Middlesbrough 2-0 Northampton: Fab-ulous strike

	Middlesbrough 2 - 0 Northampton 53' Fabio Rochemback 1 - 0 66' Dong-gook Lee 2 - 0
2		0

Match Stats
	Middlesbrough	Northampton
Shots (on Goal)	17(8)	14(7)
Fouls	9	14
Corner Kicks	5	8
Offsides	0	4
Time of Possession	56%	44%
Yellow Cards	0	1
Red Cards	0	0
Saves	7	5

South Korean striker Dong Gook Lee finally grabbed his first Middlesbrough goal as the 2004 winners rode their luck against Northampton to book their place in the Carling Cup third round with a 2-0 win.

Lee drove home a powerful low shot from the edge of the box in the 66th minute to wrap up victory for Gareth Southgate's men after Fabio Rochemback's free-kick had broken the deadlock.

But it could have been a different story for spluttering Boro had the bright Coca-Cola League One outfit capitalised on early chances, the best of which saw Ian Henderson's diving header hit the post.

Lee, who had failed to hit the net in his handful of appearances since joining Boro in January, was one of six new faces introduced by Southgate after Sunday's draw with Newcastle.

Full Report: Soccernet.com

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Newcastle 2-0 Barnsley: Owen back on target

	Newcastle 2 - 0 Barnsley 57' Michael Owen 1 - 0 86' Obafemi Martins 2 - 0
2		0

Match Stats
	Newcastle	Barnsley
Shots (on Goal)	15(12)	4(1)
Fouls	14	8
Corner Kicks	8	2
Offsides	3	1
Time of Possession	61%	39%
Yellow Cards	1	2
Red Cards	0	0
Saves	2	6

Michael Owen ended his 20-month wait for a Newcastle goal as the Magpies finally saw off stubborn Barnsley with a 2-0 win.

The 27-year-old England international struck 12 minutes after the break, finding the net in a competitive game for his club for the first time since December 17, 2005.

It was just Owen's 14th start and 17th appearance in total for Newcastle and came two days before he celebrates two, injury-wrecked years on Tyneside.

If Owen and his manager Sam Allardyce were delighted, both by the goal and the passage it helped to secure to the Carling Cup third round, it will have been no less welcome to England boss Steve McClaren, whose dearth of strikers ahead of vital Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Russia makes the form of his most experienced hitman a cause for national concern.

Full Report: Soccernet.com

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Bristol City 1-2 Man City: Bianchi's matt finish

	Bristol City 1 - 2 Manchester City 17' 0 - 1 Emile Mpenza 69' Bradley Orr 1 - 1 81' 1 - 2 Ronaldo Bianchi
1		2

Match Stats
	Bristol City	Man City
Shots (on Goal)	13(6)	12(4)
Fouls	9	13
Corner Kicks	6	1
Offsides	9	6
Time of Possession	54%	46%
Yellow Cards	0	0
Red Cards	0	0
Saves	1	2

Sven-Goran Eriksson's most expensive purchase as Manchester City manager spared his embarrassment at Bristol City as the Blues squeezed into the Carling Cup third round with a 2-1 win.

At £8.8million, Rolando Bianchi did not come cheap. But the former Reggina star was the City hero, lashing home from 20 yards to give the Blues victory.

The win was totally deserved and should have been achieved without the late fright Bradley Orr provided Eriksson with when he levelled Emile Mpenza's first-half opener.

But Bianchi's name figured prominently in a list of missed City chances, and a nervy ending would have been given a dramatic injury-time twist had Mark McIndoe's cheeky back-heel not correctly been ruled out for offside.

When the two finalists take their place at Wembley on February 24, 32 years will have elapsed since City last won a major trophy.

Full Report: Soccernet.com

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