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“The cup in England is very important, for us it’s important to try and arrive in the final if it’s possible. This is our target,” he told reporters.

Two goals from Patrick Vieira followed by strikes from Carlos Tevez, Edin Dzeko and Micah Richards sealed City’s place in the fifth round where they will face Aston Villa. However manager Mancini admitted his side didn’t perform to the best of their ability in the first half.

“I’m happy, when you play every three days it’s difficult to play very well always 100%. In the first half Notts County played very well.”

Despite City dominating possession in the first half it was County who came closest to opening the scoring early on as they struck the post through Karl Hawley, and then Alan Gow forced Joe Hart into a save down low to his left.

“We had more chances in the first half and didn’t score, but this is football,” he added.

“It’s important when we score we continue to score if it’s possible, and try to win every game.”

City welcomed back Mario Balotelli after his recent spell on the sidelines and Mancini was pleased with his striker’s 60 minute performance before he was substitute. The Italian insisted the striker’s knee was ok despite the occasional limp from the player.

“It was our plan [to bring him off], we said before the game for him only 60 minutes because it’s the first game he started after injury,” he continued.

“We want him to available for the next three months , we want him at 100%.

“Sometimes when he shoots and he scores he doesn’t touch [his knee], when he shoots and he doesn’t score he touches the knee.”

The introduction of Tevez for Balotelli sparked City into life and the Argentine was involved in City’s third and fourth goals, scoring one and creating the other for Dzeko. It was Tevez’s 50th goal for City and his manager was full of praise for the former Manchester United forward.

“He is a fantastic player,” he admitted.

“He scored a goal that changed the match. When we start to play he scored a goal and had an assist, he changed the game.”

City now have a home tie against Aston Villa in the fifth round and victory in that game will see them at home again against either Everton or Reading in the quarter-finals, but Mancini remains focused on getting past Villa before worrying about potential last eight opponents.

“The next two games are not friendlies,” Mancini insisted.

“It’s important they’re at home but we played before against Aston Villa. Aston Villa’s a good team at the moment and maybe after if we beat them we [will] play Everton. We never win against Everton.”

There were two notable absentees from the City squad with neither Sean Wright-Phillips or Shay Given involved but Mancini explained this was due to injury and nothing else.

“Shay Given has a problem in his shoulder,” he explained.

“The same that he had last year, next week he goes to the doctor in London and maybe he’ll need surgery. Sean Wright Phillips had a problem with his back, I hope he could be ok for Thursday.”

Labels: final, Goalcom, Mancini, Reaching, target

By Mitch Phillips

LONDON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Barracked by his former fans and wasteful in front of goal, new Chelsea striker Fernando Torres endured a forgettable debut on Sunday as his old club Liverpool had the last laugh with a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.

An Anfield hero until six days ago when he moved south for a reported 50 million pounds, Torres was still loosening his boots after being substituted when Raul Meireles scored to earn the visitors a Premier League victory they welcomed like a European Cup final win.

It was not so much the fact that Spain striker Torres dared to leave Liverpool that so incensed the fans, but his subsequent explanation of his reasons, the most incendiary being the claim that he wanted to move to a big club to win trophies.

That helped produce a cup-tie atmosphere in west London and the travelling fans were not about to let Torres off lightly.

One held up a hastily-scrawled banner reading: “18 titles, five European Cups—is Chelsea a bigger club?”, while another threw a Liverpool number nine shirt bearing his name - formerly the Premier League’s top seller - on to the pitch.

Monday’s headlines might have been very different had he taken a good opportunity presented by a wayward Maxi Rodriguez pass 90 seconds into the match but he blazed high and wide - to an explosion of red derision.

After 31 minutes Torres was through again but this time his shot was blocked by an inspired Jamie Carragher in his first game since dislocating his shoulder in November.

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti paired Torres and Didier Drogba up front, with Nicolas Anelka just behind them, but the trio were kept at bay by Liverpool’s three centre backs.

Torres was the one to make way after 66 minutes, replaced by Salomon Kalou to ironic cheers from the visitors.

Manager Kenny Dalglish, who has overseen the club’s rise from 12th to sixth in the standings in a few short weeks, refused to be drawn on the performance of his departed striker.

“The most important people are those who are at this club, it always has been that way and they are the only ones I’m interested in,” he told reporters.

Dalglish said Torres’s comments had had absolutely no role in motivating him or his players.

“I’m not going to talk about another club’s players or speculate about where we might finish in the league - we will not look beyond the next game,” he said.

Ancelotti said he was hugely disappointed to have blown the chance of closing the gap on Manchester United after the leaders lost to bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

He was not about to blame Torres, however, or his decision to play all three of his forwards, for the defeat that left the champions still 10 points behind and in fourth place.

“He did a good job; playing the three forwards was not the problem,” he said. “Liverpool defended very well with three centre backs and we didn’t have the right solution to attack them. But that was because we were slow from the back.

“Torres was very enthusiastic, very confident and excited but he’s had a very busy week so it was right to take him off.”

Ancelotti said he would stick with using all three forwards against Fulham in their next game. “They have fantastic quality and the shape was good today,” he said.

“We have to give him time to adjust and he’ll do it.” (Editing by Justin Palmer; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Labels: Chelsea, exalt, Liverpool, Reuters, target, Torres

LONDON (AP)—Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp still wants to sign David Beckham and is prepared to wait until the former England captain’s contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy expires in November.

Redknapp’s attempt to sign Beckham on loan last month faltered and the midfielder only trained with the north London club. But Redknapp says he could try again, even though Beckham will be 36.

Redknapp says he loves the way Beckham plays.

Labels: Beckham, November, still, target, Tottenham