FA Cup
Diogo Jota hopes Liverpool’s firepower helps them to FA Cup glory
The Portuguese forward has been an impressive performer for Jurgen Klopp’s men in his debut season at Anfield, after a move from Wolverhampton Wanderers last summer.
And he’s now hoping to live out a childhood dream by lifting the famous trophy in what is the competition’s 150th anniversary season.
Growing up in Portugal, did you watch the Emirates FA Cup Final on TV?
Yes, in Portugal everyone loves English football pretty much like everyone else all over the world. Seeing those games meant that for a lot of young players like me, it was always a target to reach the Premier League and also play in the FA Cup. It’s probably the most important club cup competition in the world. It’s not every year that you reach the Final and we have a great chance to win it. And when the day arrives, we’ll go with everything we have to do that.
You’ve played Chelsea three times this season and every game was all-square after 90 minutes. Are you expecting another tight contest on Saturday?
I think so. They are a very tough team to play against with the three centre-backs, and they defend really well. They’re one of the hardest teams to score against and they are very good offensively as well. They’ve been a really good team since Thomas Tuchel arrived so it’s not going to be easy. It’s another big game but we are used to that. I think it will be a very good match for all the fans to watch.
Yourself, Mo Salah and Sadio Mane have all scored 20 or more goals this season, only the third time in the club’s history three different players have achieved that feat in the same campaign. With such firepower you must be confident that you can score in any game?
Yes, I think it’s very rare when we don’t score. But I think that’s down to the work of all of the team. Everyone works hard to score goals. Obviously, the ones upfront always have more chances to do it but we know that the way we play we can score goals throughout the team. For example, we saw Ibou Konate score an important goal to open the scoring in the semi-final against City. We always leave a lot of space behind our backline but we have the team and the centre-backs to cover the space, so we try to press every team as much as possible and of course being on the top level in terms of physicality is an important part of that.
The Emirates FA Cup is the only major trophy Jurgen Klopp has not won since he came to Liverpool, so victory in the final would be very special?
I think it was the first time he won the EFL Cup earlier this year, so maybe this season could be a one for everyone to remember for a while. Like I say, it’s a tight margin of being able to win something else and not being able to win anything more. But we have a big squad with a lot of quality and I believe that we can do it.
-The FA
The first weekend of semi-automated offside decisions in English soccer descended into confusion on Saturday as Bournemouth had a goal ruled out after a record eight-minute VAR check.
Bournemouth, who eventually beat Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on penalties in the FA Cup fifth round after a 1-1 draw, thought they had doubled their lead when defender Milos Kerkez scored in the 35th-minute goal.
However, new technology could not be used because the six-yard area was too crowded and VAR officials had to revert to manually drawing lines before disallowing the goal.
Fellow defender Dean Huijsen was adjudged to have been in an offside position as Kerkez’s effort brushed his shoulder before going in to the net.
The VAR check was further complicated as VAR officials Timothy Wood and Darren England also had to also examine the possibility of hand balls prior to the tight offside call.
Both sets of fans voiced their disapproval at the interminable wait, chanting “it’s not football any more” and “this is embarrassing”.
Referee Sam Barrott, who eventually announced the decision to the crowd via a microphone, had to explain to the respective managers and players what was happening during the delay.
-Reuters
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FA Cup giant-killers Plymouth Argyle drew Premier League champions Manchester City on Monday as the second-tier side’s fifth-round reward for a shock defeat of Liverpool at the weekend.
Holders Manchester United will host Fulham at Old Trafford in one of at least three all-Premier League clashes, with League Cup finalists Newcastle United at home to top-tier rivals Brighton & Hove Albion.
Bournemouth will host Wolverhampton Wanderers in another all-top-flight encounter.
Struggling Plymouth caused one of the great upsets of the FA Cup on Sunday when they beat a second-string Liverpool 1-0, ending the Premier League leaders’ hopes of a quartet of trophies this season.
The Pilgrims are bottom of the Championship but City, who reached the fifth round with a 2-1 win at third-tier Leyton Orient on Saturday after going behind early on, have been misfiring this season.
There will be a fourth all-Premier League clash if Nottingham Forest avoid trouble at League One (third tier) Exeter City on Tuesday, with Ipswich Town awaiting the winners.
Aston Villa, who ended Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes on Sunday, host second tier Cardiff City.
The fifth round matches will be played on the weekend of March 1 and 2.
Last 16 draw:
- Preston North End v Burnley
- Aston Villa v Cardiff City
- Doncaster Rovers or Crystal Palace v Millwall
- Manchester United v Fulham
- Newcastle United v Brighton & Hove Albion
- Bournemouth v Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Manchester City v Plymouth Argyle
-Reuters
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A much-changed Liverpool were dumped out of the FA Cup by struggling second-tier side Plymouth Argyle, who pulled off a stunning 1-0 fourth-round win at Home Park on Sunday that put an end to the visitors’ hopes of a quadruple.
The hosts took the lead in the 53rd minute after they were awarded a penalty for a handball by midfielder Harvey Elliott and Ryan Hardie stepped up to send Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher the wrong way.
Premier League leaders Liverpool were bereft of ideas and had just one shot on target in the opening half, with Plymouth keeper Conor Hazard making a diving save in the 36th minute to keep out James McConnell’s long-range shot.
Ahead of the Merseyside derby against Everton on Wednesday, Liverpool made wholesale changes with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Alexis Mac Allister among the big-names rested and left at home.
Liverpool, who were also forced into an early change when defender Joe Gomez went down injured, failed to create many chances in a scrappy encounter as Plymouth, who sit bottom of the second-tier Championship, gradually grew in confidence.
Arne Slot’s side switched gears after going down but Hazard proved to be the hero for Plymouth as the Northern Irishman brilliantly kept out Diogo Jota’s volley in added time, as well as a header from Darwin Nunez.
With Liverpool top of the Premier League, having strolled into the Champions League’s last 16 and reached the League Cup final, some fans and pundits had begun to speculate about a potential quadruple.
Plymouth’s remarkable victory, however, brought a shuddering halt to talk of clean sweep of silverware for Slot’s side, who had only lost three games all season, prior to Sunday.
Meanwhile, there was no surprise in the other FA Cup fourth-round tie with Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers beating second-tier Championship side Blackburn Rovers 2-0 at Ewood Park.
There was little to separate the two teams in the opening minutes before Wolves hit Blackburn with two rapid-fire goals through midfielder Joao Gomes in the 33rd minute and seconds later via forward Matheus Cunha.
Blackburn defender Dominic Hyam had the ball in the back of the net in the 19th minute, but his celebrations were cut short when the linesman’s flag went up for offside.
-Reuters
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