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Man city to face Arsenal to retain their fa cup triumph

Holders Manchester City will face Arsenal in a strong FA Cup semi-final line-up after showing class and patience to beat Newcastle at an eerily quiet St James’ Park.

Shorn of a fervent home support, Newcastle struggled in the first half against their opponents who are aiming to complete a cup treble after conceding the Premier League title to Liverpool this week.

After wasting several good chances, City opened the scoring from the penalty spot when Kevin de Bruyne slotted past Karl Darlow following Fabian Schar’s needless push on Gabriel Jesus.

But after switching to a more positive formation in the second half, Steve Bruce’s team pressed higher up the pitch and the game opened up before a key turning point after the hour mark.

Although Andy Carroll caused problems of a physical nature on his first start since December, it was his replacement Dwight Gayle who had Newcastle’s best chance when he somehow skied over from six yards following Allan Saint-Maximin’s low cross.

Within two minutes, Raheem Sterling raced down the other end and slotted into the bottom corner with an exquisite curling finish for his 22nd goal of the season.

The errors by Schar and Gayle undid Newcastle’s hard work, but City kept their composure to extend their winning FA Cup run to 10 games.

Having already won the League Cup and with a lead over Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League, it could still be a memorable season for Pep Guardiola’s side.

For Newcastle, the dream of reaching an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley for the first time since 2000 was beyond them, but they can now concentrate on trying to fulfil Bruce’s aim of breaking into the Premier League’s top 10.

Manchester United will face Chelsea and Arsenal will play holders Manchester City in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

The draw features three of the Cup’s four most successful sides, with Arsenal the record 13-time winners.

United, who beat Norwich to reach the last four, have won it 12 times, while Chelsea, who edged past Leicester in the quarter-finals, have eight wins.

Both ties will be played at Wembley on the weekend of 18 and 19 July.

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Real Madrid go top of La liga

BARCELONA, SPAIN - JUNE 28: Karim Benzema of Real Madrid assists teammate Casemiro for their side's first goal during the Liga match between RCD Espanyol and Real Madrid CF at RCDE Stadium on June 28, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Real Madrid are two points clear at the top of La Liga after grinding out a victory at bottom club Espanyol.

Casemiro scored the only goal as he latched onto Karim Benzema’s brilliant no-look backheel through the legs of defender Bernardo Espinosa before firing home.

The Brazilian had earlier gone close to the opener when his shot from his own half was saved by Diego Lopez.

Espanyol had several chances with Thibaut Courtois making five saves.

Sporting director Francisco Rufete took over as manager on Saturday after replacing Abelardo Fernandez – the third Espanyol boss to be sacked this season.

They put up a good fight, with Wu Lei among the players to go close, but fell just short.

Real Madrid are now only six wins – or five wins and a draw – from a second La Liga title since 2012.

City rivals Atletico can do them a favour when they visit Barca on Thursday.

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Arsenal qualify for fa cup semi final

Arsenal remain in the hunt for silverware to brighten their underwhelming season after Dani Ceballos’ 91st-minute winner took them through to the FA Cup semi-finals at Sheffield United’s expense.

The on-loan midfielder slotted home a low, angled drive to win the tie in dramatic fashion, after David McGoldrick’s hooked finish just a few minutes earlier looked to have ensured extra time at Bramall Lane.

The Gunners had led from midway through the first half when Nicolas Pepe had slotted home a penalty after Alexandre Lacazette had been fouled in the box by Chris Basham.

They had earlier had a reprieve when John Lundstram’s close-range header following a corner was ruled out because the scorer was offside.

The home side also had another effort chalked off in the second half when John Egan poked the ball in after McGoldrick had strayed beyond the last defender.

There was further bad news for Lundstram and Sheffield United with the midfielder having to be substituted before the break because of a shoulder injury.

Arsenal also failed to make it through the game unscathed, with centre-back David Luiz – who had only just returned from suspension – limping out to increase their already lengthy injury list.

The win adds another fixture to Arsenal’s already crammed post-restart schedule but they will welcome it as they continue their pursuit of a European place.

As for the Blades, there were positives to take from their front-foot display but they remain without a win in four games since football resumed – a run of form they must quickly arrest to ensure their otherwise impressive first campaign back in the top flight does not peter out.

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Chelsea go past leicester to qualify for semi final

Ross Barkley came off the bench to send Chelsea to Wembley as manager Frank Lampard’s half-time changes transformed this FA Cup quarter-final at Leicester City.

The Foxes held sway in the first 45 minutes at the King Power Stadium, although it took a flying save from Leicester keeper Kasper Schmeichel to keep out Christian Pulisic’s powerful drive.

Lampard’s discontent could be heard echoing around the virtually deserted arena – and he acted by introducing Barkley, Mateo Kovacic and Cesar Azpilicueta at the interval for Reece James, the subdued Billy Gilmour and Mason Mount.

It had the desired effect as Chelsea improved markedly. Barkley, who was on target in the 2-0 win against Liverpool in the last round, scoring the winner after 63 minutes when he reacted to get in just ahead of Jonny Evans and sweep Willian’s clever cross past Schmeichel.

Leicester, missing the injured James Maddison, were out of sorts after the break although they applied late pressure and defender Caglar Soyuncu was frustrated late on when his header struck Azpilicueta and flew over.

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DANNY INGS CLOSING IN ON VARDY FOR GOLDEN BOOT

The race for the Golden Boot is intensifying following the resumption of the 2019/20 season as the Premier League’s sharpest shooters battle it out.

After scoring twice in Southampton’s 3-1 victory at Watford, Danny Ings is now within a goal of Jamie Vardy, who currently leads the way on 19.

Ings has scored three times in his last three appearances, his form in sharp contrast to that of Vardy, who has only netted twice since 21 December.

Should he see off the challenge of the Leicester City striker and the other contenders, Ings would become the first Saints player to claim the Golden Boot.

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JUVENTUS EXTENDS SERIE A LEAD BY SEVEN POINTS WITH LECCE WIN

Juventus extended their lead at the top of Serie A, but were made to work hard for their 4-0 win over 10-man Lecce on Friday night.

The hosts started very poorly indeed against the Serie A strugglers, but their task was made all-the-more easier after Fabio Lucioni was given a straight red card in the 31st minute after he as adjudged to be the last man when fouling Rodrigo Bentancur.

Eight minutes into the second half and Juventus made their numerical advantage count as Cristiano Ronaldo fed Paolo Dybala, who curled a fine strike into the top corner to net his second in as many games.

Ronaldo then got in on the act as he netted his ninth Serie A penalty of the season to make it two in the 62nd minute, before Gonzalo Higuain and Matthijs de Ligt made sure of the win late on that sends Juve seven points clear at the top of the table as they close on their ninth successive Scudetto.

With Maurizio Sarri under pressure for his perceived negative style of football, Juventus did little to appease their disgruntled fans watching from afar as they laboured early on against a determined Lecce, who had the better of the early openings.

A wayward overhead kick from Ronaldo was all Juve had to show from the opening half hour before Lucioni let Rodrigo Bentancur steal the ball off him, before fouling the Juve midfielder and being sent off for being the last man.

That lifeline finally sparked the hosts into life, with Federico Bernardeschi somehow contriving to miss from two yards out just before the interval. After the break, the goals finally came as Dybala collected a pass from Ronaldo before finding the top corner, before Ronaldo won and scored the penalty to put his side in command.

A Ronaldo back-heel then set up substitute Higuain for his first goal sine January five minutes from time, before De Ligt headed home Douglas costa’s cross to cap an unconvincing but comprehensive victory for Sarri’s side.

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ARTHUR SET FOR JUVENTUS MEDICAL AHEAD £72.5M MOVE

Arthur will fly to Turin on Saturday night and undergo a medical with Juventus on Sunday ahead of a £72.5m switch from Barcelona.

The midfielder will then fly back to Spain the same day and resume training with Barcelona ahead of their match against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

The Brazil international came on as an 86th-minute substitute in the 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo on Saturday ahead of his flight to Italy – a result that moved Barca one point clear of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

Major news outlets in Italy are reporting Miralem Pjanic will also have a medical in Turin this weekend ahead of his proposed switch the opposite way in the region of £60m.

It was revealed last week that Barca had agreed a fee with Juve to sell Arthur, with the Italian club emboldened in their attempts to persuade the player to leave.

He had insisted on multiple occasions that he wanted to stay and fight for his place after just two seasons at the Nou Camp, but the Catalan club need to sell players to reinvest in their squad this summer.

According to reports, Juve boss Maurizio Sarri wants to build his midfield around him in a similar way to that of Jorginho at Napoli and Chelsea.

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GRIEZMANN SLAMMED AS IAGO ASPAS LATE FREE KICK DASHES BARCELONA TITLE HOPE.

Real Madrid are now the overwhelming favourites to win the 2019-20 La Liga title after Barcelona dropped points away at Celta Vigo on Saturday.

Luis Suarez scored twice for Barça, but Iago Aspas’s late free-kick earned a point for Celta.

Suarez opened the scoring in the 20th minute courtesy of a wonderful Lionel Messi assist before Fyodor Smolov equalised early in the second half.

Suarez then doubled his – and Barcelona’s – tally in the 67th minute.

However, Aspas had the final say when his free-kick found a way past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Ter Stegen is not getting the blame for Celta’s second goal, though.

Instead, Antoine Griezmann has been slammed by fans on social media for turning his back at the end of the wall.

As Aspas struck the ball with his left foot, Griezmann jumped and turned his back. The ball subsequently found a way into the bottom corner of the net.

Had Griezmann been braver, Barcelona may well have ended the game with their one-goal advantage intact.

Real Madrid can now move three points clear of their eternal rivals when they face Espanyol on Sunday.

“Our feelings are bad because of what happened today. We lost points, but the league is not over yet,” Suarez told reporters after the match.

“We hope that Real Madrid will drop points, both of us still have difficult games.

“I feel angry and upset about the draw.”

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I’M COMING HOME: ARJEN ROBBEN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT U-TURN

Dutch winger Arjen Robben is preparing to come out of retirement at his formative club Groningen, he announced on Saturday.

After leaving Groningen in 2002, Robben won league titles with PSV Eindhoven, Chelsea and Real Madrid before a hugely successful decade with Bayern Munich.

He retired from Bayern a year ago at the age of 35, having helped the club to eight Bundesliga titles as well as the 2013 Champions League.

The 2010 World Cup finalist said he was fully motivated to return but that he had to get fit first.

“I want to make my comeback at FC Groningen. At this time I’m not sure it will happen,” Robben said in a video on the Groningen website.

“What I am sure of is that my motivation will be at 100 percent. I’m going to go for it and I will be at the first training session for the new season.

“Because my dream is to play in an FC Groningen jersey, we’re not there yet, but you can always dream.

“I was 12 when I joined the Groningen youth academy, and made my debut for them at 16 against PSV,” said Robben, who explained that a banner he saw at Groningen’s stadium had resonated strongly with him.

“‘Arjen follow your heart’, it said, so after a wonderful adventure of 18 years, I’m coming home.”

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GOING TO LONDON: TIMO WERNER BREAKS LEIPZIG RECORD BEFORE CHELSEA MOVE.

Timo Werner has become RB Leipzig’s all-time leading goalscorer in his final appearance for the Bundesliga club before his move to Chelsea.

Earlier this month, Frank Lampard’s side completed a £53 million deal with RB Leipzig to sign Werner this summer.

Meanwhile, RB Leipzig’s Bundesliga season finished on Saturday and the club secured a third-placed finish with a 2-1 victory over Augsburg. Werner scored twice in that match in doing so he overtook Daniel Frahn to become RB Leipzig’s top scorer in the club’s history with 95 goals.

Werner also equalled another Bundesliga record with his double as his record of 17 goals scored away from home this term is the same as Jupp Heynckes managed in the 1973-74 season.

Werner finished the Bundesliga campaign with 28 goals – which is the highest total from any German player since Mario Gomez, who also scored 28 times in the 2010-11 campaign.

Only Robert Lewandowski scored more in the Bundesliga this season as the Poland international ended the campaign with 34 goals for Bayern Munich. RB Leipzig’s season is not over as they remain in the Champions League, but it has already been announced that Werner will join Chelsea before the competition gets back under way

Speaking after Chelsea completed their move for Werner, Lampard said: ‘I have certainly followed him for a while just as a talented player before I took this job.

He will strengthen us, he is a huge talent who had a fantastic season. ‘I had good conversations with Timo personally. He understands our project and what we want to do as a club. ‘We’re pleased he’s decided to come to us and look forward to him joining next season.