Arsenal vs Bayern Munich - Champions League Last 16 LIVE Commentary:

Interesting: Arsenal know that they will have to be on the top of their game to win.

Hello everyone, and welcome to my latest LIVE Commentary coming from this season's UEFA Champions League. 
Today is the first leg of the crunch match between Arsenal and Bayern Munich at The Emirates.
Bayern are unbeaten in 2013, and have not conceded a goal in over 400 minutes of play. 

Arsenal on the other hand were knocked out by Blackburn Rovers on Saturday afternoon in the FA Cup and this competition is the last chance for The Gunners to win some silverware or else their trophy drought will continue.

20:05:
20 minutes played at The Emirates, and Bayern Munich are leading by 1 goal to nil thanks to a wonder strike from 20 yards out thanks to German young midfielder Toni Kroos.

21: GOAL! 
Midfielder Thomas Muller has doubled Bayern's lead now! He was failed to be marked at the corner and Szczesny's first parry away was converted into the net by Van Buyten.

35: Arsenal are struggling to break down this tough Bayern defence, just have to pass the ball around to stem the flow of the match, and stop the German domination.

36: Something for the home fans to shout about, with Thomas Muller being brandished a yellow card after a deliberate handball near the halfway line despite his protests that it was accidental.
Tense first-half for the hosts.

44: Bayern probing for the finishing goal with a lovely cross into the box by right-back Phillip Lahm to striker Mario Mandzukic... he heads the ball towards goal.... JUST WIDE!!

Arsenal are let off there, and the defenders are not sticking tight to the Croatian...

45: The fourth official signals for 2 minutes of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the first-half.

45+1: Bayern are comfortable in possession now, passing the ball around the pitch with ease.

45+1: Good interception by Mikel Arteta, when it was needed. 

45+2: Wilshere does some rare defensive work to kill the threat of Ribery and Kroos before clearing the ball out. The referee blows his whistle, and the first-half is over.

20:38: Arsenal need to step up in the second half, and test Manuel Neuer. Their defence needs to be sharpened also after two poor goals that they conceded in the first-half.
If they are not careful, this could be a rout so Walcott, Cazorla and Wilshere ALL need to GET on the ball, play well and score soon or else they will have no chance for the return leg in Munich.

20:40: Bayern are comfortable at half-time, dominating the possession and passing without going past gear 3 at times. 
They will need to keep the pressure on the hosts to make sure that they do not get back into the match and Lahm should continue delivering crosses into the box because one time or another they will score.

One thing is for sure - Arsenal are not down and out of this tie yet.

Other:

FC Porto 0 Malaga 0 - HT

20:42: Second half to come NEXT.

20:48: The Arsenal players are already out of the dressing room, and are ready for the second half. 
The referee blows his whistle, and the second half from The Emirates has BEGUN.

45: Bayern starting the second half with purpose, as Manzukic has a run down the wing trying to deliver a ball into the box, but defender Laurent Koscielny covers him and makes a sliding tackle. The ball goes out for a corner.

46: The corner is cleared away, and Arsenal get the ball away to safety.

50: Podolski is applauded by the home fans after showing his physical side with a great sliding tackle to win possession for the hosts.

55: GOAL! Controversy leading up to the goal, but Arsenal will not mind one bit! Former Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski scores a scrappy header after Bayern fail to clear the corner, but the corner should not have even been given by the referee as Cazorla's shot deflected off Podolski before going behind the goal.

Either way, (like I said) Arsenal are suddenly back in the tie despite the controversy surrounding the goal. 

57: GOAL UPDATE:
FC Porto 1 Malaga 0

Midfielder Joao Moutinho has broken the deadlock for the hosts after 57 minutes of play in Portugal. Porto lead the Spanish side 1-0.

62: Bayern Munich SUB:
Franck Ribery OFF
Arjen Robben ON 

Fresh legs for the visitors, with former Chelsea winger Arjen Robben desperate to prove a point back in England again. He has not been starting regularly for Bayern over the past few weeks and a good 30 minute performance would impress his manager... Ribery has struggled to get into the match today, and is replaced as a result.

67: Bayern have a free-kick in a dangerous position now, thanks to Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey tangling with Thomas Muller near the 18-yard box.

He receives a yellow card, which is Arsenal's 5th of the night...
Midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger steps up to take the free-kick.... it swerves over the wall.. OVER THE BAR!!

68: Cameras show Tomas Rosicky and Olivier Giroud both warming up to come on.

69: Arsenal pressing the Bayern defence now, with both Wilshere and Podolski trying to weave some magic.... still 2-1 though with just over 20 minutes plus stoppages to play.

70: Here are the subs:
Arsenal SUBS:
Lukas Podolski OFF
Aaron Ramsey OFF
Tomas Rosicky ON
Olivier Giroud ON

Wise move by Arsene Wenger, because both Podolski and Ramsey have yellow cards.

73: CHANCE! Theo Walcott uses his sprint speed to get down the wing with pace and purpose before whipping a cross into the box for Giroud who hits the ball powerfully towards goal, but goalkeeper Manuel Neuer parries it out.

74: Bayern Munich SUB:
Toni Kroos OFF
Luiz Gustavo ON

78: GOAL! Bayern have killed off this tie! Whether the goal is lucky or not, the visitors will take it nonetheless.

Robben plays a nice overlap play with Lahm, who crosses the ball low across the box. Croatian striker Mandzukic connects with the ball despite pressure from right-back Sagna, and deflects the looping ball over Szczesny's head into the back of the net. 

It looked as though it was going over the bar, but creeped underneath at the last second... 3-1 to Bayern. 

82: Bayern Munich SUB:
Mario Mandzukic OFF
Mario Gomez ON

Fresh legs for Bayern, less than 10 to go.

90: The fourth official has signalled for 3 minutes of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the second half at The Emirates. The hosts realise that they are not going to win this match now...

90+3: The referee has blown his whistle to end the match at The Emirates.

Bayern have a comfortable 3-1 lead over Arsenal, even though their goals were questionable and should not have gone in for a club like Arsenal.
Then again, Bayern showed their quality tonight without going into 4th gear and have a great chance of progressing into the Last 8. 
Arsenal meanwhile played much better in the first half, and were unlucky to concede the 3rd goal.

Thank you for reading my blog tonight. I appreciate your support from daily views and my followers and I will be back tomorrow with another edition of "My Thoughts" which features Ronaldo and Messi.


(MORE TO FOLLOW - AS THE NIGHT CONTINUES)

Manchester United vs Reading: FA Cup 5th Round Tie - LIVE Coverage

Hello and welcome to my latest blog installment everyone! Due to the fact that this week is half-term for me, expect a LOT of blog posts this week including Issue 3 of "My Thoughts" which features two of the best players in the world (Messi and Ronaldo).

Tomorrow will also be covered with UEFA Champions League action as Arsenal host German giants Bayern Munich, but my main focus tonight involves the last match in Round 5 of this season's FA Cup.

Manchester United host Reading at Old Trafford at 8pm, and Sir Alex Ferguson will take note from Arsene Wenger's woes on the weekend and make sure that he does not field an under-strength team despite Reading being 18th in the EPL at the moment...

Quarter-Final Draw:

Oldham Athletic/Everton vs Wigan Athletic 
Manchester City vs Barnsley
Manchester United/Reading vs Middlesborough/Chelsea
Millwall vs Blackburn Rovers

Ties to be played the weekend of March 9th and 10th.

Interesting draw there, with Everton and Manchester City both the favourites to move into the semi-finals with a comfortable win. Manchester United and Chelsea are both expected to win their respective 5th Round ties and will conjure up a mouthwatering all EPL-tie in the quarters. 

19:45: 15 minutes until kick-off at Old Trafford, with the team line-ups being officially confirmed for this 5th Round tie. 

Manchester United: De Gea, Smalling, Jones, Vidic, Buttner, Valencia, Anderson, Cleverley, Young, Welbeck, Hernandez. 

Subs: Lindegaard, Ferdinand, Giggs, Nani, Carrick, van Persie, Kagawa. 

Strong United squad, with Jones and Vidic both defensive rocks. Smalling returns to the squad, along with left-back Buttner and Mexican "super sub" Javier Hernandez. 
van Persie and Kagawa are among the subs on the United bench just in-case... 

Reading: Federici, Kelly, Shorey, Mariappa, Morrison, Karacan, Leigtertwood, McAnuff, McCleary, Hunt, Le Fondre.

Subs: Andersen, Gunter, Pearce, Carrico, Robson-Kanu, Pogrebnyak.

Pogrebnyak has to start the match from the bench as life-long United fan and "super sub" Adam Le Fondre starts up top along with Noel Hunt for The Royals in a 4-4-2 formation. They need to get comfortable and make sure that they defend well if they are to get a result away from home at "The Theatre of Dreams" tonight. 

Referee: Andre Marriner

20:23: 23 minutes played at Old Trafford, and even though it feels like it is an EPL match, United should be 2-0 up. 
Valencia should have scored in the first 3 minutes but his finishing ability failed him after Welbeck's shot was parried away by Adam Federici.

Manchester United pressed Reading for the opener, with England midfielder Tom Cleverley having a 25-yard drive parried away by Federici before the ball fell straight into the path of Ashley Young from 7 yards out who failed to break the deadlock after having his effort tipped past the post.

26: Reading striker Noel Hunt is jogging off the pitch in frustration, because he has to receive some more treatment after his 50/50 collision with Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic ended with him having a head cut.

30: Reading trying to pressurise the hosts, but every time Jobi McAnuff goes down the wing with pace and purpose, his probing cross into the box finds no-one, because all of the Reading players are stuck in their own half.

37: Young rising English defender Phil Jones is down on the floor in agony after a 50/50 challenge with Jobi McAnuff near the touchline. It seems as though he has twisted his knee and he is limping off the pitch.

40: Nani is taking off his big Manchester United coat, and is receiving instructions from the assistant coach. 

42: Phil Jones limps down into the tunnel in anger at the fact that his match is prematurely ending.
Manchester United substitution:
Phil Jones (injury) OFF
Nani ON

Sir Alex Ferguson is shifting Antonio Valencia to right-back now and Nani moves into right-midfield.

45: The fourth official has signalled for 4 minutes of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the first-half at Old Trafford. 

45+4: The referee Andre Marriner blows his whistle to end the first-half action at Old Trafford tonight. It has been an interesting first-half for both sides, with Reading the happier of the two sides because they are lucky not to be 2 or 3-0 down. 

United are desperate to progress into the Quarter-Finals, and the team-talk will be essential to how they perform in the second half, and I doubt that there will not be any goals in this match. 

90: FULL-TIME SCORE:

Manchester United 2 Reading 1 

What did I say? I said that there would be goals in the second half didn't I?!?! And guess what?
United eventually prevailed 2-1 thanks to goals from Nani in the 69th minute and Javier Hernandez in the 72nd minute (header from Nani's cross).

Reading pressed the hosts for a goal and eventually got it in the 80th minute thanks to winger Jobi McAnuff, but their late challenge was too late for the visitors as United held strong and progress to the Quarter-Finals against either Chelsea or Middlesborough.

EPL and FA Cup 5th Round LIVE Coverage:

Hello and welcome to my latest blog installment, with 4 matches being played today. 3 are in the FA Cup as Chelsea host Brentford in part 2 of their epic conclusion from the 4th Round, Manchester City host giant-killers Leeds who beat Tottenham in Round 4 and Wigan play against lower-league Huddersfield. 

Also, Swansea travel to Anfield to play against Liverpool in the EPL at 3pm.

Chelsea vs Brentford - LIVE:

The match has kicked off at Stamford Bridge, as 3rd placed Chelsea take a break from the EPL to deal with the 4th Round FA Cup Replay against Brentford after their 1-0 win against Sparta Prague on Thursday in the Europa League. 

Chelsea's young midfield startlet Oscar scored the only goal of the game against Sparta Prague. 

Tight: Oscar had to weave some of his magic to ensure The Blues scored a crucial away goal. 

The hosts have started off slowly at Stamford Bridge, with Lampard, Oscar and Mata all not getting into the match as of yet. 
Having said that, they are dominating possession and starting to have more chances thanks to a free header by defender Branislav Ivanovic almost creeping into the net at the far post and the wing-backs probing.

Brentford are playing well even though they do not have much possession - as you would expect from a League 1 side travelling to an EPL side, especially like Chelsea. 
They have had chances and Petr Cech is not the most comfortable of goalkeepers at the moment..

15:25:

Chelsea 4 Brentford 0 - FT

What a second half performance by The Blues. They completely changed the way they were playing, and punished The Bees 4 times in less than 30 minutes. Juan Mata, Oscar and returning defender John Terry were among the goalscorers. 

Opener: Juan Mata gets past a Brentford defender to break the deadlock in the 55th minute.

Star man: Mata celebrates scoring his 18th goal of the season for Chelsea to make it 1-0. 

Skill: Oscar doubles the hosts' lead in the 68th minute with a cheeky backflick past 3 defenders.

2 in 2: Oscar celebrates his 2nd goal in 3 days after his winner against Sparta Prague. 

Record-breaker: Lampard makes it 3-0 to Chelsea to score his 199th goal for the club. 

^ FACT: Frank Lampard is 1 goal away from 200 goals for Chelsea, and is now the highest-ever goalscorer for Chelsea in the FA Cup. 

4 and out: Returning defender John Terry heads Chelsea into a 4-0 victory in the 81st minute. 

Painful for Brentford: Terry celebrates his goal with the home fans.

They progress to the 5th Round, where they will play against Championship side Middlesborough. 

Manchester City vs Leeds United - LIVE

It is currently 4-0 to the hosts with just under 10 minutes to play. Serious "Man of the Match" contender and striker Sergio Aguero has just been replaced by Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko by Roberto Mancini to avoid any injury to his star talisman. 

Aguero scored 2 goals today, with 1 either half. His first came in the 15th minute from the penalty spot after he was fouled inside the box following some good footwork.

Quick feet: Aguero gets past a Leeds defender before being brought down inside the box,

Nicely done: Aguero doubles City's lead in the 15th minute from the penalty spot. 

12 for the season: Aguero wheels away to celebrate his goal at The Ethiad.

His second was a cool finish from 12 yards out after a lofted ball by playmaker David Silva found him JUST onside and he beat the marking defender for pace before slotting the ball past the goalkeeper into the net.

Yaya Toure scored his 1st goal since returning to the Manchester City after his International duty with Ivory Coast in the 5th minute to break the deadlock for the hosts and give Leeds an early shock.

Bulldozer: Yaya Toure gets past 2 Leeds defenders with ease and slots the ball past the keeper.

Welcome back: City celebrate Yaya Toure's opening goal to put the hosts ahead after 5 minutes. 

Carlos Tevez made it 3-0 in the 52nd minute with a close range effort after a nice piece of build-up play between Silva and Aguero saw the latter whip a cross into the box for his fellow Argentinean team-mate. 

Make it 3: Tevez scores from close range to give the hosts an unassailable lead. 

15:53:

Manchester City 4 Leeds United 0 - FT:

The match has concluded at The Ethiad Stadium, with 2011 FA Cup winners City thrashing Championship side 4-0 at home, teaching Tottenham (who were knocked out by Leeds in the last Round) how to do it. 

They will go on to play in the Last 8.

16:03 - Liverpool vs Swansea: 

45: The second half has just kicked off at Anfield. 

45: GOAL! A rapid start to this second half by the hosts, as they double their lead thanks to new £8.5million pound young midfield signing Phillipe Coutinho linking up well with talisman Luis Suarez before going on the counter attack and skilling up two defenders and striking the ball past Michel Vorm into the net.

Full debut: Coutinho celebrates scoring just 20 seconds into the second half against Swansea.

2-0 to the hosts after captain Steven Gerrard's penalty goal during the first-half, and Swansea do not know what has hit them now.

Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard scores from the penalty spot to put the hosts 1-0 up 

50: GOAL! Whatever Brendan Rodgers said to his team at half-time seems to be working! He is now 3-0 up against his former managerial club thanks to some good build-up play by Suarez, Coutinho and Sturridge being clinically finished off by left-back Jose Enrique. 

Swansea are suddenly in trouble despite 15-goal striker Michu and captain Ashley Williams both on the bench as they are being rested for next weekend's Capital One Cup Final against Bradford City.
3-0 down, and just under 40 minutes to get back into the match, away from home at Anfield.

It is not impossible, but it is very unlikely because this Liverpool side looks fired up after two successive defeats in 4 days to West Brom and Zenit in the Europa League on Thursday night. 

The "Incredible" Hulk: The Brazilian winger celebrates his 25-yard screamer against Liverpool on Thursday night. 

2-0 down: Liverpool go into the 2nd leg at Anfield 2-0 down, and need to ensure they do not concede.

If anything, the hosts could go further in-front now! 

55: GOAL! What did I say?!?! The hosts HAVE gone further in-front now, and it is a riot.
Liverpool's talisman Luis Suarez escapes the challenge of 2 Swansea defenders before slotting the ball into the bottom corner of the net, out of Michel Vorm's reach.

Talisman: Luis Suarez celebrates scoring his 18th EPL goal of the season against Swansea.

58: Liverpool SUB:
Phillipe Coutinho OFF
Jordan Henderson ON

Brendan Rodgers is resting Coutinho now after an hour of good play by the young midfielder. Henderson replaces him for fresh legs.

65: Liverpool are dominating the match comfortably now... they are taking it slower now and controlling the pace of the play.

70: PENALTY GIVEN! The referee has pointed to the spot, and Liverpool have another penalty thanks to winger Wayne Routledge seeming to handle the ball inside the area.  

71: Steven Gerrard has left the ball to striker Daniel Sturridge in an act of respect as he is yet to score today... he steps up to take it... 
GOAL!!! Sturridge has made it 5-0 to the hosts, and it is damage limitation now for The Swans!

74: Liverpool SUB:
Lucas Leiva OFF
Joe Allen ON

15 minutes for Welsh midfielder Joe Allen, who plays against his former club.

76: Swansea's Spanish winger Pablo Hernandez is down on the floor in agony after a crunching tackle by Denmark defender Daniel Agger.
Howard Webb brandishes a yellow card for Agger, and Hernandez is going to be replaced. 

78: Liverpool SUB:
Luis Suarez OFF
Fabio Borini ON

Borini replaces "Man of the Moment" Suarez in Rodgers' last substitution of the match with just over 10 minutes to play. 

85: Fabio Borini limps off the pitch in agony after colliding with a Swansea midfielder and going over his shoulder. 
The Reds will have to play the last 5 minutes plus stoppages with 10-men but it will not have as much of an impact because of the fact that they are comfortably 5-0 up. 

That's a shame, because he has just come on aswell... He is an injury-prone striker who has talent but is not really being able to fulfill it at the moment because he is almost ALWAYS on the treatment table. 

90: The fourth official has signalled for 3 minutes of stoppage time to be added on at Anfield. Liverpool are 3 minutes away from leapfrogging Swansea into 7th place. 

90+3: Referee Howard Webb has blown his whistle to end the thrashing at Anfield, as Liverpool move up into 7th place above Swansea and West Brom but just behind Everton and Arsenal. 


(MORE TO FOLLOW LATER!)

UEFA Champions League Review - Week 1 of Last 16:

Hello and welcome to my latest blog post, where I review and analyse 4 of the first-leg ties from the Last 16 in this season's UEFA Champions League. 

Tuesday:

Celtic 0 Juventus 3

This match was played in Scotland, as Celtic hosted a tough Italian side in the first leg of the Last 16 at Celtic Park. 

The hosts got off to a poor start, with Juventus breaking the deadlock within the first 3 minutes of the match thanks to striker Alessandro Matri's toe-poke into the bottom corner of the net past the defence. 

Celtic tried to get back into the match throughout the rest of the first half after trailing, but the Juventus defence held strong to end the first half 1-0. 

Juventus dominated possession in the second half, and there were a few mini-brawls at corners before the away side showed their quality once again in the 77th minute when midfielder Claudio Marchisio slotted the ball past goalkeeper Fraser Forster to double the lead. 

2 easy: Midfield maestro Claudio Marchisio places the ball past Fraser Forster to make it 2-0. 

If only: Claudio Marchisio celebrates spliting the Celtic defence... but it was not over yet.

The match was all but sealed before second striker Mirko Vucinic rubbed the salt into the Celtic wounds with a calm finish after Nigerian defender Efe Ambrose's mistake led to him having the ball for too long and he was taken advantage of and punished. 

Over: Vucinic takes advantage of a mistake by Efe Ambrose to slot the ball into the net for 3-0

Domination: Juventus are 90 minutes away from qualifying for the Last 8 of the CL.

FC Valencia 1 PSG 2

The other match in Tuesday's first-leg ties was played at the Mestalla as 5th placed Valencia (in their league, Liga BBVA) hosted 1st placed (in their league, Ligue 1) PSG.

First-half goals from winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and midfielder Javier Pastore sealed a 2-1 away win for PSG - despite conceding in the 90th minute thanks to defender Adil Rami, and their talisman striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic being sent off for an attempted stamp on Valencia midfielder Andres Guardado late on in the match. 

Ahead: Ezequiel Lavezzi celebrates his 10th goal of the season with team-mate Ibrahimovic. 

2-0 up: Pastore celebrates his 5th of the season with Ibrahimovic (no coincidence). 

Ruled out: Zlatan Ibrahimovic is now BANNED for the 2nd leg in Paris after his red card.

Wednesday:

Real Madrid 1 Manchester United 1

The clash of the titans. Two of the best clubs in the world, going head-to-head in the Last 16. Most awaited CL fixture...

Winger Cristiano Ronaldo versus his old club for the first time since his £80million pound move in 2009. 

Memories: Ronaldo played against his former club United for the first time on Wednesday.

Ronaldo won 9 trophies at United, including the Champions League in 2008. 

Real Madrid signed him for £80million pounds in 2009, and he has scored 183 goals in 180 apps.

The match was dominated by the hosts throughout the first half, with United sitting back and playing "Stoke" football at times, where they crossed the ball into the box, looking for Rooney, Welbeck or van Persie. 

The hosts were giving De Gea trouble back in his home country of Spain, with Ronaldo, Benzema and Di Maria all testing the United young keeper early on.

Against the run of play, England's young striker Danny Welbeck scored a header from a Wayne Rooney corner in the 20th minute - despite claims from thousands of United supporters that he should not have even been playing.

Heads I score: Danny Welbeck breaks the deadlock against Real Madrid after 20 mins.

Scoring duck over: Danny Welbeck celebrates his opener for United. 

FACT: That was Danny Welbeck's 1st goal in 17 matches for Manchester United.  

Real Madrid kept the pressure on United, and dominated for several periods after the goal.
They got their reward 9 minutes later, when Angel Di Maria's cross into the box was headed into the back of the net by (guess who?!) Cristiano Ronaldo superbly. 

Guess who? Ronaldo heads the ball past De Gea to equalise for the hosts at The Bernabeu

The first-half ended 1-1, with United the happier of the two sides having scored despite being dominated throughout.

The second half was more in United's favour, despite Real still pressing for a winning goal.

Robin van Persie had a golden chance to give the away side the lead with a half-volley from close range, but he did not connect with the ball properly and his shot was cleared off the line by defensive midfielder Xabi Alonso.

Mis-hit: Robin van Persie's half-volley towards goal was cleared off the line by Alonso. 

David De Gea (who has come under a lot of pressure and criticism lately) performed very well to deny Ronaldo and co the way he did. 
If it was not for him, Real would have thrashed the English side comfortably. 

Shakthar Donetsk 2 Borussia Dortmund 2

This match was played in Ukraine, as Group E runners-up Shakthar hosted Group D winners Dortmund at home.  

The hosts broke the deadlock in the 31st minute thanks to a well-struck free-kick by Darijo Srna.

Well-struck: Srna scores from a free-kick to give Shakthar the lead in the 31st minute

In-demand striker Robert Lewandowski equalised for Dortmund 10 minutes later with a cool slotted strike past the goalkeeper. 

Back of the net: Robert Lewandowski scores an equaliser in the 41st minute for Dortmund. 

Shakthar had thought they had the match under control in the second half when substitute Douglas Costa provided a wonderful strike past goalkeeper Weidenfeller. 

However, talented young defender Mats Hummels scored a crucial late equaliser for the German giants in the 87th minute to ensure that it is 2-2 going into the second leg tie in Germany. 

Shakthar will take heart from the fact that they played a good match and made Dortmund work very hard for the 2-2 draw because of the fact that they have not played competitively for a long time due to the winter break.
However, they will still feel disappointed because they conceded late on at home. They will now be the underdogs having conceded 2 away goals to a young, world class Dortmund team. 


Thank you for reading my EPL Blog today. I hope that you enjoyed my 2 posts today. Please help me, by spreading the word to people that you know who like or are interested in football (or soccer for my viewers in other continents) as I am hoping on having enough on my CV to one day become a football journalist in a newspaper as a part-time job.

I apologise that this post has not been published sooner, but I intend on making it up to all of my loyal viewers with a Double Upload tomorrow with the rest of the FA Cup 5th Round Matches and My Thoughts #3. I am now on half-term break from school, so I should be publishing a LOT next week, including the Champions League and EPL.. :)
Have a nice night, and I will speak to you all later!

FA Cup 5th Round LIVE Coverage:

Hello and welcome to my latest blog installment, where I have LIVE Coverage of 2 FA Cup 5th Round Matches today involving EPL teams, with Arsenal vs Blackburn and the evening kick-off between underdogs Oldham Athletic and Everton. 

LIVE NOW:

Arsenal 0 Blackburn 0:

31 minutes played at The Emirates Stadium, in The Gunners' last match before their crunch Champions League first-leg encounter with German giants Bayern Munich on Tuesday night. 

Manager Arsene Wenger needs to be careful his team selection, as he has a BIG match-up during midweek.... and he has rested a lot of first-team players including Wilshere, Walcott, Podolski and Cazorla. 

Team Line-ups:

Arsenal vs Blackburn Rovers:

Arsenal: Szczesny, Coquelin, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Monreal, Diaby, Rosicky, Arteta, Gervinho, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Giroud.

Subs: Mannone, Sagna, Podolski, Wilshere, Walcott, Ramsey, Cazorla.

Blackburn: Kean, Dann, Orr, Grant Hanley, Martin Olsson, Pedersen, Williamson, Lowe, Markus Olsson, Kazim-Richards, Rhodes.

Subs: Usai, Givet, Nunes, Nuno Gomes, Rekik, Goodwillie, Bentley.  

45: The fourth official has signalled for just the 1 minute of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the first half of action at The Emirates Stadium.

45+1: Arsenal and Spain midfielder Mikel Arteta has a free-kick in a dangerous position from 25 yards out. He steps up to take it, hits a powerful drive towards goal..... SAVED by Kean! 

45+1: The referee has blown his whistle to end the first half at The Emirates. 
Arsenal are in control, dominating the play and possession but  do not have a goal to show for it as of yet...  

16:02: The teams are out for the start of the second half... here we go.. 

45: Arsenal kick-off now.

47: The hosts passing the ball around well, with Czech Republic midfielder Tomas Rosicky's through ball was cleared away for an Arsenal corner. 

50: End-to-end action now, with Blackburn going on the counter attack, before some defensive work from captain Thomas Vermaelen ensures the deadlock is not broken... yet. 

53: Arsenal passing the ball around the pitch, with some patient build-up play. Need to test the Blackburn goalkeeper Kean though if they are to progress through to the Last 8.. 

17:00: 

Arsenal 0 Blackburn Rovers 1 - FT

Midfielder Colin Kazim Richards scored the only goal of the game in the 72nd minute with a rebounded shot to secure Championship side Blackburn's progress into the Last 8 of the FA Cup.  

Arsene Wenger made a TRIPLE substitution soon after his side conceded, with Wilshere, Cazorla and Walcott all coming on as a last resort for the hosts. 

However, they were unsuccessful in making an impact on the game, and The Gunners crashed out in the Last 16.

Colin Kazim Richards slots home the rebound after Olsson's shot was parried by Szczesny. 

Shock: Colin Kazim Richards wheels away to celebrate his goal at The Emirates. 

(MORE TO FOLLOW - AS THE DAY CONTINUES) 

My Thoughts - Mad Mario Balotelli

Whether you love him or hate him, I for one will miss his presence in the EPL.

It was just his attitude that let him down during his two and a bit years at Manchester City, and despite all of the chances that former manager Roberto Mancini gave him, he just exploited it. 

You could say that part of the reason for his mad and unexplainable behaviour at City was because of the way that he was brought up as a child.

But, you cannot deny his quality and ability as a young black goalscorer. He is one of the few young strikers that stand out - for the right and wrong reasons. He could become one of the best in the world if he develops in Italy, and possibly will feel more comfortable back in his home country.

Top 5 reasons why he will be remembered for the BAD:

5: Threw darts at Manchester City youth players, because he was "bored."
4: His infamous "Why Always Me" celebration during the 6-1 
thrashing of Manchester United.
3: Set his house on fire by shooting fireworks in his bathroom - DESPITE being Manchester City's fire safety aambassador.
2: He has had his luxury Maserati car impounded 27 times.
1: Started fights with;
Jerome Boateng
Vincent Kompany
Micah Richards
Yaya Toure
Roberto Mancini

Top 5 reasons why he will be remembered for "Super Mario": 

5: He already has 16 caps for Italy at age 22
4: He scored 30 goals in 80 appearances for Manchester City
3: He has won 11 trophies (individual and club) in his career 
2: He was joint top scorer at Euro 2012 for Italy
1: He is one of the best young strikers in the world
  

His debut for AC Milan vs Udinese:

Whether you like it or not, Balotelli will be missed in the EPL. 
I will be tracking his progress in Italy, that's for sure..