Raúl Jiménez and WWE's Sin Cara have had a budding friendship this season.
Jiménez, who has been on fire for the Wolves, has been attracting attention from all over the world for his glittering performances for Wolverhampton. He first showed glimpses of his bromance with Sin Cara back during a FA Cup semifinal match where, after he put the Wolves up by two goals, he ran behind Watford's goal to grab something from underneath the goal post.
A meeting between two clubs desperate to cement commendable seasons with a shot at silverware produced a classic FA Cup semifinal today at Wembley Stadium. Wolves went 2-0 up by the 62nd minute before Watford came storming back to force extra time with a goal in the 94th minute, and then Hornets hero Gerard Deulofeu scored his second in the 104th to book his side’s passage to the final, where Manchester City awaits.
Swansea City was on the verge of a season-defining victory against Manchester City in the FA Cup quarterfinals on Saturday. Then Raheem Sterling threw himself to the ground under a challenge from USMNT defender Cameron Carter-Vickers and the entire match dynamic changed.
Both Chelsea and Manchester United had a point to prove this evening. Chelsea's been struggling for goals and results lately, and manager Maurizio Sarri has been under pressure from fans and the board. Chelsea has slid from fourth to sixth position in the Premier League, and the Blues needed a result today to steady the ship before the Carabao Cup final on Feb. 24.
On the other hand, Manchester United had been on a great run of form until finally hitting a PSG roadblock in the Champions league.
The FA Cup Fifth Round took center stage in England this past weekend. Nine clubs of the final 16 were from leagues below the Premier League, with the tie of the weekend focused on Newport, Wales.
However, there was very little magic to be found in the results, just quality winning out. Manchester United and Chelsea squared off in the final tie of the round on Monday night. Two first half goals by United saw Ole Gunnar Solskjær's side defeat Chelsea on the road.
In the lead-up to Manchester City’s fifth-round FA Cup match with Newport County, Pep Guardiola said his team of superstars would “suffer” against a team in 15th place in EFL League Two.
Just before the match, Newport coach Michael Flynn told Guardiola he is a “genius.”
"It's a pleasure to see you, you're an absolute genius."
Ashley Cole has completed another first in his 20-year career: his first FA Cup goal.
The 38-year-old recently signed for Frank Lampard’s Derby County from MLS and made his debut in it’s fifth-round FA Cup tie with Brighton & Hove Albion.
After going down 2-0 to the host, Derby County pressed for a response in the second half. After a ball over the top caused a scramble in the box, a poor clearance by Daniel Burn fell kindly to Cole’s head.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was his calm and collected self in his most recent press conference, especially since he revealed that Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial will be injured for some important games.
Martial has a groin injury while Lingard has a hamstring issue.
We entered the FA Cup Fourth Round with three massive underdogs to cheer for — fourth division sides Newport County and Oldham Athletic and fifth division Barnet, the only non-league side remaining in the competition. Unfortunately, Oldham got dumped out by Doncaster, but Newport forced a replay against Middlesbrough.
The FA Cup is always full of surprises. Liverpool visited Wolves for a Third Round clash tonight, and we saw more of the same. Coming off a loss to Manchester City, Liverpool looked to bounce back and continue its hunt for trophies. Wolves needed a big result to get through to the next round. For Liverpool, it was an evening to forget. For Wolves, it was an evening to celebrate.