• Saturday, April 27, 2024
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FA Cup: Man United to play Coventry, Chelsea tackle Man City in semis

FA Cup (2)

Championship side Coventry City will face a tough Manchester United task in the FA Cup semi-finals, while holders Manchester City play Chelsea.

Coventry City beat Wolves in their quarter-final thanks to Ellis Simms’ 100th-minute winner.

Manchester United turned things around in extra time to beat rivals Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Meanwhile, Manchester City cruised past Newcastle in the last eight and Chelsea beat Championship leaders Leicester.

Coventry have not played in an FA Cup semi-final since they won the competition back in 1987, the club’s only major trophy.

They are managed by former Manchester United striker Mark Robins, who helped the Red Devils win the FA Cup in 1990.

Twelve-time winners Manchester United last lifted the FA Cup in 2016 and were runners-up in the competition last season.

Holders Manchester City are looking to reach their 13th FA Cup final and are chasing an unprecedented second consecutive Treble.

Chelsea have reached five of the last seven FA Cup finals, last winning the competition in 2018.

The draw for the last four raises the prospect of a repeat of last season’s all-Manchester final, in which Pep Guardiola’s City came out on top.

United have not had a good campaign till this point, with the players all too aware they were playing to keep their trophy hopes alive for the season.

Bruno Fernandes told ITV: “It was in our minds. We said our goal for the rest of the season is to get into the top four and try to win the FA Cup. We are going to do everything we can to get the two goals that we have, until the end of the season.

“The FA Cup is a big trophy for the club, (in) this country. We want to get into the final. We know it’s going to be tough, good teams in the semi-finals, but we’re going to do everything we can to get there.”

Marcus Rashford was on the scoresheet for United and savoured a “massive night” for the club. He told ITV: “Today represents what it’s always represented for me. Nothing’s changed.

“It’s a massive night in the history of United against Liverpool. We’re happy that it gets us through to a semi-final but even if it’s a normal game against Liverpool, we need to win.”