Arsene Wenger’s backup Gunners team played the 30 minutes of extra time with 10 men after Brazilian midfielder Denilson was sent off in the 90th minute.

But Eduardo da Silva scored his second goal of the game to make sure that the Gunners reached the semifinal for the fourth time in five years.

Tottenham’s Didier Zokora was ejected after 20 minutes at Rovers. But goals by Jermain Defoe (fifth minute) and Steed Malbranque (82nd) ended City’s streak of 10 straight league and cup home victories under Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Everton had already made it to the semifinal after winning 2-1 at West Ham last week. Chelsea hosts Liverpool on Wednesday.

Wenger again stuck with his young backup players in English soccer’s third-tier competition against a nearly full strength Rovers lineup at Ewood Park.

Chelsea hosts Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday with a possible return for Michael Ballack after two ankle operations. The Blues are without captain John Terry, who broke his right foot during Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal.

Aris goalkeeper Konstantinos Chalkias made errors on Toni’s goals in the 25th, 38th, 64th and 66th minutes. Christian Lell and Philipp Lahm also scored for Bayern, which won its final group game and topped Group F. Bayern’s biggest UEFA Cup victory came in 1983 when it defeated Anorthosis Famagusta 10-0.

“We played with freshness and Toni showed great anticipation,” Bayern manager Ottmar Hitzfeld said.

Bolton, Braga, Getafe, Anderlecht and Galatasaray also advanced Wednesday. The six final games of the round are Thursday.

Everton, Panathinaikos, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Hamburger SV, FC Basel, Spartak Moscow, FC Zurich, Bayer Leverkusen, Tottenham, Bordeaux and Helsingborg already had qualified for the next round.

Twenty-four teams go into Friday’s draw, joined by the eight clubs that finished third in their European Champions League groups: Marseille, Rosenborg, Werder Bremen, Benfica, Rangers, Sporting Lisbon, PSV Eindhoven and Slavia Prague.

Playing on Saturday
Arminia Bielefeld v VfL Wolfsburg       (1430)
Energie Cottbus   v Bayer Leverkusen    (1430)
Hamburg SV        v Hanover 96          (1430)
Hertha Berlin     v Eintracht Frankfurt (1430)
Karlsruhe SC      v Nuremberg           (1430)
MSV Duisburg      v Borussia Dortmund   (1430)

Playing on Sunday
Schalke 04        v VfB Stuttgart       (1600)
Werder Bremen     v VfL Bochum          (1600)

Liverpool have been doing well of late, bar a 3-1 defeat at Reading last weekend. They come into the match off the back of a 4-0 hammering of Marseille in France, a result which assured their place in the knockout phase of the Champions League.

Second placed United beat struggling Fulham and Derby County in their last two games but they will face a much sterner test in a Liverpool team in which Steven Gerrard has found the net in his last seven consecutive matches.

United have had the better of recent meetings and have won five of the last six Premiership matches against Rafa Benitez’s side. United have beaten Liverpool in their last three Premiership league matches and ironically the player who scored the winner against them last season, John O’Shea, was also the last person to score against United for Liverpool. He netted an own goal during United’s 2-1 victory against the Reds back in 2004.

You just about have time to catch your breath when the match ends to prepare for the second offering of the afternoon, Arsenal vs Chelsea. The Gunners took the Premiership by storm for most of the first half of the season but a couple of poor results against Middlesbrough and Newcastle has seen their lead at the top reduced to a single point. Arsenal are still undefeated at home this season and Chelsea need to become the first team this season to beat them on their own turf if they want to catch them.

Chelsea have been in great form in the Premiership of late and have won seven of their last eight matches, including the the last three in a row. They have also conceded just one goal in this sequence and coupled with Arsenal’s water-tight defence, a close, cagey encounter is expected. Arsenal have not managed to record a home win over Chelsea since October 2003 while the last two matches between the pair ended 1-1 last season.

More of the same is to be expected as indeed the first fixture between Liverpool and Manchester United as none of the four clubs will want to give anything away as the halfway stage of the season fast approaches.

You can watch Liverpool v Manchester United and Arsenal v Chelsea live online this Sunday.

Their 4-2 thrashing of Boca Juniors in Sunday’s final in Yokohama snapped Europe’s jinx in the new-look competition as Ballon d’Or winner Kaka ran riot.

However, the comprehensive manner of Milan’s win may not be enough to save coach Carlo Ancelotti’s job, with Jose Mourinho being linked with the post.

Ancelotti has dealt with questions about Mourinho and his side’s poor form in Italy’s Serie A with impressive dignity since arriving in Japan.

But he struggled to contain his emotions following Milan’s stylish victory over the Argentine giants in front of 68,000 fans.

“I’m a very proud man,” said Ancelotti, his eyes glazing as he recalled the darkness from which the club has emerged since being implicated in Italy’s match-fixing scandal in 2006.

“It’s been such a long and difficult road. I’m happy and proud that we have been able to overcome every obstacle along the way and achieve this success in Japan.”

Benitez is due to hold talks with the club’s co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks, possibly following the crucial Barclays Premier League match against Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday.

The high-profile meeting follows the fallout over the new American owners’ transfer policy.

Benitez was angered by suggestions - in the wake of his comments about the January spending policy - that perhaps he should stick to training and coaching and leave money matters to others.

The attitude concerning all parties seems to be softening, however.

“I am very happy in Liverpool and I would like to be here for many more years,” Benitez told Spanish newspaper AS. “We have had some disagreements (with the owners) at a professional level. But, when we meet and talk everything will be cleared up and it will be seen as a simple misunderstanding.

“We all want the same thing which is the best for Liverpool and as such I am sure that we will understand each other well.”

Credit must also be given to his Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard for not rushing him into a starting place at Barcelona he is more than ready to hold.

“It is clear Messi is a talent, a future player, but I ask that everyone continues supporting him when he is out of the team because he is still very young.” Rijkaard said in a recent interview. He continued:

“I’m convinced about him because I know he isn’t paying attention to all the speculation in the media.”He prefers to do his talking on the pitch.?

In fact his three goals and one assist in nine league starts for Barcelona this season to add to his goal and assist in the UEFA Champions League back up his coaches claim, and at 18 years young we are only just starting to see glimpses of his enormous potential. Messi states:

“I want to keep on learning and I hope things go well for me. The thing is to help the team as much as possible.”

These are the words of a young man with a focused head on his shoulders and more importantly good advisors around him. How many times have we seen the vultures swoop in on young prodigies sweet talking them and their parents into committing career suicide by sulking and demanding more playing time only to become no more than a trivia question five years down the road.

With the World Cup in Germany swiftly approaching Lionel Messi will definitely be one to watch if selected for national duty.

Enrique Domínguez, Messi’s former coach said “He could do things with the ball that defied the laws of physics. The only other person I have ever seen do that was Diego Maradona”.

Let us all recall that Maradona himself did not come into his own until the 1986 World Cup in Mexico despite being tipped for great things in Spain four years prior. That World Cup was a general disappointment for Maradona as well as Argentina. Messi will be three years younger than Maradona was in his first World Cup appearance and it is important that we all allow Lionel to continue developing at his current pace without placing on him too much pressure for a teenager to handle. For his part Messi must maintain his enthusiasm and work ethic that has so far impressed his coaches and peers. If he can do that then the sky is indeed his limit.

Career Highlights

June 24, 1987 Born in Rosario, Argentina

2000 Lionel and his family move to Spain to help treat his hormonal growth deficiency

Signs for Barcelona at the age of 13

October 16, 2004 Makes his Barcelona first tem debut against RCD Espanyol

May 1 2005 Becomes the youngest league scorer in Barcelona?s history against Albacete when he scored his first goal at 17 years, ten months and seven days

June 2005 Helps the Argentina Under 20 team win the FIFA World Youth Championship scoring two goals against Nigeria in the Final

June 27, 2005 Renews his contract with Barcelona until 2010 with a ?150 million buy-out clause

August 4, 2005 Receives his first call up to the Argentine national team

September 25, 2005 Obtains Spanish citizenship allowing him to play more games for Barcelona no longer being restricted by the non-EU player quota

I had the great pleasure of seeing George in the flesh over a hundred times, and many of those matches remain clear in the memory. He was the kind of player you couldn?t keep your eyes off for long, for if you did, you might miss his latest piece of magic, kind of Rooney with many more goals.

There are so many stories of George, most of them you will have heard before, but I like the one of when he was a young lad and he first arrived at Old Trafford as a very skinny kid. He took the ball up to Harry Gregg, coolly dribbled round him and tapped the ball into an empty net. “Come here you little *******! How dare you do that to me,” snarled Gregg, a senior pro from the old school who hated to concede goals, even in training.

George promptly did the same thing, three times more, and Gregg knew they?d discovered a star.

I suppose one of his most famous games was the match in Lisbon against Benfica in 1966. United had won the home leg 3-2 and were widely expected to go out in the return. (United having to win or Draw in Lisbon to stay in the competition, familiar eh?) Benfica were a much bigger club then than now, recently European Champions. But Best was unplayable that night, scoring two fine goals and United won 5-1 in that famous stadium. Even the locals applauded his brilliance and christened him “El Beatle”, shades of Ronaldinho at the Bernabeau last weekend, or Thierry Henry at Portsmouth a couple of seasons ago. When the home fans applaud, you just know you?ve witnessed something special.

But my favourite match was for Northern Ireland in Belfast. The one against a very good Scottish team in 1967, and he didn?t even score, but I have never witnessed a game where a single player dominated the whole of a game from beginning to end, as George did that day, not until Maradona came along anyway.

If ever there was a game of one player against eleven it was that day. George demanded the ball, and the lads in green gave it to him at every opportunity, because they knew he was simply unplayable. If you ever have a chance to see a video of that match, watch it, and you will see what I mean.

So where does Besty stand in the all time rankings? Right up there of course, for me, admittedly I?m bias, he is head and shoulders above anyone else who ever came from these islands, certainly a better player in my humble opinion than Cruyff, which leaves those famous two old rivals, Pele and Maradona, both truly brilliant, but George was right up there with them, he was that good. The great Pele when addressed as the world?s greatest player said, ?no, the greatest player is George Best.?

When he was at his very best he was unstoppable, and when he was like that, Bobby Charlton and Dennis Law (European footballers of the year both) would simply give him the ball, stand back and admire, and let him get on with it. He packed the grounds wherever he went, he played the game with an outrageous smile on his face. He inspired kids the length and breadth of the land, in playgrounds and on scruffy fields everywhere, he inspired them to try something special, something different, because they had seen Georgie do it on the telly.

The Liverpool Daily Post, a one eyed newspaper if ever there was one, as I suppose local newspapers are meant to be, once ran a huge headline which read: EVERTON FALL TO THE GENIUS OF BEST. I took the Daily Post for thirty years, and I can never remember them ever writing about an opposition player in such glowing terms, before or since. George had the habit of winning over the most hard-hearted of opponents.

Yet he was a man of many weaknesses, hands up those of us who don?t have any of those, yet the people who knew him best, spoke of him as a generous and caring man, and I believe that to be true. On the football field he had no weaknesses. None whatsoever, he could shoot with either foot, he was a good header of the ball, a great tackler, an unsurpassed dribbler, (a rare talent today), he was quick, and don?t forget he played in an age of ferocious tacklers, where the tackle from behind was legal and sendings off a rarity, and he gave as good as he received, but most of all, he had the ability to produce the unexpected, the true sign that marks out the great ones.

And now he is gone, and I for one will miss him greatly. But all those memories will live with us forever, and for those George, I thank you. George Best died peacefully in hospital in London with his family around him.

George Best

22nd May 1946 ? 25th November 2005.

Rest in peace.

When it comes to coaching, everyone wants a say but few are willing to turn their words into action and take a team? even under 8?s which is where yours truly started.

How can You enjoy coaching soccer? Let me count the ways:

1. Coach your kids and you get to spend more time with them at something you can help them have fun at AND enjoy mastering new skills.

2. Coaching young people of any age gives you the opportunity to have a massive and important influence on the future of your community and country! This is not just talk. Ask any adult who has played sport for a while and there is a good chance the had great people who were their coaches.

3. You will be remembered for all the right reasons and kids will copy your example. There are no less than 3 great coaches I remember until I left town at 17. Mr Nicolas (Fatherly man who really cared and It was much appreciate) Mr Edgar (fantastic accent I still haven?t mastered but he was fair and encouraging), and lastly Bobby ?Feed the Bear? Mutter (A burly Scotsman whose belief in me propelled my confidence sky high, I can still hear him call, ?Who?s the boss Richard? Show him who?s the boss!?

4. You get to develop skills in something you have a passion for and coaching soccer skills is full of challenge and rewards.

5. Get a life! No longer wandering the streets looking for something or sitting in front of the TV, rock up to your local soccer club or school and I?m sure there will be opportunities to add a new dimension to your life and the lives of others.

6. Build contacts in your community and neighborhood. If you coach kids they have parents and they have lives too that may provide a way to help you with something in your life.

7. Leadership, responsibility, and commitment all have their own rewards and these are abundant when you coach soccer.

8. If you are a player in a club you get praise from members in the club, you get on the ?in? with the other coaches in case you wanted to advance a career in this way, and you get some equipment to use whenever you want to improve your own game.

9. It will add to your attractiveness to employers as coaching soccer or any sport, shows the attributes above. These are easily re-worded to suit the job type. E.g. Active Member of my Community. It shows commitment, reliability, purpose, and that you can get out of bed in the morning.

10. Personal satisfaction. Winning your competition, one game, or having kept a bunch of people happy and off the streets. Plus you are involved doing what you love, Soccer (sport).

I once coached soccer at a local high school and these young boys (11 and 12 yrs) came to class with short black pen marked on the top of their wrists and hands? ?What is that for??, I asked, ?We?re Mr. Kerr-Bell? they said! Never under estimate your power.

There are many coaching videos, courses (often run by your local Soccer Club), books and other coaches to help you. A good way to start is to support the coach, be a manager, or gear minder person and learn that way. Showing up to practices to help is also useful.

Coaching soccer is a full on commitment that reflects everything the Real Madrid?s and Manchester United coaches experience (except the money and chance off being replaced if you lose!)

So enjoy the rush of excitement and adrenaline that coaching gives on matchday?

(PS. Look up soccer club directory online in the search box or thumb through your phonebook to find a club near you.)

Get out there coaching soccer and make a difference and remember, if you are there for the game or kids… you have already won.