FA Cup
Ahead of first ever Manchester derby FA Cup final, Erik ten Hag vows to stop Man City’s treble bid
Next month presents a new stage for the FA Cup as the two Manchester rival clubs clash in their first ever derby final match.
With Manchester United missing out in their triple title chase this season, they intend voiding their city rivals from achieving such.
But for last week’s disastrous outing at Sevilla, Manchester United were eying the Europa League Cup to add to the Carabao Cup they havd won and also keeping the FA Cup in view.
Now they can only hope to win two titles this season as the FA Cup is the only other realistic title they can win in addition to the earlier League Cup.
But their local rivals, tagged the ‘noisy neighbours’ in the glorious era of Sir Alex Fergusson, Manchester City still have three trophies in sight.
They could still upstage front-runners, Arsenal in the Premier League title race. They are still in the Champions League where they are semi-finalists and also finalists in the FA Cup.
Their local rivals with no realistic chance of winning the Premiership are laying ambush at the FA Cup final.
Erik ten Hag , according to ESPN said that Manchester United “will give everything” to stop Manchester City replicating their 1999 Treble after reaching the FA Cup final.
City have the Premier League title, the Champions League and the FA Cup in their sights this season, but will have to beat neighbours United in the FA Cup final on June 3 if they want to win all three trophies.
And Ten Hag, has reassured fans they will do everything to stop City winning the cup and with it preserve United’s record as the only English team to win the Treble.
“We will give everything and when I say everything, that is everything, more than 100 percent you can’t do, the fans can rely on that.” Ten Hag said. “We want to give that against City, we want to give the fans that. “We have to play the perfect game, it was the perfect game we played this season, we have to go again, we know that.
“But first of all, we have to focus on different occasions because we have to be in the top four.”
After overcoming Brighton at Wembley, Ten Hag also had praise for the character of his team, particularly after their Europa League exit to Sevilla on Thursday.
David De Gea bounced back from a poor display in Spain to make key saves while Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho scored in the shoot-out after both missed in England‘s European Championship final defeat to Italy in the same stadium on 2021.
“David played a great game, in and out of possession, he made some great saves, he’s done that so often this season, great saves,” Ten Hag added. “We have the most clean sheets in the Premier League, today a clean sheet as well, because we were so determined, we were fighting for it, we were organised.
“They had chances, we had our chances as well on the transition and in direct play and we’re happy with that. From Rashy and Jadon about penalties, we knew that, but we knew also they’re comfortable on penalties, they dealt with it, it’s a time ago, but they are so calm and composed in training with penalties.
“I know this is a different occasion, but I think it’s great they had this experience now and I think it will help them for the future. I don’t think there’s a hesitation, before there was never a hesitation because they are really good penalty takers.”
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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