LONDON (AP) - A superb free kick from Oscar gave Chelsea a 1-0 win over Stoke in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday while Fulham needed an equalizer 15 minutes from time to draw 1-1 with third-tier strugglers Sheffield United, who were down to 10 men.
The Brazil midfielder scored in the 27th minute at Stamford Bridge with a curling 20-meter shot that ended in the top corner as Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic dived in vain.
Dangerous on the break and dominant in midfield, Chelsea almost doubled its lead soon after when Oscar hit the post. Andre Schurrle also hit the woodwork after the interval with a shot from a tight angle as Chelsea kept creating the better chances.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, whose team will face Premier League title rival Manchester City in the next round, was happy to avoid a replay - although he said his players could have won by a bigger margin on his 51st birthday.
“I think 1-0 is short for the way we played and for the way we controlled the game,” he said.
The draw for the fifth round set up clashes between the top four teams as Premier League leader Arsenal will be facing Liverpool while City will be hosting Mourinho’s team.
___
ROME (AP) - Ivory Coast forward Gervinho set up one goal and scored another as Roma moved within six points of Serie A leader Juventus with a 3-1 victory at Hellas Verona.
Gervinho provided the cross for Adem Ljajic’s goal in the 45th minute then scored himself on the hour mark after Iceland international Emil Hallfredsson had equalized in the 49th.
Roma’s 37-year-old captain Francesco Totti added a penalty in the 82nd.
Gianluigi Buffon was sent off and Juventus was held to a 1-1 draw at Lazio on Saturday, ending the two-time defending champion’s 12-match winning streak.
On Tuesday, Roma eliminated Juventus from the Italian Cup with a 1-0 win.
Later, struggling AC Milan visits Cagliari, Inter Milan hosts Catania and fourth-place Fiorentina faces Genoa in the night match.
___
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Athletic Bilbao striker Aritz Aduriz scored two goals and set up another in a 5-1 rout at 10-man Osasuna as the Basque club strengthened its grip on fourth place in the Spanish league.
Aritz started his strong performance by pressuring Osasuna defender Jordan Loties into losing the ball, leading to Markel Susaeta’s third-minute opener.
Emiliano Armenteros caught Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz out of position to level with a free kick in the 10th, but six minutes later it was Osasuna goalkeeper Andres Fernandez’s turn to gift a goal to Aduriz when he let a low cross slip through his hands.
Aduriz headed in Ander Herrera’s cross in the 62nd. He then set up Ibai Gomez in the 84th after Osasuna’s Alejandro Arribas had been dismissed with his second yellow card. Bilbao substitute Kike Sola capped Osasuna’s first loss in six rounds in the 88th.
Bilbao has won its last seven league matches as it consolidates its place in the last Champions League spot.
Also, Almeria edged Getafe 1-0 courtesy of striker Jonathan Zongo’s second-half header to escape the relegation zone.
Almeria ended a streak of two consecutive losses as it pushed Valladolid back down into the drop zone with Rayo Vallecano and Real Betis.
Later, Barcelona hosted Malaga and Atletico Madrid visited Rayo.
___
BERLIN (AP) - Klaas Jan Huntelaar scored in his return after five months out with injury in Schalke’s 3-0 win at Hamburger SV in the Bundesliga.
The Dutch striker opened the scoring in the 34th minute when he got between two defenders to head Jefferson Farfan’s cross past Hamburg goalkeeper Jaroslav Drobny. Huntelaar was making his first start since tearing a ligament in his right knee against Wolfsburg on Aug. 18.
Farfan made it 2-0 in the 53rd when Jansen left Felipe Santana’s hopeful punt forward and the stranded Drobny failed to clear, giving the Schalke winger a simple finish into the empty net.
The Peruvian cut the ball back for Max Meyer to score on a counterattack three minutes later to complete an evening to forget for the home side.
Schalke climbed to fifth while Hamburg slipped into the relegation playoff place after its fourth loss in succession.
Werder Bremen was held to a 0-0 draw by bottom side Eintracht Braunschweig.
___
PARIS (AP) - Alexandre Lacazette took his league tally for the season to 12 as Lyon beat Evian 3-0 in the French league on Sunday to extend its unbeaten run to 12 matches and move up to fifth place.
Lyon had a difficult start to the season, beset by problems due to the friction between president Jean-Michel Aulas and striker Bafetimbi Gomis - who did not want to be sold despite his president’s insistence that the club needed money. But now Lyon is making a late charge for a Champions League place.
Saint-Etienne’s 2-0 defeat away to Bordeaux means that Lyon is only three points behind Saint-Etienne, which is in fourth place, and seven points behind third-place Lille.
Later, it was Monaco vs. Marseille.
League leader PSG was held 1-1 at mid-table Guingamp on Saturday, needing a late header from Alex to salvage a draw.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.