Cardiff continue giantkilling in FA Cup

LONDON, England -- Crisis club Cardiff sent Premier League side Middlesbrough tumbling out of the FA Cup as a remarkable weekend of quarterfinal upsets continued on Sunday.

The Welsh side, who face a High Court hearing this week which could put their continued existence under threat, joined fellow second-tier outfits Barnsley and West Brom in the draw for the last four along with Premier League Portsmouth.

West Brom avoided another upset by thrashing minnows Bristol Rovers 5-1 in Sunday's late game, with on-loan striker Ishmail Miller grabbing a hat-trick.

Middlesbrough could have been forgiven for having one eye on the trophy after seeing heavyweights Manchester United and Chelsea knocked out on Saturday, but Gareth Southgate's team suffered an ignominious 2-0 defeat which saw the home fans walk out early in their droves.

Cardiff, the only non-English team to win the prestigious tournament -- back in 1927 -- shrugged off their indifferent league form to take a 2-0 lead within the first 22 minutes.

Winger Peter Whittingham curled in a superb opener just before the 10-minute mark, beating goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and rebounding into the net off the post.

Veteran striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink then almost scored against his old club Boro, but headed wide from Tony Capaldi's cross.

However, Whittingham was again involved as Cardiff went further ahead, with his free-kick finding Roger Johnson unmarked and the defender sending a diving far-post header past Schwarzer.

The two goalscorers both missed further chances before the break, after which Southgate replaced record signing Alfonso Alves with Egyptian striker Mido.

However it was Cardiff who continued to create the better chances, with Stephen McPhail, Hasselbaink and substitute striker Steven Thompson all going close.

The bulk of a crowd of 32,896 -- or at least those who remained -- made their feelings clear on the final whistle on a miserable day for the Teessiders, who reached the final in 1997.

In Sunday's Premier League action, Arsenal's title hopes suffered a blow as the leaders were held 0-0 away to relegation battlers Wigan.

Arsenal, who knocked holders AC Milan out of the Champions League in midweek, are now two points clear of Manchester United but have played one more game.

Arsene Wenger's side failed to find their usual rhythm on a poor playing surface, and found Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland in inspired form.

The home side moved three points clear of the relegation zone after clinching a precious point.

Everton won 1-0 at struggling Sunderland to join fourth-placed city rivals Liverpool on 56 points and keep alive their hopes of Champions League qualification.

England international Andy Johnson netted the winner in the 55th minute as the match ended in stark contrast to the fixture at Goodison Park earlier this season, which Everton won 7-1.

Tim Cahill had a first-half header deflected onto the post by Anthony Stokes before Johnson beat him to force Mikel Arteta's cross over the line for the only goal.

Sunderland, seeking a fifth successive home win, were denied a late equalizer when England defender Joleon Lescott cleared off the line.

Tottenham bounced back from the midweek UEFA Cup defeat at home to PSV Eindhoven by thrashing 10-man West Ham 4-0 at White Hart Lane.

Dimitar Berbatov scored with two headers inside the first 11 minutes, both set up by Tom Huddlestone, before the visitors had Luis Boa Morte sent off for a second booking for a foul on Aaron Lennon on 44 minutes.

Brazilian defender Gilberto, who was hauled off at half-time after a miserable debut against PSV, came on to net the third goal with five minutes to go after Lennon dummied a Pascal Chimbonda pass.

Fellow substitute Darren Bent wrapped it up in stoppage time with a header from Alan Hutton's cross as the visitors slumped to a fourth successive four-goal defeat. E-mail to a friend

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