| GI CUP REVIEW HAMMERS STRIKE GOLD THE FINAL West Ham United ended their long seven season wait for silverware by snatching the GI Cup, defeating Newcastle United 2-1 in an epic encounter at the world famous GI Dome in Ramsey. A record attendance of well over one hundred thousand watched on as The Hammers stunned their rivals, scoring twice in the first twenty minutes and never looking back. Weather conditions were bleak but fans travelled back to East London very happy. There must be sympathy for Newcastle United, who despite falling behind early on, dominated large periods of the match and were unlucky losers. Both teams proved they are two of the best that the GI has to offer and theres no doubt they'll be competing in many more GI Cup finals. |
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| ROUND OF 32 21/01/09me through the first round with a comfortable 5-0 demolition of Wigan Athletic began the defence of their GI Cup crown by battering PSV Eindhoven 6-2 over in the Netherlands. Dimitar Berbatov and Emmanuel Adebayor both got two each as the Latics crushed their Dutch opponents. David Bentley and Simao were also on target for the champions. Former cup winners Blackburn came through 2-1 against local rivals Bolton while Newcastle, the first ever GI Cup champions, needed a brace from Fernando Torres to see off FC Porto. D1 champions Liverpool scraped through with a 2-1 victory over D2 champions Coventry City. There were also notable victories for Arsenal, Tottenham, Everton, Man City, Fulham, Reading, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Sheffield United, Manchester United and West Ham United. |
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| ROUND OF 16 28/01/09 In the biggest suprise of the round, Everton dumped out former champions Blackburn Rovers with a 3-2 victory at Ewood Park. After falling behind early on, the former D2 champions entertained their opponents, scoring twice through Andy Johnson before Ricardo Quaresma sealed the win. In the glamour tie of the round, Fulham snatched a winner in extra time to see off Arsenal at Craven Cottage. West Ham also clinched victory over Man Utd with a Michael Dawson winner in extra time. Sheffield United edge a five goal thriller against Reading, two early goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic helped Liverpool knock out Aston Villa, Wigan were clear winners over local rivals Man City, Newcastle picked up an impressive win at Spurs while Chelsea eased past Preston. |
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| QUARTER-FINALS 04/02/09 The talking point of the quarter-finals is the suprise exit for Chelsea, after they were dumped out by an impressive West Ham United side at Stamford Bridge. Despite fielding a very strong team, Chelsea let a one goal lead slip as strikes from Jesus Navas, Ashley Young and Luka Modric helped sealed a fantastic victory for the Irons. Elsewhere, cup holders Wigan Athletic were dumped out after losing 4-2 to a rampant Liverpool side at Anfield. The Reds overpowered their rivals with two early goals which seemed to kill off the Latics. Fernando Torres netted a winner three minutes from time as Newcastle United scraped a 2-1 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage. Sheffield United also got through after beating Everton 2-1. |
| Tim Cahill celebrates after giving West Ham United the lead at the GI Dome. |
| Johnson was on form at Ewood Park. |
| Ronaldo scored first Liverpool goal. |
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| SEMI-FINALS 11/02/09 Newcastle United cruised into the GI Cup final, sweeping aside Sheffield United with a 3-0 victory at Old Trafford. The Toon army were rampant against their D2 counterparts, taking the lead through Maxi Rodriguez before Rafael van der Vaart added a second in the first half. Brazilian international Julio Baptista came off the bench to net the third late on. West Ham United came from behind to reach their second GI Cup final, defeating Liverpool 2-1 at Villa Park. D1 champions Liverpool started well and got the early lead through Lukas Podolski. However, The Hammers grinded out the result thanks to their talisman Carlos Tevez. The Argentine was twice on target in the second half to ensure the victory for the Irons. |
| van der Vaart impressed at Old Trafford.. |
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| FINAL 18/02/09 West Ham United completed their GI Cup adventure by lifting the trophy, edging out Newcastle United 2-1 at the GI Dome. Tim Cahill and Carlos Tevez were both on target as the Irons won their first ever piece of GI silverware. In response, The Magpies scored through David Villa but didn't find the strength to snatch an equaliser and go on to win the game. Australian international Cahill headed West Ham into the lead after just 8mins, throwing himself at a cross by midfield partner Luka Modric. The lead was doubled just 10mins later, Carlos Tevez riding two challenges before finishing cooly. Villa produced a stunning finish but his strike would only be a consolation for the losing finalists. |
| Marcello Lippi celebrates the cup victory. |
| Adebayor netted twice for Wigan. |