Galatasaray vs Chelsea

"Everyone knows Chelsea are one of the best teams in Europe. They are top of the Premier League because they are a top team with players who can change a game in any moment, fantastic players. But we want to go to London [for next month's second leg] with a chance."

For Galatasaray to have that chance, Mancini needs two former Mourinho charges, Chelsea legend Didier Drogba and former Inter midfielder Wesley Sneijder, to shine.

"Didier was an important player for Chelsea and Wesley won the Champions League with Mourinho," he added. "They have a good relationship with him but they will be enemies for 90 minutes and have to play very well for us."

Dutch playmaker Sneijder admitted his bind with Mourinho remained strong. He said: "I'm very honest, I have special feelings for Jose because we won the Treble and had a great year together.

"Of course we're friends outside the pitch, but for these 90 minutes we will not be friends.

"The way we're playing now is the work of this coach. They're both really good coaches, strong tactically, and similar when the the opponent has the ball. But as people they are different."

Atletico confirm Manquillo injury

Atletico Madrid have confirmed defender Javier Manquillo will miss four to six weeks after fracturing a vertebrae on Tuesday.

Manquillo suffered the injury during his side’s 2-0 Copa del Rey defeat to Real Madrid, a result that gave Carlo Ancelotti’s side a 5-0 aggregate win in the semi-final.

The 19-year-old was forced from the field in the 44th minute following a heavy collision with Cristiano Ronaldo.

Manquillo landed awkwardly after an aerial battle with the Portugal international, landing on his face and placing considerable pressure on his neck and back.

Atletico released a statement on Wednesday that confirmed a CT scan would rule him out of football for “four to six weeks”.

They also said that a “fracture of foil of C7 vertebra without displacement” would see him remain in hospital until Thursday.

Manquillo has not been a regular for Atletico this season, making just seven appearances in all competitions.

Nine-goal Man City through to final

Manchester City cruised into the Capital One Cup final with a record 9-0 aggregate victory over West Ham United in the semi-finals. With City holding a commanding 6-0 advantage from the first leg, the Hammers had it all to do in the return on Tuesday night and the hosts found themselves outgunned again, succumbing to a 3-0 defeat. Striker Alvaro Negredo, who scored a hat-trick in the first leg, was twice on target at the Boleyn Ground as City racked up a record aggregate winning margin for a League Cup semi-final. "It was a very professional performance" Manuel Pellegrini When Negredo headed in a pinpoint cross from City academy graduate Marcos Lopes after only three minutes it seemed as though another emphatic victory was in store for Manuel Pellegrini's charges, particularly when Sergio Aguero doubled the visitors' tally after 24 minutes. However, the Hammers then came close to a goal themselves through Andy Carroll, who headed over, and half-time substitute Carlton Cole, who was denied by Costel Pantilimon, but they conceded once more, when Negredo - who later sustained a shoulder injury - wriggled through the Hammers' rearguard to beat Jussi Jaaskelainen in the 59th-minute and take City through to their first League Cup final in 38 years. Ominously for City's Barclays Premier League rivals, summer signing Stevan Jovetic made his first substitute appearance since October, while West Ham's defeat was compounded by the loss to injury of Mohamed Diame, who was carried off on a stretcher, and Joe Cole. City will learn who their final opponents on 2 March will be on Wednesday evening when Sunderland travel to Old Trafford to defend a 2-1 first-leg lead against Manchester United. "It was a very professional performance," said Man City manager Manuel Pellegrini. "It was easy to think the game was finished from the 6-0 in the first leg but it was important to reach the final winning all the games. For Sergio Aguero, it was useful match as he played 60 minutes." West Ham manager Sam Allardyce, meanwhile, rued his side's defending for the first goal, which arrived after 154 seconds. "The most disappointing thing was our defensive unit doing what it did in the first few minutes," he said. "Manchester City are a super, super team but it was not a super, super opening goal. "Obviously we were disappointed to lose Joe Cole and Mo Diame to injuries, but we'll have to see how serious they are. Mo's injury might not have been as serious as it first looked."

Ancelotti said :

Carlo Ancelotti appeared in the press room following Real Madrid’s win at the Cornellá-El Prat Stadium: "The team played well, with quality, pace and intensity. It was a good match, it is normal that we suffered a bit at the end after having not scored the second". The Italian coach also spoke about the team that he played and how difficult the tie is: "It is the cup quarter-finals and we have to put out our best team; the tie is still to be decided". The Whites’ coach congratulated Casillas for his record of minutes without conceding: "He's doing very well and deserves the record because of his professionalism. He helps the team a lot. He has played very well in every match. We have a lot of league and cup matches to play and the two goalkeepers are playing more or less the same number of matches. Iker is a starting goalkeeper, as is Diego López". Bale was another player that he mentioned by name: "He had a good match, maybe he didn’t do everything perfectly but he worked hard in attack and in defence. The match was excellent, all of the players did very well. Bale is used to playing on the right because that is where he has played a lot". When asked about the starting line-up, Ancelotti said: "It is the cup quarter-finals and we have to put out our best team; the tie is still to be decided. Espanyol played very well and with a lot of spirit. The tie is still to be decided and we will play with our best team in the second leg". Ancelotti highlighted the hard work done by Real Madrid, whose win was deserved and could have been by a bigger margin: "We only suffered a bit at the end. The team played well, with quality, pace and intensity. We recovered the ball well, had no problems at the back and finished without conceding. It was a good match, it is normal that we suffered a bit at the end after having not scored the second". The Italian coach did not want to reveal anything about his conversation with Aguirre during the match: "It is between us, I don’t like to say. If he wants to, I have no problem. They are things between coaches".

Montenegro missing four key players for World Cup qualifier with England

Montenegro will miss their captain Mirko Vucinic and at least three other players through injury for their 2014 World Cup qualifier in England, but they still feel they can pull off an upset, acording to the defender Miodrag Dzudovic. As well as Vucinic, the Juventus striker, the goalkeeper Mladen Bozovic, the centre back Marko Basa and midfielder Miodrag Pekovic have also been ruled out while the central defender Dzudovic is doubtful with a back injury and hamstring strain. "It seems we always head into decisive matches decimated by injuries and this is just too much bad luck with the most important game of our careers around the corner," Dzudovic said. "But when the going gets tough, the tough get going. There is no doubt our coach Branko Brnovic will find the right strategy to disguise our chinks and maximise our potential at Wembley." England, who are also at home to Poland in their final game on 15 October, head a delicately balanced Group H with 16 points from eight games, one more than Ukraine and Montenegro and three ahead of the Poles. The Montenegrins, from a tiny Adriatic republic in the Balkans with a population of 625,000, have earned three creditable draws in as many competitive meetings with England. They are at home to Moldova in their final game and Dzudovic acknowledged that avoiding defeat at Wembley would put Montenegro in a good position to take at least a playoff berth. "Of course we are poised to go for a win against England if given the opportunity because we can't just roll over and throw away all the good work we have done in the qualifiers so far," he said. "The most important thing will be to keep a clean sheet and I am sure our forwards will find a way through. With the right attitude and enough self-belief, we can finish in the top two and reach the playoffs." The nine group winners qualify automatically for the 32-nation tournament in Brazil while the eight best runners-up enter the two-leg playoffs for Europe's remaining four berths.

Celtic vs FC Barcelona

Last November, Neil Lennon's men sprung a huge shock at Celtic Park when goals from Victor Wanyama and rookie striker Tony Watt secured a famous 2-1 triumph over the four-time European champions. Messi pulled a late goal back for Barca that night but the Argentinian is set for at least two weeks on the sidelines after injuring his hamstring in Saturday's 2-0 victory at Almeria. His absence is a major blow for the Catalans, with Messi having helped himself to a hat-trick as Barca brushed Ajax aside 4-0 in the Group H opener a fortnight ago to move ahead of Mario Gomez and Filippo Inzaghi by becoming the first player to score four trebles in the competition. However, coach Gerardo Martino has more than enough in reserve to ensure that Barca will still be favourites. Spain international Pedro matched his illustrious team-mate's efforts when he took home the match ball as Rayo Vallecano were dispatched 4-0 a week ago. Messi scored again on Saturday as the Catalan giants claimed a seventh win from as many Liga matches this term against Almeria, but was then withdrawn. Meanwhile, Celtic warmed up for the clash in the best possible manner on Saturday when they bounced back from a shock defeat to Morton in the Scottish League Cup with victory at Kilmarnock. The Scottish champions survived a fightback from their hosts before prevailing 5-2 as Georgios Samaras fired in a hat-trick. Barcelona will once again be without left-back Jordi Alba due to a hamstring problem, while fellow defender Carles Puyol and playmaker Isaac Cuenca are recovering from knee surgery. Celtic are missing close-season arrival Steven Mouyokolo, who ruptured his Achilles in training before the Milan clash.

DUO LOSE GROUND IN TITLE RACE

Title hopefuls Rennes and Toulouse stayed locked together in Ligue 1 after sharing a goalless draw.
The defences were largely on top with Toulouse striker Andre-Pierre Gignac the only player who looked likely to break the deadlock.
The stalemate dropped the pair to fifth and sixth, with Rennes ahead on goal difference, four points behind leaders Lyon, who have a game in hand.
Paris St Germain climbed above Rennes and Toulouse as goals from Guillaume Hoarau and Peguy Luyindula in the space of 10 second-half minutes earned the capital club all three points against Caen.
Hoarau opened the scoring after 48 minutes and Luyindula added a second 10 minutes later as the home side made their dominance pay with a 2-0 victory that saw them move up to third.
Monaco brought an end to a five-match winless run by posting a smash-and-grab victory over Grenoble at Stade Louis II.
Alexandre Licata scored the only goal of the game after 67 minutes to lift the principality club to mid-table safety, eight points from the drop zone.
Nantes took a huge leap away from the relegation zone with a convincing 2-0 win at Le Mans.
Yoann Poulard and Frederic Da Rocha both scored in the second half to lift Nantes up to 12th place on 26 points, leapfrogging Le Mans, who slip to 13th.
A goal by Landry Nguemo in the third minute of injury time earned Nancy a 3-2 victory over Le Havre after the home side looked to have earned a draw with a late strike of their own.
Le Havre led early on through Amadou Alassane only for Julien Feret and Jonathan Brison to put the visitors ahead by half-time.
Le Havre were back on level terms a minute into stoppage time through Alassane but Nguemo snatched a dramatic winner.
Valenciennes earned a timely boost in the battle to avoid relegation thanks to Gregory Pujol's second-half goal in a 1-0 win over Nice at an icy Stade Nungessar.
Struggling Auxerre avoided a fifth league defeat in a row as they battled to a goalless draw with mid-table Lorient.
Both teams had chances to claim the victory with home keeper Olivier Sorin producing a brilliant second-half save to deny Kevin Gameiro.

VOLENDAM MAKE THEIR POINT

NAC Breda's European aspirations took a knock as they were surprisingly held to a draw at home to basement side FC Volendam.
After Volendam spurned the chance to go ahead when Bernard Hofstede blasted a first-half penalty over the bar, NAC opened the scoring after 64 minutes through Joonas Kolkka.
Volendam refused to lie down, however, and levelled through Rowin Van Zaanen just six minutes later.
The draw meant NAC missed the chance to climb into fifth place in the Eredivisie standings while Volendam remain four points adrift at the foot of table.
The visitors will reflect on what might have been after missing a great chance to nose ahead after 25 minutes.
Tyrone Loran felled Person Sheotahul in the area after 25 minutes giving Hofstede the chance to break the deadlock from the spot only to blaze over the bar.
NAC's best chance of the half came on the stroke of half-time as Volendam goalkeeper Jeroen Verhoeven failed to intercept Czaber Feher's cross at the near post but none of the home attackers could react to poke the ball into the yawning net.
The hosts made amends just after the hour when Kolkka picked up the ball outside the Volendam box and advanced a few paces before unleashing a shot into the bottom-right corner of Verhoeven's goal.
Volendam hit back quickly, however, and made sure they left with a point when Van Zaanen found himself all alone in front of goal after latching on to a through ball and had the simplest of tasks to steer his effort beyond Jelle ten Rouwelaar.

CAGLIARI DENT JUVE'S TITLE HOPES

Juventus's title challenge was dealt a major blow by a carefree Cagliari, who stunned the Bianconeri at the Stadio Olimpico tonight.
Davide Biondini put Massimiliano Allegri's side ahead in the 16th minute, but the home side recovered to turn the game around before half-time with goals from Mohamed Sissoko, in the 31st minute, and Pavel Nedved, seven minutes later.
Jeda brought Cagliari back on terms in the 54th minute and Alessandro Matri sealed the win with just over 10 minutes remaining to maintain the Sardinians' unlikely charge for a place in Europe next season.
It took Cagliari six games to register their first points this season, but they have not looked back since, moving up to seventh place with this latest win.
Meanwhile, Juve could find themselves nine points behind league leaders Inter Milan and behind AC Milan if results go against them tomorrow.
Juve defender Nicola Legrottaglie was the unlikely source of their first chance in the 12th minute when he volleyed straight at Federico Marchetto from 10 yards after staying up following a corner.
Moments later, Sissoko juggled the ball into the penalty area where he played a neat one-two with Amauri only to hit his shot wide.
Cagliari took the lead with their first attack, stunning Juve when Biondini beat Marco Marchionni at the far post to head past Gianluigi Buffon in the 16th minute.
Juve reacted well and levelled with just over half an hour gone.
Alessandro Del Piero's corner from the left tempted both Legrottaglie and Sissoko and the latter got the telling touch with his head to beat Marchetti from eight yards.
Cagliari then had the chance to restore their lead when Michele Fini volleyed wide after being found by Andrea Cossu.
But it was Juve who went ahead in the 38th minute - Nedved beating Marchetti low into his bottom right corner when Cristian Molinaro's cross was headed back to him 10 yards out by Daniele Conti.
Juve were made to rue missed chances as Cagliari fought back in the second half to turn the game in their favour.
Jeda brought them level nine minutes in, finishing off an excellent break with a cool finish from Cossu's cross.
Another quick break took Cagliari ahead for the second time in the game.
Andrea Lazzari squared the ball for substitute Matri, who picked his spot to the left of Buffon from just outside the penalty area.
Juve finished the game with three strikers when Vincenzo Iaquinta came on, but they rarely looked like equalising as they lost their second consecutive game to lose further ground on the Serie A summit.

SIX WINS IN A ROW FOR REAL

Raul equalled Real Madrid's all-time scoring record to send his side on their way to victory at lowly Numancia.
The 31-year-old striker netted his 307th goal for the Real, where he has spent his entire professional career, and Arjen Robben added a classy second to narrow the gap on leaders Barcelona, who play Racing Santander on Sunday.
The gap is still nine points and may be back to 12 in 24 hours' time, but tonight's win was Real's sixth in a row in the league at least maintains the pressure on their arch-rivals.
In contrast, Numancia are becoming increasingly embroiled in a relegation battle having lost three on the bounce, although it could have been a story had they taken their early chances at La Parajeto.
The hosts tasted first blood when Gonzalez Boris headed straight at goalkeeper Iker Casillas from Jose Barkero's cross and that set the tone for much of the first half as they refused to be daunted by their superior opponents.
Javier Del Pino had the best chance in the 27th minute, his header crashing back off the right post with Casillas helpless, and Gorka Brit also squandered a good opportunity when his half-volley from a tight angle squeezed the wrong side of the near post.
Madrid also had their chances. Gonzalo Higuain's long-range shot was gathered at the second attempt by keeper Colinas Juan Pablo early on and Gabriel Heinz had a header cleared off the line by Boris.
In between those chances, Robben set up Fernando Gago after a jinking run down the right, but the midfielder mistimed his shot and it scuffed harmlessly wide.
Higuain again tried his luck from distance as half-time approached, and Madrid perhaps would have considered themselves fortunate to reach the break with 11 men still on the pitch as Sergio Ramos, booked in the seventh minute for a hack on Del Pino, committed a series of untidy fouls.
The second half was just three minutes old when Madrid broke the deadlock. Robben, lively all game, surged into the heart of the Numancia defence before laying off to Higuain, whose shot was palmed away by Juan Pablo.
The rebound fell straight to Raul though, who bundled home from close range for his 307th goal, equalling Alfredo di Stefano's all-time record.
Eight minutes later Robben doubled the lead with his fifth goal of the season. The diminutive Dutchman, having just been fouled, took a quick free-kick, received the ball straight back and slalomed in between Numancia's defence before swerving to his left on the edge of the box and dispatching a low shot into the bottom left corner.
Thereafter the chances dried up, the champions seemingly happy to sit back on their lead.
Jose Barkero tried his luck from a 25-yard free-kick in the 74th minute but curled it well over, and Numancia were then given a lifeline when Gago was dismissed five minutes later for a second booking.
It proved irrelevant to the result, however, as Real shut up shop for the final 10 minutes.

Liverpool vs. Chelsea

Rafa Benitez and Luiz Felipe Scolari are feeling the pressure of Sunday's showdown
An upbeat Rafael Benitez on Friday laughed off suggestions he was "cracking up" under the pressure generated by Liverpool's faltering form.
A run of seven draws in their last 11 league matches has seen Benitez's men hand the initiative in the title battle to champions Manchester United and made Sunday's Anfield meeting with Chelsea a critical encounter.
The Reds' loss of momentum has increased the critical focus on Benitez's team selection and tactics at a time when his outburst against United boss Sir Alex Ferguson and a string of cryptic comments in press conferences have contributed to a sense that the pressure was beginning to tell on the Spaniard.
That is an impression he was at pains to dispel on Friday as he went through his reasons for substituting both Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard in the midweek draw at Wigan (tiredness and fear of injury), while insisting there was much for Liverpool fans to be cheerful about.
"We are eight points better off than we were at this stage last season," Benitez pointed out. "We are very positive and if we can beat Chelsea everybody will be talking in a different way about us.
"We are in our best position for the last 10-15 years. So we have to enjoy it and try to keep doing our best.
"There is no extra pressure on me. I can guarantee that I have not read a newspaper, listened to radio or watched TV since the Wigan game.
"I spent Thursday enjoying some time off with my family because I knew there would be a lot of people trying to talk about things they do not know about."
Benitez did not deny that the Chelsea match had become a must-win clash.
"We showed character and quality to beat them earlier in the season, and we showed the same things in beating Manchester United here.
"Now if we can continue to show those qualities and beat Chelsea again, maybe we will be in the headlines for something positive.
"It has always been important to beat sides who are at the top, but maybe this year even more because we are very close to them."
Benitez also insisted he did not regret any of the decisions he has made this month, which have included the controversial dropping of Robbie Keane for an FA Cup match against Everton as well as going public with his feelings about Ferguson.
"It has a bad month but the only thing that I would have done differently would have been to drink more water to maybe avoid the kidney stones trouble I have had," Benitez insisted.
"But on the pitch, no. There have been very fine details that have cost us points. At Stoke in the final minutes Steven Gerrard hit a post. Against Everton we conceded a very late free-kick that should have bee avoided when they equalised.
"And at Wigan we gave away a late penalty. You cannot control everything, but we should have six more points."
Benitez added: "This has always been a must-win-game. As they all are. After my comments about Mr Ferguson we knew we still had to win at Stoke, those words didn't change anything on the pitch. It doesn't matter what is being said off the pitch."

Manchester United manager ready for title twists

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said he expected there to be tricky moments between now and the end of the season after seeing his side extend their Premier League lead.
United's 1-0 win over Everton at Old Trafford here Saturday left then five points clear at the top of the table with 15 league games remaining and ideally placed to claim a third successive Premier League title.
But Ferguson refused to get carried away after Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half penalty earned his side a seventh straight league win.
"The important thing is we keep the form going," said Ferguson. "We have a difficult game away to West Ham next week. All teams drop points in the run-in. We just hope we don't drop as many as the rest," the Scot added
"It's an advantage (being top). It's not a great advantage because there are still 15 games left. But it's always better to be top of the league than anywhere else."
Having started January third in the table, United ended the month with a significant advantage over closest challengers Liverpool and Chelsea and a game in hand.
Michael Carrick, sent tumbling by Mikel Arteta in the 44th minute for the spot-kick which allowed Ronaldo to notch his 13th goal of the season, said: "Who know how decisive our five-point advantage can be?
"We've done our bit this weekend," added Carrick. We're happy with 1-0, we've got another clean sheet and we had chances to score a few more."
And the England midfielder was adamant that United had yet to hit top form.
"We can be satisfied with the three points, but there's still more to come from us."
United's latest victory saw their Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar set an all-time English record for the most number of minutes without conceding a league goal.
His latest top-flight, shut-out meant van der Sar had not conceded a goal in 18 hours and 42 minutes of action in the top tier.
Frenchman Samir Nasri was the last player to beat the 38-year-old in the Premier League during Arsenal's 2-1 home win over United on November 8.
Since then van der Sar has gone 12 league games without letting in a goal, an achievement not lost on his manager.
"The composure he brings, the experience he brings…Edwin has been outstanding for us," said Ferguson.
"I couldn't believe it when I read that the last goal we conceded in the league was at Arsenal back in November. It's incredible. Edwin brings a calm and an assurance to the players in front of him.
"I don't know how many times w"But the record says a lot for the players that have come in. You really have to pay credit to Edwin," the boss of the English, European and world champions added.
Ferguson insisted United should have been awarded another penalty after Joleon Lescott fouled Carrick in the second-half.
"I think (Lescott on Carrick) was a clear penalty. No question about that. It was more of a penalty than the first one."
Everton manager David Moyes had few complaints about the match-winning penalty and praised his side for frustrating United for long spells.
"I'm always proud of my players because they always do a good job," said Moyes, after his side's first defeat in 10 matches. "They have come here and done another one for me."
Moyes will now turn his attention to Wednesday's FA Cup fourth round replay with Merseyside neighbours Liverpool.e have had to change the back four over the last 12 games.

Galaxy’s best shot at keeping Beckham

The wheels of soccer politicking are turning at high speed as David Beckham seeks a permanent move to AC Milan.
Some of the biggest names in the sport – Beckham, Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti, England manager Fabio Capello and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi – are being whisked along in the slipstream as the saga reaches its most critical juncture.
However, as the end of the January transfer window and D-Day edges ever closer, there is one person who can not be overlooked in the whole process.
Victoria Beckham, the England midfielder’s wife of nearly 10 years and mother of his three children, could be the Los Angeles Galaxy’s best hope of holding on to their most famous player as the tides of his career flow increasingly toward a permanent rest in Italy.

Canales Daily: Donovan Wish vs Galaxy Need

It’s now or never for American striker Landon Donovan to make such an impression at Bayern Munich that the club will consider making a serious offer for his services on a permanent basis.
His league debut for the German club is likely to come this Friday.
Donovan’s statements not only to the German media, but to American outlets before he left, have made clear his desire to continue his career at a notable club in Europe, which Bayern certainly qualifies as.
His friends had no doubts as to Donovan’s intentions.
“He’s desperate to prove it, I think not only to himself, but perhaps some of his critics as well, that he can make it in Europe,” said Galaxy teammate Eddie Lewis to Goal.com exclusively. “If it works out for him, I’d be pleased for him personally, and obviously disappointed to lose a great player. But I know those are his ambitions.”

Man U, Chelsea get second-tier opponents in FA Cup

Manchester United and Chelsea have drawn League Championship opponents in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Premier League leader United will play at either Derby or Nottingham Forest, while Chelsea travels to Watford.
The draw for the last 16 of soccer’s oldest and most famous domestic competition was made Sunday. The matches will be played on Feb. 14-15.
Liverpool and Everton drew 1-1 Sunday and a Feb. 4 rematch will decide which hosts either Aston Villa or Doncaster, who played out a scoreless draw Saturday.
If Arsenal gets past a replay with Cardiff after a 0-0 draw Sunday, Arsene Wenger’s side will face either West Bromwich Albion or Burnley.
After ousting defending champion Portsmouth, second-tier Swansea has a home match with Fulham.
West Ham and Middlesbrough will contest the only guaranteed all-Premier League contest.
League Championship side Coventry will play topflight opposition, visiting either Sunderland or Blackburn. Hull, in its first ever season in the topflight, travels to Sheffield United.

Manchester United counting cost of five-trophy assault

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson saw his dreams of landing five trophies kept alive, but admitted that the 2-1 FA Cup fourth round win over Tottenham came at a cost.
Dimitar Berbatov's first-half strike against his former club settled the tie in United's favour at Old Trafford after a Tom Huddlestone own goal had cancelled out Roman Pavlyuchenko's early opener.
But Ferguson's team didn't emerge unscathed.
"Cristiano Ronaldo had a stomach bug and it showed because he was nowhere near the player we know he can be," said the United manager.
"Fabio da Silva picked up a calf injury and Danny Welbeck has injured his knee. The full-back positions are causing us a bit of concern at the moment."
United have already won the European Super Cup this season, are on top of the Premier League, in the last 16 of the Champions League and have an English League Cup final date with Spurs in March.
"We gave Spurs a start, but we recovered well. We played some good stuff and their keeper made some great saves, but Paul Scholes got us back into the game with his deflected goal," said Ferguson.
"It was a great strike from a fantastic cross by Michael Carrick. It's a dangerous game when you are only winning 2-1, but we were always comfortable."
Ferguson, who dismissed claims that he had attempted to forego a replay for this tie as 'absolutely scandalous,' insisted that neither he nor United had any intention of calling for the game to be settled on the day.
He said: "There was never any issue of me not wanting a replay and I said that on Friday. How can you deny the likes of Torquay or Southend the chance of a big gate against one of the big clubs? It's scandalous."
Scholes, whose deflected shot opened the scoring, admits he is not certain whether the goal will be marked down as his first of the season.
He said: "If it was on target, then it's my goal. If it wasn't, then I won't claim it.
"If it takes so long to score a goal, it isn't great. We are in January now, the second half of the season, so you want to be scoring a lot sooner than that."
Meanwhile, Spurs manager Harry Redknapp accused Teddy Sheringham of talking 'absolute rubbish' after the former Tottenham and United striker claimed the Londoners 'lacked fight and looked happy to be out of the FA Cup'.
Spurs' failure to turn the tie around earned scathing criticism from television pundit Sheringham.
Despite his team's exit, however, Redknapp refused to accept the hard-hitting analysis of Sheringham, who spent a season under Redknapp at Portsmouth.
"I'm disappointed to hear Teddy Sheringham saying things like that. He ought to know better," said Redknapp.
"It's very unfair and I don't what he is getting at. How can people say that the players weren't trying?
"People are just jumping on the bandwagon at the moment, though, and getting on our back. It's not as if we were beaten 6-1 here. We have lost 2-1 and we had chances to get a draw from the game."

Manchester City Want Didier Drogba

According to The Sun, mega-rich Manchester City are preparing a £15 million swoop for Chelsea’s unsettled forward, Didier Drogba.
The Sky Blues are in need of an out-and-out striker, as the likes of Jo, Benjani and the injured Valeri Bojinov have failed to make much of an impression at Eastlands.
City boss Mark Hughes has long wanted Roque Santa Cruz to lead the line, but Blackburn Rovers continue to jack up the price on the Paraguayan hitman.
Thus, ‘Sparky’ has begun scouting out other potential targets, and it is thought his new favorite currently resides on the fringes at Stamford Bridge.
Drogba has fallen out of favor at Chelsea this season, as a combination of off-field drama and Nicolas Anelka’s red-hot form have seen him relegated to second choice in the club’s one-striker system.
Indeed, following a meek display in the Blues’ recent defeat to Manchester United, the Ivorian was banished to the reserves and missed out on the FA Cup replay with Southend United.
He was also excluded from the squad for last weekend’s narrow win over Stoke City, with youngsters Miroslav Stoch and Franco di Santo filling the bench instead.
There has been considerable speculation as to where the 30-year-old’s future lies, with former club Olympique Marseille touted as a likely destination, but Luiz Felipe Scolari has dismissed those rumors.
However, the Chelsea manager could be tempted by the possibility of a swap deal involving Robinho, with Drogba replacing Anelka in the supposed four-man trade reported yesterday involving Florent Malouda, Salomon Kalou and Alex.
It remains to be seen whether Robinho is eligible to move this month, but it is nonetheless highly unlikely that City would swap him for a player who, on paper, seems an ideal strike-partner for the samba star.

Beckham makes home debut for AC Milan

David Beckham made his home debut for AC Milan on Saturday, playing 81 minutes in a 1-0 victory over Fiorentina in the Italian league.
Beckham is on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy and hopes to stay sharp in hopes of earning a spot on the English national team. He played his first Serie A match a week ago.
He had a busy night on the right side of midfield before being replaced by defender Philippe Senderos in the game at San Siro.
Just before halftime, Beckham had an excellent chance. The ball was worked across to him on the right side of the penalty box, but goalkeeper Sebastien Frey was able to push his low shot away for a corner kick.
Alexander Pato scored in the seventh minute for the only goal in what many expect to be Kaka’s last game before joining Manchester City for more than $130 million. At the start of the second half, Kaka had three good opportunities, but each time the Fiorentina defense was able to block his shots.
The win leaves Milan in third place, six points behind leader Inter Milan and two behind Juventus. Both teams play Sunday.

Americans in the UK: Friedel Cements Villa’s Spot

In what was a rather boring weekend for the Americans in the UK, Brad Friedel managed to help create some headlines as Villa continued their majestic run amongst the top four in the Premiership.
The 37-year-old keeper was impressive on Saturday as Villa grabbed a controversial victory at the Stadium of Light Saturday. After Ashley Young was sent off in the 72nd minute, Gabriel Agbonlahor was awarded a questionable penalty by referee Mike Dean in the 80th which Gareth Barry blasted home. Friedel made a few nice saves including a great footed stop of Dean Whitehead’s first half effort. Friedel and company now sit three points ahead of Arsenal and are in control of third place, just three points behind leaders Manchester United.

Fergie relishes United's durability

BOLTON, England, (AFP) - Sir Alex Ferguson admits he is delighted with Manchester United's durability after his side moved to the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Bolton.
Last season's English and European champions have had a slow start to the campaign but since they returned from winning the Club World Cup in Japan, Ferguson's team have won five straight league matches.
That run has erased the seven-point advantage Liverpool held over them just a month ago. United's victory at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday not only edged them above the Reds - ahead of their match at home to Everton on Monday - but also equalled Chelsea's record of 10 straight clean sheets in the Premier League.
Having built a reputation for attacking football last season, it was United's seventh 1-0 victory in the league this season and Ferguson believes it is a significant indicator about his team's mentality.