It seems that David Beckham has now publicly announced himself that he’d like to shun the Los Angeles Galaxy of the North American MLS in favour of staying in Italy and playing for AC Milan. If Beckham does end up staying in the Serie A, I don’t really see how he could show his face again back in America. He’s the poster boy of the MLS and I don’t think the fans would forgive him for jumping ship. He’s basically the League’s one and only marketing tool at the moment. In fact, the day it was announced that Beckham was going to sign for the Galaxy, season ticket sales around the MLS shot up drastically. I think the league can still survive without him, but the fans and the league itself may view him as some type of traitor who’s only looking out for number one.

Some good news for Chelsea and their supporters as Frank Lampard’s appeal against the red card he received in Chelsea’s loss to Liverpool has been successful. The Chelsea midfielder was harshly Lampard sent off by referee Mike Riley a challenge on Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso in the 59th minute last Sunday. Liverpool went on to beat 10-man Chelsea 2-0. An independent commission upheld the claim, which means Lampard’s automatic three-game suspension as been thrown out the window.

Another player who escapes an instant three-match ban is Manchester City’s Shaun Wright-Phillips. The FA decided not to take any immediate disciplinary action against the speedy midfielder following his kick at Stoke’s Rory Delap last weekend. Phillips was charged with violent conduct after the incident. This means he can play against Middlesbrough this weekend. But he’s not completely off the hook as the case will be heard Monday and he may still end up receiving a suspension. It may just be a case of delayed justice.

In action on the pitch, Liverpool was knocked out of the FA Cup after losing their fourth round replay 1-0 at Goodison Park against Merseyside rivals Everton. Teenager Dan Gosling finally put an end to the tedious affair as he scored with just two minutes left in extra time to secure the win. Liverpool lost more than just the game as captain Steven Gerrard was yanked after just 16 minutes of play due to a hamstring injury and is now due to be out for at least three weeks. Manager Rafael Benitez now looks even more foolish for letting proven striker Robbie Keane leave the club to head back to Tottenham in the middle of a title race. Liverpool will now be without their leader and sparkplug and just doesn’t have the firepower to overcome Manchester United at this point.

In other FA Cup fourth round replays, Nottingham Forest lost 3-2 at home to Derby County and Aston Villa overcame Doncaster Rovers 2-1 at Villa Park. Blackburn Rovers advanced to the fifth round as they edged fellow Premier League side Sunderland 2-1 at Ewood Park. Benni McCarthy sealed the win and put Blackburn into the last 16 as he found the back of the net with two minutes left in extra time in front of only 10,000 fans.