Page last updated at 09:04 GMT, Tuesday, 17 February 2009

Eduardo delight at dream comeback:

Striker Eduardo spent almost a year out injured Eduardo has described his goalscoring return for Arsenal in the FA Cup on Monday as "the best day of my life". Eduardo, who had been out since breaking his leg in February 2008, scored twice in his side's 4-0 win over Cardiff in their fourth-round replay. "It was the best day of my life - it was a special moment to score, very emotional," said the 25-year-old. "I celebrated by kissing my wedding ring - because my wife and daughter and family supported me through this." Eduardo, who also played for Croatia last week, opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a header from Carlos Vela's cross and later added Arsenal's third goal from the penalty spot. Nicklas Bendtner and Robin van Persie grabbed the other goals for the Gunners who will now play Burnley in the fifth round. After scoring his second, the Brazil-born forward raced over to embrace Arsenal fitness coach Tony Colbert, who helped him regain strength and endurance. "I think Tony has spent more time with him than his wife," joked Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. "He deserved that kind of hug, and the physios as well. The doctors have done a tremendous job." However, there was a stage when the Arsenal boss believed his striker would not fully recover from the horrific injury he suffered following a tackle by Birmingham's Martin Taylor on 23 February 2008. "I've been in the job for a long time and seen a few players not come back from similar injuries," he added. "I had a little bit more scepticism than he had." Wenger praised Eduardo's mental strength during the rehabilitation process. "Everybody is very happy for him. This is the kind of game we love to play, and it was good to see them play with the handbrake off," he said. "He played a big part in that, and I'm very pleased for him. "He's been extremely strong mentally. I've never seen one minute of doubt in his mind, not one minute where he said 'I don't want to do this'. "He is always wanting more. This guy is small but he has the mental strength of a mountain." Eduardo, who came off with a slight hamstring strain midway through the second half, is set to feature heavily in Wenger's plans in the run-in. "We'll know at the end of the season how important his comeback is, but I'm very happy to have him back," added the Frenchman. "He can play as a striker, on the flank, behind the striker, up front on his own. That is important for us."

Arsenal 4-0 Cardiff

at 21:45 GMT, Monday, 16 February 2009

Eduardo delighted the home crowd scoring 51 weeks after breaking his leg Eduardo scored a brace almost a year after breaking his leg to help Arsenal cruise past a lacklustre Cardiff in their FA Cup fourth-round replay. The Croatia striker missed a header and a cheeky lob before grabbing the opener, nodding in Carlos Vela's cross. Nicklas Bendtner doubled the lead when he headed in Samir Nasri's corner, before Eduardo scored from the spot after he was felled by Gavin Rae. Robin Van Persie fired a fourth past the impressive goalkeeper Tom Heaton. The Gunners will now face Burnley at the Emirates on the weekend of 7/8 March with the winner of that tie at home to Sheffield United or Hull in the quarter-finals. It was three weeks since Cardiff produced a fantastic display to hold Arsenal to a goalless draw at Ninian Park, but despite being undefeated in 13 league and cup games before tonight, they lacked composure and belief in all departments on Monday. With the Gunners unbeaten in 11 games but having scored only once in four games before Monday night's tie, manager Arsene Wenger will have been delighted to see striker Eduardo in action again. The 25-year-old Brazil-born Croat made his long-awaited first-team comeback after fracturing his left fibula and dislocating his ankle in a tackle by Birmingham's Martin Taylor in February 2008. The hosts were in full flow from the first whistle and came close to scoring three times in the opening eight minutes. An unmarked Bendtner headed a Bacary Sagna cross narrowly wide and then Cardiff had their keeper Heaton - on loan from Manchester United and playing in place of Peter Enckelman - to thank for thwarting the rampant Arsenal attack. Heaton palmed away a Vela pile-driver from 30 yards, before saving the follow-up from Bendtner. One minute later the keeper's gloves were in action again as they pushed away a William Gallas header. After a missed header and a cheeky lob from the halfway line, Eduardo grabbed the opener on 19 minutes when he started and finished a fine move. Eduardo poked the ball through to Vela, a real menace down the left throughout, who crossed into the box for his Brazilian-born team-mate to nod into the top corner. Nasri almost doubled the lead after steaming through to the edge of the box and firing in a swerving shot that Heaton nearly mis-read but was eventually able to smother. The Emirates crowd did not have to wait long for the second. An in-swinging corner from Nasri found Bendtner rising at the front post and he glanced his header inside the far post. It was a miracle last year's FA Cup runners-up were not three behind at the interval with Bendtner guilty of a shocking miss. Seconds after Heaton denied Vela, the ball fell to Bendtner but he could only hit the post. He still had a chance to tuck in the rebound but Heaton heroically denied him. Lukasz Fabianski had his first work to do in the Arsenal goal just before the hour after comfortably saving a 25-yard blast from Jay Bothroyd. Two minutes later Eduardo was celebrating his team's third, converting a penalty he himself had earned after being clumsily bundled over by Rae. Eduardo's ensuing hugs with the Arsenal medical staff was a touching moment. Eduardo's efforts were rewarded with an early breather 25 minutes from the end and he was replaced by Van Persie. Apart from a free-kick by top scorer Ross McCormack which was deflected over the bar, Cardiff continued to be devoid of ideas and manager Dave Jones threw on Darcy Blake, Peter Whittingham and Riccardo Scimeca to inject some creativity. Van Persie completed the demolition two minutes from the end, blasting in from the edge of the box after a pass from Bendtner, and the Dutchman headed against the post in the final action of the game. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger on Eduardo: "He had a good game for his first game back. When you have such a long time out, it's difficult to be patient, to come in every day and see everyone else play. He had to deal with a lot of frustrations. "I believe - as any striker - he can contribute and help us to win games. He has the perfect spirit, he is talented and is intelligent." Cardiff manager Dave Jones on their display: "The basics of the game - what we're normally good at - we didn't do today and it's hard. Sometimes you've just got to stand there and you've got to swallow that. "The players know that we didn't perform anywhere near what we're capable of. So we now have to forget this one, let it eat away at us and then get concentrating on the job in hand. "It wasn't the Cardiff we've seen all season... I know we're playing Arsenal and everything else - full credit to them - but we didn't do ourselves any justice." Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Gibbs, Nasri (Ramsey 67), Denilson, Song Billong, Vela (Bischoff 74), Eduardo (Van Persie 67), Bendtner. Subs Not Used: Almunia, Wilshere, Clichy. Booked: Gallas, Bendtner. Goals: Eduardo 20, Bendtner 34, Eduardo 60 pen, Van Persie 89. Cardiff: Heaton, McNaughton, Purse (Blake 68), Roger Johnson, Kennedy, Burke, Rae (Scimeca 74), Ledley, Parry (Whittingham 68), Bothroyd, McCormack. Subs Not Used: Sak, Capaldi, Eddie Johnson, Comminges. Att: 57,237 Ref: Mark Halsey (Lancashire).

Everton 3-1 Aston Villa

Sunday, 15 February 2009

By Cahill wrapped up the game with the third goal Everton booked an FA Cup quarter-final spot for the first time since 2002 after overpowering Aston Villa. The home side were ahead after just three minutes when Jack Rodwell fired in from close range. Villa levelled from the penalty spot through James Milner after Gabriel Agbonlahor was fouled by Tony Hibbert. But Everton went back in front with a Mikel Arteta spot-kick after Steve Sidwell brought down Victor Anichebe and Tim Cahill added the third late on. This FA Cup tie had all the makings of a classic after a blistering first 25 minutes that resulted in three goals and plenty of goalmouth action but it ultimately ebbed away into a comfortable victory for Everton against a Villa side which lacked its usual bite. Everton took the lead in the third minute when Arteta's corner was met by a bullet header from Cahill, his effort was stopped on the goal line by the blatant hand of Stiliyan Petrov but rebounded to 17-year-old Rodwell who poked home his first Everton goal. Referee Martin Atkinson should have taken action against Petrov but, much to the chagrin of Everton boss David Moyes, the Bulgarian was allowed to continue without so much as a word. Three minutes later, Villa hit back against the run of play when Agbonlahor was set clear, he burst towards the edge of the penalty box but tumbled under Hibbert's mistimed lunge to give the visitors a penalty. Milner stepped up to strike a weak spot-kick that Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard got a hand to, but he only managed to turn the ball against his own body before watching it squirm beneath him into the net. The game had no shortage of full-blooded challenges and the first yellow card was produced when Cahill appeared to deliberately use his hand to rise above two Villa defenders and flick Arteta's cross towards Friedel's goal. The big American goalkeeper saved comfortably but Cahill was booked and will now be suspended for Everton's game against Newcastle next weekend. Soon after Atkinson was forced to give the second penalty of the game when the impressive Anichebe bundled through a posse of Villa players before being wiped out by Sidwell who got nowhere near the ball inside the 18-yard-box and received a yellow card. Penalty expert Arteta stepped up and sent Brad Friedel the wrong way to slot his spot-kick into the bottom left corner for his seventh goal of the campaign. Two minutes later Petrov finally received a card when he was booked for a foul on Rodwell, before Everton's Dan Gosling created himself an angle but his low drive crashed into the side-netting. Both teams were unable to take command of possession with counter attacks providing the most likely sources of goalmouth action. That proved to be the case on 32 minutes when Ashley Young darted down the left and checked on to his right foot to swing in a tantalising ball to the edge of the six-yard box which Agbonlahor somehow headed wide with the goal at his mercy. Everton continued to shade the best of the possession in the second half with Arteta at the heart of most of the good things that came from the home side. Villa worked hard but there was little quality and they struggled to get wingers Milner and Young into the game leaving Carew stranded and ineffective. That was until the hour mark when Milner finally found some space, whipped over a cross and a nonchalant flick from Carew forced Howard into an incredible acrobatic save down to his right. As the goalmouth action petered out, Villa had a couple of half chances, a header from Sidwell rolling wide and an Ashley Young drive threatening row Z, but it was Everton who secured the quarter-final spot with 15 minutes to go. Anichebe, more than justifying his recall, sent over a troublesome cross from the left that evaded the Villa centre-halves as well as Gosling but Cahill was unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box and he bundled home to put his side into the next round. Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Lescott, Baines, Gosling, Neville, Arteta (Castillo 90), Rodwell, Cahill, Anichebe (Yobo 88). Subs Not Used: Nash, Van der Meyde, Jacobsen, Baxter, Wallace. Booked: Hibbert, Cahill, Rodwell. Goals: Rodwell 4, Arteta 24 pen, Cahill 76. Aston Villa: Friedel, Gardner, Knight, Davies, Luke Young, Milner, Sidwell (Delfouneso 83), Petrov, Ashley Young, Agbonlahor, Carew. Subs Not Used: Guzan, Harewood, Salifou, Shorey, Albrighton, Lowry.