Chelsea beaten at Home

Swans swoop on Ivanovic errors

Danny Graham slots home the second

Rafael Benitez endured a torrent of abuse from Chelsea's fans as the Blues slumped to an embarrassing defeat to Swansea in the first leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge.
Michu scored his 16th goal of the season, and Danny Graham added a late second to put the Swans within touching distance of their first ever major Wembley cup final.
Yet, in truth, Swansea did not have to work hard for their victory. With the exception of David Luiz, Chelsea were very poor throughout. Sloppy in possession and lacking a cutting edge in attack, the Blues looked anything like title challengers or potential cup finalists.
Fernando Torres was the worst offender. The former Liverpool striker has shown signs of improvement since Benitez's appointment, but tonight the Spaniard's two chances amounted to a weak header and a long-range shot that almost found the second tier of the Shed End. He touched the ball 19 times during his 81 minutes on the pitch.
Chelsea's fans spent a large chunk of the match berating Benitez for his failure to bring on Demba Ba, who scored twice on debut last weekend, and they also took umbrage with the interim boss' failure to bring on Frank Lampard until the 70th minute.
Blues fans have not hidden their dislike towards Benitez since his appointment, but tonight they gave him both barrels, booing the Spaniard's decisions and calling for the return of Roberto Di Matteo in the dying minutes of the defeat.
 
Torres started lively enough, drifting out to the left flank where he delivered a clever cross to the front post, but Branislav Ivanovic headed over.
The Spaniard soon exhibited signs of the his woeful form, however. He picked the ball up 30 yards out and crept towards goal before firing a wayward shot that cleared the bar by many metres.
The Blues dominated the game, but lacked a killer touch up front.
Chelsea thought they should have had a penalty when Ki Sung-Yueng grappled with Luiz while going for cross but Anthony Taylor waves play on.
A brilliant flowing move that included touches from Oscar and Luiz eventually ended up with Ramires in space in the Swansea box but he could only prod weakly at Gerhard Tremmel.
Efforts from Cesar Azpilicueta and Gary Cahill both went wide while Juan Mata lost his usually clinical touch in front of goal after a foray in to the box by Eden Hazard.
Another brilliant move came on the half-hour with Oscar backheeling the ball in to Mata from Ramires' pass, but once again the former Valencia man shot wide.
Torres' only decent contribution of the opening 45 minutes came when he split the Swansea defence, but Tremmel came to the Swans' rescue.
A quiet hush fell upon Stamford Bridge, with the hosts' lack of penetration up front clearly dampening their enthusiasm.
The most noise the home support displayed was when Lampard emerged from the dugout to warm up.
The Blues fans fell silent moments later, however, when Ivanovic's error gifted Swansea the lead. Jonathan de Guzman pinched the ball off the Serb as he dallied on the edge of his own box and squared to Michu, who calmly slotted the ball past Ross Turnbull.
Luiz, by far Chelsea's best player, went close with two efforts just after the break.
The home fans started to vent their anger at Benitez for not introducing Ba or Lampard. One fan had to be restrained by stewards as he headed in the direction of the Chelsea bench to remonstrate with the former Liverpool boss.
Another fan invaded the pitch to provide the Blues fans with some entertainment. The rest of the home crowd continued to demand Lampard's introduction, but the calls fell on deaf ears.
Azpilicueta claimed Ben Davies had handled his cross in the Swansea box, but Taylor thought otherwise.
Lampard could not remove his tracksuit quick enough when Benitez beckoned the midfielder over to tell him he wanted him to come on with 20 minutes to go.
Lampard injected life in to the Chelsea, but Torres continued to perform poorly. The striker found space on the edge of the box, but could only head weakly in to Tremmel's arms.
Ki then sent Michu through with a clever pass, but the linesman flagged for offside just as the former Rayo Vallecano man was about to pull the trigger.
Benitez finally answered the home fans' demands and brought on Ba with nine minutes left. Torres departed to cheers and a sarcastic standing ovation, with boos also heard.
Ba made an immediate impact, going close with two efforts, the second a looping header from Marko Marin's cross.
Ba hurtled through injury time and went down after Tremmel failed to collect the ball, but the referee did not give a penalty and instead booked the former Newcastle man for diving.
Chelsea's night then turned worse with one minute of added time left. Ivanovic's second terrible backpass allowed Graham to pinch the ball off Turnbull before slotting in to an empty net.
The home fans responded by calling for Benitez's head. ``You're not welcome here'' and ``One Di Matteo,'' they sang.
Ba thought he had pulled one back for the Blues moments later but his effort was ruled out for offside.

Bradford City win over Aston Villa 'unreal' says Matt Duke

By Ian Woodcock BBC Yorkshire Sport at Valley Parade

Bradford goalkeeper Matt Duke said the 3-1 win over Aston Villa in the League Cup semi-final first leg felt "unreal".

The 35-year-old pulled off a string of saves as the League Two side recorded a famous victory at Valley Parade.

Villa still favourites - Parkinson

"It is unreal. I can't believe we beat them. We thought we could get something but a 3-1 lead is fantastic," he said.
Bradford are seeking to become the first team from the fourth tier of English football to reach the final of the League Cup since Rochdale in 1962.
The Bantams, who beat Premier League Wigan and Arsenal on their way to the semi-finals, took an early lead through striker Nahki Wells.
Second-half headers from centre-halves Rory McArdle and Carl McHugh, either side of Andreas Weimann's goal for the visitors, gave Bradford a two-goal cushion to take to Villa Park.
Manager Phil Parkinson said: "We're absolutely delighted with the way we played, obviously, because from the first minute to the last the lads were tremendous.
"But equally we know we're only halfway there, we've got a very difficult job in a fortnight's time."

Analysis

Robbie Savage Former League Cup winner and BBC Radio 5 live pundit

"Gary Jones led by example in the middle of the park and goalkeeper Matt Duke was magnificent. They have all been terrific to beat a Premier League side. It was an unbelievable tie - one of the best I have ever seen. I still make Villa slight favourites though because they have the quality and Bradford could be nervous. Can you say Villa have been embarrassed tonight? I'm not sure you can, given that Bradford have played so well, but it will be very difficult for Paul Lambert to raise his players for the second leg."

He said his team had played better than they had in their quarter-final win over Arsenal.

"Against Arsenal it was a great night for us but I think the all-round performance tonight was better," he said. "Villa played a very attacking team and we had to defend well, and equally they left a lot of space on the pitch for us to play.
"Our quality players had to stay composed on the ball and they certainly did that."
Duke says a bright start in the return game in a fortnight will be key to their chances of reaching the final.
"We need to get a good start down there and get their fans on their backs," he added.
"They'll have tremendous support and we have to do what we did here tonight, but better.
"The main thing is we can't go there and be complacent because if we are then we will be punished. We haven't achieved anything yet."

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Lambert critical of Villa defending

On his own performance, the former Burton and Hull man added: "It was one of those nights where you fancy yourself to make some saves.
"I think it's up amongst my best games. I've played a lot of standards from Sunday league finals upwards and I'm just thankful that tonight was one of those nights where you are able to make saves.
"I have to give credit to the lads in front of me because they were brilliant too."

Iranians held by Syria rebels 'released'

Syria conflict

 

Syrian rebels accused the Iranians of coming to Syria to "serve the regime"

Forty-eight Iranians held hostage by rebels in Syria since August have been freed, Iranian state TV reports.

The Iranians were released in exchange for 2,130 prisoners held by the Syrian authorities, a Turkish charity said.
Rebel fighters claimed the hostages had been carrying out a mission on behalf of Syrian government forces.
Iran said a number were retired members of the armed forces, but insisted they were pilgrims who had visited a Shia shrine in the south-east of Damascus.
Officials at the Iranian Pilgrimage and Travel Organisation said the group included university students and some public servants.
Shortly after they were seized, the Free Syrian Army's al-Bara Brigade said it had evidence showing that the Iranians belonged to the Revolutionary Guards and had come to Syria to "serve the regime".
'Swap deal' On Wednesday, a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army, Ahmed al-Khatib, told the AFP news agency that the hostages had been freed.
The Syrian government has not yet confirmed their release and Iranian state TV made no mention of a swap deal.
But earlier, the Turkish Islamic aid organisation, Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), said 2,130 civilian prisoners would be released by the Syrian authorities in return for the Iranians.
"Most of the prisoners to be swapped are Syrian citizens in exchange for Iranians, and there are a few Turks as well," IHH board member Osman Atalay told Reuters news agency.
The head of the agency, Bulent Yildirim, was in Damascus to help co-ordinate the prisoner swap, which was already under way, he added.
The Turkish state news agency, Anadolu, said the deal was brokered by Turkey and Qatar, which have backed the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, in which the UN says at least 60,000 people have died.

Lance Armstrong set for Oprah Winfrey interview

Cyclist Lance Armstrong will be interviewed by chat show host Oprah Winfrey, amid reports that he might publicly admit to doping.

Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles by the sport's governing body, following a report by the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada).
Winfrey's OWN network said the 90-minute interview would address "years of accusations of cheating".

 
Armstrong ended his fight against doping charges last August but maintained his innocence

Armstrong maintained his innocence as he received a life ban from Usada.
But the New York Times reported on Friday that the 41-year-old was considering a public admission that he used banned performance-enhancing drugs. An admission could lead to an apparent bid to return to competing in marathons and triathlons, the paper reported.
The interview announcement was first made on Oprah Winfrey's Twitter account on Tuesday, and confirmed when Armstrong retweeted it 15 minutes later.
The interview - his first since being stripped of his wins - will be broadcast on 17 January on Winfrey's OWN network and live-streamed online.
2004 donation offer? Armstrong ended his fight against doping charges in August 2012. In October, Usada released a 1,000-page report saying he had been at the heart of "the most sophisticated, professionalised and successful doping programme" ever seen in sport.

He was stripped of his titles by the International Cycling Union (UCI) shortly afterwards and given a lifetime ban from the sport.

Armstrong also resigned as chairman of the Livestrong foundation - the cancer charity he created - after the cycling body's decision.
His lawyer, Tim Herman, has described the Usada report as a "one-sided hatchet job" and the cyclist himself has accused the agency of offering "corrupt inducements" to other riders to speak out against him.
It is believed he is considering an admission because he wants to resume his athletic career, and has shown an interest in competing in triathlons.
Asked whether the 41-year-old was set to come clean, Mr Herman told the New York Times: "Lance has to speak for himself on that."
The BBC understands Armstrong has held recent discussions with other cyclists who have themselves confessed to doping.
But there are a number of obstacles to a full confession.
The New York Times reported Armstrong's supporters are concerned he could face perjury charges if he confesses to using performance-enhancing drugs, because he made sworn testimony in a 2005 court case that he had never done so.
In addition, the cyclist faces a number of legal cases:
• A federal whistle-blower case filed by former team-mate Floyd Landis which accuses Armstrong and several United States Postal Service cycling team officials of defrauding the government by allowing doping
• A civil lawsuit brought by Dallas-based insurance company SCA Promotions, which paid millions of dollars to Armstrong for his Tour victories
• A civil lawsuit by the UK's Sunday Times newspaper to recover $500,000 paid to Armstrong to settle a 2006 libel lawsuit after it published claims from a French book co-authored by its then sports editor
Separately, the head of Usada told a US investigative programme that Armstrong had offered the agency a donation of some $250,000 in 2004, reports said.
Speaking to 60 Minutes Sport, to be broadcast in the US on Wednesday, Travis Tygart said the offer was a "clear conflict of interest" and quickly rejected.

Lottery winner's widow didn't alert authorities

CHICAGO (AP) — The widow of a Chicago lottery winner who died of cyanide poisoning as he awaited a $425,000 check says she cannot believe her husband could have had enemies and that she has no idea who in their family asked that authorities take the deeper look into what originally was believed to be a death by natural causes.

 

Associated Press/Illinois Lottery - This undated photo provided by the Illinois Lottery shows Urooj Khan, 46, of Chicago's West Rogers Park neighborhood, posing with a winning lottery ticket. The Cook County

Shabana Ansari spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday, a day after news emerged that her husband's death in July was the result of cyanide poisoning and not natural causes, as authorities initially concluded. Prosecutors, Chicago police and the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office are investigating 46-year-old Urooj Khan's death as a homicide, but they have not given any details, announced any suspects or ascribed any possible motive.

They've also not identified the relative who asked for an expanded screening after the initial cause of death was released. Ansari said she has spoken with police detectives about case but that she didn't make the request and didn't know who did.

She would not talk about the circumstances of her husband's death, saying it was too painful to recall. She said only that he fell ill shortly after they had dinner together.

"I was shattered. I can't believe he's no longer with me," the short, soft-spoken Ansari said tearfully, standing in one of three dry-cleaning businesses her husband started after immigrating to the U.S. from India in 1989.

Ansari described Khan as a hard-working and generous man who would send money to orphanages in their native India.

"I don't think anyone would have a bad eye for him or that he had any enemy," said Ansari, adding that she continues to work at the dry cleaner out of a desire to honor her husband and protect the businesses he built.

Khan planned to use the lottery winnings to pay off mortgages, expand his business and give a donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Ansari said her husband did not have a will and the money is now tied up in probate.

She said she hopes the truth of what happened to her husband will come out. She said she could not recall anyone unusual or suspicious coming into their lives after the lottery win became public.

Kahn's death was initially ruled a result of the narrowing and hardening of coronary arteries, after the basic toxicology screening for opiates, cocaine and carbon monoxide came back negative.

Authorities plan to exhume Khan's body in the next few weeks in hopes they might be able to test additional tissue samples and bolster evidence if the case goes to trial. Cook County Medical Examiner Stephen Cina said he did not believe additional testing would change the conclusion that Khan was a homicide victim.

"Based on the investigative information we have now and the (toxicology results), we're comfortable where we are right now," he said.

Ansari, 32, moved to the U.S. from India after marrying Khan 12 years ago.
Khan and his wife were born in Hyderabad, a city in southern India, and their story is a typical immigrant's tale of settling in a new land with big dreams and starting a business. Their daughter, Jasmeen, now 17, is a student here.
"Work was his passion," Ansari said of her husband, adding that she plans to stay in the U.S. and keep his businesses running.

"I'm just taking care of his hard work," she said.

She recalled going on the hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, with her husband in 2010. One of Islam's pillars requires every able-bodied Muslim to make the journey at least once in their lifetime.

She said her husband returned even more set on living a good life and stopped buying the occasional lottery ticket.

Nonetheless, he couldn't resist buying one for an instant lottery game in June while at a 7-Eleven near his home. It was a $1 million winner.

Khan opted for a lump sum of slightly more than $600,000. After taxes, it amounted to about $425,000, said lottery spokesman Mike Lang. The check was issued on July 19, the day before Khan died.

Some other states allow winners to remain anonymous, but Illinois requires most winning ticket holders to appear for a news conference and related promotions, partly to prove that the state pays out prizes. Khan's win didn't draw much media attention, and Lang noted that press events for $1 million winners are fairly typical.

"We do several news conferences a month for various amounts," he said.

___

Associated Press writer Don Babwin contributed to this report.

Gerard Depardieu meets Putin, receives Russian passport

 

 Gerard Depardieu and Vladimir Putin met in the Russian resort of Sochi

French actor Gerard Depardieu has met President Vladimir Putin and has been handed his new Russian passport.

The actor had announced he was seeking Russian citizenship after the French government criticised his decision to move abroad to avoid higher taxes.
Mr Depardieu met Mr Putin in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Mr Depardieu was then given his new passport, although the president's spokesman said Mr Putin did not hand it over personally.
Mr Depardieu and Mr Putin shook hands and hugged each other at the meeting in Sochi.
The actor was later invited to set up home in the central Russian region of Mordovia, known for its Stalin-era prison camps.
Local governor Vladimir Volkov said Mr Depardieu could choose an apartment or a place to build a house, Interfax news agency reported.
After arriving in Mordovia's main city of Saransk, the actor showed of his new passport, saying: "I am very happy, it's very beautiful here. Beautiful and soulful people live here."
Earlier this week, Mr Putin signed the decree granting Russian citizenship to Mr Depardieu.

Wearing folk costume, Gerard Depardieu showed off his new Russian passport after arriving in Saransk, Mordovia

The actor responded by writing an open letter saying: "I love your country, Russia - its people, its history, its writers. I love your culture, your intelligence."
Mr Depardieu went on to describe Russia as "a great democracy, and not a country where the prime minister calls one of its citizens shabby".
Mr Depardieu's highly publicised tax row began last year after new President Francois Hollande said he would raise taxes to 75% for those earning more than 1m euros (£817,400).
The actor accused the socialist government of punishing "success, creation and talent", and announced in early December that he would move to Belgium.
French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault branded his decision to move abroad as "shabby and unpatriotic".
The actor, described by Mr Putin as a friend, has developed close ties with Russia, which has a flat 13% personal income tax rate.
He currently appears in an advertisement for Sovietsky Bank's credit card and is prominently featured on the bank's home page.
In 2011, he played the lead role in the film Rasputin, a Franco-Russian production about the life of eccentric monk Grigory Rasputin.

Luis Suarez should not confess handball - Brendan Rodgers

Brendan Rodgers said it was not up to Luis Suarez to admit to handling the ball when he scored Liverpool's second in the 2-1 FA Cup win over Mansfield.

Stags players protested to the officials after the ball struck the substitute's hand and went in.
When asked whether Suarez should have owned up, the Liverpool manager told ESPN: "It's not Luis's job to do that.

"It's not been deliberate as it's pushed up and hit his hand. It's up to the officials to decide that."

The former Swansea boss added: "There's no doubt it was handball, but the referee and the officials ruled it wasn't deliberate.
"I spoke to the fourth official when it was given because I couldn't see and he said it was [handball] so I can only assume they thought it wasn't deliberate.
"So obviously it was unfortunate for Mansfield and lucky for us that we got the goal."
Rodgers was pleased with the performance of new signing Daniel Sturridge, who scored seven minutes into his debut to give the Premier League side the lead.


The 23-year-old, who signed from Chelsea this week, was replaced by fellow forward Suarez early in the second half.
"Danny Sturridge is a goalscorer but he is nowhere near fully fit," said the Anfield manager.
"He will get opportunities, and he is quick and powerful.
"Luis Suarez and Danny Sturridge can play together, there is no problem with that. You want to fit in good players and build a competitive group. We want to bring in players that are multi-functional."

Blue Square Bet Premier side Mansfield went close to scoring through Matt Green, Chris Clements, Anthony Howell and Louis Briscoe before Green finally found the back of the net with 11 minutes of normal time remaining.

They pressed for an equaliser but could not make another breakthrough as Liverpool booked a fourth-round tie at Oldham.
"I'm proud of my boys, I thought they were a different level [during the] second half. I thought we stood off them and let them play in the first half," Stags boss Paul Cox told ESPN. "We've done well against one of the best teams. We've a lot of positives to take out of it."
Cox also refused to criticise Suarez for the handball.
"I'd like to give the benefit of the doubt and say it was a reaction. He's a goalscorer and I think goalscorers put the ball in the net anyway," he added.
When asked whether he felt cheated, Cox said: "No I don't. For me to come out and say something like that I think would be quite cheap.
"If it had gone in the other end and one of our players had done it I think we'd have accepted it."