and Crystal Palace. 1 March 1997 – Newcastle United's title hopes are hit by an unexpected blow when they lose 1–0 at home to Southampton. 4 March 1997 – Norwegian striker Steffen Iversen scores a hat-trick as Tottenham Hotspur beat relegation-threatened Sunderland 4–0 at Roker Park. 5 March 1997 – Middlesbrough's survival hopes are given a major boost when they beat Derby County 6–1 at the Riverside Stadium, with Fabrizio Ravanelli scoring a hat-trick. Nottingham Forest's survival hopes are dented when they lose 3–0 at home Sheffield Wednesday, whose hopes of a UEFA Cup place are kept very much alive by the result. 8 March 1997 – Middlesbrough move closer to a first-ever FA Cup final by winning 2–0 at Derby County in the quarter-final. Manchester United's four-month unbeaten run in the lead ends in a surprise 2–1 defeat against Sunderland at Roker Park. 9 March 1997 – In a rare occurrence of an FA Cup quarter-final being contested between two third-tier clubs, Chesterfield run out 1–0 winners over Wrexham at Saltergate. On the same day, Wimbledon move closer to FA Cup glory by winning 2–0 at Sheffield Wednesday, while the end is in sight for Chelsea's 26-year trophy drought as they crush Portsmouth 4–1 at Fratton Park. 10 March 1997 – Premier League strugglers Nottingham Forest sign Dutch striker Pierre Van Hooijdonk from Celtic for a club record £4.5million. In the title race, Liverpool beat Newcastle United 4–3 at Anfield. 12 March 1997 – Recently signed striker Paul Kitson scores twice as West Ham United boost their survival bid with a 3–2 home win over Chelsea. 15 March 1997 – Kevin Gallacher scores a hat-trick in Blackburn's 3–1 home league win over Wimbledon. Middlesbrough continue to push for survival with a 3–1 away win over Leicester City. 16 March 1997 – Sunderland's survival hopes are knocked by a 6–2 defeat at Chelsea. 18 March 1997 - Newcastle are knocked out of the UEFA Cup at the quarter-final stage by AS Monaco FC, who join Inter Milan, CD Tenerife and FC Schalke 04 in the semi-finals. In the one English top-flight match, Stan Lazaridis scores a last-minute equalizer for West Ham United, cancelling out Mick Harford's first goal of the season. 19 March 1997 – Middlesbrough continue their fightback with a 2–1 home win over Blackburn. 22 March 1997 – John Hartson is on the scoresheet twice for West Ham