The latest Premier League action is being covered in two parts, after a broken up week of top flight action. The FA Cup semi-finals saw quite a few matches moved forward, leaving us with six league games and two huge encounters at Wembley. After a week which saw the announcement of a winter break in England and Arsene Wenger departing Arsenal, the league feels like it’s being shaken up. However, some things remain the same.
Sam Allardyce continues with the style of football that he’s been using in the league for the last 15 years. The Everton boss defended his own style in their 1-0 win over Newcastle, although it was more substance than style. They scored with their only shot on target, with the club struggling to carve out opportunities and look cohesive under Allardyce. That doesn’t do much for his claims that his style is more suited to Real Madrid or Inter than a relegation battle.
Fiery Repeat of Wembley Opener
Chelsea booked their place in the FA Cup final as they saw off struggling Southampton 2-0 in Sunday’s semi-final. Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata made the difference for Antonio Conte’s side, who were dominant throughout. That’s a big boost for the Italian, who is looking to end his wait for a domestic cup as a manager. He’s unlikely to spend too much longer at Stamford Bridge, so lifting the cup would be a good way to go out, especially after last season’s defeat to Arsenal in the final.
Man United haven’t quite looked at their best under Jose Mourinho, but after going behind against Spurs they managed to rally and get back into the game. Alexis Sanchez continued his great form at the national stadium, notching an eighth goal in eight matches at Wembley to equalise. Ander Herrera struck the winner for United, which has booked them a return for the final in May.
That means we have a huge FA Cup final in prospect, a repeat of the 2007 final. That was the first time the competition returned to the new Wembley for the final, with Didier Drogba giving Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea their first success in this competition in the Abramovich-era. That’s going to be a huge talking point for this final, along with the heated rivalry between the two managers. There’s no shortage of dislike between Conte and his opposite number, and that’s going to be played on ahead of what could be the Italian’s final game in English football.
City Focused as Fans Party
Man City laid out their targets for the last four games with a crushing victory over Swansea on Sunday. They racked up a 5-0 win at home to the struggling Swans, setting out that they’re gunning for a great finish. They’re five goals short of the Premier League record, 103, which was set back in 2010 by Chelsea. The Blues also hold the record for most wins, 30, and an unrivalled 95 points haul. City have 29 wins and 90 points with four to go, so they could easily leave new targets for English football to reach given how they’re playing. While the fans invaded the pitch at full time, there’s no such celebrations for City right now, as they’re out to obliterate records. The Champions League will have to wait for next season but domestic records are now very much on the agenda.
Liverpool don’t have the same focus, as they’ve been making changes ahead of their Champions League semi-final meeting with Roma. The Reds made plenty of changes for their clash with West Brom on Saturday, and they still ended up 2-0 ahead with 12 minutes to play. However, a late comeback from the Baggies saw them earn a point, and now there are a few questions hanging over Liverpool in the closing stages. Their top four spot isn’t entirely secure, which is a distraction they don’t need ahead of two huge clashes in Europe.
Stoke claimed another point towards safety after a 1-1 draw at home to Burnley, but they’ll be disappointed with that after taking the lead. Meanwhile, that point has boosted Burnley in a weekend where they’ve basically secured European football. They’re eight points clear in seventh, which will now be a Europa League spot given Chelsea and United meet ion the FA Cup final.
Elsewhere, Crystal Palace drew 0-0 at Watford as they moved six points clear of Stoke and the bottom three, with the sides in the drop zone now left four points shy of safety with only four more matches left to play for most of them.
What Next for Wenger and the Gunners?
The big response to Arsene Wenger’s announcement that he’s departing the club didn’t quite get matched by the Emirates attendees at the weekend. There was an understated reception for the Gunners, as they raced to a 4-1 victory over West Ham. Three goals in seven minutes including a strike from Aaron Ramsey and a brace from Alexandre Lacazette put gloss on the scoreline and gave Wenger a win to follow up his announcement, but there were still clear problems. It’s hard to see where a new manager would go with this squad, but obviously that depends on how well they finish the season. A Europa League win changes everything, as it would give them Champions League pull for their summer transfer hunt.
Of course, Arsenal’s search for a Wenger replacement could have taken a turn this weekend. Incredible events in Italy have pushed a new contender to the front, which shows just how in flux the Gunners’ future is at the moment. A last gasp goal from Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly had to be the standout incident of the weekend, as that earned the Partenopei a 1-0 win at champions Juventus, putting them a point off the top with four games left to play. Not only has that opened up a title race, but it has raised the possibility of Juve boss Max Allegri looking elsewhere in the summer.