FA Cup
Arsenal defeat to Manchester United one in 1,000, says defiant Mikel Arteta
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he could not be prouder of his players despite crashing out of the FA Cup to 10-man Manchester United on penalties on Jan 12.
The Gunners enjoyed a man advantage for over an hour after Diogo Dalot was booked twice early in the second half.
Bruno Fernandes had fired United in front but Arsenal levelled within seconds of Dalot’s departure through Gabriel Magalhaes.
However, a familiar lack of killer instinct in front of goal cost Arteta’s men as another chance to end a five-year trophy drought slipped by.
Martin Odegaard saw a penalty saved by Altay Bayindir before Kai Havertz and Declan Rice missed huge chances to win the tie in 90 minutes.
After a goalless 30 minutes of extra time, Havertz was the only player who failed to score in the shoot-out as United’s reserve goalkeeper Bayindir made another splendid save.
“It was unbelievable,” said Arteta. “(Based on) the performance we deserved to win the game by a mile, but the reality is that we are out and the only thing we will be judged on is that.”
Arsenal have finished second to Manchester City in each of the past two Premier League seasons.
But they have so far failed to live up to expectations this campaign to kick on to another level.
Arsenal trail Liverpool, who also have a game in hand, by six points in the Premier League title race and were beaten 2-0 at home by Newcastle in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final.
Arteta, though, launched a passionate defence of his squad with one eye on the north London derby against Tottenham on Jan 15.
“I love my players, I love our team and I love how good they are,” added the Spaniard.
“In 1,000 games (like this) you lose one and it was this one. But it is part of our industry, our game and we move on because we don’t have time and on Wednesday we have a massive one.”
Victory was another sign of progress for United boss Ruben Amorim after his side came from behind to secure a 2-2 draw at Liverpool last weekend.
The Red Devils had to defend for long spells even before going down to 10 men.
“We have to compete no matter what the situation and we competed today,” said Amorim.
“They had more chances but I think we deserved to win the way we played and the way we fought.”
United’s reward for reaching round four is a meeting with a familiar face as Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy returns to Old Trafford.
The Dutchman took charge for four matches as caretaker boss prior to Amorim’s arrival in November.
Amorim decided against retaining Van Nistelrooy as part of his coaching staff but said he is looking forward to speaking again to United’s legendary former striker.
“I’m looking forward to speaking with him. He’s a class guy,” added Amorim.
“But we need to win! Maybe he will be divided – he loves this club!”
-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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