official match of 2009 is Sunday’s Serie A league encounter against AS Roma.
   However Ancelotti has indicated that Beckham, who plays as a creative midfielder, faces stiff competition from the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf, Ronaldinho and Kaka.
   Beckham admitted he is thrilled to be playing with Milan and added, in an interview with Sky Sports, he is waiting patiently for the nod from Ancelotti.
   ‘When I will play? I am always ready but it’s up to the coach to decide. Physically I know I have to work hard to reach 100 per cent, I want to play well instead of just play,’ he said.
   He added: ‘I love my team Los Angeles Galaxy but for me this is a great experience. Not everyone has managed to play in what everyone considers the best club in the world.
   ‘I feel lucky to have this extraordinary chance. I don’t like to think about the past, I have made all my choices with care, including the one to go to America.
   ‘I lived a great period there but now I am here, it’s extraordinary and now I just want to concentrate on this.
   ‘The training (sessions) these days have been tough but I like working hard. I am learning about Italian football and my team mates are exceptional.’

Former Japan coach Ivica Osim has bid an emotional farewell to the country that has been his home for the last few years.
   He left for Austria on Sunday at the end of a six-month contract as an adviser to the Japan Football Association, which followed his recovery from a serious stroke that cost him the national coaching job 13 months ago.
   ‘I have cried only a few times in my life and today may be one of those days,’ the dour 67-year-old Bosnian told reporters at Tokyo’s Narita airport, surrounded by some 300 supporters, according to reports in sports dailies on Monday.
   ‘Everyone may have had moments when they could not control their emotions. But there are many more important things in life than crying,’ said Osim, famous for guiding the former Yugoslavia to the 1990 World Cup quarter-finals.
   Osim, who was to focus on rehabilitation at home in Austria, said he had no plans to come back to Japan.
   ‘I am very glad to be sent off by many supporters,’ added Osim, who has amused many Japanese with his pithy but often cynical remarks. His translator Zen Chida said it was the first time he had heard Osim use the word ‘glad.’
   Chida, 50, was reduced to tears when Osim angrily slammed his charges for playing like a ‘bunch of amateurs’ when Japan drew 1-1 with Qatar in their abortive bid to win a third straight Asian Cup in 2007.
   After an hour of mingling with supporters and reporters in the airport’s departure lounge, the lanky former Strasbourg striker began suffering from the symptoms of anaemia and was taken on board his plane in a wheelchair. ‘Don’t be too hasty to report that I am dead,’ he quipped.
   Speaking of his future, he said: ‘We never know what will happen in football. I really can’t say I will never become a coach somewhere. But for now, at least, it is very risky for me to sit on the bench.’

Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez has revealed his disappointment over speculation suggesting he had rejected a new contract to stay at the club.
   The Argentina striker, who was given a week off by Sir Alex Ferguson over the New Year, insists he wants to stay at Old Trafford and he could not explain where the media reports were coming from.
   Tevez was keen to stress that he will sit down and discuss a new deal with United at the ‘appropriate time’ – a clear hint that talks may begin before the summer.
   ‘We have not started talks with Manchester United yet, though I am keen to stay,’ declared Tevez.
   ‘Sir Alex Ferguson has told me he wants me to remain a United player and that is certainly my desire too.
   ‘My contract ends in the summer and we have agreed to sit down at the appropriate time and discuss a new contract. Nothing I have heard from the club suggests it will be otherwise.
   Tevez’s economic rights are owned by an investment fund headed by Kia Joorabchian.
   He added: ‘Manchester United have indicated they would like to sign Carlos for the long term, but we have not started negotiations yet.
   ‘Carlos has always said his intent is to stay at United and nothing has changed.
   ‘The supporters have been amazing to him and he loves the club.’

Napoli insist Ezequiel Lavezzi will not be leaving the club in the winter transfer window amid reported interest from Chelsea.
   Argentina forward Lavezzi is a reported target of the Premier League side while Slovakian midfielder Marek Hamsik has been strongly linked with a move to Inter Milan.
   However, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has reiterated his star duo will not be sold. ‘We are not interested in money,’ he said.
   ‘We are following a project and we don’t want to start over. I would only sell one of my top players if I see that he has become a hot potato. ‘If that was the case, I would not hesitate but otherwise, I keep hold of all of my players.’

Valencia have insisted no agreement is in place to sell David Villa to Barcelona.
   Spanish reports had claimed Barca were closing in on the in-demand Spain international.
   However, Valencia insist they have no deal with Barca and say they do not have an agreement with Villa to let him leave.
   ‘In light of recently published incorrect stories, Valencia wish to officially announce that the player David Villa and the club have made no pact, no agreement nor have they held any conversation regarding the player leaving the club,’ Gomez said in a statement on Valencia’s official website.
   ‘We already showed last summer that Villa is a very valuable player for us and that his performances in our team have only increased our faith in him.
   ‘It is completely untrue that the club have agreed a deal with the player or his agent. David is happy at Valencia and we’re very satisfied with his efforts and his performances.
   ‘We find the publication of certain stories quite irresponsible and even more so when they come on the day of such an important game.’
   Following Sunday’s win over Atletico Madrid, Villa was also quick to deny that he had an agreement in place to leave the Mestalla.
   ‘Yes I have an agreement, but it’s for six years and with Valencia, and I hope to complete this happily and then maybe even add another year,’ he said.
   ‘Whoever believes me, great. Whoever doesn’t can say what they like. The one who decides is me, I’m the one who has the authority over my future.’

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will not be making a winter transfer window swoop for Gokhan Inler.
   The Switzerland international was a summer target for the Frenchman when a defensive central midfielder was high on his shopping list.
   Mathieu Flamini’s summer departure to AC Milan has left the Gunners short of steel in the centre of the park, with Wenger still to bring in a replacement.
   But while Udinese’s Inler was on the manager’s radar in the summer, he is no longer a target for the Emirates Stadium outfit.
   When asked if he was interested in Inler, Wenger said: ‘Yes, in the summer. But not any more.’

Middlesbrough’s England winger Stewart Downing took a step closer to joining Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur by handing in a transfer request on Monday.
   Downing’s move came just hours after Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson insisted the 24-year-old would not be leaving the north-east club during January’s transfer window.
   Although he signed a new five-year contract with Middlesbrough in February last year, Downing has grown increasingly frustrated with what he regards as his home town club’s lack of ambition.
   Downing’s father, Stewart senior, told Middlesbrough’s Evening Gazette on Monday: ‘Stewart’s been frustrated since the summer, really.