Goalkeeper Tim Howard saved two penalties against his former club to inspire Everton to a 4-2 shootout win over Manchester United on Sunday which sent them into the FA Cup final for the first time since 1995.

Howard saved United’s first two spot-kicks from Dimitar Berbatov and Rio Ferdinand ater a turgid semi-final ended 0-0 after extra time at Wembley Stadium.

Everton will return to Wembley for the final on May 30 against Chelsea, who beat Arsenal 2-1 in Saturday’s first semi-final.

Everton defender Phil Jagielka scored the winning penalty, blasting the ball past goalkeeper Ben Foster to inflict United’s first defeat in an FA Cup semi-final since 1970.

United manager Alex Ferguson gambled by playing a largely reserve side and defeat ended the European champions’ hopes of winning an unprecedented five major trophies this season.

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“It was a tough game for us. Man United, whoever they play, they could put out their under-14’s and it would have been a tough game because they play to win every competition that they are in,” Everton manager David Moyes said in a televised interview.

Read more on Everton wins 4-2 shootout over Manchester United

Federico Macheda scored the game winner as Manchester United got a 2-1 win at Sunderlund on Saturday. The win kept Manchester United one point clear of Liverpool at the top of the standings with a game in hand. Manchester United’s win came with Ben Foster filling in for Edwin van der Sar and with Cristiano Ronaldo resting for much of the match. Ronaldo did come into the match at the 69th minute but it was Macheda’s arrival as a 75th-minute replacement that turned the tide for United.

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Liverpool crushed Blackburn 4-0 to keep pace with Manchester United and they did so without Steven Gerrard who was rested. Fernando Torres scored twice for Liverpool in the 4-0 win. Third-place Chelsea beat Bolton 4-3 to stay within four points of Manchester United.

Read more on Manchester United Stays in Front in Premier League

The Soccer Betting Premier League is feeling pretty good after their four teams in the Champions League all made the quarterfinals. Defending Champion Manchester United took out Inter Milan 2-0 to win 2-0 on aggregate while Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool also advanced.

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The win by Arsenal against AS Roma was very exciting as Arsenal won 7-6 on penalty kicks after the teams tied 1-1 on aggregate. “We needed to show our nerve tonight and determination,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said, “We were a bit nervous at the start and gave a goal away more by nerves than them creating the chance. I must pay tribute to the nerves of my team. There is something in there that comes out, that is huge mental strength. Our character has been questioned many times. I’ve said many times that this team is very strong.” Arsenal got the win after Roma’s Max Tonetto sent his penalty shot high. “I’m sorry for all these fans that supported us nonstop for two hours,” Tonetto said. “My teammates tried to console me, but it hasn’t helped much.” Francesco Totti, Roma’s captain took the loss very hard. “It would have been better to lose 3-0, this feels like getting knifed,” Totti said. “When am I going to get another chance like this?”

Read more on Four Premier League Teams into Champions League Quarterfinals

Quarterfinal action in the Soccer Betting FA Cup gets underway on Saturday as Fulham hosts Manchester United and Chelsea visits Coventry City. United is trying to something that has never been done, win five trophies in a season. They have already won the Club World Cup and the League Cup. They have a solid lead in the Premier League and have a great chance in the Champions League.

The FA Cup is the competition that worries Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson the most. “It would be great to think we could do it,” said Ferguson, “but my experience says we could go to Fulham, get a deflected shot off someone’s backside and we’re out.”

Fulham has been playing well of late, despite a 1-0 loss to Hull on Wednesday. “The team will now need lifting for United,” Fulham manager Roy Hodgson said. “There’s no worse way to lose a game than to play well, stare at a 0-0 draw when you think we should have scored and then to lose in the 92nd minute.” United should have an interesting lineup on Saturday since they will probably rest some players for next week’s critical Soccer Betting Champions League match against Inter Milan. United also has a key game in the Premier League next weekend with third place Liverpool.

Read more on Soccer Betting Preview: FA Cup Quarterfinals

With their lead atop the Soccer Betting Premier League standings gone, Liverpool is starting to feel the heat. Fans are upset, players are upset and manager Rafa Benitez is under fire. It didn’t help Benitez that he criticized the league over the favored treatment of Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson or that he took out his two best players, Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw against Wigan. “It is not driving me crazy. I’m OK,” said Benitez, “The game (against Wigan) was crazy. We will see if the game on Sunday will be crazy, too. I am calm because I cannot control this craziness. Maybe it has to be crazy for years. I was talking to the players about how to stop the craziness but I do not know if we can.”

Liverpool had a 1-0 lead against Wigan but took a late penalty and ended up with a draw. Benitez took out Torres and Gerrard and sent in striker Robbie Keane who is not known for his defense. “I am disappointed with a number of things,” Benitez said. “It has happened in the last three games (including two 1-1 draws with Everton). They have something in common I don’t like. I know why but I cannot say anything.”

The game against Chelsea on Sunday is now a critical one for Benitez and for Liverpool. “When you are top of the table you know that every single game is really important so when you lose two points you have to be disappointed [...]

Read more on Soccer Betting Preview: Liverpool Feeling the Pressure in Premier League

Manchester United defeated Derby 4-2 at Old Trafford on Tuesday to win the two leg match and advance to the Soccer Betting League Cup Final. Manchester United will play defending champion Tottenham on March 1st at Wembley. Tottenham was able to get past Burnley 6-4 on aggregate even though they lost the second leg 3-2.

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Manchester United will be favored against Tottenham even though the Spurs are the defending champs. “It’s good to reach another final,” United manager Alex Ferguson said, “Our record in going to finals at Wembley is terrific.” If United is able to win the League Cup it would be their third in the competition. United will be making their seventh appearance in the final and their first since winning it in 2006.

Read more on Soccer Betting Preview: Manchester United & Tottenham in League Cup Final

Cristiano Ronaldo won the FIFA World Player of the Year award on Monday. It was a magical year in 2008 for Ronaldo who led Manchester to the Soccer Betting Premier League and Champions League titles. Ronaldo was well clear in the voting for the Player of the Year with Barcelona midfielder Lionel Messi finishing second. Liverpool striker Fernando Torres finished a distant third.

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“It is an overwhelming moment, a very special moment in my life,” Ronaldo said, “I would like to say to my mother and sister that the fireworks can be fired off now.”

Ronaldo is the first player ever from the English Premier League to win the award. Ronaldo scored 42 goals in all competitions last season. This year he has struggled with injuries and has just eight league goals in the Premier League.

Ronaldo also won the Ballon D’Or as European player of the year and he won the World Soccer magazine’s player of the year award. Ronaldo is the second Portuguese player to win the award as Luis Figo won in 2001.

Read more on Ronaldo Wins FIFA World Player of the Year Award

Manchester United will be playing Japanese club Gamba Osaka in the semifinals of the Soccer Betting Club World Cup in Japan on Thursday. The other semifinal match on Thursday will be South American champ Liga de Quito vs. Mexico’s Pachuca. The winners will play on Sunday while the losers will play a third place match, also on Sunday.

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Manchester United has not played yet in the tournament, having received an automatic bid into the semifinals. Manchester United is coming off a scoreless draw in Premier League action against Tottenham on Sunday. Manchester United qualified for this semifinal spot in the Club World Cup by beating Chelsea in the Soccer Betting UEFA Champions League final. The match on Sunday against Gamba could be more difficult than most people believe for Manchester United simply because of the travel. Manchester United is about a 2/5 favorite on the three-way Manchester United soccer betting against Gamba while Pachuca is about a 5-4 favorite on the three-way line against Liga.

Read more on Soccer Betting Preview: Manchester United Playing in Japan

Chelsea will have to do without one of their best players for the next three matches as Didier Drogba was suspended . The suspension happened to Drogba because of an incident in a League Cup game last Wednesday against Burnley. Drogba had scored a goal and was celebrating near the visiting fans. Some of those fans threw coins at Drogba who then picked one up and threw it back. He was given a yellow card for celebrating in front of the Burnley fans but the referee did not see him throw the coin.

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The Football Association though decided to punish Drogba for the incident. He will now miss Premier League games against Newcastle, Arsenal and Bolton. “I tried to celebrate the goal and I received some things at me,” Drogba said, “The big mistake I did was to throw it back, so if someone was hurt I just want to apologize for it. This is not something I should show in a football match and I want to apologize. It was an incident in the heat of the moment and I regret it. It was just a mistake and nothing more.”

Soccer Betting Preview: Chelsea’s Didier Drogba Suspended

Arsenal is already facing a must-win game in the Soccer Betting Premier League as they host Manchester United on Saturday. Manager Arsene Wenger has said the team must come away with a win if they expect to contend for the title this season. A loss would make it very difficult for the Gunners because they would be four points back of United and could fall as many as nine behind Chelsea and Liverpool. “It’s a massive game of massive importance for us,” Wenger said. “Manchester United-Arsenal is always a special one. It’s important for us that we do well in the big games in this league now.”

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Arsenal has not won in any of its last three matches. They played to a 4-4 draw with Tottenham after leading 4-2. One of those matches was a draw to Fenerbahce at home in the Soccer Betting Champions League. Wenger is not happy with his players or with the referees. “In the second half, we dropped physically and were less dangerous from then on,” Wenger said, “We were not sharp enough to put our strikers into good positions. You expect us to make chances in the last 20 minutes and this didn’t come because physically we didn’t have the resources.”

Wenger is really upset about the amount of penalties his team is getting in the Premier League. “Look at the fair play table. Who is top? Arsenal,” he said. “Look at the team that makes less fouls. Arsenal. (Yet) who gets more yellow cards after four or five fouls? Arsenal. Some teams get their first yellow cards after 15 fouls.”

Soccer Betting Preview: Arsenal Facing Must-Win Game on Saturday