Category: Football (Soccer)

From exposed anxieties to unexpected heroes, this weekend’s cup contests papered over a weird three-week Premier League break

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The soccer calendar has been particularly quirky this year. There’s always an international break in March, but because this year’s edition involved World Cup qualifying playoffs, most games were scheduled for the Thursday and the Tuesday, which meant there was very little soccer played over the weekend; barely even a smattering of friendlies.

For a Saturday in early spring, it all felt very weird; it was a day for pacing the floors, wondering how on earth people who don’t like soccer fill the time. And with the Carabao Cup final falling the previous Sunday, and the FA Cup sixth round this weekend, that has meant a three-week hiatus in the title race. Which has been disorienting and, perhaps, not entirely to Arsenal’s benefit.

Kirby’s class helps stun Arsenal, Palmer shows leadership potential for Chelsea and teenager Shaw makes her mark for Liverpool

Securing their Premier League status for another year remains a priority for West Ham and Leeds this season, so the eight changes Nuno Espírito Santo and Daniel Farke made between them for this tie, which developed into a drama-drenched classic, was understandable to a degree. Still, in Ao Tanaka, Leeds have a gem of a fringe player, who looked eager to make something of his opportunity. The Japanese international has not started in the league since 14 December, but Leeds fans have consistently called for him to have more involvement and he showed why with a tremendous opener at the London Stadium, which was all of his own making. In stark contrast to Tanaka’s performance was that of Max Kilman, who has not been trusted to start for West Ham since 3 January when they were beaten 3-0 by the bottom club, Wolves. The centre-back looked rusty and gave away a clear penalty with a poor challenge on Anton Stach – he was even booed by his own fans at points in the game. Dominic Booth

The quadruple dream may be dead but Arsenal are now just four games from achieving an unprecedented nonruple

And then there were two. As the clock ticked down at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday night even the stray yellow balloons on the pitch had begun to take on a weirdly mocking quality.

The balloons were almost too much, like metaphors-for-hire in an arthouse film, popping up in shot every time Arsenal tried to transform another spell of mechanical pressure into creative, incisive football. Your dreams? Your dreams are just air inside a polymer shell. Your dreams are a squeaky veneer. Even when you try to take agency over your dreams, or at least stamp on them before a set piece, they will scoot away and bobble about annoyingly near the corner flag.

Lucas Perri saved twice in a penalty shootout s as Leeds reached their first FA Cup semi-final since 1987

1 min West Ham kick off from left to right as we watch. You’ll be pleased to hear that national treasure Danny Dyer is in attendance at the London Stadium.

“If he organisers are trying to recapture some of the long-faded ‘magic of the cup’, they’ll need to turn the pitch at Wembley into a quagmire for any potential meeting of Chelsea and Leeds,” writes Justin Kavanagh. “The 1970 FA Cup final was famously played the day after the Horse of the Year Show, and looked more suited to WWI trench warfare than a football match, even one in the 70s. May I suggest that England’s national stadium offer to host Ireland’s National Ploughing Championships on the same week?”

• Arne Slot under pressure before Champions League tie

• Van Dijk questions togetherness after 15th loss of season

Virgil van Dijk believes Liverpool “gave up” during their FA Cup defeat at Manchester City and has apologised to fans for the woeful performance that heightens the pressure on Arne Slot.

A dejected Liverpool captain was unsparing in his assessment of the heaviest defeat of Slot’s reign and claimed it will be difficult for the team to recover for Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain.

• Liam Rosenior ‘had a really good conversation’ with Enzo Fernández

• Chelsea vice-captain suspended for 7-0 FA Cup win over Port Vale

Liam Rosenior has insisted he is in a “very good place” with Enzo Fernández as he looked to move on from the controversy of the Chelsea vice-captain’s comments during the international window.

Fernández appeared to cast doubt on his Chelsea future when he talked glowingly about the former Real Madrid midfielders Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić, and mentioned Madrid as the European city in which he would most like to live.

Tonda Eckert’s impressive team went at Arsenal from the get-go and were rewarded with a place in the semi-finals

1 min: Saints are on the front foot immediately, Fellows romping into space down the right. He takes one touch too many, though, allowing Lewis-Skelly to put a stop to his gallop. An early statement of intent from the hosts.

Arsenal get the ball rolling. Plenty of noise, the St Mary’s faithful marching in.

It will take more than a thumping FA Cup quarter-final victory over the worst team in League One to ignite Chelsea’s season as it enters the defining stretch. This was, at least, a step in the right direction. Or, perhaps, it was just good for the club to avoid any further chaos.

The occasion was framed by Liam Rosenior’s decision to ban his vice-captain, Enzo Fernández, for the game and Chelsea’s next one, which is here against Manchester City in the Premier League next Sunday. The manager felt he had to act after Fernández’s none-too-subtle message to Real Madrid during the international break. Basically, he is bang up for joining them.

• ‘Mentality wasn’t there’ in 4-0 loss to Manchester City

• Slot adds ‘the amount of goals we score is far too low’

Arne Slot slammed Liverpool’s “missing fighting spirit” after the 4-0 humiliation by Manchester City that propelled Pep Guardiola’s team into the FA Cup semi-finals.

The manner of the 4-0 reverse will heighten scrutiny of the head coach’s future, with Liverpool next at Paris Saint-Germain for Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg. A similar defeat in the tie may prove terminal for Slot.

When Erling Haaland swept the ball home for a first Manchester City hat-trick since August 2024 it sent swathes of Liverpool fans for the exits. Only 57 minutes were gone yet City were cruising at 4-0 and Arne Slot’s men were being schooled.

Haaland’s third, in which Jérémy Doku and Nico O’Reilly walked the ball through Liverpool before the No 9 hooked in off the bar, epitomised the pathetic response to the striker’s 39th-minute penalty opener.

Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick and Mo Salah had a penalty saved as City trounced their old rivals at the Etihad

Pre-match optimism

“You may not be entirely surprised to learn that I’m not confident about this game,” writes proud Welshman and Liverpool fan Matt Dony. “But, having not terribly enjoyed the international break, it would be nice to have something to cheer about. So I’m trying to be rational! The Liverpool XI is strong. City aren’t the force they used to be. The unpredictability of knock-out competition. Szoboszlai has been unplayable at times this season. There are reasons to be cheerful! (City are still going to win, aren’t they? I hate football…)”

News and discussion ahead of the FA Cup quarter-finals, with Manchester City hosting Liverpool

The Women’s FA Cup is being played, too. Suzanne Wrack runs the rule over the ties.

Arsenal v Brighton, Sunday 1pm

Charlton v Liverpool, Sunday 2.30pm

Chelsea v Tottenham, Monday 1.30pm

Birmingham v Manchester City, Monday 5pm

Peretz was inspired by the Germany goalkeeper as a boy – he had a giant photo of the 2014 World Cup-winner on his bedroom wall – but in Bavaria Neuer, who turned 40 last week, morphed into a mentor. “[It went] from admiring the players, to them becoming my friends and my teammates.

“I watched every single save [Neuer] made and then he was with me day by day and he became a friend,” Peretz says, recalling the emotions of their first encounter. “I was sweating all over, so nervous that I could not speak. I had goosebumps, everything.”