FA Cup
ABSENTEE MESUT OZIL REACTS TO ARSENAL WINNING FA CUP
The German wasn’t at Wembley as Arsenal came from a goal down to beat Chelsea 2-1 in Saturday’s FA Cup final, in which Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang bagged a brace
Mesut Ozil sent a message of congratulations to his Arsenal teammates as the Gunners won the FA Cup in the German’s absence on Saturday.
A brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saw the Gunners come from a goal down to beat Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley, after Christian Pulisic had opened the scoring for the Blues early on in the match.
Ozil wasn’t at the game having been told by manager Mikel Arteta earlier in the week that he wasn’t going to be in his matchday squad, which featured nine substitutes.
Instead, the playmaker watched the match in Turkey as he continued his Gunners absence, which has now stretched to five months as Arteta has failed to pick him since football’s restart.
Taking to his Instagram account, Ozil posted a picture of Aubameyang with the trophy, and wrote: “Great job my boys!” along with his by now trademark #YaGunnersYa hashtag.
Arteta was asked about the absence of both Ozil and midfielder Matteo Guendouzi from his squad after the match.
“We don’t have Matteo here and Mesut but they deserve credit as they played their part,” he said.
He was then pressed on just why they were absent but simply replied: “Let’s enjoy the moment.”
Elaborating on his side’s win, he said: “It was a difficult start when we conceded so early. If I know something about these players, is that we weren’t going to give up. “We played probably the best 30 minutes after since I arrived. I am so proud to represent these players and this club.
“It is a double reward for us. It is really important for this club in every way to be in Europe. We all did it so I am so happy.
“The players were completely knackered and they made a massive effort through the coronavirus to keep fit so I am so happy for them.”
Mikel Arteta sends message to Pep Guardiola after Arsenal win FA Cup
The Gunners manager was previously assistant to Manchester City boss Guardiola – and thanked his countryman for helping shape his coaching career after the final triumph
Mikel Arteta sent a classy message to Pep Guardiola after watching Arsenal lift the FA Cup following their 2-1 victory over Chelsea.
The Gunners boss worked as assistant coach to Guardiola at Manchester City for three years before leaving his role to take the Emirates Stadium hot seat last December.
During his time as Guardiola’s deputy, City won five major honours – including the FA Cup last year – and Arteta learned from one of the all-time great coaches.
On the path to his own FA Cup triumph this season, Arteta masterminded a 2-0 win over holders City in the semi-finals.
And after the victory over Chelsea, the Spaniard made sure to thank his compatriot – alongside his family – for helping him become the manager he is today.
“I miss my family so much they have been all the way with me,” Arteta told BT Sport .
“Thank you as well I have to thank you Pep in a very big way because I am a manager in a big part to him so I think I have to consider that as well.” Arteta also hailed Guardiola for his influence on him as City and Arsenal prepared to meet in the Premier League in June.
“Well, he [Guardiola] was an influence for me since I was 15 years old and we met at Barcelona, both as players,” Arteta said before the 3-0 defeat to the Sky Blues.
“And in my coaching career and my personal life, he has an enormous influence.
“If I have to talk about the person he is, his values, the way he has treated me and how he deals with the players and the staff around him, its phenomenal.
“As a coach, I have learned so much from him, we have spent some amazing moments together, some difficult ones as well, but the experience next to him has been incredible.”
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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