Everton end Chelsea dream for FA Cup three-peat

LONDON (AP):

Chelsea's hopes of a third straight FA Cup title were dashed after losing to Everton on penalties in a fourth-round replay yesterday, while Manchester United required Wes Brown's header to edge past non-league side Crawley 1-0 in a last-16 match.

Captain Phil Neville converted the winning spot kick for Everton at Stamford Bridge after Chelsea left back Ashley Cole skied his attempt over the bar with the score at 3-3 in the shoot-out.

The match finished 1-1 after extra time, with Leighton Baines' free kick with a minute remaining cancelling out Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard's close-range strike in the 104th.

Everton will take on second-tier team Reading in the fifth round on March 1.

"We've been practicing (penalties) all week," Neville said. "The manager just told us to hit them as hard as possible.

"Out of the two ties with Chelsea, I think we just deserved to go through."

Chelsea were trying to become the first side to win three straight FA Cups since Blackburn achieved the feat between 1884-86.

Taking the champions

Crawley are 93 places below United in the league ladder, but took the 11-time champions all the way at Old Trafford, almost nicking a shock draw when substitute Richard Brodie headed against the crossbar in the final seconds.

United, which played a second-string team but brought on star striker Wayne Rooney for the second half, was hanging on in the last 10 minutes and had Brown to thank for his 28th-minute glancing header from Darron Gibson's textbook cross.

In the two other fifth-round matches, Premier League sides Birmingham and Stoke eased to 3-0 home victories over Sheffield Wednesday and Brighton, who both play in England's third tier.