Tag: FA Cup

Southampton will face Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley after their shock win against Premier League leaders Arsenal.

The Championship side beat the Gunners 2-1 in the quarter-finals at St Mary’s on Saturday. Meanwhile, City thrashed Liverpool 4-0 on Saturday to reach the semi-finals of the competition for an eighth successive season.

Pep Guardiola’s side are bidding to make the final for a fourth consecutive year, having lost to Manchester United in 2024 and Crystal Palace in 2025 following their last win in 2023.

Southampton are dreaming of emulating their shock 1976 FA Cup final victory against Manchester United. Relegated from the Premier League last season, Southampton are also hoping to win promotion via the Championship play-offs.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Leeds, who lifted the FA Cup in 1972, will meet Chelsea in the other Wembley semi-final after a dramatic conclusion to their quarter-final clash with West Ham on Sunday.

Daniel Farke’s team led 2-0 at the London Stadium, but West Ham scored twice in stoppage time to force extra time.

Leeds eventually won 4-2 on penalties to earn a place in the last four for the first time since 1987, when they were beaten by Coventry.

Chelsea, 7-0 winners against third-tier Port Vale on Saturday, famously beat Leeds in a brutal 1970 FA Cup final that went to a replay.

READ: Leeds beat West Ham to reach FA Cup semi-finals after 39 years

Leeds reached the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 39 years as they survived a dramatic penalty shoot-out after squandering a two-goal lead in a thrilling clash with West Ham on Sunday.

Daniel Farke’s side were moments away from victory at the London Stadium after Ao Tanaka’s first-half goal and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s second-half penalty put them in control.

But West Ham staged a stoppage-time rally as Mateus Fernandes reduced the deficit before Axel Disasi’s equaliser forced extra time.

With the score still level at 2-2 after the additional period, Leeds keeper Lucas Perri emerged as their shoot-out hero.

Joel Piroe missed Leeds’ first penalty, but Calvert-Lewin, Brenden Aaronson, Wilfried Gnonto and Pascal Struijk all converted their kicks.

Perri saved Jarrod Bowen’s opening effort for West Ham and also denied Pablo as Leeds won 4-2 on penalties.

It was their second shoot-out victory in the competition this season, following their fourth-round success at Birmingham.

Leeds will face Chelsea in the semi-finals at Wembley later in April.

“We always do it the tough way, never the easy way. We could have made our lives easier,” Farke said. “We had a late sucker punch when the whole stadium was buzzing. To keep the nerves and win the penalty shoot-out shows great mentality and character.”

“A chapter of Leeds history. It will be a big night for us at Wembley. It’s a great step for this club and a great reward for everyone.”

The Yorkshire club are in the semi-finals for the first time since 1987, when they lost to eventual winners Coventry at Hillsborough.

Leeds have lost on their past three trips to Wembley, in the 2024 Championship play-off final, the 2008 League One play-off final, and the 1996 League Cup final.

FA Cup winners for the only time in 1972, Leeds’ last victory at Wembley was a 4-3 success against Liverpool in the 1992 Charity Shield.

Their win over West Ham was a welcome lift in the midst of a Premier League relegation battle for both clubs.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Third-bottom West Ham are one point behind fourth-bottom Tottenham with seven games left. Leeds, four points above the Hammers, face a return trip to West Ham for a potentially decisive clash on the last day of the season.

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo made five changes as he prioritised Friday’s vital showdown with bottom-of-the-table Wolves.

Leeds grabbed the opener in the 26th minute thanks to an eye-catching effort from Japan midfielder Tanaka, who cleverly twisted to find space inside the penalty area for a shot that deflected off Disasi and bounced in off the crossbar.

Leeds struck again in the 75th minute after Max Kilman chopped down Aaronson in the area, with referee Craig Pawson changing his decision to a penalty after consulting the pitch-side monitor.

Calvert-Lewin confidently stroked his spot-kick past Alphonse Areola before sprinting to celebrate with 9,000 raucous Leeds supporters crammed behind the goal.

Leeds lost focus in the closing stages, allowing West Ham to stage their remarkable comeback.

Fernandes tapped in the rebound after Bowen hit the post in the third minute of stoppage time.

Stunned by the decision to play 11 minutes of additional time, Leeds were unable to hold their nerve.

Three minutes after Fernandes’ goal, Adama Traore whipped an inswinging cross into the six-yard box, and former Chelsea defender Disasi volleyed home with his outstretched foot.

Thousands of West Ham fans had already left before Disasi’s equaliser, and hundreds flooded back in after the goal, although some found the gates shut, leaving them stuck outside for the rest of the match.

With Areola forced off injured late in extra time, West Ham had to give a debut to reserve keeper Finlay Herrick.

The 20-year-old, who was on loan at non-league side Boreham Wood earlier this season, saved Piroe’s penalty.

But there was no fairytale ending for Herrick as Leeds celebrated a semi-final berth almost four decades in the making.

READ: Pep Guardiola dodges Manchester City exit question

Aston Villa pushed Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank closer to the sack with a 2-1 win over the troubled side in the FA Cup third round on Saturday.

Frank is on the brink after Tottenham paid the price for conceding twice in a woeful first-half display in north London.

Emiliano Buendia put Villa ahead, and Morgan Rogers increased the visitors’ lead.

Tottenham improved after the break, but although Wilson Odobert reduced the deficit, they were unable to avoid a second successive defeat.

The loss ended in suitably ugly fashion for Tottenham as their frustrated players became embroiled in a clash with Villa after the final whistle, as boos cascaded from the stands.

Tottenham have won just three of their past 14 games and sit 14th in the Premier League, only three places above where they ended last season under Ange Postecoglou.

If Frank can survive until next weekend, another loss at home to lowly West Ham would surely bring an end to his disastrous reign.

Frank added to his problems when he drank from a cup emblazoned with the branding of Spurs’ bitter rivals Arsenal before Tottenham’s 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth on Wednesday.

That embarrassing gaffe drew the ire of Tottenham supporters, who once again booed Frank and his players at the final whistle.

Now Frank is out of the Cup following the latest damp squib in the former Brentford manager’s wretched first season in charge.

Hired to replace the sacked Postecoglou, who ended the north Londoners’ 17-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League last season, Frank increasingly looks out of his depth at a club with Tottenham’s expectations.

Aston Villa, who haven’t won the FA Cup since 1957, have now won twice at Tottenham Hotspur this season after a 2-1 victory in the Premier League in October.

Unai Emery’s team also beat Tottenham in the FA Cup fourth round last season.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Desperate to buy himself some breathing space, Thomas Frank ignored the trend of Premier League managers resting their key players in the FA Cup by naming a strong line-up.

To mark the 125th anniversary of becoming the first non-league side to lift the FA Cup, Tottenham wore a special commemorative kit with no player surnames on the back and the sponsors and club badge less visible than usual on the front.

Unfortunately for Frank, Tottenham’s first-half display was closer to a non-league effort than the standards expected of his expensively assembled team.

Aston Villa took the lead from their first serious attack in the 22nd minute.

John McGinn and Donyell Malen carved through the creaky Tottenham defence with a rapid exchange of passes before Buendia lashed high into the roof of the net from 10 yards.

Villa fans taunted the Tottenham boss with chants of “Thomas Frank is an Arsenal fan”.

And Frank’s problems mounted when Brazil striker Richarlison limped off with an apparent hamstring injury.

Tottenham were rudderless and it was no surprise when Rogers bagged Villa’s second goal on the stroke of half-time.

It was the kind of flowing move that Frank has so rarely been able to inspire from his players as Buendia’s deft back-heel teed up Rogers for a clinical close-range finish.

Tottenham were improved in the second half and Odobert reduced the deficit in the 54th minute.

Randal Kolo Muani won possession in midfield and slipped a pass to Odobert, whose low drive arrowed into the far corner from 12 yards.

In a brief burst of pressure, Xavi Simons hit the post before Kolo Muani’s strike forced a save from Marco Bizot.

But their momentum fizzled out in the closing stages to leave Frank with nowhere to hide.

READ: Barcelona edge Real Madrid in thrilling Spanish Super Cup final

Crystal Palace stunned Manchester City on Saturday to win the FA Cup for the first time as Eberechi Eze sealed a 1-0 victory that piled on the misery for Pep Guardiola’s troubled side.

Eze’s early strike rocked City before Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson saved Omar Marmoush’s penalty late in the first half of a dramatic final at Wembley.

While Eze’s clinical finish was the culmination of his remarkable rise from rejection by Arsenal, Fulham and Millwall as a youngster, it was Henderson who emerged as Palace’s hero with a series of superb saves.

City will protest that Henderson should have been sent off for a first-half handball outside his penalty area.

But Henderson made the most of that controversial moment to ensure Palace clinched the first major trophy in their 120-year history and a place in next season’s Europa League.

“To be honest I can’t really believe it. I think when you play this game 10 times, you win it once, and this happened today,” Palace boss Oliver Glasner said.

“The goal was the first time we were in their half and then we just defended with every single part of the body.”

Beaten by Manchester United in their previous FA Cup final appearances in 1990 and 2016, Palace’s shock win was no more than they deserved as City once again imploded in a dismal season that will be their first without major silverware since 2016-17.

“We did everything but if you’re not going to score goals, you’re not going to win,” Guardiola said. “We performed really well. Football is like this sometimes.”

On the Henderson controversy, Guardiola would only add: “Ask the referee.”

After winning the Premier League in the previous four seasons, City have endured a turbulent campaign that ranks among the worst in Guardiola’s storied managerial career.

Currently sixth in the Premier League, City host Bournemouth on Tuesday and travel to Fulham on May 25 as they try to salvage their wretched year by at least qualifying for the Champions League.

Not for the first time, Guardiola sprang a surprise with his selection for a final as he picked an ultra-attacking line-up with no holding midfielder.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

However, Guardiola’s habit of tinkering with his tactics for finals has backfired in the past.

Asked about City’s line-up just before kick-off, Guardiola said he was putting his faith in “talent”, but Glasner had spotted an opening, saying: “When you have so many attacking players it could give you an opportunity in transitions.”

Erling Haaland nearly gave City the perfect start when he stretched to meet Kevin De Bruyne’s cross with a volley that forced a scrambled save from Henderson.

Josko Gvardiol’s towering header from Savinho’s corner was smartly repelled by Henderson.

But Glasner’s clever decision to set up Palace deep inside their own half had lured City in for the sucker punch.

Eze delivered the knockout blow from Palace’s first attack in the 16th minute as Glasner’s men launched a brilliant break from their penalty area.

Jean-Philippe Mateta held up Chris Richards’ long pass and laid it off to Daniel Munoz, who surged down the right flank before crossing towards Eze, who guided a superb volley past Stefan Ortega from 12 yards.

City were furious when Henderson escaped a red card when VAR checked his handball, which appeared to take place outside the area, after the ‘keeper rushed out to challenge Haaland.

VAR said it was “not an obvious goal-scoring opportunity” but it proved crucial as Henderson rescued Palace in the 35th minute.

Tyrick Mitchell conceded the penalty with a needless foul on Bernardo Silva as the City midfielder ran away from goal.

Instead of Haaland taking the spot-kick, it was Marmoush who stepped up after the Norway star gave him the ball in a disastrous move as Henderson plunged to his right to keep out the Egyptian’s strike.

Henderson was in inspired form and he denied City again, clawing away a Jeremy Doku strike that appeared destined for the top corner.

Defending tirelessly, Palace were indebted to Henderson, who made two more brilliant saves from Claudio Echeverri to cap a chastening afternoon for Guardiola.

READ: Karachi Kings edge past Peshawar Zalmi to qualify for PSL 10 playoffs

WEMBLEY: Manchester United upset Manchester City to win the FA Cup with a shock 2-1 victory at Wembley Stadium here on Saturday.

City were hot favourites to win a second successive Premier League and FA Cup double.

Yet Eric Ten Hag found a way to neutralise Pep Guardiola’s side as first-half goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo put United on course to win the FA Cup for the first time in eight years.

Jeremy Doku squeezed an 87th-minute strike past Andre Onana’s weak attempted save but it was too late to rescue City.

Ten Hag celebrated by kissing the Cup as he held it aloft in the Royal box.

Asked if he was worried about his future, he said: “I don’t know. The only thing I’m doing is preparing my team.

“This is a project for me. When I came in I can say it was a mess. Now we are better. We are not where we want to be.”

Guardiola added: “Congratulations to United. It was a tight game. It can happen. At the end they scored two goals and we couldn’t score more.”

Having ended a turbulent season on a high note, if Ten Hag’s two-year reign does end, his exit would provoke memories of fellow Dutchman Louis van Gaal’s Old Trafford departure.

Van Gaal was fired just two days after United’s FA Cup final victory against Crystal Palace in 2016.

Ten Hag will hope a more apt comparison is Alex Ferguson’s 1990 FA Cup final win against Palace, which kick-started his remarkable run after calls for his sacking earlier that season.

Ferguson was in attendance as a match labelled Ten Hag’s funeral turned into a triumph for the much-maligned Dutchman.

United shareholder Jim Ratcliffe, who has control of football operations at Old Trafford, was also watching from the stands alongside co-owners Joel and Avie Glazer.

Linked with Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Gareth Southgate, among others, there is still plenty for Ratcliffe to ponder after United finished eighth in the Premier League this season — their lowest final position since 1990 — and crashed out of the Champions League in the group stage.

Ten Hag believes a lengthy injury list was the root of the problems and can point to the two trophies he has won in three cup final appearances with United as proof of what he can do when his team are at full strength.

Ten Hag ended United’s six-year trophy drought by winning the League Cup last year and has now avenged their 2-1 loss to City in the FA Cup final 12 months ago despite finishing 31 points behind the champions this term.

United will also qualify for the Europa League, avoiding a first season without European action since 2014-15.

Manchester United benefitted from an unusually tepid Manchester City performance as their double bid fell flat in their first domestic defeat since losing at Aston Villa in the league 171 days ago.

Last weekend, City became the first team to win the Premier League in four consecutive seasons.

But Guardiola’s men looked hungover after the celebrations that followed their sixth title in seven years.

Content to sit deep with all 11 men behind the ball, United stifled City impressively and gleefully accepted their gift-wrapped opener in the 30th minute.

Diogo Dalot’s punt forward should have been dealt with by Josko Gvardiol, but the left-back hesitated as he looked for an offside flag.

Gvardiol headed the ball over City keeper Stefan Ortega, who had rashly rushed off his line, leaving Garnacho with the simple task of tapping into the empty net as Ten Hag clenched his fist in celebration.

Just nine minutes later, Mainoo punished more sloppy City defending.

Garnacho advanced unchecked down the right wing and found Fernandes, whose superb first-time pass reached the unmarked Mainoo for a clinical close-range finish.

Manchester City pushed harder after the interval but although Doku’s shot slipped through Onana’s grasp to set up a tense finale, it wasn’t enough to deny Manchester United.

As the final seconds ticked away, Ten Hag stood in the sunshine nervously waiting to celebrate a dramatic win that could earn an unexpected stay of execution or serve as his final fling.

READ: Buttler, bowlers aid England thump Pakistan in second T20I

Manchester United recovered from an astonishing collapse to beat Coventry on penalties in an FA Cup classic on Sunday, setting up a second straight final against Manchester City.

Erik ten Hag’s men won the shootout at Wembley 4-2, with Rasmus Hojlund scoring the decisive spot kick after the teams were level at 3-3 following extra time.

The game perfectly encapsulated a chaotic season for Ten Hag’s men, who are well off the pace in the Premier League.

There was no hint of what was to come when United coasted into a 3-0 lead against their second-tier opponents in the London sunshine, with goals from Scott McTominay, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes.

But they have made a habit of tossing away leads in recent weeks.

Second-half strikes from Ellis Simms and Callum O’Hare gave the 1987 FA Cup winners hope and Haji Wright levelled from the penalty spot deep into stoppage time, capping a scarcely credible comeback.

Coventry fans taunted Ten Hag with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” as belief infused the massed ranks of supporters clad in light blue.

A gripping period of extra time followed, with both teams hitting the woodwork, before United held their nerve to win the shootout.

“It was an incredible game, a strange game too,” Ten Hag told ITV. “We had total control for so long and then gave it away in the last part of the game. We did show resilience to win the penalty shootout.”

“We have to improve,” he added. “We talk a lot about this. First you have to put yourself in a winning position but then you have to take it over the line.”

Coventry manager Mark Robins famously played a key part in United’s FA Cup win in 1990, a triumph that launched two decades of success under Alex Ferguson.

But his team’s push to reach the Championship play-offs has faded in recent weeks and they travelled to Wembley as underdogs despite United’s stuttering season.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

United, 12-time winners of the competition, settled early and took the lead in the 23rd minute after a fine move down the right finished off by McTominay.

Marcus Rashford forced a fine save from Bradley Collins late in the first half but United doubled their lead from the resulting corner, with Maguire heading home Fernandes’s cross.

Coventry, who scored twice in stoppage time to beat Premier League team Wolves in the quarter-finals, looked brighter in the early stages of the second period.

But the wind was taken out of their sails when Fernandes’s deflected shot found its way past Collins in the 58th minute.

Coventry pulled a goal back when top-scorer Simms connected with a cross from substitute Fabio Tavares in the 71st minute and O’Hare reduced the deficit further.

The club’s fans were now in full voice as their team mounted waves of attacks and they were level in the 95th minute when Wright scored from the penalty spot after Aaron Wan-Bissaka was adjudged to have handled.

Fernandes rattled the crossbar early in the first period of extra time when set up by substitute Amad Diallo.

Simms then smashed a shot off the underside of the crossbar as time started to run out.

Coventry thought they had won it in the dying moments, sending their fans delirious when substitute Victor Torp poked the ball past Andre Onana but a VAR check ruled that Wright was offside by the narrowest of margins in the build-up.

Casemiro took the first penalty in the shootout, which was saved by Collins.

But O’Hare and captain Ben Sheaf failed to convert, leaving Hojlund with the job of sending United through and he made no mistake.

A disappointed Robins said defeat felt like “kick in the teeth”.

“We’ve just said to them they’ve put themselves right up there in the history of the football club,” he said. “People will talk about this game for a long time.”

Manchester City, who beat United in the 2023 final, edged Chelsea 1-0 in the other semi-final on Saturday.

It is only the second time in the competition’s history that the same two teams have reached successive finals, the first sides to do so since 1885.

READ: Chapman stars as New Zealand stun Pakistan to keep series alive

Bernardo Silva fired Manchester City back into the FA Cup final as the Portugal midfielder’s late strike sealed the holders’ 1-0 win against Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola’s side were second best for long periods of the semi-final, but Chelsea wasted a string of chances before Silva delivered the knockout blow six minutes from full-time.

Shaken by their Champions League quarter-final loss against Real Madrid on penalties in midweek, City took a while to shake off the gloom from the end of their treble bid.

They were hampered by the absence of Norway striker Erling Haaland after he suffered a knock against Real, with Julian Alvarez unable to make an impact as his replacement.

City were bailed out by Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson’s profligacy and Guardiola will hope the hard-fought success provides a timely lift as they chase a Premier League and FA Cup double.

Manchester City face United or Coventry, who meet on Sunday, in the final on May 25 and will retain the Premier League title if they win their last six games.

It will be City’s 13th final in the competition and potentially a repeat of last year’s 2-1 win over United in the Wembley Manchester derby.

Beaten by Liverpool in the League Cup final in February, Chelsea’s wait to win their first domestic trophy since the 2018 FA Cup goes on for another season.

It was a bitter blow for Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino, who has endured a difficult first season in charge and remains without silverware in England.

The semi-final was billed as in-form Chelsea forward Cole Palmer’s chance to punish his old club for selling him to the Blues in September.

Guardiola said Palmer was asking to leave City for two years before he eventually joined Chelsea, where he has scored 23 goals in all competitions this, including 11 in his last six games.

Palmer, who scored four times in Monday’s 6-0 rout of Everton, was a constant threat for Chelsea, but ultimately it was his team’s lack of killer instinct that proved decisive.

Follow us on our Official WhatsApp channel

Palmer’s pin-point pass sent Jackson racing into the City area early on, but his strike lacked the accuracy to beat Stefan Ortega in a miss that foreshadowed Chelsea’s fate.

Jackson wasted a golden opportunity to give Chelsea the goal their dominance deserved.

Enzo Fernandez’s pass split the City defence, but Jackson opted to go around Ortega rather than shoot and the chance was gone as Nathan Ake scurried back to clear.

Playing with more purpose and quality than City, Pochettino’s team threatened again as Palmer cleverly shimmied past Rodri for a low drive from 12 yards that was well saved by Ortega.

It was the first time lethargic Manchester City had failed to muster a first half shot on target since a game against Everton in February.

Jackson, in the midst of a terrible debut season, was put clean through on goal by Conor Gallagher immediately after the interval.

But the much-maligned striker’s shot was palmed away by Ortega, who clawed away a close-range header from Jackson seconds later.

City finally tested Djordje Petrovic through Phil Foden’s snap-shot, but the Serbian was equal to his powerful strike.

Chelsea appealed in vain for a penalty when Jack Grealish’s arm blocked Palmer’s free-kick, while Moises Caicedo was fortunate to escape a second booking for a crunching tackle that forced Grealish to limp off.

Grealish’s replacement Jeremy Doku drew an immediate save from Petrovic with a near-post blast.

Doku’s presence lifted Manchester City and the Belgian played a part as they stole the victory in the 84th minute.

Advancing with intent towards the Chelsea area, Doku slipped a pass to Kevin de Bruyne, whose low cross was pushed out by Petrovic to Silva for a close-range finish that deflected home as Guardiola punched the air in relief.

READ: Bowlers wreak havoc as Pakistan crush New Zealand in 2nd T20I

LONDON: Middlesbrough produced another FA Cup shock to extend Tottenham’s long wait for silverware with a 1-0 win after extra time at the Riverside on Tuesday, while Manchester City eased into the last eight with a 2-0 victory at Peterborough.

Boro knocked out Manchester United at Old Trafford in the fourth round and the Championship side were worthy winners to condemn Spurs to another trophyless season.

Not since a League Cup win in 2008 have Tottenham lifted a trophy and another hugely disappointing defeat poses further questions over the future of manager Antonio Conte.

The Italian only took charge in November but has already hinted he could walk away after a run of four defeats in the past six Premier League games.

“We have to give our best for the rest of the season then we will see what is our position and the evaluation of our season,” said Conte. “It is early to say something about this.”

Teenager Josh Coburn came off the bench to score the only goal with a thumping finish across Hugo Lloris in the 107th minute.

“In between the win at Manchester United and here we got turned over at Barnsley. Football is a ridiculous game,” said Boro manager Chris Wilder.

“The supporters gave us the energy to produce a top performance.”

Harry Kane did have the ball in the net for Tottenham in the second half only to be flagged offside.

But the England captain may also be again considering his future as he waits to win the first major honor of his career.

Middlesbrough were by far the brighter side in extra time and got their reward when Coburn rifled across Lloris from Crooks’ through ball.

READ: Novak Djokovic announces split from long-time coach Vajda