FA Cup
MANCHESTER UNITED WILL GUARD ‘OLD DOG’ ROONEY
Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer plans to stop club legend, Wayne Rooney from wounding Red Devils in FA Cup fifth round.
The coach is wary of the threat Wayne Rooney poses to Manchester United’s FA Cup hopes as the Derby forward looks to prove “there is still fight in an old dog”.
The Red Devils, who are on an eight-match unbeaten run in all competitions, head to Pride Park today for their fifth-round tie that will pit them against their all-time top-scorer.
Rooney scored a club-record 253 goals across 559 appearances during a trophy-laden spell at United between 2004 and 2017, before returning to boyhood club Everton and then joining Major League Soccer outfit DC United a year later.
The 34-year-old ended his 11/2-year spell in the United States to link up with Championship side Derby as a player-coach in January and is now preparing to gun down his former club.
Having played together at Old Trafford for three seasons until 2007, Solskjaer is all too familiar with what Rooney is capable of, even though he may no longer be the marksman he once was.
“He gave absolutely everything for this club and we all appreciate that,” the United manager said at his pre-match press conference yesterday. “But any goal he scores against us will be chalked off his goal tally! He doesn’t want to score too many of them.
“He’s a threat, in and around the box, set plays, and of course, this game, Wayne will show what he can do and he wants to prove there is still fight in the old dog. We’ve got to be on our toes, don’t give him any space in and around the box or in midfield.”
Solskjaer also noted how Rooney evolved his game and likened him to former United midfielder Paul Scholes.
“At the latter end, when he played in midfield, you can see he’s got Scholesy-like passing range,” he added.
Asked whether England’s record scorer, with 53 goals from 120 appearances, was under-appreciated in some quarters, Solskjaer insisted he would always be held in the highest regard at United.
“He’s been a fantastic player for United… he’s the club’s top scorer, he’s won so many trophies,” the Norwegian added of the five-time Premier League champion, who lifted 11 other trophies as a Red Devil. “For me, I don’t think the fans underrated him…
“He will get a good reception from our away fans.”
Derby coach Shay Given has warned that Rooney will not hesitate to celebrate should he score.
The former Ireland and Newcastle goalkeeper told radio station talkSport: “It’s a huge game for everyone and it’s a sell-out so it’ll be a fantastic night. Wayne, he’s with us on Thursday so hopefully he can do some magic against United. He’s looking forward to the game and to play against his old team. It’s like the stars have aligned… it’s a bit of a fairy tale.”
Rooney agreed that he was prepared to break the hearts of the fans who once idolised him.
“It’s a big challenge for us here against a very good team,” he told club channel RamsTV yesterday.
“They will be favourites, so we just have to try and take our chances, and stay in the game.
“It is always strange if you play against a former team, but it’s football. I love Manchester United and I want the team to do well and win, but for these 90 or 120 minutes, I want them to lose and for us to go through to the next round.”
–AFP
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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