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Tag: FA Cup

Harry to dump Gunners FA cup final for wedding

Prince Harry’s much awaited wedding has been fixed for May 19 and is set to clash with the FA Cup final where Arsenal hopefully hopes to be a contender

It’s the only trophy Arsenal have won since 2004, but Gunners fan Prince Harry won’t be at Wembley on May 19, even if Arsene Wenger’s holders reach another FA Cup final.

The north London side upset Premier League champions Chelsea 2-1 at the national stadium last term to capture a record 13th FA Cup and their third in the last four seasons.

Arsenal will face Nottingham Forest in the third round next month, and supporters can harbour realistic ambitions of watching their team, who have also progressed to the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup, attempt to reach another decider next year in one of world football’s oldest competitions.

Harry, though, will not be in attendance, regardless of which teams are involved.

And the Football Association could also be hard pressed to find a member of the Royal Family to present the trophy to the winners, given the youngest son of Prince Charles will marry American actress Meghan Markle at Windsor Castle on the same day as the FA Cup final.

His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales and Ms. Meghan Markle will marry on 19th May 2018.

Today’s announcement follows earlier confirmation of the month of the wedding and its location at St George’s Chapel,

Harry’s brother William, the second in line to the throne, will also have to excuse himself from his duties as president of the FA, and hope his team Aston Villa – who lost to the Gunners in the final of the 2014-15 competition – do not mount an unlikely run to the decider.

December 15, 2017
Liverpool draw Everton in FA Cup 3rd round

… Arsenal meet Nottingham Forest

Liverpool will welcome Merseyside rivals Everton in the English FA Cup third round while holders Arsenal face a trip to second-tier Nottingham Forest following Monday’s draw.

English Premier League leaders Manchester City are at home to Burnley, 12-times winners Manchester United host second-tier Derby County while Chelsea are away at Norwich City.

Brighton & Hove Albion were pulled out of the hat at home to arch rivals Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough entertain Sunderland in a mouth-watering north-east clash.

The third round, to be played from January 5 to January 7, sees teams from the Premier League and second-tier Championship join the competition.

Read also : Henderson admits Liverpool played below par

Non-league side AFC Fylde could potentially land a lucrative encounter at top-flight Bournemouth should they upset third-tier pacesetters Wigan Athletic in their second round replay.

Fleetwood and Hereford will battle it out in their replay to face 2016 Premier League champions Leicester City.

Struggling West Ham United travel to Shrewsbury Town, who are currently second in England’s third tier.

The pairings:

Ipswich Town vs Sheffield United

Watford vs Bristol City

Birmingham City vs Burton Albion

Liverpool vs Everton

Brighton & Hove Albion vs Crystal Palace

Aston Villa vs Woking or Peterborough United

Bournemouth vs AFC Fylde or Wigan Athletic

Coventry City vs Stoke City

Newport County vs Leeds United

Bolton Wanderers vs Huddersfield Town

Port Vale vs Bradford City

Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal

Brentford vs Notts County

Queens Park Rangers vs MK Dons

Manchester United vs Derby County

Forest Green Rovers vs West Bromwich Albion or Exeter City

Doncaster Rovers vs Slough Town or Rochdale

Tottenham Hotspur vs AFC Wimbledon

Middlesbrough vs Sunderland

Fleetwood or Hereford vs Leicester City

Blackburn Rovers vs Hull City or Crewe Alexandra

Cardiff City vs Mansfield Town

Manchester City vs Burnley

Shrewsbury Town vs West Ham United

Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Swansea City

Stevenage vs Reading

Newcastle United vs Luton Town

Millwall vs Barnsley

Fulham vs Southampton

Wycombe Wanderers vs Preston North End

Norwich City vs Chelsea

Gillingham vs Sheffield Wednesday or Carlisle United

NAN

December 5, 2017
Ramsey meets fan in cloud 9 over his FA Cup winner

Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey has met an Australian fan who credits the Welshman with turning his life around by scoring the winning goal in the 2014 FA Cup final.

Sydney-based Gunners fan Rohit Padmanabhan was suffering from depression three years ago, following a split from his long-term partner and the death of his grandmother.

But the dark clouds rolled back after Ramsey fired home the winner against Hull City at Wembley, prompting the devoted fan to get a tattoo of his hero on his forearm.

And as Ramsey and his Arsenal team-mates touched down in Sydney at the start of their pre-season tour, 23-year-old Padmanabhan had the chance to thank the Welshman for saving him.

Padmanabhan was waiting at 5am at Kingsford Smith Airport as the Gunners’ plane touched down and shared a few moments with Ramsey as he walked through arrivals.

He told the Islington Gazette: ‘When Aaron Ramsey told me to walk with him and tell him a little bit of the story behind the tattoo I couldn’t believe my luck.

‘My emotions were all over the place but luckily I got him to sign his autograph right under my tattoo – and immediately got that as another tattoo as well.

‘I told him that he does change lives and that even if he’s vilified by many, I think there’s no-one quite as special as him.

‘He actually said to me: ‘No-one’s done this before’ and asked me what made me decide to get it.

‘He just seemed touched and I was just happy to get my moment with him.’

The inking, on Padmanabhan’s right forearm, features Ramsey’s face and the FA Cup trophy.

That day was certainly a rollercoaster for all Arsenal fans as they battled back from two goals down to Hull to win thanks to strikes from Santi Cazorla, Laurent Koscielny and Ramsey’s extra time winner.

Padmanabhan recalled of Ramsey’s winner: ‘I felt a surge of unexplainable happiness. I felt I could believe in life again and that hope is one of the most marvellous things to grace this Earth.

‘That’s why I got the tattoo – to remind myself that fate can always have something good in store even in the darkest of times.’

Padmanbhan got the Ramsey tattoo done last week in the knowledge that Ramsey and Arsenal were coming to Sydney for the first leg of their pre-season tour.

They are to play two A-League teams during their visit, Sydney FC on Thursday and Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday.

July 11, 2017
Sanchez in holiday cruise with his dogs

Alexis Sanchez has returned to Spain to enjoy some well-earned rest with his dogs while speculation continues to surround his Arsenal future back home in England.

Sanchez has been continually linked with a move away from the Emirates after the Gunners failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 20 years.

However, the 28-year-old forward has jetted out on holiday to take a break from football just days after helping the club claim the FA Cup in the final game of the season.

The Chilean, who spent three seasons playing for Barcelona, returned to Spain this week to enjoy some time in the sun alongside two of his best friends – his golden retrievers, Atom and Humber.

Sanchez has become famous for his displays of affection for his dogs and regularly posts pictures of the pair to the Instagram page he set up for them last August.

He took to social media once again on Thursday to post a picture of the dogs relaxing on the deck of a boat, with one of the canines wearing his sunglasses.

The Chile international also recorded a video of himself kissing one of his dogs in front of a swimming pool in idyllic conditions.

Sanchez has stalled on a new contract with the Gunners and is thought to be holding out for a deal worth £300,000 a week.

Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester City have all been linked with the striker, who scored 30 goals in all competitions for Arsenal last season.

June 2, 2017
Thierry Henry flashes tattoos at coaching conference

Saturday sees a repeat of the 2002 FA Cup final between Arsenal and Chelsea, with the two London clubs once again lining up for the showpiece event.

One man who starred for the Gunners on that occasion 15 years ago was Thierry Henry, who saw his side win 2-0 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff thanks to goals from Ray Parlour and Fredrik Ljungberg.

But with the final approaching at Wembley Stadium, heavily-tattooed Henry’s focus was elsewhere on Friday and Saturday as the 39-year-old spoke, and met some famous faces, at the Football Association of Wales’ National Coaches Conference 2017.

A suited-up Henry joined the likes of Ian Rush, Mikel Arteta and Chris Coleman at the event held at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport on Friday, before switching to a more casual outfit as the Frenchman addressed an audience about coaching techniques in a red Wales training top on Saturday.

Henry recently spoke of his fear that Arsenal’s failure to ensure qualification to the Champions League this season could result in their star man Alexis Sanchez moving on in the summer.

‘I hope that he’s going to stay but he wants to be in the Champions League, he wants to be in a club that is competing at least and it hasn’t happened recently [at Arsenal],’ Henry told Sky Sports

‘I’m talking about in the Champions League and Premier League because he won the FA Cup already with Arsenal.

‘Who knows what’s going to happen with him? Is he going to listen to other teams that are going to come and get him?’

May 27, 2017
Welbeck hopes FA Cup victory can console Arsenal

Arsenal are disappointed with their fifth-placed Premier League finish but focused on winning the FA Cup final against Chelsea on Saturday, striker Danny Welbeck has said.

Arsenal’s five-game winning streak at the end of the season was not enough to grab a Champions League spot as the club stuttered in the second half of the season, losing six and drawing one of the previous 11 games before the unbeaten run.

‘As a club, with the way the season’s panned out, it’s not a (league) position we want to be in at all,’ Welbeck told the club’s official website.

‘We know that we’ve got the opportunity of playing in the FA Cup final and it’s something we really want to do our best in.’

Welbeck missed the FA Cup final in 2015 through injury as Arsenal won the competition for the second time in as many years but the England international is looking ahead to Saturday’s showdown against the newly crowned Premier League champions.

‘With the last cup final, I wasn’t on the pitch and that was disappointing for me… ‘ Welbeck said.

‘It’s difficult but it’s now something that’s behind me and you can’t change it. I’ve got the final to look forward to this season, so it’s something that I’m going to enjoy. I’m going to play the game and try to win the final.’

Welbeck has played at Wembley several times with England, Arsenal and former club Manchester United.

‘If you know the surroundings a bit better, it gives you that kind of familiarity,’ Welbeck added.

‘It’s a great place to play and what better occasion than the FA Cup final. Hopefully we’ll be able to lift the cup again.’

May 24, 2017
THE FA CUP CHELSEA EDGE TOTTENHAM IN THRILLING SEMI-FINAL

LATE goals from Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matric sealed a 4-2 victory for Chelsea over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a rip-roaring FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday.

It was only the fourth time in the competition that a semi-final had featured the current top two in the top flight and it did not disappoint as the title rivals produced a sizzling contest.

Brazilian Willian, surprisingly selected ahead of Hazard in the starting line-up, twice put Chelsea ahead, first after four minutes with a free kick and then close to halftime from the penalty spot.

Twice Tottenham roared back with Harry Kane heading them level after 18 minutes and Dele Alli making it 2-2 with a superb finish seven minutes after the break.

Tottenham, who are four points behind Chelsea in the league after a brilliant run of form, dominated at times but their hopes of a first FA Cup final since 1991 were sunk late on.

First Hazard, who replaced Willian with half an hour remaining, buried a low shot past Hugo Lloris after 75 minutes, then Matic’s 30-metre pile-driver sank Spurs who have won only one of their last nine matches at Wembley and have now lost in seven successive FA Cup semi-finals.

April 23, 2017
Gabriel Jesus dedicates new phone celebration to mum

Manchester City ace Gabriel Jesus is on the verge of making his comeback from injury and to celebrate the Brazilian youngster has got a brand new tattoo, dedicated affectionately to his mother Vera.

The starlet made a blistering start to life in the Premier League prior to suffering a broken metatarsal, even managing to dislodge star man Sergio Aguero from the starting XI.

Following the goals which instantly began to flow for Gabriel, his ‘phonecall celebration’ quickly became a trademark.

And now the youngster has immortalised the gesture with ink upon his body, in a tattoo which pays tribute to his mother.

Taking to social media platform Instagram Gabriel shared a snap of the fresh tatt, along with the captoin ‘Alo Mae’ – translating to ‘Hello Mother.’

Gabriel showed off his new ink to his 2.2million followers which quickly gathered rave reception.

The design features Gabriel’s phone symbol hand gesture which he first produced after scoring for the Brazilian national team in a 2-0 win over Venezuela.

His mother Vera had rang him prior to the match, concerned about the pressure that was being placed upon her son in the absence of star man Neymar.

The youngster took to the match with aplomb and bagged a spectacular effort before sealing it with his now famous phone celebration.

Gabriel later explained: ‘It was a joke with my friends, a ‘hello, mother’. My friends know why. My mother knows too. It was a celebration for them.’

City are hoping on an outside chance that Gabriel could return from injury in time to face Arsenal in the semi-final of the FA Cup.

The skillful forward has returned to training recently for his side, though boss Pep Guardiola is unconvinced on a potential early return for his player.

Gabriel has returned to training and is on the brink of making his return for Manchester City

‘He’s getting better. The last two sunny days he was on the pitch. Normally when you see the weather in Manchester, you stay off the pitch,’ Guardiola said this week.

April 12, 2017
Arsenal thrash Lincoln 5-0 to reach FA Cup semi-finals

Non-league Lincoln City’s astonishing run in the FA Cup came to an end on Saturday as Arsenal remained on course for a 13 title by reaching the semi-finals.

Lincoln, 88 places below their Premier League opponents, held their own for much of the first half and even went close to scoring when Petr Cech saved Nathan Arnold’s curled effort.

However, Theo Walcott’s deflected strike gave the Gunners the lead on the stroke of half-time and Olivier Giroud put the hosts in control with a clinical strike just after the break.

Lincoln’s dreams of a fight back were dashed when Luke Waterfall scored an own goal, turning in Kieran Gibbs’ cross.

Alexis Sanchez added a brilliant fourth, expertly placing the ball beyond Lincoln goalkeeper Paul Farman’s reach, before Aaron Ramsey completed the win when he tapped in from Sanchez’s cross.

It was ultimately a routine victory for Arsenal and perhaps eased some of the pressure on Arsene Wenger, who is bidding for his seventh FA Cup triumph as Gunners boss.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a protest was held before the game by around 200 fans urging the club to not give the 67-year-old a new contract when his current deal expires this summer.

The other FA Cup quarterfinals match also played earlier today (Saturday) saw Manchester City beat Middlesbrough 2-0 at the Riverside Stadium.

Goals from David Silva and Sergio Aguero gave Manchester City a deserved win over Middlesbrough and earned Pep Guardiola’s side a place in the FA Cup semi-finals.

City have reached the last four of the FA Cup for the first time in four years as Guardiola aims to win some silverware in his first season in English football.

The Spanish manager also had the luxury of taking off Sane and Aguero before City play the second leg of their last-16 Champions League tie in Monaco on Wednesday. City hold a 5-3 lead after a thrilling first leg. (NAN)

March 11, 2017
Arsenal seek redemption in FA cup clash

It has not been a good week for Arsenal by any stretch of the imagination.

The Gunners dropped out of the Champions League, they’ve been hit with the news that Alexis Sanchez wants to leave and manager Arsene Wenger’s future remains up in the air.

But they have a chance to turn it all around when they take on Lincoln City in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday.

And their players seemed to be in good spirits – barring one frowning Chilean forward – as they ramped up their preparations for that game.

Reserve goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who is likely to start against the non-League side, could be seen in training pulling off a series of spectacular saves.

Per Mertesacker could also be seen enjoying himself as the giant German continued his return from a long-standing injury problem that has hugely hindered his season.

Mesut Ozil also looked back to his best after missing a number of Arsenal’s recent games through illness prior to his return against Bayern Munich.

Minnows Lincoln will be confronted by a scene unlike any they have faced before when they emerge in front of a crowd of 60,000 people at the Emirates on Saturday.

And Wenger believes that the fans can be a huge boost for any team, despite the disappointment of their 5-1 loss against Bayern.

March 10, 2017