FA Cup: Crystal Palace ride crest of a wave all the way to Wembley semi-final
Crystal Palace’s season goes from good to better under Patrick Vieira, despite some uncertainty in the boardroom at Selhurst Park.
Vieira’s dynamic young Eagles thrashed Everton 4-0 in south London on Sunday to reach the semi-finals of the FA Cup for only the second time since 1995.
They had to weather early pressure but held firm and punished the woefully off-form visitors with goals from Marc Guehi, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Wilfried Zaha and Will Hughes.
Palace have looked a different side since manager Vieira arrived last summer but now they are producing the results to go with it.
They have won four of their last six games and the only teams to beat them since New Year’s Day are Liverpool and Chelsea, who they will meet in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Guehi’s fourth goal of the season, meanwhile, came days after the young centre-back was called up to the England squad for the first time.
Changes could be afoot at the club, however, with Josh Harris keen to sell his minority shareholding as part of plans to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich.
Fellow American investor John Textor is said to be interested in buying Harris’s shares in that eventuality.
There may be uncertainty upstairs then but on the field there are sure signs of progress.
Liverpool set up FA Cup semi with Man City
They are locked in battle for the Premier League title and could yet meet in the Champions League final but only one of Liverpool and Manchester City will make the FA Cup final.
England’s two best teams will meet in the semi-finals next month, the week after clashing in the top flight, after Liverpool survived a tough examination at serial giant killers Nottingham Forest on Sunday evening.
Diogo Jota scored the only goal of the game in the 78th minute, the latest in a burgeoning collection of vital strikes the former Wolves forward has notched this season.
Forest, who knocked out top-flight Arsenal and Leicester City earlier in the campaign, made life difficult and almost forced extra-time when Cafu lashed a shot just wide.
But Liverpool have mastered the art of doing enough to win. That is 14 victories from 16 games, they are just one point behind City in the league and the quadruple, however unlikely, is still on.
Marksman Mahrez takes his chance again
He may not be part of Pep Guardiola’s first choice XI at City but that hasn’t stopped Riyad Mahrez posting some eye-catching numbers this season.
The Algeria winger came off the bench to score again as City eased to a 4-1 win at Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday.
Mahrez now has 22 goals this season, despite starting just 24 matches, making him the club’s leading scorer by a distance.
He has made a further 12 substitute appearances but, even still, it is quite a strike rate for a player who spends most of his time outside the box and in wide areas.
Also on target at St Mary’s as City reached the semi-finals for a fourth successive season were their next three highest scorers Raheem Sterling (14), Kevin De Bruyne (11) and Phil Foden (11).