City, Liverpool reach semis

LONDON (AP):

Liverpool raided Chelsea for the second time in 10 days to reach the semi-finals of the League Cup yesterday, while Manchester City also grabbed a victory against a English Premier League title rival in London to qualify for the last four.

Craig Bellamy set up goals for Maxi Rodriguez in the 58th minute and Martin Kelly in the 63rd as seven-time competition winners Liverpool won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to pile the pressure on Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas, whose team has now lost five of their last nine matches in all competitions.

It was an emotional night for Bellamy, who returned to the Liverpool team two days after missing their 1-1 draw with Manchester City in the Premier League because he was too upset to play following the death of former Wales teammate Gary Speed on Sunday.

City, who are five points clear at the top of the Premier League, transferred their form to England's second-ranked club competition, beating Arsenal 1-0, thanks to an 83rd-minute goal by Sergio Aguero.

The Argentina striker, who came off the bench midway through the first half, met a pass from Adam Johnson with a thumping shot past Arsenal goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski as City eliminated Arsene Wenger's side in the quarter-finals for the second time in three seasons.

Hopes dashed

Arsenal's hopes of making the semi-finals for the fifth time in seven seasons were dashed by a City team containing two former Gunners - playmaker Samir Nasri, who joined in the summer for £25 million, and defender Kolo Toure.

Every time Nasri touched the ball, he was booed and the France international was also on the receiving end of a number of chants, including "You only quit for the money."

Arsenal officials were also forced to reject rumours that punches were thrown between Nasri and Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong in the tunnel after the match, saying that only words were exchanged. There appeared to be tensions between the two during the match.

Second-tier Cardiff reached the last four for the first time since 1966 by beating Premier League strugglers Blackburn 2-0.

Manchester United will look to become the third northwest power to make the semi-finals when they host Crystal Palace in today's only match.

Chelsea's defeat - their third in a 10-day span in three different competitions - will be another tough pill to swallow for Villas-Boas, who had to deal with chants from Liverpool's vocal fans of "You're getting sacked in the morning" in the second half.