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FA CUP DRAW: GERRARD’S ASTONVILLA TO FACE MANCHESTER UNITED, HOLDERS LEICESTER HOST WATFORD

The FA Cup third-round draw was revealed on Monday, with Manchester United hosting Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa and title holders Leicester City welcoming former coach Claudio Ranieri and Watford among the more notable fixtures.

The matches to be played from Jan. 7-10, include teams from the Premier League and second-tier Championship. Replays will return to this season’s competition after being dropped for COVID-19 enforced reasons last term.

It will be Liverpool legend Gerrard’s first trip to Old Trafford since taking over as Villa manager.

Ranieri led Leicester to their improbable run to the Premier League title in 2015-16. Now manager at Watford, Raneiri and his side will visit the Foxes, who earned the Cup under Brendan Rodgers last May in a 2-1 win over Chelsea at Wembley.

West Ham United hosting Leeds United is the other tie featuring two Premier League teams.

Other notable matchups include Chelsea hosting non-league side Chesterfield, Shrewsbury Town visiting Anfield to take on Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur welcoming Morecambe, Arsenal traveling to Nottingham Forest, and Manchester City away to Swindon Town.

FA Cup third round draw in full:

Boreham Wood v AFC Wimbledon

Yeovil Town v Bournemouth

Stoke City v Leyton Orient

Swansea City v Southampton

Chelsea v Chesterfield Town

Liverpool v Shrewsbury Town

Cardiff City v Preston North End

Coventry City v Derby County

Burnley v Huddersfield Town

West Bromwich Albion v Brighton & Hove Albion

Kidderminster Harriers v Reading

Leicester City v Watford

Mansfield Town v Middlesbrough

Hartlepool United v Blackpool

Hull City v Everton

Bristol City v Fulham

Tottenham Hotspur v Morecambe

Millwall v Crystal Palace

Port Vale v Brentford

Swindon Town v Manchester City

Wigan Athletic v Blackburn Rovers

Luton Town v Harrogate Town

Birmingham City v Plymouth Argyle

Manchester United v Aston Villa

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Sheffield United

Newcastle United v Cambridge United

Barnsley v Ipswich Town or Barrow

Peterborough United v Bristol Rovers

West Ham United v Leeds United

Queens Park Rangers v Rotherham United

Charlton Athletic v Norwich City

Nottingham Forest v Arsenal

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Mikel Arteta given five games to save Arsenal job

Mikel Arteta‘s future as Arsenal head coach is set to be decided within the next five games, according to a report.

Despite lifting the FA Cup at the end of the 2019-20 season, the Spaniard has endured a difficult reign at the helm, guiding his side to successive eighth-placed league finishes, with the latter causing the Gunners to miss out on European football for the first time in 25 years.

Arteta has also overseen a disappointing start to the 2020-21 campaign with the North London club, suffering back-to-back 2-0 defeats against Brentford and Chelsea in their opening two Premier League games.

The 39-year-old is now under increased pressure to turn the club’s fortunes around and according to the Daily Telegraph, the Arsenal boss has until the second international break in October to save his job.

Arteta’s next match in the dugout is for the League Cup second round clash at home against West Bromwich Albion tonight, before a trip to Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday.

League encounters against Norwich City and Burnley will then follow in September before they welcome North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur to the Emirates Stadium later that month.

If Arteta is relieved of his duties, then Arsenal will reportedly consider the appointment of former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, who is currently out of work after leaving Inter Milan in May

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LEICESTER CITY BEAT CHELSEA TO WIN MAIDEN FA CUP TROPHY

Leicester City won their first ever FA Cup with a 1-0 victory over Chelsea thanks to a stunning goal from Youri Tielemans on Saturday at Wembley.

The midfielder produced a fantastic goal in the second half to earn Leicester a historic victory.

The win also sees Brendan Rodgers earn his first ever major trophy in English football.

The result sees Chelsea lose back-to-back FA Cup finals after suffering defeat at the hands of Arsenal last season.

Thomas Tuchel’s side will have another chance to collect silverware when they meet Manchester City in the Champions League final later this month.

Wembley hosted close to 20,000 people for the final which is the largest attendance at a football ground since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

It was a very cagey start to the match with the first chance coming after 24 minutes when Mason Mount’s strike outside of the area was deflected wide.

Chelsea had another opportunity to open the scoring moments later but Timo Werner flicked off the ball away from the Cesar Azpilicueta who was free for a tap-in.

Leicester suffered a blow just after the half an hour mark when Jonny Evans had to be brought off with an injury, and was replaced by Marc Albrighton.

Leicester’s best chance came when Tielemans produced a lofted pass to Jamie Vardy who headed wide before the break. The first half ended without a single attempt on target from both sides.

It was another slow start to the half but the game was brought to life after 63 minutes when Tielemans scored with a stunning long-range effort.

Chelsea introduced Christian Pulisic and Ben Chilwell after the goal and the latter came close to an equaliser after 77 minutes but his header was denied by a great Kasper Schmeichel save.

Schmeichel made an even better stop with four minutes remaining when he denied a Mount volley from inside the box.

Chilwell thought he had grabbed late equaliser but it was ruled out for offside and Leicester held on for the win.

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IHEANACHO SCORES AS LEICESTER HOLD OFF SOUTHAMPTON TO REACH FA CUP FINAL

Kelechi Iheanacho scored the game’s only goal as Leicester City saw out a narrow victory over Southampton at Wembley on Sunday night to book a spot against Chelsea in the FA Cup final

Leicester, who have never won the FA Cup, had the better of the chances in the first half and might have gone ahead near the half-hour mark when Jamie Vardy got in behind the Saints defence, but his chipped shot sailed just wide of the far post.

Iheanacho put the Foxes in front early in the second half when he collected the rebound from his own shot from Jamie Vardy’s cut-back and slotted his second attempt past Fraser Forster to give Brendan Rodger’s side the lead.

Leicester will play Chelsea, who beat Manchester City 1-0 in the other semi on Saturday, in the FA Cup final at Wembley on May 15

A limited number of fans are expected to be allowed into Wembley for the final after a crowd of around 4,000, mainly local residents, were attended the semifinal as part of a test event for the return of crowds as COVID-19 restrictions ease.

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Chelsea reach final to end Manchester City’s quadruple bid

Manchester City’s quadruple dream has been extinguished by Chelsea after losing 1-0 in the semifinals of the FA Cup.

Manchester City’s quadruple dream has been extinguished by Chelsea. Even more concerning could be the injury to Kevin De Bruyne for the ongoing pursuit of a treble.

Chelsea will be back at Wembley Stadium next month for the FA Cup final after a 1-0 victory over City was clinched by Hakim Ziyech on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola will return even sooner next Sunday with City for the League Cup final but with doubts over whether De Bruyne will be fit to face Tottenham.

“It doesn’t look quite good,” Guardiola said. “But we will see tomorrow.”

The influential Belgian playmaker hobbled off with an apparent ankle injury just as City is entering a crunch period of the season.

A 11-point Premier League lead makes collecting that trophy a near-certainty but there is also a first Champions League semifinal with City for Guardiola against Paris Saint-Germain in what remains the priority title for the club.

“We started the game a little bit slow and struggled a bit in the first half,” City midfielder Fernandinho said.

While Guardiola has been in charge almost five years at City, Thomas Tuchel has only been at Chelsea three months.

After picking up the pieces following the firing of Frank Lampard, the German now has a shot at a trophy in the FA Cup final against Leicester or Southampton next month. And like City, Chelsea remains in Champions League contention with Real Madrid awaiting in the last four.

“All the ways are still open, everybody is excited by it,” Ziyech said. “And we cannot wait to play these games.”

The performance against City will offer Tuchel encouragement of silverware. While Timo Werner struggles for goals, assists are less of a problem. It was his 12th of his first season at Chelsea, setting up Ziyech for the close-range finish in the 55th minute in an unguarded net after American goalkeeper Zack Steffen was left stranded.

“Their goal was indecision on my hands and I’ll learn from it,” Steffen said. “You have to keep going and I’m proud of how the boys fought and didn’t give up. The good thing is there is another game in three or four days so we can’t get too low on this one.”

There were no Chelsea fans to witness the goal in person. But they should be allowed back into Wembley for the May 15 final as coronavirus restrictions are eased.

How to get safely back into venues will be assessed at Wembley on Sunday when up to 4,000 locals from the north London district are allowed in to see Leicester take on Southampton if they can produce a negative coronavirus test result.

SHEFFIELD UNITED RELEGATED

With six games remaining, the Premier League lost its first team on Saturday. Sheffield United experienced the joint-earliest relegation in the competition’s history, alongside Ipswich, Derby and Huddersfield after losing 1-0 to Wolverhampton.

Last season both Wolves and Sheffield United finished in the top half of the standings. Wolves have plummeted to 12th this campaign and Willian Jose’s goal confirmed the end of last-place United’s two-season stay in the top division.

“We are now starting from a better position, financially stronger and with much more experience in the squad,” said Paul Heckingbottom, the interim manager since Chris Wilder’s firing by the club’s Saudi ownership last month. “Everyone will be committed to going straight back up.

“It’s everyone’s careers at stake, personal pride. They have to take control of their own performances. The fight and spirit is there, we have just been short. There has been a lot of hurt in the dressing room for a long time.”

NEWCASTLE EYES SURVIVAL

Newcastle moved nine points clear of the relegation zone with a 3-2 victory over West Ham.

Newcastle led through Issa Diop’s own-goal and Craig Dawson was sent off for receiving a second booking in the buildup. Joelinton’s tap-in extended Newcastle’s lead before halftime but it was wiped out by Diop’s header in the 73rd and Jesse Lingard’s penalty after Ciaran Clark handled.

Newcastle recovered its lead through substitute Joe Willock’s powerful header.

“I’m not going to take anything for granted,” Newcastle manager Steve Bruce said. “I’ve always said it’s the accumulation of points, and 35, in my opinion, is not enough, so you won’t get me jumping and hollering at the moment. We’ve still got six games to play.”

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CHELSEA BEAT SHEFFIELD UNITED TO REACH FA CUP SEMIS

Chelsea coasted into the FA Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 win over Sheffield United courtesy of Oliver Norwood’s own goal and a late Hakim Ziyech strike.

Christian Pulisic spurned two big chances to put the much-changed Blues out of sight, teeing up some tense closing exchanges as the Blades awoke from an hour’s submission to start to threaten.

David McGoldrick nodded wide when unmarked deep in the Chelsea area, a miss that proved a key reprieve for the Blues.

And replacement Ziyech capped a fine last-gasp counter-attack to seal victory and place in the last four.

Even amid a circumspect performance Chelsea still merited victory, extending boss Thomas Tuchel’s club record-breaking unbeaten start to 14 matches

Toothless for 60 minutes, the Blades’ only early bite came amid a string of needless tackles, many off the ball, and a handful directed at Pulisic.

Had the visitors invested as much energy reserved for the dark arts in attempting to carry out their game plan in that opening hour, the tie could have been very different.

Instead Chelsea were allowed to meander to a victory as low key as it was routine, escaping several late wobbles to ease into the last four.

Boss Tuchel made nine changes from the 2-0 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, with Billy Gilmour handed a rare start in midfield.

The German was not happy with the performance, making a host of changes just past the hour mark in a bid to inject some impetus into the Blues’ showing.

But the demanding boss will certainly be content with the result, especially with widespread rotation helping to manage the fixture glut.

Chelsea took the lead without even registering a shot on target.

Chilwell’s drilled ball into the area deflected off Norwood and into the Blades midfielder’s own net.

A cagey first half yielded precious few chances and the visitors entirely wasted the point of their 4-4-2 formation

A tactical switch designed to exploit space behind Chelsea’s wing backs, the Blades never even sought those areas let alone raided the flanks.

Chelsea were perfectly happy to play the ball in front of the passive Blades, who also made a clear purpose of not pressing their opponents.

Pulisic should have doubled the lead when sneaking in, but could not dink the ball high enough to beat the onrushing Aaron Ramsdale.

The United States forward wasted another glorious chance straight after the interval, seemingly stunned to stroll past two defenders and still have bags of time when through on goal.

All that time created the chance for thought and, rather than smash his laces through the ball, Pulisic went for placement but scuffed his strike, allowing Ramsdale to bat away to safety.

McGoldrick missed a gilt-edged chance for the Blades – their best opening – as Chelsea’s foot came too far off the gas.

Oliver McBurnie then stung Kepa Arrizabalaga’s palms from distance as finally the Blades made Chelsea work.

Rhian Brewster flashed wide when latching on to a second ball at the death, but Chelsea held on – and even had time for Ziyech to seal their progress.

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FA CUP: CITY STRIKE LATE TO BEAT EVERTON TO THE SEMI FINAL TICKET, KEEP QUADRUPLE HOPE ALIVE

Late goals from Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne carried Pep Guardiola and Manchester City through to the FA Cup semi-finals and kept alive their dreams of an unprecedented quadruple.

But it was a close-fought thing against a stubborn Everton side that only finally succumbed in the 84th minute to Gundogan’s 16th goal of the season.

With City pressing for the winner, a powerful shot by defender Aymeric Laporte was saved well by Everton’s stand-in keeper Joao Virginia who tipped the effort against the cross-bar.

The ball dropped kindly for the on-rushing Gundogan who stooped to head the ball over the line and clinch a 15th win – to go with a Champions League draw against Porto – in 16 cup ties for City this season.

For good measure, City sub Kevin De Bruyne struck in the 90th minute Wirth a clinical finish after racing clear onto a pass from fellow replacement Rodri.

Everton claimed Yerry Mina had been fouled by Riyad Mahrez in the build-up to that goal although, by that stage, such complaints were academic.

City dominated first half possession but Carlo Ancelotti had pieced together a masterful game-plan that stifled their normally free-flowing football.

In fact, the best chance of the opening period fell to the hosts from Lucas Digne’s 43rd minute corner which Mina flicked on brilliantly at the near-post, forcing Oleksandr Zinchenko into a head goalline clearance.

Earlier, City keeper Zack Steffen had also enjoyed a slice of luck when he raced to deal with Gylfi Sigurdsson’s through ball, kicked it against Dominic Calvert-Lewin and needed team mate Laporte to mop up the danger.

But City were frequently frustrated by an Everton defence that set about the task of protecting third-choice keeper Virginia in their goal.

The visitors were largely limited to efforts from distance, with a 25-yard hit from Raheem Sterling straight at the keeper their only on-target effort over the first 45 minutes.

City looked more energised after the restart, although a Richarlison half-volley flew just wide from Everton’s first attack.

And Everton’s 21-year-old Portuguese keeper was soon called into action, diving sharply to turn Sterling’s 12-yard shot around his post after he connected with a Fernandinho cross.

The influential Foden also connected menacingly with another long shot which flew just wide of the Everton goal as the Premier League leaders appeared to be edging closer a breakthrough.

The sight of Riyad Mahrez and De Bruyne coming off the City bench as substitutes was hardly ideal for the home side and, as the tie entered the last 10 minutes of normal time, Foden tested Virginia with yet another long-range attempt that forced a routine stop before the killer goal.

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TAMMY ABRAHAM HELP CHELSEA CRUISE PAST BARNSLEY TO BOOK A SPOT IN THE FA CUP Q/FINAL.

Tammy Abraham saved Chelsea’s blushes with a second-half winner at Barnsley as his side scraped through to the last eight of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win.

Abraham struck the fifth-round tie’s only goal from close range, but it was tough luck on Barnsley, who put up a valiant effort.

The Sky Bet Championship side had the game’s best chances against Thomas Tuchel’s mis-firing Blues.

But they fell short in their bid to pull off a repeat of their club’s heroics against Chelsea in the same competition 13 years ago.

The Reds produced a huge quarter-final upset in 2008 when Kayode Odejayi headed their winner, but this time they paid the price for failing to take their chances.

They were unlucky not to have led at half-time, with Callum Brittain twice going closest to breaking the deadlock.

The midfielder’s close-range effort from Alex Mowatt’s excellent cross in the 10th minute forced a superb reaction save from Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Then just before half-time Brittain fired goalwards following a clever corner routine only for his shot to be deflected off target.

In between, Chelsea were denied what appeared to be a penalty by referee Martin Atkinson.

Tammy Abraham galloped on to Billy Gilmour’s throughball and Barnsley defender Toby Sibbick caught the Chelsea striker’s foot as he slid in for a goal-saving challenge.

Tuchel sent on Reece James and Antonio Rudiger for Marcos Alonso and Andreas Christensen at the start of the second half in a bid to kick-start his mis-firing side.

But Barnsley continued to look the more dangerous. Cauley Woodrow’s effort was blocked by Rudiger before Chelsea flickered into life.

Callum Hudson-Odoi wriggled free of two Barnsley defenders on to the left edge of the penalty area, but pulled his 60th-minute shot wide.

The Londoners had not mustered an effort on target, but threatened again when Rudiger’s header from Hakim Ziyech’s free-kick flashed wide.

James added real pace and power down Barnsley’s left side and it was the England right-back who fashioned Chelsea’s breakthrough.

He stormed beyond Barnsley’s cover and his fine low cross was tapped home from close range by Abraham to give Chelsea a 64th-minute lead.

Replays showed Abraham was offside when James played the ball across and the Premier League side will be grateful there are no video assistant referees in the FA Cup.

Abraham then rescued Chelsea at the other end, bailing out Arrizabalaga.

The Blues goalkeeper failed to get anywhere near another Mowatt free-kick and Abraham headed Barnsley substitute Michael Sollbauer’s hooked effort off the goal-line from under the crossbar.

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DANNY INGS STARS AS SAINTS SINKS WOLVES TO MARCH TO FA CUP LAST EIGHT

Danny Ings helped Southampton into the FA Cup quarter finals after a 2-0 win at Wolves.

The striker ended a five-game goal drought as the Saints look to lift the trophy for the first time in 45 years.

Stuart Armstrong settled the game in stoppage time after John Ruddy’s mistake.

The visitors deserved their victory as Nuno Espirito Santo’s selection gamble for the hosts backfired.

Nuno made six changes – including giving captain Conor Coady a rare rest – in a surprise selection considering the FA Cup remained Wolves’ best chance of success – and a return to Europe – this year.

They continued to stutter though, having won just four times since November, and will seek instant revenge in the Premier League at St Mary’s on Sunday.

While Ralph Hasenhuttl made five he was still able to recall Kyle Walker-Peters and hand Mohammed Salisu his debut after an £10.9million summer move from Real Valladolid.

The Saints – who also included James Ward-Prowse – tried to make their strength tell early.

Ruddy gathered Armstrong’s drive at the second attempt as Ings lurked before the striker, with one goal in his previous 10 games, was then thwarted by Romain Saiss.

Armstrong continued to cause problems and Max Kilman’s sprawling block turned his drive behind.

Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster was, aside from one hurried clearance, a spectator, although Salisu survived a VAR review when Morgan Gibbs-White tumbled under pressure in the box.

Wolves, with just 23 goals in 23 Premier League games, struggled to pose a threat but Southampton’s early dominance had waned and Saiss lifted Joao Moutinho’s free kick over just before the break.

The hosts then escaped three minutes into the second half when Armstrong missed a glorious chance. The midfielder arrived unmarked in the area but managed to sidefoot Ryan Bertrand’s cross wide with the goal gaping.

Ings saved his blushes a minute later when he fortuitously opened the scoring with his eighth goal of the season. The striker burst through and when his initial shot was saved by Ruddy the ball ricochet back off Ings and rolled in.

It was initially ruled offside but a VAR review showed the forward was onside.

However lucky, it was a lead Southampton deserved and the visitors now had a platform but Fabio Silva came close to an instant leveller when he fired Gibbs-White’s cross over the bar.

It summed up Wolves’ wastefulness and allowed the hosts to pass the three hour mark without a shot on target.

Nathan Redmond should have punished them after 67 minutes when he wasted the chance to finish the tie. The winger raced onto Armstrong’s pass, only for Ruddy’s smart save to turn the ball wide.

Wolves’ still had hope and they pushed to send the game into extra time – with Forster saving from Adama Traore at the far post after Salisu missed Pedro Neto’s cross.

But Armstrong made it 2-0 in stoppage time when Ruddy made a hash of Leander Dendoncker’s backpass and Nathan Tella teed up the midfielder to curl in off the post.

Wolves then avoided further misery when VAR overturned a penalty, awarded by Jon Moss, when it showed Moutinho’s foul on Tella was outside the box.

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MC TOMINAY NETS WINNER AGAINST HAMMERS TO TAKE UNITED TO FA CUP QUARTER FINAL.

Scott McTominay fired Manchester United into the FA Cup quarter-finals as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men edged past West Ham in extra time.

The Red Devils reached the final four last season – one of four successive semi-final cup competition exits – and progressed from a tough fifth-round clash on Tuesday evening.

Ex-United boss David Moyes’ West Ham side made life difficult on a bitterly cold night at Old Trafford, where substitute McTominay struck home Marcus Rashford’s lovely 97th-minute lay-off to seal a 1-0 extra-time win.

Solskjaer will be relieved his team made it through to the last eight on a night in which Lukasz Fabianski tipped a deflected Victor Lindelof header onto the post in a first half that they edged.

West Ham had already been hit by an injury to Angelo Ogbonna at that point and his replacement Issa Diop became the first concussion substitute in English football when withdrawn at half-time.

Andriy Yarmolenko was then forced off in a goalless second half as the match went to extra time, with McTominay firing in his seventh goal of the season to seal progress.

West Ham were able to call on Tomas Soucek after his red card against Fulham was rescinded, while United made six changes from Saturday’s frustrating 3-3 draw with Everton.

Two of those introductions combined well for the first chance of the evening as Alex Telles slipped through Anthony Martial to get away an 11th-minute effort.

Ogbonna got in the way of the shot but could not continue afterwards, having been sandwiched between the forward’s boot and oncoming goalkeeper Fabianski.

The defender had several minutes of treatment before being replaced by Diop, with Aaron Cresswell throwing himself in front of a Mason Greenwood strike at a time when the Hammers were temporarily down to 10 men.

Nemanja Matic lashed over as United penned the visitors back, with Fabianski reacting superbly to push a Lindelof header onto the post after taking a deflection off Craig Dawson.

Donny Van De Beek saw a shot deflected over towards the end of a first half in which Diop and Martial required treatment after a nasty clash of heads.

The defender continued for the remainder of the opening period but came off at half-time, with the Hammers confirming on their match blog that he was “replaced as a concussion substitute”.

Ryan Fredericks came on for him and Ben Johnson replaced Jarrod Bowen as the visitors went to a back five, with Yarmolenko soon limping off injured to be replaced by former United youth prospect Mipo Odubeko.

There were more substitutions to report on than clear-cut shots, with Fabianski doing well to thwart Rashford’s close-range shot in a drab second period.

West Ham were showing a little more intent at the other end, but Aaron Wan-Bissaka was the first person to force Dean Henderson into action after horribly mis-hitting a clearance.

Bruno Fernandes and McTominay were brought on in the 73rd minute, with the former seeing a strike deflect over before Edinson Cavani came on to add extra bite.

Both sides struggled to stamp their authority on the game and Dawson wasted a chance to snatch victory in stoppage time, failing to get clean contact on a corner as Wan-Bissaka cleared his header.

The match went into extra time as a result, with Brandon Williams and Luke Shaw introduced by United.

The latter quickly made an important contribution, winning the ball after Declan Rice’s heavy touch to start the match-winning move. West Ham failed to effectively deal with a cross and Rashford teed up McTominay delightfully to rifle home in the 97th minute.

Said Benrahma looked lively as West Ham pushed to draw parity, with the substitute glancing a header straight at Henderson in the second half of extra time.

Martial wasted the chance to add gloss at the death but victory was already assured.