The final ties in the FA Cup are ultimately the most important. Four teams can show their worth and get the chance to play in the biggest stadium in England, at Wembley. There were some great ties on show this weekend, but would they produce the performances and the results that would turn the eyes of fans across the country?
The weekend started off with a game between the dark horses of the competition, Bradford, against Championship side Reading. Both teams showed a lot of commitment and character within the game, as would be expected with a prize like a semi-final at Wembley at stake. Bradford were definitely the brighter of the two sides and almost clinched a winner through Oliver Norwood with only a few minutes left on the clock, but it just wasn't meant to be. The affair was quite scrappy in the beginning, but the League 1 side were certainly ready for a tie like this. Both sides had some good chances that they just couldn't make the most of, earning them a replay at Reading, and a chance for both teams to make history. End score: 0-0.
Saturday evening saw a Midlands derby take place between Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion. The sides met earlier in the week in a Premier League tie, and this saw Villa battle to a 2-1 win. This game started slow and took a while for both sides to grow into. The passing was quite sloppy and there was no cutting ball when it got into the final third. West Brom did have a couple of good chances, one from Brown Ideye and the other from Joleon Lescott. They didn't get the opener they desperately chased, and instead Fabian Delph took the opportunity he was presented with to put Villa ahead just into the second half. Scott Sinclair doubled the lead for Villa 5 minutes from time and put the tie beyond the opposition. Both teams finished the game on 10 men as the game finished extremely scrappily. Claudio Yacob saw red for what looked like a two footed stamp on a Villa player. Teenager Jack Grealish saw got his second yellow for what the referee judged to be a dive, but this red card didn't affect the result of the game. End score: 2-0.
Liverpool hosted Blackburn in the only kick off on Sunday. Blackburn kept up a spirited performance throughout the game, keeping a good shape and having some of the best chances throughout the first half, especially through Rudy Gestede. The game started in the worst possible way for Liverpool as Martin Skrtel hit the ground and was out cold for about 5 minutes, he was eventually was stretchered off the field, but not before giving a thumbs up to the surrounding crowd to show he was okay. Kolo Toure, his replacement, had one of the best chances of the game as he saw his header rattle the post but not hit the back of the net like he had hoped. Blackburn did well for themselves though, with Gestede proving to be too much to handle in many cases, but the Liverpool defence managed to keep him out. The replay between the two will hopefully prove to be another tight encounter. End score: 0-0.
Easily the tie of the round was between Manchester United and Arsenal. Both sides were quite sloppy in possession throughout the game, but some good sets of play were put together to create some chances. Arsenal did well to push forward as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ran at the United defence and took three players out of the game, leaving Nacho Monreal in lots of space in the box to calmly slot the ball past David de Gea who was coming out to close him down. The lead only lasted 4 minutes though, as United pushed forward and got Angel Di Maria on the ball. His inch perfect cross was met by the head of Wayne Rooney whose shot was too fast for Wojciech Szczesny to get his hand to. It was a feisty affair, not short of passion as would be expected in a game between these two sides, and it took a poor back pass from Antonio Valencia to present former Manchester United player, Danny Welbeck, with a chance to round off the game. This wasn't the end of the tale though, as Di Maria was later booked for simulation and in a moment of madness tugged on the referee's shirt, resulting in a red card being produced seconds after his booking. This set Arsenal on their way to their second FA Cup semi-final in the same amount of seasons after a brilliant contest between the two. End score: 1-2.
Two replays still to go ahead after four of the teams failed to score on their first try. Both were good contests the first time round, so who knowswhat will happen and who will be facing the two Premier League clubs at Wembley soon. Only time will tell I guess...
Saturday evening saw a Midlands derby take place between Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion. The sides met earlier in the week in a Premier League tie, and this saw Villa battle to a 2-1 win. This game started slow and took a while for both sides to grow into. The passing was quite sloppy and there was no cutting ball when it got into the final third. West Brom did have a couple of good chances, one from Brown Ideye and the other from Joleon Lescott. They didn't get the opener they desperately chased, and instead Fabian Delph took the opportunity he was presented with to put Villa ahead just into the second half. Scott Sinclair doubled the lead for Villa 5 minutes from time and put the tie beyond the opposition. Both teams finished the game on 10 men as the game finished extremely scrappily. Claudio Yacob saw red for what looked like a two footed stamp on a Villa player. Teenager Jack Grealish saw got his second yellow for what the referee judged to be a dive, but this red card didn't affect the result of the game. End score: 2-0.
Liverpool hosted Blackburn in the only kick off on Sunday. Blackburn kept up a spirited performance throughout the game, keeping a good shape and having some of the best chances throughout the first half, especially through Rudy Gestede. The game started in the worst possible way for Liverpool as Martin Skrtel hit the ground and was out cold for about 5 minutes, he was eventually was stretchered off the field, but not before giving a thumbs up to the surrounding crowd to show he was okay. Kolo Toure, his replacement, had one of the best chances of the game as he saw his header rattle the post but not hit the back of the net like he had hoped. Blackburn did well for themselves though, with Gestede proving to be too much to handle in many cases, but the Liverpool defence managed to keep him out. The replay between the two will hopefully prove to be another tight encounter. End score: 0-0.
Easily the tie of the round was between Manchester United and Arsenal. Both sides were quite sloppy in possession throughout the game, but some good sets of play were put together to create some chances. Arsenal did well to push forward as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ran at the United defence and took three players out of the game, leaving Nacho Monreal in lots of space in the box to calmly slot the ball past David de Gea who was coming out to close him down. The lead only lasted 4 minutes though, as United pushed forward and got Angel Di Maria on the ball. His inch perfect cross was met by the head of Wayne Rooney whose shot was too fast for Wojciech Szczesny to get his hand to. It was a feisty affair, not short of passion as would be expected in a game between these two sides, and it took a poor back pass from Antonio Valencia to present former Manchester United player, Danny Welbeck, with a chance to round off the game. This wasn't the end of the tale though, as Di Maria was later booked for simulation and in a moment of madness tugged on the referee's shirt, resulting in a red card being produced seconds after his booking. This set Arsenal on their way to their second FA Cup semi-final in the same amount of seasons after a brilliant contest between the two. End score: 1-2.
Two replays still to go ahead after four of the teams failed to score on their first try. Both were good contests the first time round, so who knowswhat will happen and who will be facing the two Premier League clubs at Wembley soon. Only time will tell I guess...
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