Pep will visit Wembley for the 24th time when City take on Chelsea in this year’s FA Cup final. Klopp comes closest to Pep in Wembley appearances over the past decade, taking Liverpool there on six occasions.
City to meet Chelsea in blockbuster FA Cup final
Pep will visit Wembley for the 24th time when City take on Chelsea in this year’s FA Cup final. Klopp comes closest to Pep in Wembley appearances over the past decade, taking Liverpool there on six occasions. That tells you everything you need to know about City’s domestic dominance. City were made to grind it out in Saturday’s clash with 2nd tier Southampton, as a heavily rotated side struggled to match the Saint’s intensity. The likes of Foden and Marmoush looked desperately short of minutes and Guardiola needed to change things. The introduction of Jeremy Doku altered the entire complexion of the match. Lower-tier sides, no matter how organized they are, are always going to struggle against elite wingers with that little bit of unpredictability. Despite that, it was Southampton who took the lead through an exquisite goal from Finn Azaz. The goal brought City out of hibernation mode and they equalized just minutes later, as livewire Doku’s strike was fortuitously deflected into the back of the net. The Belgian continued to terrorize the Saints but it was Rodri’s understudy Nico Gonzalez who would land the killer blow, unleashing a monstrous piledriver to settle the tie.
Chelsea me Leeds in Sunday’s all-Premier League semifinal, with interim coach Calum McFarlane taking charge for the first time since Liam Rosenior’s sacking. Chelsea gave a thoroughly professional account of themselves, expressing themselves in the early stages before shutting up shop in the 2nd stanza. Enzo Fernandez gave a true captain’s performance after returning from his two-match ban, applying the finishing touches to a lovely team move to give Chelsea a 23rd minute lead. Oft-maligned Robin Sanchez may have endeared himself to some jaded Cheslea fans, making several excellent saves to preserve their slim advantage. The Blues managed to hold on, setting up a shot at silverware in what has been an otherwise disastrous campaign.
Arsenal return to the top in nervy fashion
Nothing is going to be easy in this title run-in. City proved that last Wednesday night, labouring against relegation-bound Burnley before prevailing by the thinnest of margins. This weekend was Arsenal’s turn to give their fanbase heart palpitations, as the Gunners held on for dear life to pick up all three points against a jaded Newcastle side. Arsenal started the match in incredible fashion, with playmaking dynamo Ebrahim Eze scoring a peach to give the Gunners a 9th minute lead. With goal-difference a potential factor, Arsenal fans sensed an opportunity to go for the jugular against Howe’s wounded Magpies. But the match didn’t pan out that way, as the Gunners’ recent lack of attacking fluidity came to bear. Arteta’s regressive instincts were once again on display, as Arsenal sat on their lead and Newcastle grew into the match (the Magpies ended with more possession). Fortunately for Arteta, his defensive lineup was up to the challenge. Hincapie was once again a standout, showing the grit of a street fighter in those 50/50 challenges. The win came at a potential cost, with Havertz and Eze limping off the field with suspected injuries (not exactly the players you want to be losing in a title-race that could swing on goals scored).
Barca on brink of La Liga crown
Real Madrid seem to be intent on crowning Barca champions themselves. Los Blancos had the early kickoff this past weekend, travelling to Real Betis for La Liga’s Friday-night amuse-bouche. Real looked like a team going through the motions, resigned to a rather meaningless end to the campaign. Despite that, Real took an early lead, with Vini Jr reacting quickest after Valles parried Valverde’s long-range effort. But there was very little conviction in the Real attacks, with Mbappe failing to influence the game in a more central role. And a plucky Betis side would punish Real’s tardiness, with Hector Bellerin- of all people- smashing the ball home after a frantic goalmouth scramble. It was a stinging self-inflicted blow that opened the door to arch-nemesis Barcelona.
And the Blaugrana didn’t miss a beat, winning at Getafe for the first time since 2019 to take one step closer to a 29th La Liga crown. Barca were largely frustrated in that first half, as Getafe’s low block resigned Barca to a few half-chances. But the match turned on a moment of magic, as midfield maestro Pedri threated the eye of the needle with a beautiful pass to Fermin Lopez. The Spanish forward gleefully accepted the invitation, slotting the ball home to take a 1-0 lead into the break. Getafe were forced to throw caution to the wind in the 2nd stanza and left themselves open on the break. Fleet-footed Marcus Rashford was the beneficiary of Getafe’s gung-ho enthusiasm, running half the length of the field before firing home to seal all three points. It was a calm, composed away showing that underlined Barca’s domestic dominance.
Bayern produce more heroics while Champions League race heats up
Did you really think that Die Roten would rest on their laurels after sewing up the Bundesliga last week? Vincent Kompany’s side could have been forgiven for phoning it in during their trip to Mainz. And to be fair, they kind of did in the first 45, going 3-0 down after Kompany rotated the squad and handed a start to Bara Sapoko Ndiaye. Kompany was proactive at the break, bringing on Olise and Kane to help spark a comeback for the ages. Bayern were a completely different animal, with Nicolas Jackson volleying home to make it 3-1 in the 53rd minute. Ballon d’or contender Olise was once again the star attraction, curling in a picture-book goal to make it 3-2 in the 73rd minute (inevitability was kicking in). Musiala levelled matters just seven minutes later, linking in spellbinding style with Olise before tapping in from close range. Goal-scoring supremo Harry Kane wasn’t about to miss out on the fun, capitalizing on some dreadful defending to the complete the comeback in extra time. Producing this type of football in what was essentially a dead match is exactly why Bayern are where they are. The ruthlessness and hunger of this squad know no bounds.
Elsewhere, the race for the Champions League spots remains as close as ever. Kasper Hjulmand’s Leverkusen kept their Champions League dreams alive with a crucial 2-1 win at Koln. The criminally underrated Patrick Schick netted a brace for Leverkusen, who are now just two points behind 4th placed Stuttgart. Stuttgart were the one top-four contender who blinked, drawing 1-1 at home to mid-table Werder Bremen in a result welcomed by both Hoffenheim and Leverkusen. Dortmund sealed their Champions League participation in style with a freewheeling 4-0 shellacking of Freiburg. RB Leipzig all but secured their spot with a resounding 3-1 win over Union Berlin. The final berth looks like it will come down to a straight shootout between Stuttgart, Leverkusen and Hoffenheim.
Inter creeping closer to title despite dropped points
Napoli did their best to inject some false life into the Scudetto race, destroying Cremonese 4-0 on Friday night. Kevin de Bruyne was in inspired form, scoring once and assisting another to show what the Partenopei have missed in his absence. The result temporarily cut Inter’s lead to nine points at the top of the table. The Nerazzuri knew that victory over Torino would essentially bring the title race to an end. Inter looked excellent for an hour or so, playing the type of relentless all-action football that has characterized Chivu-ball. Federico Dimarco was at his impish best down that left-hand flank, deliciously teeing up Marcus Thurman to make it 1-0 in the 23rd minute. The Italian wing-back wasn’t done dishing out gifts just yet, setting up Bisseck with an exquisite corner just after the hour mark. Inter appeared to be waltzing to a comfortable victory. But Torino launched a full-court press in that final 30 mins, clawing their way back to 2-2. Chivu will probably feel a bit frustrated but will still have two chances to win the title before that Coppa Italia final against Lazio.
Player of the Week- Federico Dimarco
I’m starting to run out of superlatives for Dimarco’s left foot. The Italian wizard is one of the deadliest creative forces in world football right now. Whether it’s in open play or from a dead ball, Dimarco’s left boot give Beckham’s right a run for its money. His two assists against Torino took him to 18 assists in Serie A this season, surpassing Papu Gomez’s previous record of 16 from the 2019/2020 campaign.
