The Malta Independent on Sunday
Tottenham beats Swansea, secures ‘home’ FA Cup SF at Wembley Manchester U. also in last four
Football in the UK
Tottenham secured a place in the FA Cup semifinals at its temporary Wembley Stadium home by beating Swansea 3-0 yesterday in Wales, with Christian Eriksen scoring two of the three long-range goals.
Erik Lamela also struck from outside the area in the quarterfinal at Liberty Stadium as Tottenham stayed on course for a first trophy in 10 years.
Spurs are playing at Wembley this season while its home at White Hart Lane is being redeveloped, so have an advantage heading into the semifinals - and the final if they make it that far. Wembley is supposed to be used as a neutral ground for the FA Cup semifinals.
Eriksen was allowed to advance to the edge of the area by Swansea’s retreating defenders before the Denmark playmaker curled a left-foot shot into the corner in the 11th minute.
Lamela scored from similar range, and in similar circumstances, in firsthalf injury time before Eriksen fired home a low shot from 20 metres in the 62nd.
The FA Cup represents Tottenham’s last chance of silverware this season after getting eliminated from the Champions League by Juventus last week.
Man Utd also reach semifinals
Manchester United joined Tottenham in the semifinals as they beat Brighton 2-0 at a snowy Old Trafford.
Romelu Lukaku scored with a good header on 37 minutes, after Chris Smalling had hit the post for United. Nemanja Matic sealed their victory with a second goal on 83 minutes.
But United were made to fight hard for their victory as Brighton were a very lively side and before Matic scored that second goal, they provided the United defence with several anxious moments, especially in the second half.
First it was Gross who had a curling effort just missing the target, then Jurgen Locadia twice threatened to equalise.
After being thwarted by United goalie Romero who made a brilliant save, he then headed just over the crossbar from an ideal position.
Snow Salah: Liverpool forward scores 4 in win over Watford
Mohamed Salah scored four goals and set up another in Liverpool's 5-0 victory over Watford, cementing his status as the most prolific forward in Europe's leading competitions.
The Egypt international’s first hat trick for Liverpool took his tally to 36 in his first season at the club, including 28 in the league.
Salah’s opener after four minutes was reminiscent of a Lionel Messi move.
Salah exchanged passes with Sadio Mane before chasing down the ball in the penalty area and setting off on one of those driving, jinking runs which inevitably leaves defenders on their behinds.
Miguel Britos was the unfortunate victim on this occasion, getting a worm’s eye view as Salah fired an angled shot past Orestis Karnezis to become the third Liverpool player to score at least 25 Premier League goals in a single season after Luis Suarez (2013-14) and Robbie Fowler (1995-96 and 1994-95).
It was a goal so good it required a second look and many of Liverpool’s substitutes left their seats on the bench to view it on a pitchside monitor.
If that was good the goal which completed his hat-trick was even better and similarly Messi-esque.
Mane cut in from the right to feed the ball in and, despite being surrounded by defenders and falling over, Salah somehow managed to conjure a low shot that went inside the far post.
The middle goal of his treble two minutes before half-time was less individual and more team-orientated as Andrew Robertson exchanged passes with Mane before sliding in a cross which Salah could not fail to convert.
Even at that stage it appeared the game was beyond the visitors, but Firmino made sure five minutes into the second half when he backheeled Salah’s near-post cross through his legs and inside the far post, eclipsing his previous career best of 22 for Hoffenheim in 2013-14.
Roberto Pereyra’s inswinging free kick on to the top of the crossbar was Watford's only moment of respite as the red tide continued to crash forward and with it, inevitably, came more Salah goals.
After completing his hat trick with some penalty area trickery the Egyptian rifled home substitute Danny Ings’ rebounded shot to become the first Liverpool player since Suarez against Norwich in December 2013 to net four times in a single game.
West Brom 10 points adrift after losing 2-1 to Bournemouth
West Bromwich Albion’s slim hopes of Premier League survival took another hit when it surrendered the lead to lose 2-1 at Bournemouth yesterday.
Jay Rodriguez looked set to ease the pressure on under-fire West Brom boss Alan Pardew after he opened the scoring early in the second half.
But late goals from Jordon Ibe and Junior Stanislas turned the game around for Bournemouth as the lastplaced Baggies slumped to a seventh successive league loss, leaving them 10 points from safety with seven games remaining.
Stoke loses to Everton to deepen relegation fears
Stoke’s relegation fears deepened as Charlie Adam was sent off for a lunge on Wayne Rooney in a snowy 2-1 loss to Everton.
After Adam’s 30th-minute dismissal for the studs-up challenge, Cenk Tosun scored twice to end Everton’s run of five straight away losses in the league.
Stoke substitute Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting had cancelled out Tosun’s opener but the Turkey international took his tally to four goals in three games to decide the contest in Everton’s favour.