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Against the club who humbled Barcelona last week, it took a well-travelled French striker whom not even Arsène Wenger had heard of before yesterday to claim a famous FA Cup fifth-round draw for Leyton Orient.

Jonathan Téhoué, a 26-year-old substitute who has played for, among others, Bastia and Huddersfield Town, scored a dramatic 88th-minute equaliser that gives Leyton Orient the chance to play a lucrative replay at the Emirates next week. It would be hard to imagine them winning on Arsenal's home turf a week on Wednesday but the prize is even greater: an FA Cup quarter-final tie against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

It was an embarrassment for Wenger, who gambled on playing a much weaker first team and looked to have edged through with Tomas Rosicky's goal, only for Téhoué to bring the house down with his late strike. In 11th position in League One, Orient were not embarrassed all afternoon and when their chance arrived they took it beautifully.

For Wenger, the replay is more of an irritation. He has the Carling Cup final on Sunday but this was the sting in the tail after that famous win over Barcelona on Wednesday. His team had chances to build upon Rosicky's goal in the second half and then they failed to deal with Téhoué's pace and directness.

For Orient, it might have been the same club who beat Barcelona four days earlier that they faced yesterday but it was certainly not the same team. The only starter for Arsenal from that side was Alex Song, although there were a further seven of Wednesday's team on the substitutes' bench.

In that respect, the teamsheet suggested Wenger was determined this would not go to a replay. Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Jack Wilshere were among those available if needed, but with the Carling Cup final meaning another extra game, Wenger preferred not to use them.

He gave a debut to Catalan-born defender Ignasi Miquel, who has been at the club's academy since September 2008, and the 18-year-old looked very composed in the first half, which was more than could be said at times for his fellow central defender Sébastien Squillaci.

There were times when Orient must have felt very much as Arsenal did playing against Barcelona last week. It was tough for the League One side to get the ball back from their famous opposition at times but that is not to say that Arsenal did significant damage.

They had plenty of shots but very rarely did they manage to get in behind Orient on the wings and cross the ball from dangerous positions. And the longer it went on, the more onerous a task it became for this Arsenal side made up largely of players on the periphery of Wenger's first team.

For the likes of Manuel Almunia, Denilson and Tomas Rosicky, who have been first-choice, first-team players at times during their Arsenal careers, this cannot have been the most rewarding of afternoons. Orient were well-organised with the former Arsenal trainee Jason Crowe sitting just in front of the back four as the holding midfielder.

There was a good performance from another former Arsenal man, the centre-half Ben Chorley and his defensive partner Terrell Forbes. Chorley played in the Arsenal under-18 team that won the FA Youth Cup in 2000 and 2001, captaining them in the second year, and it is remarkable that from that very promising 2001 side Jermaine Pennant has had the most notable professional career.

Arsenal's best chance of the first half came when Andrei Arshavin played in Kieran Gibbs down the left wing and his cross should have been put away by Marouane Chamakh, but the Moroccan was a yard off the pace and could only direct it wide.

There was not much of a goal threat from Orient before the break although that should not diminish the contribution they made. Charlie Daniels, the left-back whom Wenger had identified as one of Orient's best players on Friday, hit a confident drive from a corner played out to him on 14 minutes but cleared Almunia's bar.

Wenger must have been considering unleashing one of his famous substitutes when Arsenal broke through at last. It was an unlikely kind of goal for Orient to concede given that it was a header from Rosicky from a cross from Nicklas Bendtner from the right – the kind of cross Orient had dealt with comfortably for most of the afternoon.

Although they had battled on manfully, Orient's players had started to tire in defence and Arsenal's greater fitness levels were telling. Rosicky should have scored again when the ball was cut back to him by Arshavin, increasingly influential in the second half, on 69 minutes but the Orient goalkeeper Jamie Jones saved well and got up for the rebound.

Téhoué came on as a substitute with 27 minutes remaining and left Song behind on a run down the left wing. His cross was met by Alex Revell who could not keep his shot on target. It had not been a busy afternoon for Almunia.

Téhoué, who has played in France, Belgium and Turkey, caused problems again with eight minutes remaining. His cross to Revell was struck at Squillaci and hit him in the face, which prompted appeals for a penalty. The pace of the French striker at last gave Orient a cutting edge and it was Arsenal who looked tired.

The goal from Téhoué was a beauty. He picked the ball up in the right channel before weaving around the challenges of Gibbs and Miquel before striking his shot low and hard under Almunia before the Arsenal goalkeeper could get down to save it.

Téhoué had done enough to lay claim to a starting place at the Emirates. As for Arsenal, they will have go through it all again. There is no doubt that this was a side good enough to beat Orient yesterday but Wenger will not be free to make quite so many changes in the replay as he did yesterday. He cannot afford to allow it to go to penalties.

Given that Arsenal play against Barcelona just six days after they play Orient it will put further strain on Wenger's resources. The FA Cup is hardly his priority either. But these are the kinds of games that every great side must tick off over the course of a successful season.

Subs: L Orient Carroll 6 (Crowe, h-t), Téhoué 7 (McGleish, 63), M'Poku (Revell,84). Unused Butcher (gk), Omozusi, Mike, Kane.

Arsenal none. Unused Szczesny (gk), Koscielny,

Clichy, Eboué, Fabregas, Nasri, Wilshere. Booked: L Orient Whing. Arsenal Denilson. Man of the match Arshavin. Match rating 6/10. Possession L Orient 41% Arsenal 59%. Attempts on target L Orient 4 Arsenal 12. Referee K Friend (West Midlands). Att 9,136.

Sixth-round draw

* Stoke v West Ham/Burnley

* Man City v Everton/Reading

* Birmingham v Bolton

* Man Utd v Leyton Orient/Arsenal

* Ties to be played over the weekend of the 12/13 March

Agences de presses

Labels: Independent, medicine, Orient, taste, their, Wengeraposs

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Arsenal will have to negotiate a replay with Leyton Orient in order to set up an FA Cup quarter-final tie with Manchester United after the League One side scored a stunning late equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw on Sunday.

GettyImagesPatrick Vieira heads home his second goal of the afternoon

• FA Cup Gallery

The Gunners appeared set for a trip to Old Trafford when Tomas Rosicky broke Orient's admirable resistance at Brisbane Road. However, a superb solo effort by Jonathan Tehoue earned Orient a deserved replay at Emirates Stadium.

With the possibility of a quadruple in mind, Arsene Wenger left out the majority of his top names, with Cesc Fabregas, Jack Wilshere, Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri all conspicuous by their absence from the first-team line-up. There was, however, a full debut for 18-year-old centre-back Ignasi Miquel, who featured in an experienced Arsenal defence.

Emerging from the tunnel for kick-off directly off the back of the FA Cup quarter-final draw, which paired Sunday's winners with United, it was hardly surprising that Orient came out with extra zest in their play, Charlie Daniels sending an early 25-yard sizzler narrowly over Manuel Almunia's bar.

Unsurprisingly the bulk of the possession - more than 70 percent in the first half - belonged to Arsenal, but the frustrating figures of Andrei Arshavin and Nicklas Bendtner failed to exert the Gunners' authority. Bendtner wastefully fired wide on a handful of occasions, while the best Arshavin could conjure up was well dealt with by Orient keeper Jamie Jones.

That all changed seven minutes into the second half though, as Rosicky steered a superb header into the bottom corner to grab his first Arsenal goal in more than a year. Bendtner was the man to provide the cross towards the edge of the area, where stand-in captain Rosicky found the net from 15 yards.

Rosicky had further chances to add to Arsenal's lead as the game opened up, and Arshavin clipped the outside of the far post, but it was Orient who found the game's second goal as Tehoue danced past Kieran Gibbs and Miquel to drive past Almunia.

Gunners old boy Patrick Vieira was the unlikely two-goal hero as Manchester City battled their way to a 5-0 win over Notts County in the FA Cup fourth-round replay at Eastlands, with Edin Dzeko, Micah Richards and Carlos Tevez also on the scoresheet.

Although the Premier League side struggled to exert their superiority for significant spells, they converted their chances with clinical efficiency to earn a fifth-round match at home to Aston Villa.

Manager Roberto Mancini was scathing in his assessment of City following their 0-0 draw with Aris Salonika in midweek, and he will have found little to cheer him during an opening 25 minutes that was dominated by the visitors. Joe Hart had been called into action on several occasions before Karl Hawley cut in from the left and curled a 30-yard drive onto the inside of the post.

That scare appeared to wake City from their slumber, and they had just about managed to grasp control of the game by the time Vieira nodded them into a 35th-minute lead from David Silva's corner. City then punished County their first meaningful attack of the second half, with Vieira on target after soaring to meet Aleksandr Kolarov's corner.

Only with the two-goal cushion did City look truly comfortable, and their players began to play with less inhibition. Tevez, introduced as a substitute, thundered a shot narrowly wide from 25 yards, before latching onto Dzeko's through ball and finishing coolly. He went onto return the favour, standing up a cross for the Bosnian to nod the ball in from under the crossbar. There was still time for one more, with Richards controlling a corner before swivelling to fire a left-footed volley in.

Ivan Klasnic scored his second FA Cup goal in the space of four days as Bolton overcame Fulham 1-0 in a fractious encounter to seal a quarter-final trip to Birmingham.

The Croatian striker scored the only goal in Wednesday's fourth-round replay against Wigan and he was on target again today with a volley from 12 yards.

More to follow

Agences de presses

Labels: charge, Gunners, Orient, quadruple

LONDON (AP)—After beating Barcelona in midweek Arsenal was brought down to earth by third-tier London rival Leyton Orient, which held the Premier League club to a 1-1 draw in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday.

Orient substitute Jonathan Tehoue powered past Arsenal defenders Kieran Gibbs and Ignasi Miquel before striking under goalkeeper Manuel Almunia in the 89th minute to cancel out Tomas Rosicky’s header.

“We were the underdog but we got a draw and we’re looking forward to the replay now,” Tehoue said. “We had to keep believing. We were prepared to fight to get through.”

Leyton Orient's Jason Crow…
AP - Feb 20, 12:27 pm EST Arsenal's Marouane Chamakh…
AP - Feb 20, 12:25 pm EST Manchester City's Patrick …
AP - Feb 20, 10:39 am EST Manchester City's Patrick …
AP - Feb 20, 10:08 am EST Manchester United's Chris …
AP - Feb 19, 2:28 pm EST Everton's Tim Cahill, left…
AP - Feb 19, 8:51 am EST Chelsea's John Terry react…
AP - Feb 19, 8:40 am EST Chelsea's Ramires, left, a…
AP - Feb 19, 8:20 am EST Bolton's Ivan Klasnic, lef…
AP - Feb 16, 4:27 pm EST Wigan Athletic's Franco Di…
AP - Feb 16, 4:08 pm EST Bolton's Johan Elmander, c…
AP - Feb 16, 4:07 pm EST Arsenal's Robin Van Persie…
AP - Feb 12, 10:42 am EST Manchester United's manage…
AP - Feb 12, 10:16 am EST Manchester City's Edin Dze…
AP - Feb 12, 10:15 am EST Chelsea's Fernando Torres …
AP - Feb 6, 12:28 pm EST Chelsea's new signing Fern…
AP - Feb 6, 10:50 am EST Manchester United's Wayne …
AP - Feb 5, 2:08 pm EST Manchester United manager Alex…
AP - Feb 5, 1:46 pm EST Wolverhampton Wanderers' K…
AP - Feb 5, 1:42 pm EST Wolverhampton Wanderers' G…
AP - Feb 5, 12:54 pm EST Newcastle United's Cheik T…
AP - Feb 5, 12:34 pm EST Arsenal's manager Arsene W…
AP - Feb 5, 12:28 pm EST Arsenal's captain Cesc Fab…
AP - Feb 5, 12:14 pm EST Newcastle United's Joey Ba…
AP - Feb 5, 11:15 am EST

The Gunners, who made 10 changes from the side which beat Barcelona 2-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday, now have to fit another fixture in their already congested program as they chase four titles.

Manchester City secured a more comfortable victory over another League One side Sunday, with Patrick Vieira’s heading in two goals in a 5-0 rout of Notts County in a delayed fourth-round replay.

In Sunday’s third FA Cup match, Bolton reached the quarterfinals by winning 1-0 at Fulham.

Arsenal looked to be on course for a last-eight meeting with Manchester United when Rosicky scored his first goal since Jan. 2010.

The Czech Republic midfielder glanced in a header in the 53rd minute after meeting Nicklas Bendtner’s cutback, but Arsenal lacked cutting edge up front at Brisbane Road in east London.

Rosicky was denied a second goal by Jamie Jones in the 68th, with the goalkeeper making a reaction save at the near post and then blocking the rebound. Andrey Arshavin was also denied by the post.

The arrival, though, of French forward Tehoue had injected some pace into the Orient attack and the home side’s perseverance eventually paid off.

“We have played the game with the right attitude and could not fault our fighting spirit, but you also have to give credit to Leyton Orient because they never gave up and fought very hard,” Arsenal manager Wenger said. “The most negative side of our result today is one more fixture and in fairness that is not what we needed.”

At Eastlands, Man City had to rely on free signing Vieira after the 50 million-pound ($81 million) striking combination of Mario Balotelli and Dzeko struggled to trouble Notts County.

After weathering early pressure from County, Vieira headed in from David Silva’s corner with the help of Krystian Pearce’s deflection in the 37th minute.

The 34-year-old Vieira made a cleaner connection when he nodded in Alexandr Kolarov’s corner in the 58th.

“We know how to win but we saw how difficult it will be to go all the way,” Vieira said. “We need to believe in ourselves and work as hard as we did today.”

City had to wait until the last six minutes to finish off the League One side, with goals from Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko and Micah Richards.

Tevez latched onto Dzeko’s throughball and outsprinted the defense to round Stuart Nelson and roll the ball into an empty net in the 84th.

Tevez turned provider for Dzeko in the 89th, crossing for the Bosnia forward to head in from close range.

Richards hooked in City’s fifth in stoppage time after County failed to clear a corner.

The quarterfinal draw was also made Sunday and if Man City can overcome Aston Villa on March 2, Roberto Mancini’s side will play either Everton or Reading in the last eight later in the month. Stoke will host West Ham or Burnley, who meet on Monday.

Bolton will travel to Birmingham on the weekend of March 12 and 13 after Ivan Klasnic scored his second FA Cup goal in four days.

The Croatia striker, who scored the winner in Wednesday’s fourth-round replay against Wigan, volleyed home in the 19th against Fulham.

In Sunday’s only Premier League match, West Bromwich Albion salvaged a 1-1 draw against bottom-place Wolverhampton Wanderers to move a point clear of the relegation zone.

Carlos Vela scored his first West Brom goal since joining on loan from Arsenal last month in the 90th, netting the rebound after James Morrison’s shot was spilled by Wayne Hennessey.

The Mexico striker canceled out a first goal for Wolves from Jamie O’Hara, who is on loan from Arsenal’s north London rival Tottenham. The midfielder curled a 20-meter (yard) shot past Boaz Myhill in the 39th.

While Wolves remain bottom of the Premier League, West Brom are a point and a place clear of the drop zone after Roy Hodgson’s first game in charge.

Agences de presses

Labels: 3rdtier, Arsenal, Leyton, Orient

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Email Thom Gibbs with your hard-luck stories. Anything sadder than Barry Hearn's gets published.
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LEYTON ORIENT 1 ARSENAL 1

18:35: Over and out from me, thanks for your company. I'll leave the final words to Henry Winter on Twitter: "With 10 mins remaining #afc fans were singing "we'll never play you again". Yes they will."

18:32: Raucous celebrations in the Orient dressing room. A light fitting has been torn down. The Brisbane Road facilities manager will be livid.

18:28: Jonathan Tahoue correctly wins ITV's novelty oversized bottle o'booze. He says "what's this?!" as it's presented to him. He also says: "This is the magic of football. Today we were the underdog, but we achieved this draw so we will look forward to the replay. We will do our best to get through."

18:25: Fantastic stuff from Orient. Arsenal pay for their complacency, and Tahoue, who arrived at Orient from the French fourth tier made all the difference. Hard not to feel pathetically touched by the scenes at Brisbane Road. Orient's grinning players mob one another and salute their crowd. Orient's long-suffering fans bellow the name of Russell Slade.

FULL TIME

90+4 min: Sagna's cross is headed clear by Chorley.

90+3 min: Awkward moment as Jones comes out of his box and looks set to collide with Forbes. Jones clears it emphatically. He's had a great game.

90+1 min: Four minutes of added time for Orient to hang on and secure a lucrative replay.

89 min: GOAL!!! Leyton Orient 1 Arsenal 1 (Tahoue)
WOW! Tahoue beats Gibbs and Miguel with some awkward-looking tricks and powers through the middle of them before unleashing a blast at goal. It went through Almunia somewhat, (surprise surprise) but what a moment!

88 min: Arsenal have made 658 passes this afternoon. Orient 169.

87 min: Arshavin gets down the right wing on his own and gets a great shot away which clips the bottom of the far post. Arsenal looking tremendously comfortable here, but we all know about that famous fictional "magic" which is associated with this competition...

86 min: Cox looks to break by Orient, but is halted under pressure by Song.

84 min: Revell is off for Paul-Jose M'Poku. Top name.

83 min: At the other end Tehoue bursts forward down the right and is pulled back superbly for Revell. It's hit first time directly into the face of Squillaci. "Ha'ballllll!" scream the Orient fans. Closeish, but no penalty. Squillaci looks to have copped that right in the eye, which is a worry.

82 min: Arshavin has a free kick out wide. It's crossed deep, but the impressive Jones claims it cleanly with outstretched arms. Ajay Kartik has me practically cheering on Arsenal with his seductive blend of reason and excitement: "We've done the double over Brum this year in the league, so at least one trophy, I'd think. Premier League is still a possibility for considering United have a much harder run in than us. A lot will depend on our results against United. And as for the Nou Camp, I'm pretty sure it will be a whole lot closer than last year. Mind we didn't have Cesc Fabregas, Gallas, Van Persie and Arshavin from our regular starters last time around, looking forward to a tasty match on the 8th!"

79 min: Tehoue is muscled off the ball by Rosicky and gives away a foul in his attempt to win it back. Richard Perkins offers the Arsenal view: "I am an Arsenal fan so we'll win all 4! Well, except the Champions League as I cannot see us getting past Barcelona. Oh, and maybe not the FA Cup as we drew Man U away. Not sure about the Premiership as I can't see Man U slipping up more often than us (despite 2 games against Chelsea). As I said ... Carling Cup glory here we come!"

77 min: Tehoue's made an impact for Orient since replacing McGleish. He chases down what looks a lost cause after Revell pings a ball towards the box, forcing a hurried clearance from Gibbs.

74 min: Yuck, Arsenal's fans sing "we'll never play you again" to Orient's. Admittedly Orient had been taunting them with a rather ruder version of my prediction that they won't win any trophies this year, but there's something so classless about fans of gigantic teams taunting supporters that follow a team that operate several leagues and universes below theirs. Like watching a burly twentysomething skinhead and his mates starting a fight with a 12 year old.

73 min: John Fischer has a reasoned response to the question of what Arsenal will have to show at the end of 2010/11: "2 trophies. Carling cup then either fa cup or premier league. Think both will come down to the game with man utd (sorry orient) not unreasonable to think they'll win one of the two."

70 min: Tehoue beats Sagna with a combination of pace and physicality and puts a hard pass along the ground for Revell. He takes on the shot first time but it's wide.

69 min: Arshavin gets to the byline and tees up Rosicky in the box. His quick shot is saved by Jones with his feet. The rebound gives Rosicky a chance with his head, Jones is up in a flash to catch the ball. Good goalkeeping.

68 min: Drury and Pleat are speculating about house prices for the flats that are at the corners of Brisbane Road. "Surely now's the time to buy!" implores famed capitalist Drury. "You pay today's price and get the benefit of the Olympics next year." He's on a one man mission to revitalise this economy through the medium of football commentary.

66 min: Slow pace to the game now, as Arsenal put their "passing it around like 11 men on sedatives" hats. James Ogilvy is the first (of many, I'm sure) to take offence to my negative Arsenal trophy haul prediction. "Zero? You're surely bear-bating! £50 says Birmingham get done!" I couldn't possibly accept that wager. It would be unprofessional (and more money than I'm willing to lose!). But I've got a feeling Brum will unsettle Arsenal in the final, and the occasion will get to Wenger's players, who haven't exactly made a habit of winning trophies in recent years.

63 min: One half time change I failed to tell you about - Tom Caroll came on for Jason Crowe. Bad liveblogging. My head is suitably hung in shame. As I type, Scott McGleish is being removed from the game, with Jonathan Tehoue coming on in his place.

61 min: Arsenal sitting deeper since the goal, impetus very much on Orient now. And here comes the onslaught of Arsenal trophy-winning arguments: "3," states the optimistic Hakan Skoglund. "Premier League, FA and Carling cups." I can't see it, especially not the first one. "At least two are three," says Randy Hakeem somewhat cryptically. I think he meant to type "or".

59 min: Daniel's corner is nodded out of the box by Arsenal.

58 min: Smith's long ball falls into the box. Miguel knocks it out for a corner under pressure from Dawson.

56 min: For what it's worth, I'm saying a big fat zero. I've got a feeling Birmingham will pull off a surprise at Wembley, I think Manchester United will take the league at a canter and probably dispose of Arsenal in this competition in the next round, and I think Wenger's side's narrow advantage will count for very little at the Nou Camp.

55 min: So Arsenal are, as it stands, still on course for a quadruple. I don't think there's any chance of that happening, but will open up this as my second half topic for discussion. How many trophies do you think Arsenal will win this season? Get your strident views to me here.

53 min: GOAL!!! Leyton Orient 0 Arsenal 1 (Rosicky)
Bendtner does well to hold off a challenge and heads wide with the ball. He swivels and chips it back into the box, Rosicky is on hand to nod precisely into the corner. No chance for Jones, and that's the Czech's first goal in over a year.

51 min: Here are Henry Winter's Twitter-hosted half time thoughts: "Orient doing well against Arsenal Lite. Dawson outstanding in c-mid. Ex-Tottenham Daniels good too. Orient may tire but they are good value for this. More hunger than certain Arsenal players."

49 min: Bendtner is crowded out of a shooting chance by a swarm of Orient defenders.

46 min: Arsenal win a corner seconds after kick off. Jones claims it well at his far post.

17:34: Tracy, a nice lady in a Leyton Orient scarf, has just interrupted Stubbs, Savage and McManamanananan on their pitchside table with an offer of some bread pudding in a Tupperware box. Instead of chiding her for interrupting live TV they seem to almost forget the cameras, and hand the tub to Savage to take care of. Lovely. Stuff.

HALF TIME
Great effort by Orient. Tiresome to watch, mind. An Orient goal would be a lovely kick in the pants. Arsenal don't look interested, especially not the front two.

45+1 min: Almunia is forced to come out of his area and head away a long ball forward.

45 min: Arshavin chips in a ball to the box for Gibbs, who brings it down well, but muscled off by Terrell Forbes. Goal kick to Orient.

43 min: I'm sorry to report that absolutely nothing is happening. Fair play to Orient, I suppose, for keeping this game so tight. Arsenal's tactic will surely be to pass their opponents into oblivion and deliver a killer blow when tiredness kicks in at around the 77 minute mark. I am from the Russell Slade school of precision. (see update at 16:20).

39 min: Arshavin dances (somewhere between a foxtrot and bogle) through the Orient defence to eke out space for a shot. His snapped shot is wide.

38 min: Chorley heads Smith's delivery back across goal but it's cleared by Song.

37 min: Smith plays it off Sagna's shins to win Orient a corner.

35 min: Gibbs' cross deflects off Whing right into the path of Chamakh who is waiting just outside the six yard box. His slid attempt to poke the ball in is dreadful, and ends up wide. That should have been a goal.

34 min: Jimmy Smith is doing an excellent job of being a midfield nuisance. He's nipping at the feet of Arsenal's players like an especially annoying terrier. It's yet to come to anything. I'm looking forward to seeing how exhausted he looks at the end of the game.

33 min: Terrell Forbes heads it well wide.

32 min: Corner to Orient, after Dawson, let's face it, fouls Sagna in his hassling for the ball.

30 min: Chamakh tees up Bendtner well, but the Dane with the extremely high opinion of himself can only offer a weak volley that screws away from goal.

27 min: Rosicky is fouled by Whing to give Arsenal a free kick close to the far side of the area. Jonathan Liew on Twitter provides a typically perceptive look at the draw for the quarter finals: "Not a great Cup draw for any team who fancies a Europa League slot for finishing seventh in the league. Either United or Arsenal going out". Bolton are through, incidentally, beating Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage.

26 min: Steve Davies, a Leyton Orient director, is shown watching. "Cue Steve Davies," says Pleat. That's the best joke I've ever heard David Pleat make.

24 min: Dean Cox's cross is overhit and out for a goal kick.

21 min: David Pleat opines that Orient "could get out-footballed" if they close down incorrectly in midfield. That's got to be a worry. No-one wants to see the tragedy of a team being out-footballed.

20 min: Squillaci and Song combine to clear a central Orient free kick from 40 yards that had been hopefully punted into the middle of the box. When did that ever work as a tactic?

18 min: Arshavin's corner comes to nothing. Crikey, this game is flat.

17 min: Henry Winter paints quite the picture on Twitter: "Up for the Cup: heaving balconies overlooking sold-out Brisbane Road...two blokes even sitting precariously on window ledges."

16 min: Sagna is released on the right wing with plenty of space to run into. His cross evades everyone in the middle.

14 min: Squillaci and Almunia have a communication breakdown and give away a corner. It's played back to Daniels around 25 yards out. He takes a mean first-time shot with his left foot, which fizzes just over.

13 min: Chamakh's low side-footed drive is easily saved by Jones down to his right.

12 min: Orient look to have three players offisde, running on to a long ball over the defense. Replays show it was only one, and it was marginal. Arsenal's high line is asking for trouble.

10 min: Arsenal out-singing their opponents, which is a rare thing to find yourself typing. Their tiresome desire to hang on to the ball has quietened Orient's support which was borderline noisy at the start of the game.

8 min: Miguel does well to edge out McGleish, and wins a foul following the Orient forward's over-exuberant attempts to win the ball.

7 min: The possession stats so far must be around 80:20 to Arsenal. Orient won't mind too much as the game is largely taking place in Arsenal's half.

4 min: Arsenal are playing like Arsenal. Lots of intricate but purpose-less passing. This isn't the Champions League, chaps.

2 min: Chamakh's header is well held by Jones. Graeme Walker is quick off the mark to get on the Barry-bashing bandwagon: "I always thought that managers had an easy life, but not now. Has Barry Hearn aged or has Barry Hearn aged? Prediction: Leyton Orient 0, Arsenal 6" I'll overlook the fact that Barry Hearn isn't a manager.

1 min: Arsenal, in their vibrant yellow and murky burgundy away kit, get us started. Wenger hands a debut to 18-year-old central defender Ignaci Miquel.

16:27: The teams are on the pitch and we're almost ready to start. Betting adverts seem to be taking the cue of car insurance ads, equating being annoying with being effective.

16:24: Jon Champion, ESPN's commentator this afternoon, addresses us standing up from a balcony on the odd structure that is Leyton Orient's West stand. We're told it doubles up as an NHS Poly-clinic. Is that like a sophisticated future hospital?

16:20: "I put my pen and paper away after about 11 minutes," says Russell Slade on his night out at the Emirates watching Arsenal in the week. That's very exacting, Russell. The winner of this match faces the not-so-daunting (at least after yesterday) trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the quarter finals. Here's the full draw:

Stoke v West Ham or Burnley
Man City or Aston Villa v Everton or Reading
Birmingham v Fulham or Bolton
Manchester United v Leyton Orient or Arsenal.

16:14: ESPN's coverage is a baffling, shouty, intense maelstrom of earnestly-stated rote opinions. A jittery camera pans relentlessly as Savage and McManaman egg eachother towards full-on mania. I expect them to be stood on the pitchside desk by the end of the match, pointing and screaming "THIS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!" and "FOOTBALL!" into the other's face until one of them collapses.

16:10: Here are the teams:

Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire)

Certainly a slightly under-strength side from Arsenal, but my, Mr Wenger, what an impressive bench you have.

16:08: Steve McManaman, Robbie Savage and Ray Stubbs are working themselves into a lather about West Ham's Olympic stadium future. Savage calls playing games in stadia with a running track "the worst thing in the world." I think that's a bit of an exaggeration, to be honest. I think famine is slightly worse.

16:00: Poor old Leyton Orient. Very much London's forgotten club at the best of times, they're in danger of being obliterated when West Ham move on their doorstep to the Olympic stadium.

Barry Hearn has been vocal of his criticisms of West Ham being awarded the stadium, and Orient's manager Russel Slade has also chipped in with his own futile anger over the move.

Today they have the minor business of seeing off Arsenal in the FA Cup fifth round. Given that Arsenal beat Barcelona in the week, this could be the footballing equivalent of an especially gory massacre. Exciting!

Stay tuned for the teams.

---------------------------
PREVIEW

Sunday, February 20

FA Cup, fifth round
Leyton Orient v Arsenal
Brisbane Road
Kick-off: 16.30 GMT
TV: Live ESPN, highlights ITV1

Tale of the game

In 25 FA Cup ties against lower division opposition under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal have never lost.

And Robin van Persie has scored five goals in his last seven FA Cup appearances.

And Orient will be aware that Arsenal have gone seven FA Cup matches without a clean sheet.

They last kept a clean sheet against Burnley in the fifth round two years ago.

Scott McGleish, the Orient striker, has scored six goals in his last five FA Cup matches this season.

But, like Arsenal, Orient struggle to keep clean sheets in the FA Cup: they have kept just one in their last 10 FA Cup matches.

The East London club started their FA Cup campaign with a 1-1 draw at neighbours Dagenham & Redbridge, winning 3-2 in the replay with a McGleish winner.

They drew in the second round as well, at non-league Droylesden.

But in the replay there were remarkable scenes with both sides reduced to nine men and Orient recovering from a two-goal deficit before forcing extra time with an 89th minute equaliser from Jonathan Tehoue.

Tehoue went on to complete a hat-trick in extra-time - and McGleish also netted a hat-trick to earn an 8-2 victory.

Arsenal's passage to the fifth round has not been comfortable; in round three they needed a last minute Cesc Fabregas penalty to force a replay which they won 3-1.

And in the fourth round another penalty was required from Fabregas, with four minutes left against 10-man Huddersfield to reach the next stage.

Past FA Cup meetings: Arsenal 4 wins.

Stat of the game: In four FA Cup meetings, Arsenal have won all four, scoring nine goals and conceding one - in 1911.

Betting tip: Arsenal have two other cups and the small matter of the league on their minds and could steal a draw. Try 1-1 at a healthy 10-1.

Team details

Leyton Orient (probable, 4-4-2): Jones; Wiing, Chorley, Forbes, Daniels; Cox, Dawson, Spring, Smith; McGleish, Revell.
Arsenal (probable, 4-2-3-1): Almunia; Eboue, Koscielny, Squillaci, Gibbs; Denilson, Song; Bendtner, Nasri, Arshavin; Chamakh.
Referee: Kevin Friend. Matches: 23. R4 Y69.

Agences de presses

Labels: Arsenal, Leyton, Orient, Telegraphcouk