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Liverpool's fading Premier League title hopes suffered a crushing blow as they lost 2-0 to strugglers Middlesbrough at the Riverside.

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A Xabi Alonso own-goal and a Tuncay Sanli effort - one in each half - did the damage, while the visitors missed a host of chances in the absence of injured striker Fernando Torres.

Liverpool remain seven points behind leaders Manchester United, who play the Carling Cup final on Sunday, after suffering just their second defeat of the current campaign. They drop to third behind Chelsea.

Captain Steven Gerrard went off a quarter of an hour from the end, as Rafa Benitez's side failed to conjure one of their trademark late surges.

Liverpool's title challenge might have been over long ago were it not for their amazing penchant for comeback victories.

They set the tone for a season of last-gasp heroics in their opening home game back in August, when Boro led until the 86th minute before an Emanuel Pogatetz own-goal and a 94th-minute Gerrard stunner turned the game around.

So Boro's opener against the run of play ought not to have disheartened the visitors unduly.

However, Liverpool heads visibly dropped at a classic sucker punch just after the half-hour mark. Stewart Downing swung his corner in from the right and Alonso, who appeared to be having his shirt pulled, inadvertently redirected the ball past Pepe Reina and into the far corner off his left hip.

Middlesbrough led despite failing to record a serious goal attempt - their only effort a sliding Gary O'Neil shot straight at Reina from close range.

Liverpool, despite the absence of Torres, had created plenty of openings and ought to have been in front by then.

Dirk Kuyt, Ryan Babel and the young Moroccan Nabil El Zhar operated as a fluid front three, switching positions and causing problems with their movement.

Kuyt had the game's first shot with a low effort from the right side of the box that Brad Jones parried, and his follow-up was blocked.

The Dutchman had an even better chance shortly afterwards when a left-wing cross from the impressive Fabio Aurelio was deflected into his path. He had time and space 10 yards out, but Jones managed to help his high, hard shot over the bar.

Babel and Gerrard also went close - the returning captain looking odds-on to score but was denied by a brilliant David Wheater block.

The second-half started in similar fashion, with Liverpool creating plenty of chances but failing to finish them.

El Zhar, generally useful despite his surprise selection ahead of Yossi Benayoun, had a golden chance when Gerrard pulled the ball back from the left, but the young Moroccan side-footed the ball hopelessly over.

Sixty-two minutes in, Tuncay made it two as Boro executed a superb counter-attack. O'Neil released Jeremie Aliadiere down the right and the Frenchman laid on a simple pass for Tuncay to finish inside the left-hand post.

Benitez's strikers could only wonder what might have been if they had finished so clinically, and the introduction of David Ngog only reinforced their lack of options. Robbie Keane may not have been perfect, but he was a sight better than this.

Kuyt suffered more indignity on 68 minutes when Gerrard surged into the box and crossed low to the unmarked striker, who somehow failed to make contact with the ball in front of an open goal.

When Gerrard - still not fully fit after his hamstring injury - went off 15 minutes from time, the game was effectively up for Liverpool.

On Friday the Reds lost their chief executive Rick Parry - 24 hours later they may well have seen their title hopes depart.

Alex Chick / Eurosport

Scottish Premier League - Old Firm bore draw

Celtic remain two points clear of Rangers at the top of the SPL table after the two sides played out a bore 0-0 draw at Celtic Park.

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Neither side ever settled into a scrappy match where space and chances were at a premium.

There was only one significant chance in the first-half but it was a guilt-edged one as Scott McDonald somehow managed to glance a header wide from six yards out despite an absolutely perfect cross from the right from Old Firm debutant Willo Flood.

Celtic were the more ambitious side in the first-half, but with the exception of McDonald's effort, Rangers' well organised defence never looked like conceding.

As the match developed, the visitors gradually started to show a little more going forward and they came closest to breaking the deadlock in the second half.

Firstly, Stephen McManus nearly headed into his own net early in the second-half but Artur Boruc got him out of jail with a superb save after Madjid Bougherra's cross from the right had caused problems.

Boruc was again there to rescue the Bhoys 11 minutes from time when he tipped over a good powerful header from David Weir.

For Celtic, Shunsuke Nakamura had a late chance from a free-kick but Allan McGregor did enough to save despite spilling the ball.

In truth though, neither side did enough to win the match with the eight yellow cards saying as much about the type of match it was, as the lack of chances.

Rangers boss Walter Smith said his side had been poor in the first-half.

"I was far happier with our second-half performance compared to our first-half, which was one of the worst we have had away from home this season," Smith said.

"We were far brighter in the second-half but Artur Boruc was up to the chances we had."

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan said his side had not taken the chances that fell to them in the first-half.

"There were very few chances in the first-half and we were not good enough to take those that fell to us," Strachan said.

"I would be far happier if we were five points clear but we don't have anyone else to blame but ourselves."

FA Cup - What the managers said

A brief look at how the managers reacted to Sunday's FA Cup action, with Martin O'Neill unhappy over the absence of England striker Emile Heskey.

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• United sweep into last eight of Cup
• Everton down Villa to reach quarters

Derby County 1 - 4 Manchester United

Nigel Clough: "It probably puts it in perspective when you consider the side we're playing against. They could pretty much score at will. We had a good spell after (United's third goal) and we might have got it back to 3-2, but overall we're pleased with the performance even though we lost 4-1. We kept going, we kept playing when it would have been easy to roll over."

Alex Ferguson: "The linesman created his own confusion (for the disallowed goal) because he went so long, until after the goal had been scored, to say it was offside. He said he was waiting to find out whether Ryan (Giggs) had touched it. Nevertheless, (Cristiano) Ronaldo was still in an offside position. I have no complaints about the actual decision. It was the fact he waited so long. I did not understand the explanation."

Everton 3 - 1 Aston Villa

David Moyes: "With Villa's resources, I felt we would have a problem with the injuries we had to cope with. But they adapted. Senior men Mikel Arteta, Tim Cahill, Phil Jagielka, they all did so well. It was a very good team performance. (Victor Anichebe) is an exciting young player, just like the other youngsters who played in this tie - (Jack) Rodwell and (Dan) Gosling - and he caused Villa real problems and played well."

Martin O'Neill: "Gareth Barry being suspended was our fault, our problem. Being without (Emile) Heskey is not our fault. He should not have played on Wednesday for England because he had an existing Achilles injury and made it worse. (Injured defender Luke Young) showed his face at the England camp and was sent home. The same should have happened to Heskey, I would have had a better chance of him playing in the cup tie if that had happened."

Strauss puts England on top

Captain Andrew Strauss put the disastrous first Test behind him as he struck 169 to lead England to an impressive 301-3 at stumps on the first day of the third Test against West Indies at the Antigua Recreation Ground.

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Strauss was ably assisted by Alastair Cook (52) and Owais Shah (57) as England bounced back from their mauling in Kingston to put themselves in a strong position.

West Indies won the first Test of the series in Jamaica by an innings after bowling England out for 51 in their second innings.

After all the problems with the ground at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, resulting in the second Test being abandoned, that defeat felt a long time ago - but no doubt the batting collapse remained in the minds of the upper order.

It took just one and a half sessions for England to show that they are a much better side than the one that surrendered so meekly at Sabina Park.

"We've had a hard couple of weeks. After being bowled out 51 in the last Test you want to come out and play positively and prove to everyone that as a batting unit we have a lot of good players," Strauss said.

"In that respect it's very satisfying."

After batting all day, with 24 fours and a big six to bring up England's hundred, Strauss looked well set to continue his innings into the second day but a tired attempted pull shot near the close resulted in a simple caught and bowled for Fidel Edwards.

The game at the Antigua Recreation Ground had been hastily arranged following the abandonment of the second test on Friday after just 10 balls, when the outfield at the other major ground on the island was deemed unfit.

The replacement venue, the traditional home of Test matches in Antigua, provided a more intimate and authentic Caribbean cricket atmosphere and a wicket that offered plenty for stroke players.

After rain delayed the start by 45 minutes, England made just the kind of start they needed, bringing up 40 in the first 11 overs and forcing West Indies skipper Chris Gayle to turn to spin before lunch.

Jerome Taylor, who had ripped through England's top order in Kingston, was far less of a threat against the sturdy Strauss.

The largely English crowd in a ground that had been rapidly turned from a training venue into a Test match facility made a point of applauding as England passed the 51 mark.

There was a nostalgic feel to the game with the ramshackle stands, old-fashioned West Indian food stands and an absence of giant screens and umpire referrals.

But there was also something in England's display that recalled the past.

In 1994, England bounced back from a humiliating low score - 46 in Trinidad - to score 355 and 394 as they won by 208 runs with Alec Stewart commanding through two centuries.

Strauss has helped his team to achieve at least the first part of that performance - bouncing back from the potentially confidence-shattering defeat.

Fellow opener Alastair Cook helped put on 123 for the first wicket before Cook went caught by Devon Smith off Chris Gayle's off-spin for 52.

Then Owais Shah, drafted in for Ian Bell, struck a confident 57 off 100 balls before he was run out looking for a quick single.

After Strauss's departure nightwatchman James Anderson (3 no) saw out the final overs of the evening with Kevin Pietersen (8 no).

FA Cup - United sweep into last eight of Cup

Manchester United's bid for an unprecedented quadruple gained momentum after a 4-1 win over Derby County at Pride Park booked a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

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United went two goals up before half-time thanks to strikes from Nani and Darron Gibson with Cristiano Ronaldo adding a third soon after the break.

Derby defender Miles Addison pulled one back on 56 minutes to give the hosts some brief hope only for substitute Danny Welbeck to seal victory for the Premier League side with a fourth in the 82nd minute.

The result saw United reach the last eight, where they were drawn to play Swansea or Fulham.

Chelsea were handed an away trip to Blackburn or Coventry while Cardiff City or Arsenal or Burnley will play Sheffield United or Hull City.

Completing the draw were the day's other winners, Everton, who were paired with either West Ham or Middlesbrough.

Derby may be the only team to have beaten United this year but a repeat of their 1-0 victory in the first leg of January's Carling Cup semi-final was never on the cards, despite an experimental United side.

Alex Ferguson opted to make seven changes to the starting XI that beat West Ham last weekend, with Ben Foster and Gibson among those drafted in to win rare starts.

But United's strength in depth is second to none and even a side missing the likes of Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Carrick and Nemanja Vidic were capable of bossing the opening stages.

Stephen Bywater was Derby's busiest player early on and the keeper was called into action on two occasions as United sprayed the ball around confidently and carved out a number of chances.

The first fell to Darren Fletcher, the Scotsman nearly rounding off a fluid passing move involving Rafael Da Silva, Ryan Giggs and Ronaldo with a crisp drive which Bywater was forced to deal with.

The keeper again denied United soon after, this time pulling off a brilliant reaction save to deny Ji-Sung Park from close range.

There were brief moments of encouragement for the hosts however, Paul Green seeing an instinctive first-time volley on 21 minutes whistle over the bar before Rob Hulse charged into the box, only to blot his copybook with a hopeful dive.

But the Premier League side looked comfortable and when the opener arrived, it came as no surprise.

The manner of the strike was equally unsurprising, given that Nani cut in from the left wing to fire an unstoppable drive past the keeper - a thrilling sight already witnessed on numerous occasions since the Portuguese arrived in Manchester and one likely to be repeated again.

The visitors thought they had doubled their lead on 37 minutes through Ronaldo, only to be denied by a late linesman's flag. The Ballon d'Or winner had nearly finished his celebrations by the time the referee's whistle blew to indicate he had been offside as Giggs flicked through.

Ferguson raged at the decision on the touchline but his mood was softened just before the half-time break when Gibson pounced on a blocked Ronaldo free-kick to fire home first-time from the edge of the box.

Ronaldo found the back of the net again three minutes into the second half and this time there was no disputing its validity; the forward reached a corner ahead of Addison to direct a typically powerful header past Bywater.

A fourth very nearly followed, but Bywater was again on hand to deny first Ronaldo and then Fletcher with an impressive double save.

Against the run of play, Addison then headed past Foster in the 57th minute to give the home crowd hope of witnessing an improbable comeback.

The goal sparked Derby into life and at 1-3 down, the next goal was always going to be crucial.

Gary Teale in particular did his best to ensure it went Derby's way, and he became the focal point for most of the hosts' attacking play. Only a super save by Foster denied the Scot with a well-struck effort from distance, a goal that would have made for an interesting final 13 minutes.

But it was United who were to have the final say on proceedings, Welbeck opening up his body to sidefoot home with a crisp first time effort on 81 minutes and maintain United hopes of a clean sweep of this season's trophies.

FA Cup - Everton down Villa to reach quarters

Everton continued their impressive recent form with a 3-1 win over Aston Villa in a pulsating fifth round FA Cup tie at Goodison Park.

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Jack Rodwell put the Toffees ahead early on only for James Milner to bring Villa level soon after. Man of the match Mikel Arteta then restored Everton's lead before Tim Cahill made sure of victory in the second half.

The opening period was nothing short of frantic with a packed Goodison witnessing three goals, two penalties given, two big appeals turned down and four yellow cards brandished. In other words, this was a proper FA Cup tie.

Everton took the lead as early as the fourth minute, Rodwell reacting quickest following a goal-line clearance by Stiliyan Petrov to register his first goal in an Everton shirt.

Had the 17-year-old's close-range effort not found the roof of the net, referee Martin Atkinson would have been left with a big decision to make; Petrov, Villa's skipper for the day, had clearly blocked Cahill's header from Arteta's corner with his arm and would surely have been dismissed - with the obligatory penalty also awarded.

A further four minutes later and Villa were back on level terms after Gabriel Agbonlahor, on a trademark pacy run forward, was upended by Tony Hibbert in the Everton box.

Atkinson pointed to the spot and Milner duly stepped up to convert, although far from convincingly with Tim Howard guessing the right way and nearly getting enough on the ball to keep it out.

The Goodison crowd were again on their feet and screaming for a penalty moments later, this time Cahill claiming he was pushed as he rose to meet another Arteta cross. Atkinson - a late replacement for match official Phil Dowd - thought otherwise, and decided to book the Australian for deliberate handball instead.

But Everton were to get their penalty on 24 minutes, Steve Sidwell sliding in recklessly on Victor Anichebe as the Toffees striker broke through the visitors' back line with a typically strong run. Arteta, without doubt the best player on the pitch during the first half, sent Brad Friedel the wrong way from 12 yards to put Everton into the lead for a second time.

Villa should really have gone in at the break at 2-2, but Agbonlahor wasted a glorious opportunity to restore parity with a glaring miss just after the half hour mark. The England international was gifted a free header from six yards out but somehow conspired to send his effort wide of the mark, the ball actually coming off his shoulder.

After the electric start to the first half, perhaps it was no surprise to see the second begin in more sedate fashion.

It took nearly 20 minutes before either side were able to fashion a chance of real note, Villa finally managing to put together a decent passing move which culminated in John Carew flicking goalwards from Milner's cross. Only a fine fingertip save by Howard denied the big Norwegian a goal on his return to the side.

The opportunity heralded the beginning of a good little period for the visitors - which was punctuated only by Cahill's header at Friedel - as Martin O'Neill's side started to apply some sustained pressure for the first time.

First Sidwell wasted a great chance when found all alone in the Everton box before Ashley Young, unusually ineffective throughout, sliced wide of the mark from the edge of the penalty area.

But just as Villa were beginning to look like grabbing an equaliser, Everton proved what a difficult team they are to beat by hitting back against the run of play on 76 minutes.

Cahill it was who grabbed a deserved goal after Curtis Davies had failed to deal with Anichebe's cross.

The goal killed sucked the fight out of Villa and there was to be no late drama as Everton held on to reach their first quarter final in seven seasons.

U.S. child guilty of mother’s murder

A 12-year-old boy in the United States has been found guilty of murder. The child shot and killed his mother, Sara Madrid, 34, after an argument over his chores. He cannot be named because he is still a juvenile. The court heard he was so angry that he got his mother’s gun from her bedroom and shot her eight times. Ms Madrid’s partner, Alfonso Munoz, witnessed the shooting. He said the boy handed him the empty gun after he had finished shooting. Munoz told the court he taught the boy how to use the weapon for emergencies and for self-defense. Local newspapers reported that Ms Madrid did not get on with her son. Her sister told the court that Madrid had a quick temper and often yelled at, scolded and slapped the boy.

The future of the boy is now in the hands of an Arizona judge, James L. Conlogue. He will sentence the 12-year-old on January the 23rd. Prosecutors want the boy to receive the same sentence as an adult. However, this is impossible under U.S. law, which states a juvenile can only be held until he becomes 18. The boy's lawyer, Sanford Edleman, argued that the boy could not be tried as an adult because he was so young. Edleman said the boy did not even understand what was going on. He said the boy did not intend to kill his mother and that he only wanted to get back at her for scolding and slapping him. The judge ruled the case should stay in the juvenile court after a psychologist said the boy had suffered physical and mental abuse from his mother.