Downton goes as KP looms
BLACKBURN LIVERPOOL Brazilian strikes again to earn Wembley semi- fi nal
PHILIPPE Coutinho came to Liverpool’s rescue in the FA Cup again last night.
The Brazilian followed up his fourth- round replay winner at Bolton with the only goal at Ewood Park to send Brendan Rodgers’ team into a Wembley semi- fi nal with Aston Villa.
And it keeps alive MLSbound Steven Gerrard’s dream of a cup fi nal farewell on May 30.
Coutinho broke the stalemate of this sixthround replay in the 70th minute with a superb strike, but Liverpool’s victory came at a cost, with Mamadou Sakho facing several weeks out after tearing a hamstring. THE turmoil in English cricket continued yesterday with the departure of ECB managing director Paul Downton and the growing prospect of Kevin Pietersen’s return.
In what the ECB called a “restructuring”, Downton abruptly left his job.
His role at the head of English cricket had already been heavily undermined when incoming chairman Colin Graves offered Pietersen a route back into the England side.
For it was Downton, 58, who played a big role when Pietersen’s England contract was terminated in February last year after the Ashes whitewash in Australia.
He had just succeeded Hugh Morris and was under pressure almost from day one, when he fronted the decision to sack Pietersen. His appointment of Peter Moores as head coach has also had its critics, while the decision to back Alastair Cook as one- day captain before ditching him on the eve of the World Cup went down badly.
Graves has already put the England management on notice that they have to win the current three- Test tour of the West Indies and it seemed only a matter of time before Downton departed.
The move brings Piersen’s return a step closer – if he can score some runs in county cricket to make his case.
Calls for Pietersen’s return have grown in the wake of the World Cup debacle.
He took part in a nets session with his new county Surrey this week and is expected to mark his return to