FA Cup
MANCHESTER UNITED FACES FIXTURE CONGESTION AFTER DRAW WITH WOLVES
Manchester United are facing a fixture pile-up with a possible eight matches to be played between now and Feb 1, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is just thankful to be still in contention for silverware.
The goal-less draw at Wolves on Saturday night means their FA Cup third-round replay will have to take place on Jan 14.
But before that Old Trafford meeting, United will have to navigate the first leg of their League Cup semi-final with crosstown rivals City.
They also need to contend with subsequent Premier League games against Norwich, runaway leaders Liverpool and Burnley.
Should United get past Wolves, the fourth round of the FA Cup will take place between Jan 25 and Jan 28, before they round off the month with the second leg against City, followed by another clash with Nuno Espirito Santo’s men.
Having now failed to beat Wolves in five games since their return to the English top flight last season, Solskjaer is full of respect for the Midlands side, who knocked the Red Devils out of the competition at the quarter-final stage last March.
Insisting Molineux was “a tough place to come”, the United manager, whose side failed to record a shot on target for the first time in five years, said: “I’m happier to be in the replay than going out.
“We were hoping to go through tonight, but we’re still in it. We’re still in the hat and at home, (where) there’s a little bit more of a chance of going through.
“Wolves are a good team, a strong team, very physical. I thought we played well in the first half and dominated the possession.
“But then they took over in the second half which made it an even tougher game.
“Of course, we got off the hook when he (Matt Doherty) mistimed his header and it hit his arm (resulting in a disallowed goal). But it was an even game and a draw is a fair result.”
Victor Lindelof agreed with that assessment, claiming they “did a great job” by holding Wolves at bay despite making eight changes from the 2-0 loss to Arsenal for just their third clean sheet in domestic competition since September.
Solskjaer also chose to start academy products Brandon Williams, 19, Tahith Chong, 20, and Mason Greenwood, 18, to preserve others for the City game.
But the Norwegian opted against resting Harry Maguire and the defender is a doubt to play against Pep Guardiola’s men.
On whether Maguire would be fit, he told BT Sport: “I don’t know. We were close to taking him off, but he battled through.
“Let’s see how he recovers. We hope so. It’s not many days and then we go again Tuesday.”
The improved defensive display did not impress Rio Ferdinand, who blasted his former team for blowing hot and cold this term .
The pundit told BT Sport: “It’s still a work in progress. With the young players and the players he’s got out, the inconsistency is not understandable.”
Reuters
Manchester City F.C. completed a domestic cup double on Saturday after a late strike from Antoine Semenyo secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Chelsea F.C. in the FA Cup Final.
The decisive moment arrived in the 72nd minute when the Ghana international produced a clever finish from close range, turning sharply before back-heeling the ball beyond Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez after an inviting cross from Erling Haaland.
Semenyo’s goal transformed what had been a tense and cautious contest into an entertaining finale as both sides pushed aggressively in search of goals during the closing stages.
City nearly doubled their advantage when Rayan Cherki forced an excellent save from Sánchez, while Matheus Nunes struck the post as Pep Guardiola’s side intensified the pressure.
Chelsea also searched desperately for an equaliser but were unable to break through City’s disciplined defence.
The triumph handed Manchester City their eighth FA Cup title and completed an impressive domestic cup double following their League Cup success earlier in March.
For Semenyo, the winning goal marked one of the biggest moments of his career, with the forward delivering when it mattered most on English football’s grandest domestic stage.
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Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick as Manchester City crushed Liverpool 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday to cruise into the FA Cup semi-finals.
Champions Liverpool played well in the opening half-hour with Mohamed Salah wasting an early chance, but once Haaland had scored from the spot in the 37th minute after a foul on Nico O’Reilly, their resistance crumbled.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk conceded the penalty with a rash challenge, and there was little the Dutch defender could do as City played scintillating attacking football for the remainder of the game.
His blond hair swinging behind him in a ponytail, Haaland netted his second two minutes into first-half stoppage time with a well-placed header from an excellent Antoine Semenyo cross.
Semenyo got on the scoresheet himself five minutes after the break, latching on to a ball in behind from Rayan Cherki and chipping it beautifully past Giorgi Mamardashvili, and Haaland completed his treble with a shot off the underside of the crossbar in the 57th minute.
Liverpool’s woes continued when Mohamed Salah, who is set to leave the club at the end of the season, capped off a poor performance by having his penalty saved by James Trafford, snuffing out any faint hopes Liverpool might have had of a comeback
As the game turned into a victory parade, many Liverpool fans started heading for the exits, and City manager Pep Guardiola rang the changes, replacing Haaland with Omar Marmoush, the Norwegian striker receiving a standing ovation as he left the field.
In the other quarter-finals, Chelsea take on Port Vale and Southampton host Arsenal later on Saturday, with Leeds United travelling to West Ham United on Sunday.
The semi-finals will take place at Wembley, and Haaland is relishing a return to the stadium.
“First half, we struggled a bit, but then we after around 30 minutes we kept going and in the end it’s an amazing game. Another Wembley trip for us is amazing and important,” he told broadcaster TNT.
“I think (my form this season) has been a bit too much up and down, which is not good enough. I cannot keep on thinking about what I could have done differently or what didn’t happen, or what happened. I have to think about the next game.”
-Reuters
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Arsenal will be without injured England attacker Noni Madueke when they face Southampton in Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final, but Martin Odegaard and Jurrien Timber may return from injury, manager Mikel Arteta said.
Madueke was among the 11 Arsenal players who withdrew from international duty last month over injuries and fitness management, as the club eye their first Premier League title since 2004.
“When you have to communicate the state of every player, we are always honest and a medical decision had to be made. That was clear what the conclusion was,” Arteta told reporters on Friday.
“It makes us so proud that we had that many players in the national team. Players are desperate to play for their nation. I know how important it is to them. We are fully supportive of that and when we can do it, we do it.”
Madueke picked up a knee injury during England’s friendly with Uruguay, missing the game against Japan. But Arteta said his condition was not as bad as a knee injury that kept him out for six weeks.
Martin Zubimendi, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Timber, Leandro Trossard, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice were unavailable for their countries.
Arteta did not disclose how many of them will be available for Saturday’s game, as Arsenal look to shake off last month’s League Cup final loss to Manchester City with a return to Wembley in the FA Cup semi-finals.
“We’re in a position right now where we need to make the strongest line-up we possibly can to win every competition,” he said. ” We are two or three games away from the FA Cup and we know how important that competition is for us.”
-Reuters
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