It was a mixed bag in England at the weekend with Premier League and FA Cup games being played, but all the action was overshadowed by an incident at White Hart Lane on Saturday in the FA Cup game between Spurs and Bolton when Bolton’s 23 year-old midfielder Fabrice Muamba suffered a heart attack on the pitch just before half-time.
Muamba was said to be in a critical condition, though improving as of late Tuesday, in the intensive care unit of a London hospital. The game was abandoned as was Bolton’s Premier League game against Aston Villa on Tuesday night.
With Chelsea playing in the FA Cup their league game against Manchester City was postponed until tonight and that allowed Manchester United move four points clear at the top of the Premier division table. Northern Ireland international Jony Evans got his first-ever goal for United as they beat Wolves 5-0 at Molineux on Sunday, a result which boosted United’s difference and sent Wolves to the bottom on goal difference. In the sixth round of the FA Cup, Fernando Torres scored twice as Chelsea beat Leicester 5-2. The Blues will now meet the winners of the re-arranged Spurs/Bolton game in the semifinal. And the second semifinal on the weekend of April 14/15 could be an all-Merseyside one. Liverpool, who beat Stoke 2-1 on Sunday, are already through and they await the winners of the replay between Everton and Sunderland, who drew 1-1 at Goodison Park on Saturday.
In Scotland Celtic were beaten 1-0 by Kilmarnock in the League Cup Final at Hampden Park, while Rangers lost again in the League, going down 2-1 away to Dundee United. Rangers were deducted ten points after going into administration and Celtic are now 21 points ahead of their great Glasgow rivals. If third placed Motherwell fail to beat Kilmarnock on Saturday then Celtic can clinch the SPL title if they beat Rangers in the Old Firm derby at Ibrox on Sunday next.
Meanwhile with Manchester United and Manchester City both going out of the Europa League last week, Chelsea is now the only English club still in a European competition. The Blues came back from being 3-1 down in the first leg to beat Napoli at Stamford Bridge last week and are now paired with Benfica in the quarterfinals.
