FA Cup
FA CUP WINNER AND HERO, AUBAMEYANG HAILED AS ‘GOAT’
Expectedly, it was celebration galore at the camp of FA Cup winning Arsenal on Saturday night.
Cup winner and skipper, Pierre-Emerick Aubamenyang once again stepped up the fore for Mikel Arteta’s men with a match-winning brace, and the talisman was soon christened the club’s Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) by his team-mates.
Nicolas Pepe will avoid a post-party hangover, however, after being caught on camera enjoying a Fanta while the rest of the Gunners stars basked in their Wembley success.
The squad will unsurprisingly enjoy the victory for many hours to come after securing Arsenal’s 14th FA Cup triumph.
Their trophy lift was arguably an underwhelming affair without the presence of supporters inside the national stadium, but each and every player appeared determined to mark the moment in a series of hilarious social media posts.
Alexandre Lacazette was even filmed celebrating with his shirt only partly on, but didn’t appear to mind as those around him continued to bounce around and sing on their journey.
But it was his strike partner Aubameyang who appeared the heart and soul of the jamboree.
The 31-year-old frontman, whose future at the club remains unclear, handed fans a glimpse at how their idols were celebrating on Instagram.
A series of lengthy posts to his story showed boisterous players packed into the aisle of their coach while others cracked open bottles of champagne around them.
After the game, boss Arteta once again called on his star striker to remain at the club, hoping that the FA Cup win would tempt him to stay to try and win more silverware.
Arteta seemed confident, however, Aubameyang remained silent on the matter after the game, instead preferring to enjoy the victorious moment with his team-mates.
Former Gunner Ian Wright was hopeful on the BBC that Aubameyang would be staying after Arteta’s assertions, while over on BT Sport, Rio Ferdinand thought the opposite, saying: ‘I think he’s gone.’
The raucous stars belted out songs and danced the night away after leaving Wembley with the coveted FA Cup trophy safely in tow.
The actual piece of silverware, Arteta’s first at the helm of the club, was later spotted on the team bus, wisely with a seat-belt on, amid the boisterous celebrations.
And the tight bond between the head coach and his players was shown once again shortly after the cup had been hoisted into the air.
Arteta, who is no stranger to success after a three-year spell as Pep Guardiola’s right-hand man at Manchester City, was filmed heading down the tunnel and into the dressing room while clutching the trophy.
His arrival was greeted with a shower of champagne and the then-soaked Arteta joyously let loose by hopping around in the centre of the room.
The manager later tweeted: ‘Thank you everyone for being so supportive. We knew that there were expectations and this trophy is for you. There is still a long way to go of improving on many things, but I’m very proud of the fantastic players and the staff. Again, thank you so much for the support and belief.’
Emiliano Martinez, who had an emotional day, bursting into tears during his post-match interview, was pictured hugging the trophy tightly on the journey home.
The goalkeeper has been at the club for 10 years, but has only recently been given the nod for a starting position.
However, Chelsea fans were fuming as they believe he had handled the ball outside the penalty area in the second half. It appeared to be a very close call, and he was given the benefit of the doubt by the referees.
Arsenal players will have a few weeks off now to prepare for the new season, and it seems they are already making the most of not having to train every day, as Lucas Torreira and Martinez were spotted grabbing a late-night McDonalds takeaway.
Despite the all-London showdown taking place behind closed doors, it transpired to be one certain to live long in the memory.
Christian Pulisic had opened the scoring after just five minutes with a clever dink, but Aubameyang once again underlined his importance to Arsenal with two goals.
His first came from the penalty spot after Cesar Azpilicueta’s foul inside the box, and the effort that handed Arteta’s side the silverware was breathtaking.
Pepe picked out his team-mate on the left-hand side of the box, and Aubameyang duly chipped over Willy Caballero and into the far corner.
Despite the sublime goals, VAR came under fire again amidst Mateo Kovacic’s red card drama. Frank Lampard was extremely unhappy with the soft second yellow card, however it could not be checked as VAR is only used in straight red card incidents.
‘What kind of rule is that? There’s always been this one that you couldn’t challenge two yellows,’ the Chelsea boss fumed in an interview with beIN Sports. ‘Someone’s sitting there really stubbornly sticking to their guns on that one.’
Chelsea’s day went from bad to worse, as injuries plagued the team as well. Cesar Azpilicueta went off in tears, Christian Pulisic had to be carried down the tunnel, and Pedro departed on oxygen after injuring his shoulder.
It will make Chelsea’s upcoming Champions League fixture against Bayern Munich all the more hard, as the Blues try to brush off their bitter defeat.
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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