ROBERT MILLWARD
AP football writer
Carlos Tevez scored twice as Manchester United charged into the semi-finals with a 4-0 victory at Fulham yesterday while Chelsea eased through by winning 2-0 at second-tier Coventry.
Tevez netted twice before halftime at Craven Cottage, Wayne Rooney produced a quality strike and Park Ji-sung added the fourth as United stayed on course for an unprecedented five titles this season.
Alex Ferguson's team won the Club World Cup in December, the League Cup last weekend, is seven points clear at the top of the Premier League and is also going strong in the Champions League.
With Cristiano Ronaldo rested ahead of Wednesday's Champions League game against Inter Milan and Dimitar Berbatov on the bench, Tevez started the game and put the Red Devils ahead in the 20th minute with a far post header after Rooney had guided a corner in his direction.
Rooney missed an easy chance when he hit the post from five meters (yards) from Park's center, but Tevez made it 2-0 in the 35th with a 30-meter (yard) run and shot into the top corner. Rooney added the third in the 50th when Fulham gave the ball away on the edge of the area and the England striker measured his low shot inside the far post.
Park made the victory even more emphatic with a fourth in the 81st minute, his second of the season.
Didier Drogba and Alex fired Chelsea into the semi-finals of the FA Cup in a 2-0 victory at Coventry .
Guus Hiddink's team shook off the negative publicity that followed Ashley Cole's arrest and drunken behaviour in a nightclub on Thursday and outplayed the second-tier Sky Blues with a goal in each half at the Ricoh Arena. Hiddink criticised the left back for his behaviour but still started the England defender in the cup game.
"I think that we can be very happy and satisfied with the win but also the way we played almost the total game. It's good to see that we are improving," Hiddink said after his fifth league and cup victory in a row after taking over from the fired Luiz Felipe Scolari a month ago.
"I thought we controlled the game very well and made a very beautiful second goal which killed the game."
After shaving the post with a left-foot shot, Drogba gave Chelsea a 15th-minute lead at Coventry by punishing some woeful Coventry defending.
A poor back header by Scott Dann put teammate Ben Turner under pressure. Drogba won the ball from the defender, shrugged him off, rounded goalkeeper Keiran Westwood and fired the ball from an acute angle inside the near post with his left foot.
Westwood tipped a free kick from Frank Lampard over the bar and Coventry threatened when Leon Best fought off both Alex and John Terry only to fire tamely over the top.
Michael Essien was back in the Chelsea squad after being absent for six months because of a serious knee injury, and went on in the 65th minute for John Obi Mikel.
Chelsea's second in the 72nd minute was a breakaway after the Blues cleared a long throw during a spell of rare Coventry pressure. Defender Alex charged upfield to arrive unmarked and meet a cross from Ricardo Quaresma with a simple tap-in.
In the only Premier League game this weekend, Robbie Keane scored an 89th-minute equaliser as Tottenham drew 1-1 at Sunderland after Kieran Richardson had netted for the home side in the third.
In the race to promotion to the top flight, Wolves won 1-0 at Sheffield Wednesday to stay three points ahead of Birmingham, who edged Southampton 1-0. Third-place Reading twice came from behind to draw 2-2 at Plymouth but now are seven points behind Wolves although Steve Coppell's Royals have two games in hand.