FA Cup round up
Manchester City will face Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
Crystal Palace, who beat Everton 4-0 and have never won the FA Cup, play last year’s beaten finalists Chelsea in a London derby in the other game.
Liverpool were made to work hard against Nottingham Forest but eventually progressed thanks to Diogo Jota’s goal.
Chelsea won 2-0 at Middlesbrough on Saturday, while Manchester City picked up a 4-1 success at Southampton.
Carabao Cup winners Liverpool are chasing a quadruple this year, while Premier League leaders City are in the hunt for a Treble.
The semi-final ties will both be held at Wembley on the weekend of 16 and 17 April.
Romelu Lukaku scored his 12th goal of the season as Chelsea beat Championship side Middlesbrough to reach the FA Cup semi-finals.
Middlesbrough had knocked out Manchester United and Tottenham on their way to the quarter-finals but their hopes of claiming another Premier League victim were dealt an early blow when Lukaku tapped in from Mason Mount’s cross after a quick Chelsea counter.
Hakim Ziyech made it 2-0 midway through the first half with a superb dipping effort from the edge of the box before Lukaku was denied a second when Anfernee Dijksteel cleared off the line.
Middlesbrough showed plenty of endeavour in the second half as they looked to mount an unlikely comeback, with Arsenal loanee Folarin Balogun shooting wide after a promising counter, while Duncan Watmore also sent an effort over the bar from a good position.
However, Chelsea could have grabbed a late third when substitute Timo Werner met a free-kick but Middlesbrough goalkeeper Joe Lumley did well to palm away.Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says not many players in world football could have scored Phil Foden’s goal in the 4-1 win at Southampton.
The Saints were in contention for more than an hour in a tight encounter at St Mary’s after Aymeric Laporte’s own goal on the stroke of half-time cancelled out Raheem Sterling’s early effort.
This FA Cup quarter-final turned on Mohammed Salisu’s reckless challenge on Gabriel Jesus that saw Kevin de Bruyne restore City’s lead from the penalty spot after 62 minutes, effectively ending Southampton’s challenge.
Foden came off the bench to score a magnificent third and Riyad Mahrez rounded the afternoon off with 12 minutes left.
Guardiola claimed Foden and Mahrez made the difference in breaking down a brave Southampton side.
Speaking about the 21-year-old England international’s goal, the City boss said: “A few, there are not many but a few, he is one of them who has [the ability to score from there].
“He has an incredible shot, he’s quick, fast, he’s a fantastic player – we know it. Close to the box he has a sense of goal, he was really brilliant.
“It was a tight game, it was [like] in the Premier League games against Southampton because of the quality they have. They are incredibly organised and in front of the ball they are so aggressive and of course have a good build-up.
“But after 2-1, the second half we were much much better and in the end the quality from Phil and Riyad made the difference.”
City will face Liverpool for a place in the final, while Chelsea take on Crystal Palace in the other semi-final.
Liverpool will play Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley after edging past Nottingham Forest in a pulsating encounter at the City Ground.
Diogo Jota scored the only goal of the game for the visitors, prodding in Konstantinos Tsimikas’ cross from the left with 12 minutes remaining.
Jurgen Klopp’s quadruple-chasing side dominated possession but were made to work for their victory by their relentless Championship opponents.
Steve Cooper’s side saw a late penalty appeal turned down by VAR when midfielder Ryan Yates fell after a challenge with Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson.
The hosts will also surely regard Philip Zinckernagel’s miss as decisive to the outcome, the Danish winger side-footing wide from six yards from Brennan Johnson’s inviting cross just a couple of minutes before Jota’s goal.
While Forest had already beaten both Arsenal and Leicester in this season’s competition, they found themselves taking a significant step up in class against Liverpool despite Klopp making seven changes to his starting XI.
And while they were galvanised by the electric atmosphere in what was the first meeting between the clubs in the FA Cup since the rescheduled 1989 semi-final that followed the Hillsborough disaster, they spent long periods of the game under severe pressure.
Yates also had a chance to head a late equaliser, but Liverpool, who also carved open several excellent opportunities of their own, deservedly advanced to the last four.
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