Football: Wednesday's Carling Cup and Premier League matches

With Aston Villa leading 1-0 from the first leg and only needing a draw from tonight's match against Blackburn, things get off to a bad start for Martin O'Neill's team ... After just 10 minutes, David Dunn swings a corner in from the left and Brad Guzan in the Villa goal flaps aimlessly at the ball, allowing Nikola Kalinic to leap above Stephen Warnock and head the ball in off the former Rovers full-back. That early goal has set this match up nicely ...
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Nikola Kalinic threatens again but this time his shot is blocked by Villa's James Collins
Photograph: David Davies/PA

Kalinic is having a blinding start to the game. He plays a reverse pass to Morten Gamst Pedersen, whose pinpoint cross is headed goalwards by Olsson. The keeper only pushes the ball out to Kalinic and the Croatian scores again
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Just three minutes later, Warnock pulls one back for Villa and, 10 minutes after that, Gabriel Agbonlahor is brought down by Christopher Samba in the box. It's a clumsy challenge and results in a penalty, which gives Villa a chance to draw level on the night and go back ahead on aggregate
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To make things worse, the referee, Mark Atkinson, shows Samba a red card and Blackburn are down to ten men
Photograph: Darren Staples/Reuters

James Milner slots home the resulting penalty and it's 2-2 on the night, 3-2 to Villa on aggregate...
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He celebrates in front of the joyous Villa fans
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In the 53rd minute, Villa's manager Martin O'Neill jumps for joys as Richard Dunne bundles the ball into the net, via the helpless Nzonzi, to give his side the lead for the first time in the game
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Agbonlahor makes it 4-2 before Emile Heskey, above, rounds Blackburn goalkeeper Paul Robinson to add a fifth. Olsson quickly responds for Blackburn to make it 5-3
Photograph: David Davies/PA

Six minutes from time, Brett Emerton sets up a frantic finale when his hook back into the box wrong-foots the Aston Villa defence and it ends up in the net, making it 5-4
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Blackburn's manager Sam Allardyce seems to realise that despite his side's brief rally, the tie is beyond them and his dream of a third visit to Wembley will have to wait
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During injury time, Ashley Young uses Emile Heskey as a decoy as he scurries up the left wing before cutting inside twice and curling the ball around Paul Robinson's fingertips to make it 6-4. It was a fittingly classy finish to a thoroughly entertaining match
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The Aston Villa fans cheer their team as they know they'll be going to Wembley for the final
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As well as celebrating in the stands, ecstatic Villa fans ran on to the pitch. Eventually they are escorted off by some equally happy stewards
Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

An Arsenal victory would see them go top of the Premier League but it seems that Bolton haven't read the script as, after only seven minutes, Gary Cahill slots home a left foot shot to give the visitors the lead. Things get worse for the Gunners after 28 minutes when Matthew Taylor scores a penalty to double Bolton's lead
Photograph: Joe Giddens/Empics Sport

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas skips past Gary Cahill's lunge
Photograph: Tom Hevezi/AP

Arsenal start their fightback just before half-time as Tomas Rosicky fires in a shot from the edge of the box to halve the home side's deficit
Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Reuters

Arsenal are able to keep their momentum going after half time and in the 53rd minute Fabregas scores from close range to make it 2-2 ...
Photograph: Gerry Penny/EPA

... which he celebrates in his usual manner
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As Fabregas celebrates, Bolton's players and the referee go over to check on Mark Davies who lies injured on the ground after being tackled by William Gallas in the build-up to the goal. Davies was subsequently stretchered off
Photograph: Rebecca Naden/PA

Arsenal's defenders are also getting in on the scoring - Thomas Vermaelen makes it 3-2
Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

Five minutes from time, Andrey Arshavin finds himself eight yards out and smashes the ball past Jussi Jaaskelainen. It's 4-2 and Arsenal, thanks to the two-goal winning margin, move to the top of the league table above Chelsea
Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

Meanwhile, at Anfield the Liverpool fans are still behind their manager despite their recent troubles
Photograph: Tim Hales/AP

With Rafael Benítez having said this is a must-win game for Liverpool, his side will need to make their presence felt from the off ... Jamie Carragher does just that on Spurs' Niko Kranjcar
Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

It's not just Carragher who seems to have taken Benítez's words on board ... After only six minutes Alberto Aquilani chests down a punt from Pepe Reina and then holds the ball up as Dirk Kuyt runs past him towards the Tottenham penalty area. The Italian then prods the ball towards Kuyt, who finds the bottom right-hand corner to give Liverpool the lead
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Javier Mascherano battles for the ball with Jermain Defoe and Jermaine Jenas
Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

This time it is Tottenham who are putting themselves about with Jermaine Jenas getting a booking for this challenge on Philipp Degen
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Two minutes into the second half and Tottenham think they are back in the game when Defoe robs the ball off Pepe Reina following Sotirios Kyrgiakos' back-pass and slots the ball into the empty net. However, the goal is ruled out for offside as Defoe was lingering behind the line of defence when the initial through ball was played
Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

Peter Crouch skilfully controls the ball on his chest despite the close attentions of Martin Skrtel
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Sebastian Bassong attempts to plead his innocence after his clumsy challenge on David N'gog just inside the area leads to a late penalty for Liverpool ...
Photograph: Ed Sykes/Action Images

... which Dirk Kuyt converts twice in succession after Howard Webb ordered a re-take due to encroachment from surrounding players. The 2-0 win, with both goals from the Dutch striker, moves Liverpool up into sixth in the table, one point behind Spurs
Photograph: Mike Egerton/Empics Sport