Harry Kane is out of sorts, Joe Hart soars before being floored, and Stoke must choose between youth and experience up frontWhile Southampton will take something from getting this far in the world’s most celebrated domestic cup competition there are other, more pressing priorities, such as making a late dash for safety in the Premier League. Can they take any hope from their performance? Not from the first half. Olivier Giroud’s goal at the beginning of the second period forced Mark Hughes to change things, however, and it was to his team’s benefit. A 3-5-2 became a 3-4-3 and suddenly Charlie Austin was getting service. Southampton will feel they could and should have had an equaliser before Chelsea settled the...
The Chelsea striker maintained his knack for scoring eye-catching goals and winning at the national stadium in the FA Cup semi-final victory over SouthamptonMind transfer, that seemed the best explanation. In the moment Olivier Giroud cracked open this FA Cup semi-final for Chelsea, he must have temporarily swapped brains with Eden Hazard.That would explain how the 6ft 3in Frenchman was able to dance through a compact Southampton defence like a man a whole foot shorter; first inside then outside, keeping his balance after being tripped, before adjusting his feet to poke the ball into the goal. As soon as the net rippled, the brains must also have switched back, allowing Giroud to celebrate in the chest-out, peacocking fashion he has...
José Mourinho needs to make drastic changes, Rafael Benítez is getting best out of his players and Jordan Ayew is on a missionHaving so meekly allowed Manchester City to claim the Premier League title, a process of rebuilding Manchester United into future champions starts now. The non-inclusion of Marouane Fellaini, Daley Blind, Matteo Darmian and Luke Shaw in José Mourinho’s match‑day 18 for this game at Old Trafford indicated where a long-awaited clear-out of David Moyes and Louis van Gaal recruits is likely to begin. But it will take more than that to revitalise United. The shapeless sludge of this performance against West Brom was no anomaly. Chief among the reasons United have been left in City’s wake is Mourinho’s...
Whether or not Southampton stay up, their status as a model club for others to follow has fallen victim to a familiar short-termism and harsh financial realitiesThere came a point during the first half at the London Stadium last Saturday when the stewards could have been forgiven for identifying Mark Hughes as a person of interest. After all, if anyone seemed likely to stage a pitch invasion it was the Southampton coach, who could only have looked more furious if someone had crept up behind him, leant in and whispered “Marko Arnautovic”.What an achievement it was for Southampton to make West Ham, a team held together by old bubblegum and in the grip of a bitter civil war between owners...
Arsène Wenger is given a striking decision, Hugo Lloris climbs the wrong table and Christian Benteke’s woes rumble onAlexandre Lacazette heard one of the loudest cheers when he came on for Danny Welbeck against Stoke City. Arsène Wenger said Welbeck had hurt his back and so Lacazette’s return from a knee injury seemed even more timely – given Arsenal play CSKA Moscow in the Europa League on Thursday, for which Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is cup-tied. Wenger loved the gesture Aubameyang made towards the end, passing up a possible hat-trick by allowing the Frenchman to take their second penalty – from which he scored. The manager said it showed the strikers had a good understanding. But can they prosper together in the...