Liverpool‘s quadruple chase faces Man Utd test, The pick of this weekend’s FA Cup quarter-final encounters comes under the bright lights of Old Trafford, as 12-time champions Manchester United pit their wits against eight-time winners Liverpool. Erik ten Hag’s troops eked out a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest to progress to the last eight, whereas the Reds’ young guns stole the spotlight in a 3-0 fifth-round beating of Southampton.
Whether the under-fire Ten Hag will still be in the hot seat at the end of the season is anybody’s guess – rumours have swirled that the Dutchman is not viewed as a long-term answer by Sir Jim Ratcliffe – but the ex-Ajax boss could yet lead the Red Devils to two major trophies in as many seasons.
On the back of last season’s EFL Cup stardom, the 20-time English champions were too hot for Wigan Athletic and Newport County to handle in the earlier rounds of the FA Cup, and they also navigated a Premier League-sized test in the shape of Nottingham Forest on February 28.
Following 88 scoreless minutes at the City Ground, the deftest of Casemiro touches from a Bruno Fernandes free kick propelled the Red Devils into the quarter-finals of the cup, where they have alternated between victories and defeats in their last eight appearances, losing one quarter-final match then winning the next since 2014-15.
Having made it all the way to Wembley last year, superstition is therefore not on the side of the 2022-23 runners-up, but recent form is more so, as they secured a seventh win from their last nine matches against Everton last weekend, where Fernandes and Marcus Rashford penalties did the damage.
The outcome could have been different had the Toffees managed to convert at least one of their plethora of chances, but profligacy has not been an issue for the Red Devils, who are now on a 13-match scoring streak across all competitions stretching back to Boxing Day.
Speaking of red-clad teams with red-hot attacking tendencies, Liverpool showed no mercy to Sparta Prague during the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday night, where they tore the Czech champions to shreds with an astonishing four goals in just 14 minutes.
Helped by some defensive catastrophes from their visitors, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo, Bobby Clark and the history-making Mohamed Salah all contributed to a barnstorming start, before Dominik Szoboszlai’s deflected effort and Gakpo’s second sealed a 6-1 win on the night and an 11-2 aggregate success.
With a little over two months of the season left to play, departing hero Jurgen Klopp could still add another three winners’ medals to his collection thanks to previous FA Cup wins over Arsenal, Norwich City and Southampton, the latter of which saw academy protégés Lewis Koumas and Jayden Danns (two) sparkle under the Anfield lights.
A 1-1 draw with Manchester City in their Premier League blockbuster means that the title is now officially in Arsenal’s hands, although the Gunners – who are only leading Liverpool on goal difference – must trek to the Etihad after the international break, where Reds fans ought to be praying for a stalemate as Gooners were on March 10.
Now unbeaten in nine games and boasting six wins from their last six FA Cup quarter-finals, Liverpool have a couple of wrongs to right against Man United, whom they drew 0-0 with at Anfield in December and lost 2-1 to at Old Trafford in August 2022 either side of their 7-0 Merseyside mauling, the Red Devils’ heaviest loss in the Premier League to date.
Klopp tips ‘world-class’ Salah to wreck Man United
Jurgen Klopp believes Mohamed Salah is ready to wreak more damage on Manchester United in tomorrow’s FA Cup quarter-final as the Egyptian gets back up to speed after a lengthy hamstring injury.
Salah scored in his first start at club level since January 1 as the Reds thrashed Sparta Prague 6-1 on Thursday to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
With that goal, Salah became the first Liverpool player to score 20 or more goals in seven consecutive seasons.
The 31-year-old has scored more goals against United than any other club, netting 12 times in 13 meetings, and his return is a huge boost to Liverpool’s quest for a potential quadruple.
In Klopp’s final season in charge, they have already lifted the League Cup and are also tied on points with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League.
And the German is hoping his talisman can prove decisive in the closing months of the season.
“Mo is pure quality and ask him what he likes the most about Manchester United,” Klopp told his pre-match press conference. “Just an exceptional guy, a world-class player and how we dealt without him is unbelievable. But it is better to have him around and on the pitch than just in the changing room.
“We could build him now with minutes and he is ready for Sunday.”
By contrast, United are enduring a miserable second season under Erik ten Hag, with the FA Cup representing their final shot at a trophy.
But they are the only side to have stopped Liverpool scoring this season in a 0-0 draw when the sides met at Anfield in December.
And despite Liverpool enjoying far greater success than their historic rivals during Klopp’s time in charge, he has only won on two of his nine visits to Old Trafford.
“It’s always a tough place to go for us,” said Klopp. “It means everything to both fan groups, we know that. We try to show that on the pitch as well with the work rate but you never know, there are no guarantees.”
Liverpool’s injury crisis is slowly beginning to clear, with Ibrahima Konate and Ryan Gravenberch in contention to make their return on Sunday.
But Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota remain sidelined until at least after the upcoming international break.
Pochettino eyes Wembley after Chelsea’s sleepless night
Mauricio Pochettino has urged Chelsea to book a return to Wembley in the FA Cup after revealing some of his nervous players were unable to sleep before their League Cup final defeat against Liverpool.
Pochettino’s inconsistent side host Championship leaders Leicester in the last eight of the FA Cup tomorrow.
With the semi-finals of the competition held at Wembley, a win would give Chelsea the chance to make amends for their 1-0 loss to Liverpool in the League Cup showpiece in February.
The Blues have a largely youthful squad and Pochettino admitted their lack of big-game experience caused some of them to endure a restless night ahead of the final at the national stadium.
“Between you and me some players didn’t sleep before the final,” the Chelsea boss told reporters.
“That is only through experience, and living these situations, you can be better. We learn through experience. With pain you learn more.
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“To go back to Wembley would be different. Another semi-final would be so good for us. To have the chance to reach the final and qualify for Europe through the FA Cup would be massive.”
It has been a difficult first season in charge for Pochettino, with Chelsea languishing in 11th place in the Premier League.
Despite spending more than £1 billion ($1.28 billion) on new signings since co-owner Todd Boehly bought the club in 2022, Chelsea’s wait to lift a domestic trophy has reached six years.
Ending that drought would ease the pressure on Pochettino, who has endured calls for his sacking from frustrated Chelsea fans.
Asked what he regarded as success at Stamford Bridge, Pochettino said: “I don’t know. It’s a strange year.
“Sometimes the expectations are high, sometimes low, it depends on the mood in England. It’s like the weather, sometimes rain and sometimes sunny.
“It’s not interesting to people what I think about what it means to be successful. If you ask me I can explain the situation, the reality.
“We arrived, working. We are trying to be very supportive in all the things the club are building here. We are trying to add our knowledge to do something different.”
Pochettino’s hopes of an uplifting end to the season could rest on Cole Palmer, with the dynamic forward emerging as the fulcrum of Chelsea’s attack since his move from Manchester City in September.
Palmer scored and assisted in Monday’s 3-2 win against Newcastle and has 13 goals in all competitions for the club this season.
The 21-year-old has been named England’s squad for their Euro 2024 warm-up friendlies against Brazil and Belgium following his breakthrough campaign.
“It’s no surprise that he’s showing great personality and character. The way he adapted to the pressure to play for a big club like Chelsea makes him special,” Pochettino said.
“Sometimes amazing players need time to deal with this. But he feels like he has been here 20 years. The quality is there.”
Howe cautious over Gordon’s injury
Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon’s knee injury is not serious and he could play against Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals today, manager Eddie Howe has said.
Gordon earned his first England senior call-up on Thursday for the forthcoming internationals against Brazil and Belgium, although there were doubts over his fitness.
The 23-year-old was forced off in the 3-2 Premier League defeat by Chelsea on Monday and there were fears that he could have suffered a serious injury.
But Howe was upbeat ahead of the clash at City.
“It was a strange one because initially when you see a player come off like that you do fear that there is a serious injury,” Howe told reporters. “But he partly trained yesterday, he joined in and did okay so I don’t think he did anything serious which is great news for us.
“We train again today, we will make a judgement after that.”
Gordon has impressed this season and England manager Gareth Southgate has rewarded him with a chance to stake a claim for inclusion in his squad for the European Championship.
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“Delighted for him as I know it’s been a big ambition of his,” Howe said. “He deserves it, he’s been outstanding this season and grown week on week, I’m delighted that’s been recognised. He has worked so hard . He scored goals, creates goals and has done brilliantly for the team.”
Of more concern for Howe is Newcastle’s defensive problems as they try to keep their season alive by pulling off a shock win at The Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
“We’ve analysed (Monday’s defeat) and gone through it and reflected on it, now we are going to the best team in the country in my opinion and we will need a big improvement in our defensive resilience.”
