FA Cup
MIKEL ARTETA EXPLAINS PIERRE-EMERICK AUMABEYANG CONTRACT SITUATION AFTER FA CUP HEROICS
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who scored twice to send Arsenal to the FA Cup final, is out of contract at the end of next season
Mikel Arteta has hopeful that Arsenal reaching the FA Cup final will help persuade Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to sign a new contract.
Forward Aubameyang was the architect of the Gunners’ 2-0 victory over Manchester City at Wembley – as he grabbed a goal in each half to stun the holders.
That will set up an August 1 date with either Chelsea or Manchester United – and could determine whether the Gunners play in the Europa League or not next season.
Aubameyang is currently under contract at the Emirates until next summer, but the Gabon superstar heading into the final year of his deal could force the Gunners to cash in on him.
The 31-year-old is reportedly searching for a £250,000-a-week, three year, extension to his current agreement – but the two parties haven’t found a middle ground yet.
But manager Arteta reckons that the Gunners’ performances against City, and Liverpool, will help make the decision easier.
Arteta said: “Hopefully it will help him to be more convinced we are going in the right direction.”
He later continued: “I think if everybody has beautiful moments they are better than bad.
“The way he looks at it when I speak with him, he sounds pretty convinced.
“But if he can see the success and direction we are taking it is the right one, I think he’ll be more positive about it, yes.”
Arteta made comments about the lack of money at his disposal to improve his side to the levels of City and Liverpool last week.
After reaching the FA Cup final, he revealed he has held more talks with his board.
He said: “We are having a lot of internal conversations. It’s about the conditions we have. If we are in Europe it will help but we have to be patient.”
Arteta added about his team’s recent performances: “We’ve had an incredible week to beat the best two teams in Europe, it doesn’t happen every day.
“I don’t care who plays, I can trust them – we made changes ad everyone was ready.
“We had to suffer in many moments. We had to be really well organised and minimise the spaces.”
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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