The Carling Cup was exciting this week with many upsets and very interesting games, most notably Crystal Palace beating Manchester United at Old Trafford.Palace knocking out United was not what most football fans had expected but anything can happen in English cup competitions. That’s the beauty of the game.The London club are now in the old First Division (League Championship) but have a rich heritage.However, if you were to play this match again, nine times out of tne United would win.Some people have said they Sir Alex Ferguson should have fielded a better side given it was the quarter-finals and that their reserves were not good enough.How ridiculous is that? They had nine internationals on the pitch!You get games like this where the giant killers come out smilings and the big boys are left licking their wounds.An upset like this may not happen for another 20 years but this is what makes the game exicting.People are making a fuss because United weren’t able to do what they normally do to teams that go to Old Trafford. It shows that sometimes home advantage doesn’t mean everything it should.Liverpool got another win over Chelsea and it seems that they have their number.Chelsea at the moment are wobbling and they will need to bring in some younger players as their side looks and plays old.They don’t look like the old Chelsea when you saw Didier Drogba terrorising defenders and scoring goals and with the millions they put into Fernando Torres it makes you wonder what they are doing.Torres is shooting blanks and Chelsea will only have bigger problems if they don’t sort it out.The Blues travel to Newcastle this weekend and you have to back the home side in this match.They are in fine form, have a coach that has a good philosophy and a striker that scores goals, and they are reaping the benefits.Football is about everyone pulling in the same way for a common cause and that is what is going on at St Jame’s Park and you have to give Alan Pardew credit for that because he went into a hotbed when he took over the post and is now doing well.Stoke City got a draw in the Europa League on Thursday night while Tottenham are all but out, which is something of a surprise.In the case of Manchester City, they have enough depth to cope with a lot of things and even if they don’t go through in their Champions League group they will be ok, with their destiny not in their own hands.* * * *As for this week’s election of a new president for the Bermuda Cricket Board . . . I don’t know Lloyd Fray but I hope the sport gets set to go back in the right track.He has been elected, it was done democratically and let’s hope he can get in there and do the job that is required of him.Let’s hope he is able to do it as it is a long road to get back to where we once were.