That goal sparked Fulham into life, and in particular Bobby Zamora. He teased the Juve back line all night long and got his reward on nine minutes when he brought the scores level on the night as he fired in from 10 yards out after beautifully turning current World Cup winning captain, Fabio Cannavaro. It wasn’t the best start for the experienced defender, and his night got even worse on 26 minutes when he was sent off after being judged to be the last man on a challenge on Zoltan Gera. Replays did show though that he was a tad unlucky to be given the red card as there was another defender who could have got back in time.

Gera was also in the mood and got Fulham’s second of the night on 39 minutes, finishing from close range after great build up play from Zamora and Simon Davies. That made the score 4-3 on aggregate and the Fulham fans were starting to dream the impossible was on. Only four minutes into the second half,  that dream started to look like reality.

Again it was Gera who scored the goal, this time from the penalty spot. The spot-kick was given after Gera released Damien Duff and Diego’s hand cut out the resulting cross in the box. Gera made no mistake and Craven Cottage was bouncing. The scores were level on the night and it only looked like a matter of time until Fulham got the goal which would take them through.

The winning goal came five minutes from time and what a goal it was. Clint Dempsey collected the ball 25 yards out, had a look up, and placed a sublime chip into the far corner of the net, giving the helpless Juve goalkeeper, Chimenti, no chance. There was still time left for another Italian red card when Jonathan Zebina was sent off for kicking out at Duff.

When the final whistle went, Fulham were applauded from all four corners of the ground – completing a well deserved lap of honor before leaving the pitch. They will find out their opponents in Friday’s draw – and they will fear no-one after this result.

“I broke the speed limit on the slopes at the indoor centre – but that was on my back!” said the former Crystal Palace boss.

“What I want to do is stop Hull City going downhill, yes.

“I’d had three skiing lessons and had another planned for Friday, but I would much ­rather be back in the dugout. I feel more comfortable there.

The announcement of Dowie’s arrival wasn’t greeted by all cheers around the KC Stadium, as many people have been questioning the manager’s credentials. Dowie, however, feels he is perfectly suited to save Hull from the drop this season.

“I don’t think I’m a gamble. If you look at my record, it’s fairly productive. You look at my record at Oldham – I took them to the play-offs.

“The challenge is similar to Newcastle. Every experience makes you stronger.

“I can’t wait to get started. I want the pressure-cooker atmosphere again.”

Unfortunately for Dowie, the challenge at Newcastle ended in failure. Now it’s up to him to rescue Hull from an uphill battle.

The former Bayern Munich star has suffered an injury hit career at Old Trafford, but ahead of his reserves return later tonight he admits he still hopes to make Fabio Capello’s final list of 23 players for South Africa.

“The World Cup is an incentive. Absolutely. But I need to see progress now, pretty quick, for the World Cup to become even a realistic option,” said Hargreaves.

“[Capello] was happy with how I played for England. When he saw me play for Man United he was happy with how I played. Whether in Germany or England, a manager has always played me, especially to win big games. Maybe he sees that and would like me to have an impact on the World Cup. I would love that.

“I could never have imagined in my darkest dreams something like this [injury] would happen to me. My athletic ability has taken me everywhere I wanted to go, from Canada to Germany, playing for England, playing for Man United. To have that temporarily taken away is humbling.”

Hargreaves was also quick to reveal that he rushed back from injuries in the past. This time around, though, one of United’s most valuable assets has put the hard work into a long and hard comeback from injury, and it looks as if he could play a crucial role in the run in to the title.

“I didn’t have the same quality muscle as before. Instead of muscles taking the shock absorption, my tendon was. But when I got an ache, I didn’t stop. I kept playing,” said the midfielder.

“It wasn’t dealt with the way it should have been initially. I saw so-called specialists who said ‘this is what you need and you will have absolutely no reaction’ and I had a massive reaction. You like to think you will get the best advice possible but that is not always possible.

“Injuries take time. It’s not a question of can I go into a 50-50? I wouldn’t hesitate in the slightest. It’s more about managing my training, making sure I don’t do too much. If I play, shall I do 30 minutes? 40 minutes? Only I can feel it. If you have had double knee surgery you’re going to feel it.”

Players receive 10 points for a first place vote, 9 points for a second place vote, down to one point for a 10th place vote.

Here is this week’s ranking:

10 Darren Bent (Sunderland)

Points: 6

Darren Bent exploded onto the rankings last week, debuting at number three following an impressive hat trick against Bolton. This week Bent slides down to 10th place after being held goalless against Manchester City in a 1-1 draw. Bent gave the City defense trouble on a couple of occasions, but didn’t make enough of an impact to give his team the victory or keep himself at the top of the Premiership Talk Power Rankings.

9 Antonio Valencia (Manchester United)

Points: 10

Despite Wayne Rooney’s terrific form this season, Manchester United’s success has truly been a team effort, partly due to the performance of Antonio Valencia. Valencia debuts on the Premiership Talk Power Rankings at the nine spot following his efforts against Fulham and Milan. Valencia has scored five goals and provided seven assists this season and will be looking to score soon, as he has not scored for United since December.

8 Florent Malouda (Chelsea)

Points: 11

Florent Malouda makes his first appearence on the Power Rankings on the back of a couple of fantastic performances for Chelsea. Malouda was arguably Chelsea’s best player in their 4-1 victory over West Ham on Saturday, scoring a goal and providing two assists. Three nights later against Inter Milan in the Champions League, Malouda was again Chelsea’s most viable attacking option although he was held without a goal or assist. Malouda currently has nine goals and eight assists for Chelsea on the campaign.

7 Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

Points: 12

Cesc was in second place in the rankings last week following a great performance against Burnley. However, Cesc has not played in a couple of weeks, missing the Champions League match against Porto and more recently Arsenal’s 2-1 victory over Hull City due to injury. While Cesc is obviously one of the best in the world when healthy, another week of inactivity could see him drop out of the rankings. Fabregas’ 13 assists still lead the Premier League.

6 Carlos Tevez (Manchester City)

Points: 13

Tevez climbs a few spots in the rankings this week following a return to action against Sunderland. Like his opponent in the match, Darren Bent, Tevez was dangerous on the ball and was denied a goal on a couple of occasions. Tevez picked up a yellow card in the match, his first in three months, which to me is surprising considering how hard he plays on the defensive end.

5 Roman Pavlyuchenko (Tottenham)

Points: 19

If Roman Pavlyuchenko was used more by Tottenham, he could be challenging Wayne Rooney for the scoring title based on his current run of form. Pavlyuchenko is coming off a two goal performance against Blackburn in Tottenham’s 3-1 victory. Roman has now scored seven goals in his last five games and will most certainly be in the starting lineup for Tottenham this weekend against Stoke City.

4 Andrei Arshavin (Arsenal)

Points: 21

Arshavin moves up two spots in the Power Rankings this week following another great performance for the Russian international against Hull City. Arshavin scored his ninth goal in the Premier League in fantastic fashion and now has two goals and two assists in his last three games.

3 Fernando Torres (Liverpool)

Points: 30

You would think one of the most famous players in the world, and the Premier League’s fifth leading scorer, would have already made the Premiership Talk Power Rankings, but this week is the debut of Spanish international Fernando Torres. Torres has struggled with injury problems a bit this season, but has still managed to score 15 goals in the Premier League this season. Torres scored two fantastic goals in Liverpool’s 4-1 thrashing of Portsmouth this week and also provided two assists. If Torres remains healthy, look for him to challenge for the top spot here at Premiership Talk.

2 Didier Drogba (Chelsea)

Points: 35

Drogba moves up to the second place spot this week after scoring two goals in Chelsea’s 4-1 victory over West Ham. The two goals bring Drogba’s goal total to 21 in 24 Premier League games. Drogba’s week was marred with disgrace however, as he was largely ineffective against Inter Milan and was given a red card for stomping on an opponent. While Drogba is obviously an immense talent, his temper once again got the best of him this week.

1 Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

Points: 40

Rooney retains the number one spot for the third straight week, this time after scoring two goals against Fulham in United’s 3-0 victory. Rooney incredibly had 13 shots in the game and was simply unmarkable by the Fulham defense. Rooney now has 25 goals in the Premier League and 32 in all competitions. Rooney has now scored nine goals in his last six games and is being rivaled by only Lionel Messi for the European scoring title.

The Premiership Talk Power Rankings are combined on a voting basis by a panel of Premier League experts, including Premiership Talk and Soccer LI Magazine writer Brian Lofrumento, Premiership Talk columnist Zain Alvi, Premiership Talk writer Taylor Fisher, and Mike Diamente of Il Mondo di Calcio and Premiership Talk.

If you haven’t already heard, Liverpool midfielder Albert Riera recently went on a tirade, criticizing coach Rafa Benitez as well as the Liverpool organization.

Riera said: “He thinks he is in charge and he just turns a deaf ear to everyone else. When the coach doesn’t say anything to you and you are in good shape with no physical problems and training well, you have no choice but to think [the fact you are not playing] is personal. My objective is to go to the World Cup and for that to happen I have to play.”

Riera went on to say that Benitez wouldn’t be a good enough candidate to coach Real Madrid, and said that he has multiple offers from Russian clubs that would allow him to leave Liverpool.

What are your thoughts on Riera’s sudden outburst? Are his comments justified, or out of line?

In my opinion, Riera hasn’t exactly impressed during his time at Liverpool, and certainly wouldn’t be considered a more viable option over the likes of Kuyt, Benayoun, or Aquilani. However, if it is true that there is a lack of communication between player and coach over playing time, I feel that Riera has every right to be angry, especially in a World Cup year. With that being said, going to the press and publicly blasting your coach never makes you look like a good guy.

Riera has zero goals and three assists for Liverpool in twelve Premier League games this season.

Northern Ireland v Spain – 1982

Nobody expected such a tiny nation to beat such footballing giants. The deck was clearly stacked in Spain’s favor. They were the hosts, and they were ready to win their group and advance to the knockout stage. Northern Ireland had other plans. A Gerry Armstrong goal beat Spain and won the group for Northern Ireland. They would go on to make the quarterfinals in their historic run.

Cameroon v Argentina – 1990

Purely from a Football Manager perspective, this is one of my favorite World Cup upsets. Argentina came into the 1990 World Cup as the reigning champions, and they were set to embark on another title chase. They opened up against Cameroon, and just like 1980 when they opened up as the defending champs, they lost the opening match. Not a good way to start off the biggest tournament in the world.

Croatia v Germany – 1998

Croatia was heavy underdogs heading into their quarterfinal match against Germany. Apparently they didn’t get the memo that they were supposed to actually lose the match. Goals from Jarni, Vlaovic, and Suker helped seal the Germans’ fate while sending the Croatians to the semifinals to face France.

USA v Portugal – 2002

This list wouldn’t be complete without some love for my own United States. The U.S. opened up their 2002 World Cup campaign against a heavily favored Portugal side. Three first half goals from the Americans were just enough to hold off a late rally by Portugal’s golden generation. They would go on to not even qualify out of the group stage.

Senegal v France – 2002

Going into the 2002 World Cup, France was on top of their game. Not only were they the defending European champions, but they were also the reigning World Cup champions. Nobody would have been surprised if they had continued their dominance. Senegal seemed like a likely victim being new to the World Cup, but Papa Bouba Diop scored to knock the giants off their throne.

Personally, my vote would be for either North Korea over Italy or United States over England, but you will have to go check out the rest of the list to see if either of them made the cut.

To see the rest of the list and to cast your vote for the biggest World Cup upset, head on over to the World Cup Odds website, an excellent resource for World Cup betting.

The two favorites

Due to its reputation as a football giant, Argentina is certainly the favorite in this group, with the crafty South Koreans following in second. Former European champions Greece will surely have an argument about having greater odds than the Asian giants, but given that South Korea made a semi-final appearance as recently as 2002, they are poised to end up slightly ahead of Greece in the betting circles.

In my opinion, the disciplined Greek defense will not be enough to overcome the South Koreans, who will qualify from the group along with Argentina. While I reiterate that Nigeria has the potential to upstage any of the other three teams, I don’t think they will do enough to prevail to the knock-out stages.

Watch out for

There is absolutely no doubt that Lionel Messi and Carlos Tevez will steal the spotlight despite the presence of  other great attacking talents such as Diego Milito, Gonzalo Higuain, and Sergio Aguero within their own team. Besides Argentina’s brilliant strike-force, the Evertonian duo of Joseph Yobo and Yakubu should also be able to impress while playing for Nigeria.

Former Newcastle United striker Obafemi Martins will also seek to bounce back into the spotlight with a few goals. For Greece, it will be the big men commanding all the attention as Celtic forward Georgios Samaras and Liverpool defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos will strive to make an impression. Finally, as cliched as it may sound, Manchester United’s Park Ji-Sung will clearly be leading the way for the Republic of Korea.

Keys to success

Since no other team in this group can match up with Argentina’s offense, the only way for the others to try and eliminate Argentina is to punish Maradona’s often laughable tactics. Sure, he has five of the most explosive strikers in the world at his disposal, but as difficult as it may sound to shut the players down, a disciplined defensive effort can surely put up a fight if none of the Argentines know what exactly their manager wants from them.

At the end of the day, it is quite risky to rely on Maradona’s prospective blunders, and in order to proceed at Argentina’s expense the other teams need to play positive, attacking football throughout the group stages.

Predictions

Argentina will create plenty of chances against Nigeria but will not score more than twice against Nigeria in the group opener at Ellis Park, Johannesburg. However, they will manage to restrict the Nigerians to just one goal, thus winning 2-1 in the process.

South Korea will then draw 1-1 with Greece in Port Elizabeth that same day before also going on to lose 3-2 against Argentina at Soccer City, Johannesburg. Park Ji-Sung and his teammates will still have enough left in them to rebound against Nigeria by winning 1-0 in their final game of the group stages.

The Nigerians will pick up their only point in a goalless draw against the Greeks while the Argentines will hand the Greeks their only loss of the round in a 1-0 win in the final game of Group B. In short, Argentina will win the group with a perfect record while South Koreans will finish in second.

It took only 13 minutes for the first goal of the evening as Lionel Messi ran at the Stuttgart defense, who backed off and allowed Messi to shoot from 25 yards out into the top corner past the outstretched arms of Jens Lehmann.

It got worse for the Germans before half time as Pedro grabbed Barcelona’s second goal on 22 minutes. It was Messi again who involved as his pass set Yaya Toure free inside the box, and the Ivorian’s crisp pass found Pedro who couldn’t miss from six yards out. The Germans did manage to get to half time with the score only at 2-0, but it didn’t take long before Barcelona grabbed their third of the evening.

Yet again it was Lionel Messi who scored with another effort from outside the box. It was a sweeping Barcelona move which ended with Dani Alves’s flicking the ball to the Argentine, who turned inside the defender and then guided it past Jens Lehmann with a neat finish.

That wasn’t the end of the damage for the Spanish side, who got their fourth of the night just before the end when substitute Bojan, only on the field for a minute, slotted the ball past Lehmann from 20 yards.

It could have been worse for the German side as Messi should have had a hat-trick and Henry, Iniesta, and Toure all could, and maybe should, have scored. Stuttgart never threatened in the whole game and the scoreline didn’t flatter the hosts.

No-one will want to face the Catalans in Friday’s draw on this form, and whoever does get them will have to be at their very best to get close to them.

Barcelona are unbeaten at home since January 5th when Sevilla defeated them surprisingly 2-1 in the Copa del Rey, a competition they went out of on away goals to their Spanish counterparts. However, with players such as Xavi, Messi, Ibrahimovic and Iniesta at their disposal – last season’s winners will be huge favourites to progress to the last eight, with bookmakers offering odds of 1/14 on them qualifying.

Stuttgart are not having the greatest of seasons by a long way, currently 9th in the German Bundesliga and a massive 21 points behind current leaders Bayern Munich. With only nine domestic league wins all season it is a huge surprise to see them even this far in the tournament. They got this far by finishing in second place in their group behind Sevilla, who are the only team to defeat them in Europe so far this season.

As always you are as much a part of the coverage as we are, so let us know your views on the night, take part in our polls, and ask us any questions which you would like answered. Don’t miss any of the coverage LIVE here at Premiership Talk!

Rooney, however, is remaining adamant that Serbia don’t play into his summer plans. Vidic had high praise for the “best striker in the world,” but insists he’d love to defend against the Premier League’s leading goalscorer.

“I have mentioned to him that, if we go through from our tough group against Germany, Ghana, and Australia, we have a chance of meeting England,” said Vidic.

“I said it would be an interesting game but he just said, ‘Serbia? Who plays for them?’ He was joking, I think.

“He knows we are doing well and we are not an easy team to beat. We have a lot of good players with clubs right across Europe.

“We share the same dressing room for our club and it would be fun to play against Wayne, although one of us would have to lose.

“He is strong and he has pace and for defenders that is always a difficult combination. But I kick him in training and I would do the same in a game.

“He is a great player – the best striker in the world. It would be hard to keep him quiet but that is the challenge. You want challenges. That is why you play football.”

Manchester United play host to Liverpool at Old Trafford this weekend as they seek an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League crown.