Carling Cup: Irish round up

John O’Shea returned to the Manchester United defence as Sir Alex Ferguson’s second string side booked a Carling Cup quarter-final place with a comfortable victory over Crystal Palace’s reserves at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

O’Shea, partnering Wes Brown at the heart of the back four, failed to really grasp the nettle on a night he had declared was his chance to impress the watching Ferguson.

The Waterford man, who has been frozen out of the United Premiership XI for the past six weeks, blundered to give up a chance to Hungarian striker Sandor Torghelle, only for the Palace front man to shoot straight at Tim Howard.

Liam Miller and Roy Keane were both rested as United have a crucial game against Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon.

A knee injury kept Newcastle United right back Stephen Carr out for the third game in a row as Chelsea relied on two substitutes to seal an extra-time victory at St James’s Park.

The injury, which could rule him out of Ireland’s friendly against Croatia next week, meant that Andy O’Brien took over at right back in a back four ahead of the returning Shay Given(pictured), who missed Sunday’s defeat to Fulham to attend the birth of his baby boy. Damien Duff was in the starting xi for Chelsea.

Andy Reid scored one goal and made another as Coca-Cola Championship strugglers Nottingham Forest pushed Premiership Fulham all the way in Wednesday night’s Carling Cup clash at the City Ground.

Forest took the lead through Marlon King with 20 minutes remaining, the Jamaican international converting Reid’s precise cross past ex-Forest keeper Mark Crossley.

Fulham proved their class coming back with 3 goals to gain a 2 goal advantage. But Reid gave Forest hope with a 104th minute reply after Crossley had only parried an earlier shot, but the home side were unable to find the goal that would send the game to penalties, instead getting hit on the break by Andy Cole’s last-minute goal.

Richie Partridge(pictured) made his first Liverpool appearance in 1442 days on Wednesday night, coming off the bench to supply the killer cross for Neil Mellor to put Rafa Benitez’s side into a winning lead against Middlesbrough in the Carling Cup fourth round tie at Anfield.

Handed the brief of helping a fringe Liverpool XI break the deadlock against a strong Boro outfit, Partridge filled his role perfectly, teeing up Mellor for the opening goal within 13 minutes of his introduction.

Darren Potter, the club’s current Irish under-21 international midfielder, supplied the pass for Mellor’s sealing second in the final minute.

Rory Delap and his Southampton side continued their miserable run of form when they went down to Championship side Watford 5-2.

Finally, Under 19 international Patrick Cregg made his Arsenal debut on Tuesday night in a late cameo against Everton. He was introduced for goalscorer Arturo Lupoli in the 89th minute.