Manchester United came out on top against Liverpool in dramatic fashion on Saturday, advancing to the FA Cup semi finals. They came out victors after Amad Diallo’s 120th minute game-winner in extra time ended Liverpool’s hopes of winning the quadruple.
Scott McTominay gave Man United the lead inside 10 minutes, but a couple quickfire goals from Alexis Mac Allister and Mohamed Salah turned the game heading into halftime.
It looked like Liverpool would be able to hold off United but a late goal at the end of regulation by Antony in the 87th minute forced extra time.
In the extra minutes, Harvey Elliot put Liverpool back in front with a deflected goal. Marcus Rashford answered though to keep the score level at 3-3. In the end the difference in the game came from the boot of Amad, squeezing one past Caoimhin Kelleher to send United fans into a frenzy.
It should be noted that the Liverpool trio Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo all sustained injuries in the defeat. Diaz played 114 minutes of the game before being replaced for Bobby Clark. Nunez played the entire match, while Gakpo came on as a second half substitute for Mohamed Salah. This could be costly for Liverpool in the coming weeks as they look to challenge for the top of the Premier League table.
Arguably the biggest surprise of the FA Cup so far came from Wolves’ Molineux Stadium, as Coventry reached the semi-final for only the second time in the club’s history.
Ellis Simms gave Coventry the lead in the second half scoring in the 53rd minute but the Wolves hit back with two goals in the last 10 minutes. First Rayan Ait-Nouri drove one in and then Hugo Bueno powered one past the keeper. It looked like Wolves had sealed their spot in the semi-finals at this point.
Simms however had other plans, finding the back of the net again with a close-range header in the 97th minute. The game-winner came even deeper into extra time as Haji Wright curled a beautiful goal past Jose Sa to sneak a historic win.
Coventry will return to Wembley for the first time since their playoff final heartbreak last season to take on United. They just missed out on a place in the Premier League earlier this year in a penalty shoot-out defeat to Luton Town.
Current FA Cup holders Manchester City handled Newcastle rather easily, 2-0, to advance to the semi-finals to face Chelsea.
Chelsea on the other hand had a narrow escape in their match against Leicester City on Sunday to reach the last four. Bernardo Silva made sure that City’s return to Wembley was a successful one with two goals in the win.
Chelsea on the other hand, needed late goals from Carney Chukwuemeka and Noni Madueke to confirm their place in the semis. They got off to a good start with a rare strike from Marc Cucurella and Cole Palmer’s 16th goal of the season giving Chelsea a two-goal lead.
From there Chelsea had a disastrous own-goal from Axel Disasi which gave Leicester some hope. Just 10 minutes later Stephy Mavididi leveled the scoring to complete the comeback. The momentum was on Leicester’s side with about half an hour to go.
The draw didn’t last long as defender Callum Doyle was sent off shortly after for a challenge on Nicholas Jackson. Chelsea capitalized on being a man up to score two goals in the final minutes to move into the next round.
FA Cup Semi Finals
The semi finals are set for the FA Cup with Manchester United to play Coventry City in one semi final and Man City and Chelsea will meet in the other. Man United will be heavy favourites in their matchup which City will go into the backend of the tournament as the front-runner. Based on recent performances a repeat of last year’s final between City and United could be on the cards.
The semi-finals will be played at Wembley on April 20 and April 21, while the final will be held on Saturday, May 25.
