Real Madrid 1-2 Barcelona FT

Eric Adibal scored a late winner for Barcelona against bitter rivals Real Madrid who take a one goal lead into the second leg of the Copa Del Rey quarter final next week.

Barcelona gained control of possession early on but struggled to break down the resolute Real Madrid backline which featured Ricardo Carvalho for the first time in 3 months.

Ronaldo opened the scoring 15 minutes in with a left footed drive between the legs of Barcelona backup keeper Pinto, after a lovely through ball from Karim Benzema.

And the game once more dissolved into a tempestuous affair before half-time and the theatrics of Madrid’s Pepe earned Gerard Pique a yellow card, while Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets lived up to reputation with a number of pathetic tumbles.

Barcelona equalised almost immediately after the restart, talismanic captain Carles Puyol firing home a bullet header from Xavi’s corner.

But with so much on the line, the match became a stop-start affair, Busquets and Pepe again showcased their gymnastic abilities, with a string of embarrassing dives, the Portuguese defender following up a poor display of sportsmanship with a blatant stamp on Messi.

But the Catalan side continued to dominate with the ball and exhibited a trademark passage of control and possession, infuriating the home crowd who were baying for blood.

And the winner came from an unlikely source as Barcelona took the lead on the 78^th minute, Messi fashioning a chance out of nothing with a lobbed through ball over the top, and Abidal slotted the ball calmly past Casillas, giving Barcelona a slender aggregate lead going into the second leg at the Camp Nou next week.

Word Count - 276

Real Madrid v Barcelona HT

A Cristiano Ronaldo strike separated the two sides at half-time in the first leg of the Copa Del Rey quarter final at the Bernabeau.

Barcelona gained control of possession early on but struggled to break down the resolute Real Madrid backline which featured Ricardo Carvalho for the first time in 3 months.

Ronaldo opened the scoring 15 minutes in with a left footed drive between the legs of Barcelona backup keeper Pinto, after a lovely through ball from Karim Benzema.

And the game once more dissolved into a tempestuous affair, the theatrics of  Pepe earned Gerard Pique a yellow card, while Sergio Busquets lived up to reputation with a number of dives.

Barcelona created two more chances with Lionel Messi’s shot saved by Casillas, before Iniesta then missed a great opportunity, his effort couldn’t find the target from close range after a clever move with Alexsis Sanchez.

Word Count - 148

Liverpool 1-0 Man City, FT report

Steven Gerrard converted from the penalty spot as Liverpool take a 1-0 lead the second leg of their Carling Cup semi-final against Man City.

The Liverpool talisman, starting his first game in the competition since 2007, fired past Joe Hart after Daniel Agger was brought down in the area early on.

Liverpool started brightly as Gerrard’s long range curler was tipped round the post by Joe Hart.

And the City keeper was called into action once again as Stuart Downing’s goal-bound volley from a well worked corner was pushed to safety.

The breakthrough came on 13 minutes as Stefan Savic, in for the suspended Vincent Kompany lunged at Agger in the box, and referee Lee Mason showed no hesitation in pointing to the spot as Gerrard made no mistake from 12 yards.

Man City boss Roberto Mancini was forced to take off a temperamental Mario Balotelli after 38 minutes while substitute Samir Nasri registered City’s only shot on target after a poor half from the home side.

Sergio Aguero failed to capitalise on a poor Martin Kelly back-pass at the start of the second half as City started to move forward but Pepe Reina did well to deny a point-blank Micah Richards header soon after.

The Blues dominated possession but were confined to shooting from distance with Alexander Kolarov, James Milner and Nasri all failing to test the Liverpoolkeeper.

And Reds boss Kenny Dalglish brought on the experienced Jamie Carragher asLiverpool saw out the remainder of the game with five at the back.

The result leaves Man City needing a big performance in the return leg at Anfield newt week.

Word Count - 273