Sanchez strike puts Arsenal into all-London FA Cup final
Chilean’s 101st-minute winner plus for Wenger but heat still on for top-shelf silverware
Alexis Sanchez ensured Arsenal’s stormy season will end with an FA Cup final after securing a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in extra time at Wembley Stadium yesterday.
The Chilean striker struck in the 101st minute to secure an all-London May 27 final against Chelsea.
Arsenal are chasing a third title in four seasons in the competition that has provided a comfort blanket for Arsene Wenger during a 13-year Premier League trophy drought.
But with Arsenal languishing in seventh place in the Premier League, and set to miss out on the Champions League, the heat remains on the manager whose contract expires at the end of the season.
“People can question my decisions but not loyalty and commitment to this club,” Wenger said coyly about his managerial future after goals from defender Nacho Monreal and Sanchez gave him a shot at a seventh FA Cup triumph next month.
But Pep Guardiola’s first season in charge of City will end without silverware, and he even faces a fight for a Champions League spot. That’s not what City was expecting when it hired the serial winner who had won titles in every campaign with Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
But Guardiola was outwitted by Wenger, who has adopted the threeman defence that has served the league’s top two teams, Chelsea and Tottenham, so well this season.
“Maybe we found in a period we needed a bit more security . . . a bit more defensive stability,” Wenger said.
Uncharacteristically, Arsenal’s defence was holding up strongly, denying City space to threaten Petr Cech’s goal. For an hour at least, until the Gunners were caught out by a ruthless counterattack.
Aaron Ramsey conceded possession on the edge of the City penalty area as he dithered on the ball. Yaya Toure set up Sergio Aguero who chipped goalkeeper Petr Cech in the 62nd minute.
This wasn’t one of those days Arsenal capitulated, instead drawing level in the 71st minute when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain crossed to the far post and Monreal volleyed past goalkeeper Claudio Bravo with his weaker right foot.
Having forced extra time, Arsenal displayed the resolve lacking so often this year to turn the semifinal around.
Sanchez came through for Arsenal in extra time, just as he did for the joint-record 12-time FA Cup winners in the 2015 semifinal, nudging the ball over the line in the 101st minute.
Manchester United gave rare starts to Anthony Martial and Wayne Rooney and they responded with first-half goals in what proved to be a comfortable win for United against battling Burnley. United extended its unbeaten run to 23 games dating to October 23.
Christian Benteke was sold by Liverpool to Palace for £27 million ($49m) in August and he is proving the perfect fit at his new club. The Belgium striker returned to Anfield and scored twice for Palace, the equaliser to cancel out Philippe Coutinho’s free kick and then a closerange winner from a 74th-minute corner.
Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante has been voted the player of the year by his fellow professionals, collecting the award at a ceremony yesterday that honoured David Beckham’s contribution to English football. The 26-year-old Kante, a 1.70m force in midfield, secured his move to Chelsea last July after his tackles, interceptions and tireless box-to-box running helped 5000-1 outsider Leicester win the title for the first time.
Tottenham Hotspur attacker Dele Alli won the young player of the year vote for a second straight year. FRANCE GERMANY