FA Cup
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer: Odion Ighalo brilliant on and off the pitch
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has praised Odion Ighalo since he arrived from Shanghai Shenhua. United’s loan star has shown why the club extended his deal until January 2021. Ighalo got another goal in a tense 2-1 win over Norwich City in the FA Cup quarter finals. United now face Chelsea in the semis. “Keeping Ighalo was important to me and we worked hard to do it,” said Solskjaer to reporters after the Norwich game. “I think Odion knows how much we value him in and around the dressing room and of course on the pitch.” Solskjaer added: “He’s a goalscorer, a poacher, strong, we can play the ball into him like we did on the winning goal, where he showed and Paul [Pogba] found him. “He’s performing well but it also gives me the chance to rotate with Marcus [Rashford], Anthony [...
‘It’s just a pity’ – Crouch shares major concern ahead of Newcastle clash with City
Newcastle United host Manchester City tomorrow in the F.A Cup quarter-finals and both teams will be looking to book a place in the semi-finals. The Magpies boss Steve Bruce hopes to lead his side to silverware, and this could be his only chance to do so with his future at St. James’ Park uncertain due to a possible £300 million takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Pep Guardiola’s side remain favourites ahead of the clash, but former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch is hoping that Newcastle can cause an upset. However, the fact that the game will take place in an empty SJP doesn’t please him. “The best game is in Newcastle. Obviously, Manchester City are favourites to go through, but I really hope the home team win and I would love Steve Bruce to lift a trophy this season,” Crou...
FA Cup Schedule: provisional dates for QF, SF and Final announced
The FA have confirmed today that the remaining matches of the 2019-20 FA Cup will go ahead after the Premier League decided to restart on June 17. A provisional restart date for the 2019-20 Emirates FA Cup has been announced after the competition came to an abrupt halt due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Some provisional dates for your diary… 👀#EmiratesFACup — The Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) May 29, 2020 With the number of deaths keeping on rising in the country, as also elsewhere, it looked like football will fail to restart and the competition will have to be scrapped completely. However, after the Premier League decided to restart the season from June 17th, the FA have announced that the FA Cup quarter-finals will now take place over the weekend of Saturday 27 June and Sunday ...
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer counts on Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford for EPL restart
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said on Tuesday he is confident of having Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford fit should the Premier League season restart next month. Pogba has missed the majority of the campaign with an ongoing ankle injury, while Rashford seemed set to miss the rest of the season when he suffered a double stress fracture in his back in January. United returned to training in small groups last week and preparations are expected to be ramped up further for a return to action when Premier League clubs vote on resuming contact training on Wednesday. “Hopefully now we’ve proved we can do this safely and we can move to the next step. It’s been really enjoyable being on the training ground again,” said Solskjaer. “They (Pogba and Rashford) are looking good, they’ve jo...
Alex Iwobi reveals happiest moments of his career in national team shirt
Super Eagles forward Alex Iwobi has revealed helping Nigeria reach the 2018 FIFA World Cup is the happiest moment of his career. Iwobi scored the winning goal against Zambia to help Nigeria qualify 2the FIFA World Cup for the sixth time, two years after switching allegiance to the West African Nation. While speaking to sports bibe on Instagram live session, the former Arsenal forward said the feat remains the best of his career, despite winning bronze at the African cup of Nations in Egypt and English FA Cup with Arsenal. “I’ve had a lot of happy moments in my career but for me, I will say when I scored against Zambia to send my national team to the World Cup because my parents were there,” he said. “That’s a special moment, I almost shed a tear on the pitch.” He said. Iwobi went on to rep...
Didier Drogba beats Zlatan Ibrahimovic as best Ligue 1 striker in last two decades
Former Marseille and Guingamp star Didier Drogba has been crowned Ligue 1’s greatest striker of the past 20 years, ahead of PSG legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Drogba was recognised by Ligue 1 on Saturday after collecting 51 per cent of the 40,094 votes cast by fans on social media. He spent two-and-a-half years in the French top-flight and played for Guingamp between 2001 and 2003 before moving to Marseille where he spent a season. The two-time African Player of the Year scored 39 goals in 81 Ligue 1 games – 20 goals at Guingamp and 19 efforts at Marseille while Ibrahimovic scored 113 goals in 122 Ligue 1 matches between 2012 and 2016 at PSG. On his run to the final stage, Drogba saw off competition from Fernando Morientes, Alexander Frei, Karim Benzema and Pauleta. The former Ivory Coast forw...
Louis van Gaal blames Ed Woodward for Manchester United sacking
Getty Images Louis van Gaal blames Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward for his departure from the club in 2016, describing him as “the evil genius” behind his sacking. The Dutch head coach replaced David Moyes at Old Trafford in 2014 but lasted just two years in the job despite winning the FA Cup in his final game in charge. After guiding United to fourth place in the Premier League in his first season, Van Gaal saw his side slip down to fifth the following campaign as he failed to convince the club that he could turn their fortunes around. Jose Mourinho was named as Van Gaal’s successor just days after he was sacked and the Dutchman has stressed that he blames Woodward and not the Portuguese for his departure. “I blame Ed Woodward, my CEO at Manchester United, much more ...
