Subscribe to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter and receive it directly in your inbox at no cost.
Register for Miguel Delaney’s complimentary weekly bulletin.
On Wednesday night, Manchester United and Liverpool both won in the fifth round, earning them a spot in the highly anticipated FA Cup quarter-final, which will be held by Manchester United.
Liverpool, under the leadership of manager Jurgen Klopp, is fighting for three additional titles in his last season. They secured a thrilling 1-0 victory over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final after extra time on Sunday. In the quarter-finals, they defeated Southampton 3-0 to advance.
At the game against Klopp’s team, 18-year-old striker Jayden Danns was subbed in and scored two goals in the last moments of the game in front of the Kop. This performance led to comparisons being drawn between him and Luke Littler, the teenage star of darts.
Danns expressed his excitement, saying, “It’s like a dream come true. I have been a fan of this club since I was born. Scoring at the Kop End feels surreal, like I’m in a movie.”
Meanwhile, United defeated Nottingham Forest in the final minutes thanks to Casemiro’s header in the 89th minute. This win at the City Ground relieved some of the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag, as the FA Cup is their only opportunity to win a trophy this season.
Ten Hag’s team is set to prevent Klopp from earning his second title of the season by facing off against their rivals on March 16. United will then face off against Liverpool at Old Trafford the next month, which will be a crucial challenge for the Premier League leaders in the title race.
“There are many good teams in the Premier League, Liverpool at this moment is top but it is a great challenge and we are really looking forward and we like the challenges,” Ten Hag said. “It is a great game for us to play.”
In other FA Cup news, Manchester City, the current champions, will play against Newcastle in a Premier League showdown as Pep Guardiola’s team strives for their eighth FA Cup title.
Before the start of the Chelsea vs. Leeds match, the quarter-final draw occurred. Chelsea came out victorious with a 3-2 win, despite facing one of only four Championship teams to make it past the fourth round. Just as full-time approached, Conor Gallagher scored the winning goal to secure the Blues’ spot in the next round.
Chelsea has been selected as the host for the upcoming match against the top-ranked team in the Championship, Leicester. Leicester secured their spot in the quarter-finals after defeating Bournemouth 1-0 in the fifth round on Tuesday evening.
Coventry, who are currently ninth in the Championship, have advanced to the quarter-finals of the cup. This is their first time reaching this stage since the 2008/09 season, making them the lowest-ranked team still in the competition amongst the remaining eight.
They will travel to Molineux to meet Wolves, who on Wednesday night beat Brighton to reach the last eight for the first time since 2019.
The quarter-final matches will take place on the weekend of March 16.
and
This text includes reports from PA and
Source: independent.co.uk