Manchester City 3-0 Arsenal - WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

The first major piece of silverware in the English game was up for grabs at Wembley as Arsenal and Manchester City battled it out for the Carabao Cup. Pep looking for his first piece of silverware of his managerial career in England. And Wenger looking to secure his first League Cup winners medal after twenty two years in charge of Arsenal.

Both sets of fans were in full voice on a sunny yet cold day in London, and it was the Londoners with the first chance of the game. Jack Wilshere latching onto a long ball, the ball eventually found Mesut Ozil who played it across to an unmarked Aubameyang. Somehow Arsenal's record signing failed to beat Claudio Bravo from point blank range, not once but twice. Well saved but he must score. Aubameyang struggled throughout the game to get away from Vincent Kompany. City's captain proving able to deal with the Gabonese striker along the ground, shoulder to shoulder and in the air. This being the only real chance the £60 million man had all game.

The first big chance fell to the Gunners, but all of the game was with City. David Silva in particular, who was untouchable all night, pulling the strings. And the Spaniard slipped a ball down Arsenal's right channel for Aguero to latch onto, the Argentine hitting the side netting. Speaking of City's number 10. Following a Claudio Bravo goal kick, Mustafi went up with Aguero to win the first header, but the German was easily out muscled. Poor from the big centre back as Aguero closed in on goal. Ospina's positioning was all wrong, in no mans land as the ball bounced towards him. Making Sergio's decision that much easier for him, taking it on the bounce and lifting it over the keeper and into an empty net. His 199th goal in his Manchester City career. Since day one Sergio Aguero has been loved by fans of the Citizens, and his stock is only growing higher. 1-0.

Jack Wilshere, Arsenal born and bred, the Englishman was the best player on the park for Arsenal. Winning a number of free-kicks in dangerous positions in City's half. But far to often wasted by Ozil. Who again will come under criticism for being invincible in a big game. Fernandinho was tasked with dealing with the German during the first 45 minutes and he made it look easy. Gundogan, another member of City's midfield who was sublime on the night. He makes the game look so easy at times and Arsenal didn't have an answer, even with Pep's side not even out of second gear. The German international has been growing more and more into his role since returning from injury. A brilliantly whipped ball onto the head of Kompany showed exactly how. The header going over the bar.

During the first 45 minutes Arsenal couldn't even get close to City. Chasing sky blue shadows. With the Premier League leaders nowhere near their best. Arsenal has cause for concern.

As the second half started it was like the first half had never ended. Manchester City still dominating the ball. On commentary it was mentioned how it hasn't been since 1999 that a final has finished 1-0. And just like that, City had one hand on the cup. Kevin De Bruyne fired a corner hard and low, into Gundogan on the edge of the box. Something off the training ground as the German took the shot of first time. He didn't catch it quite right however but on hand was club captain Vincent Kompany to poke home. Doubling City's lead. The man who has lifted this cup twice in the last five years was well on his way to lifting it again. A fan favourite, a club icon. The Belgian has been through hard times as of late. Injury after injury seemingly see his place in the City side become less of a certainty. But he steps up in the big game once again.

Now City were cooking on gas. They'd gone from second gear in the first half, to top gear and showed no signs of slowing down. For me the star man on the night, David Silva, managed to wiggle away from Callum Chambers with a brilliant first touch. Letting it run with his right before striking across goal with his left with complete accuracy. Ospina could only hope as he fell to his left hand side, for the ball to nestle in the bottom corner. The three eldest statesmen of this great City side. Three of the men there from the start of this great journey, and they all struck in the final. Aguero, Kompany and now David Silva. In this case six players around Silva couldn't stop him getting his shot off, Arsenal were being outclassed. Silva scoring in his third successive league cup final.

City played out the final 20 minutes in complete control. The game was won and they could afford to rest star men, Aguero making way for the returning Jesus. Once the final whistle was blown the majority of the Arsenal half of the stadium had already emptied. A walk in the park for the winners.

What we saw today was an example of two sides on completely different planets in every department. Had Arsenal been just outplayed by a superior Manchester City side, they would not be alone in that. Pep's men have blown away team after team this season. But that wasn't the case. Arsenal allowed themselves to be outplayed by showing a total lack of desire and character after going a goal down. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was supposed to be the answer to Arsenal's prayers following the departure of Alexis. (Check out my piece of why this isn't a great move for the Gunners.) And today he looked up for it for all of 35 minutes. He can be seen walking as the first half drew to a close, and he didn't come out for the second half. Aubameyang wasn't alone in this department. Mesut Ozil again went missing. On the back of signing a club record contract in January, he hasn't looked half the player we know he can be. Aaron Ramsey maybe let off as he was rushed back to play in this game, potentially not 100%. But the Welshman was part of the Arsenal side walking around the Wembley pitch while City played them off the park.

Desire, or lack of, was a huge factor in Arsenal folding to their opponents tonight, but a shambled of a defensive display didn't help their cause. For the first goal Mustafi 100% has to be stronger. Standing at over 6ft tall, with Aguero not even close to that, being nudged off of the ball as easily as he was is embarrassing. When you're the central defender in this position, you have to take authority. Aguero was gifted a goal. And from then on it was more of the same. Pass after pass from Silva, De Bruyne and Gundogan found it's way onto runners in blue. Arsenal's channels exposed countless times. Wenger lined his side up in the same way he did during last seasons FA Cup Semi-Final against Pep and Manchester City. However, this is not the same side. City found it far to easy to find space around the penalty area. Arsenal's defence found themselves running in circles.

One moment that must hurt for Arsenal fans, and all football fans was when a picture was snapped of an almost empty pitch at Wembley stadium. Only two feet planted on the turf, and those are the feet of Santi Cazola. Arsene Wenger really could have used to magic of Santi today. And with his career dwindling away, not playing in way over a year due to injury. Walking on the pitch, almost as if he wants the feeling of playing again. A truly horrible sight to see, one of Europe's greatest play makers.

Despite all of Arsenal's short comings today, the final belonged to Manchester City. Reasoning why Pep's side won't be talked about too much following their win is they were at no where near their best. 15 dazzling minutes around the hour mark, leading to Kompany's and Silva's goal but besides that, the didn't have to be at even 50%. This is a City side, without the injured Raheem Sterling. Gabriel Jesus only returning from injury in the dying minutes from the bench. Star shot stopper Ederson, who has been integral so far in his debut season didn't even feature on the night. Fabian Delph, who's had his career reborn by Pep in his new position at left back missed the final through suspension. So a Manchester City side, missing a number of key players, brushed aside Arsenal and made light work of it.

Following the game Kevin De Bruyne stated how this side aren't even close to the finished article yet, and that should send shivers down the spine of any side around Europe. With the Premier League title all but won, a maximum of five more wins will secure it, the League Cup locked up in the trophy cabinet again. Pep can put his focus on the Champions League. A 4-0 win away at Basel in the first leg of their round of 16 tie means they're all but into the next round. No one will want to draw Manchester City. A domestic double virtually sealed at this point, you wouldn't bet against a historic treble. The first treble by any English side since the red half of Manchester did it in 1999. (Only Barcelona and Inter Milan have done it across Europe since '99.) Should Manchester City join that elusive club, Pep is well within his rights to be called, potentially the greatest manager of his era.

Cup final day. The one day you'd think you can guarantee all 22 men on the pitch would give their all until the final whistle. Whether it was the quality of Manchester City driving the motivation from them. Or simply a poor attitude on the part of the men in red. Arsenal crumbled when City thrived. Congratulations Manchester City. Carabao Cup winners 2018.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - Why the Dortmund man is NOT the answer to Arsenal's prayers.

I started quite the debate on Wednesday night when I said on Twitter (@HSJPalf) that I did NOT believe Aubameyang was the correct target for Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, in their attempts to save their season and replace Alexis Sanchez. This brought quite a reaction from Arsenal fans, defending the striker as if he was already a Gunner. However the man from Gabon is still very much a Dortmund player, despite the German club stating they would sell their number 17 if the money was right. Having been left out of the Dortmund side yesterday in the Bundesliga, Arsenal fans have declared that the deal is done. This is very much not the case, which if you ask me, is a blessing in disguise for Arsenal. Before another set of Arsenal fans attempt to crucify me, let me explain myself.

Disclaimer: I am in no way saying Aubameyang would be a bad signing for Arsenal. He will score goals. There is a reason he has attracted the attention in the first place. He is a top drawer striker. 

Now... to the real reason you clicked on this.

The statement I made that really angered the Arsenal contingency on Twitter was as follows. 

"I've been saying it for years. Aubameyang is a Balotelli. Bags and bags of talent, but such a p*** poor attitude meaning that he's more of a hindrance then a help. Why have Bayern Munich stayed way away from signing Dortmund's best player for the first time in a decade? Attitude." 

Minor exaggeration? Perhaps. But I stand by everything I said. The Gabonese front man has created more headline for his off the pitch antics in the last year then he has for his performances in a Dortmund shirt. His flamboyant lifestyle has drawn attention of social media football fans all around the world, in particular his chrome Porsche super car. Turning up late to training has became a trait of Aubameyang, and club rules put in place by manager Peter Stoger have been quick to be broken. 

The details of Aubamyang's actions have been hard to come by, but the indication is that there is more then meets the eye. The striker's attitude has always been an issue, and despite a desire to back their man at all times in the past, Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke and Sporting Director Michael Zorc have both publicly criticised P.E.A in recent weeks. 

Reports also coming from the Dortmund camp indicating that the players have tired with the extremely long least Aubameyang is being restrained with by the Dortmund hierarchy. Reportedly expressing their concerns with the board in a recent meeting. 

Comments made on Aubameyang's attitude aren't solely coming from Dortmund or irrelevant journalists on the internet. But also from outside sources, namely Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes. The legendary manager was quoted referring to the want away striker as a 'rotten apple' and that in the footballing world, a players attitude does not suddenly change when moving to another club. These comments, supported by Frankfurt coach Niko Kovac, were meant as a warning to Arsenal.

An argument can be made that this attitude is a result of Pierre's desire to leave Dortmund. And to that I say. Coutinho wanted away from Liverpool, as did Luis Suarez. Alexis wanted out of Arsenal. All world superstars on the level of Aubameyang. All openly and publicly wanted out. But the key difference is not none of them went to every extreme to force a move through breaking club rules. The attitude shown by the Gabonese striker is not one you find with all want away footballers, just the ones with a lack of respect for their employers. This lack of respect that surely will not be tolerated at Arsenal. A club, ran by the men at the very top. Arsene Wenger is said to have a huge amount of power at the North London club due to his long tenure in charge. Any manager to follow you imagine will not have this same power. So suddenly, no amounts of goals could protect Aubameyang from the board who run Arsenal like a business more then any club in the land. They will likely not see the goals tally, but more likely they will see a negative public imagine on their club, due to the business of their striker. And in the business world, what happens to an employee bringing the business into disrepute? They get fired.

It appears clear that Dortmund have given up with Aubameyang, and wish to move on. No figure has been stated, just a statement that should Arsenal meet their requirements, they get their man.

Now a big part of Aubameyang's recent almost exile from BVB has been the players distaste to his actions. I'll keep this one short. P.E.A's attitude and lifestyle will not change should he get his move to Arsenal. So imagine this. It's late April, early May 2018. Arsenal have no silverware to their name (providing Manchester City beat them in the League Cup final, and how could you back against Pep's side!) Out of the title race, and are struggling to or perhaps even certain to fail in their race for a top four place. Imagine the reaction on the likes of Laurent Koscielny, Petr Cech, and other senior members of the squad when Aubameyang rolls up to training. Once again, is his chrome Porsche, late, laughing and joking, filming something for Twitter, or Instagram. All while he earns over £200,000 a week. And while his team mates are working hard to try and save a decidedly poor season. That would get anyone's backs up, and just like that, the distaste for Pierre has made its way to North London. 

The signing of a big player will raise the moral temporarily in any side, it is then up to said player to keep that moral boosting. Not infuriate his team mates, something I am certain it will take the now former Dortmund striker mere moments to accomplish.

Coming back to that point about moral. Yes, a big name signing would always raise the moral of a side. But, in this case. Does that signing absolutely, 100%, have to be Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang?

Let's look at this logically. Arsenal are a club riddled with issues. Top players wanted out, fans wanting their manager out, the board seemingly not caring about on the picture results. Not to mention the contract debacle that saw Alexis leave for a snip of what he is worth, and could lead to the departure of Ozil and Wilshere this summer. So if you have £50 million to play with, why spend that money on a man who will simply add more fuel to the fire?

And to this I say. Edison Cavani.

Now I'm not saying I am a member of Arsenal's recruitment team (It seems to me that they actually seem to pay far less attention to actual football then they should!) But if I was, I would say this to them.

"So we have a lot of money and want a big name signing. How about, just a thought. Instead of a player who is a known trouble maker, we sign a professional."

To this I am met with a round of boo's (In my mind the Arsenal recruitment team are Arsenal fan TV) and they all tell me that Aubameyang's attitude is nothing when you look at his goals. So my response is.

"Yes but how about we sign someone who is a true professional as well as a brilliant goal scorer."

Who? Who? Who? (The recruitment team are now the New Day.)

"Why not Edison Cavani? Doing virtually no research will tell you that last season, in Aubameyang's best ever season for goals, Cavani out-scored him. He also averaged more goals per game then Pierre, had a better pass success rate which would play a big part when you consider Arsenal's style of play and he registered double the amount of assists. And that is just in the league. He out-scored Aubameyang in the Champions League too. And despite being deployed out wide for much of his time at PSG, a tactical decision Edison clearly was not fond on. He still played to an incredibly high standard and showed a first class attitude for the good of the team."

But Cavani is older then Aubameyang (As someone pointed out on Twitter the other night as if I had no idea.)

"Irrelevant. Cavani is a goal scorer, who is not incredibly quick, not a muscle bound Goliath, and despite being by no means short, he is only 6ft, so no giant either. And yet look at his goal record. He is a goal scorer with a goal scorer's brain. You never forget how to get into the right positions and you never forget how to put the ball in the back of the net. You never lose it despite your age. But do you know what you do lose? Physical traits. You know, like speed. Aubameyang's number one goal scoring tool. At 28, Pierre will probably have two, maybe three years before those legs can't carry him at an incredible speed anymore. At 30 years old Cavani is in the best form of his life as his knowledge of the game grows, and I don't think it's overly dramatic to say I can see him being a better player in three years time then he is now.

And now the recruitment team say to me that Aubameyang wants away from Dortmund, making the deal just a case of paying the correct fee, not convincing the player to leave a club he loves. (Again, this makes me question how much football this group of people watch.)

"Again, an irrelevant point. Because one, you could convince virtually any striker to move if you offer them a big enough pay packet (sad but true) And two, this in no way makes the Cavani deal a non starter because of one name. Neymar. The Uruguayan striker is clearly frustrated and sick of PSG's record signing. Sick of being pushed to second and potentially even third in command after Mbappe, and sick of his achievements being over looked. (He is now PSG's all time leading scorer.) Cavani would not take much convincing to come to North London.

I feel like this has gotten away from me a little bit, but to put it simply. The point I am making is that Arsenal should sign a big name to bring about a rise in moral within the club. But that signing should be a player who ticks all of the boxes. A player who wants to be there, be part of the side, only ever help the club grow as well as providing the goods between the white lines. Not a flamboyant trouble maker who's goals aren't enough for his current club to put up a fight to hold onto him.

The only reason I can think of for choosing Aubameyang above all else is his relationship with Henrikh Mkhitaryan. At Dortmund the two were sublime together, and with Mkhitaryan moving to Arsenal in a swap for Alexis, a chance to rebuild their connection could be what Arsenal are after. Which is a very fair point, but to this I'd say that quality always recognises quality. The great players player their best football with the other great players. Yes a ready made connection is a way to fast track to success, but that's not to say that Mkhitaryan couldn't play to the same standard with any other team mate.

Now watch this, in true style, P.E.A will complete his move to Arsenal, become a perfect professional and fire in goal after goal. In the unlikely event of this happening I am ready to stand corrected.

I feel as if Arsenal, a club in such turmoil need stability, and this move is just not a way to get it. 

Arsenal's 'Invincibles' - Why they weren't as great as you remember.

During the 20 seasons of Premier League awards back in 2012, Arsenal’s famous 2003/2004 side, more commonly known as the ‘Invincibles’, were voted as the best Premier League side in history.

It’s easy to see why, with top scorer Thierry Henry at the peak of his powers, Sol Campbell bossing proceedings from the back, and the pairing of Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva dominating midfield, the spine of the team was unparalleled. Frenchman Robert Pires and maverick Freddie Ljungberg tormenting full backs across the country, no one could stop the Gunners.

This is how they are remembered by the vast masses, but not quite how they should be remembered.

Arsenal ended their 2003/2004 campaign with 90 points, which is no doubt a very impressive points haul for the season. Just 12 months later, however, Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea side finished their title-winning season with 95 points – five more than the Gunners.

So, if just 12 months after Wenger’s side finished with 90 points, Chelsea racked up more points then Arsenal, over the same amount of games, playing a lot of the same sides, Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’ side were not as good as the champions that followed them.

In fact, Arsenal’s total of 90 points during their famous season is only the sixth-highest points total in Premier League history. With Chelsea ending the league season with more the 90 points on three separate occasions, and Manchester United doing it twice.

Now, moving away from points and onto goals, to be precise, how few goals Arsenal scored during the season. During the 2003/2004 season the North London club had, at their disposal, one of the greatest striking partnerships in the league’s history: Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp.

Henry finished the season as Golden Boot winner with 30 league goals, and with the Frenchman leading the line Arsenal ended the campaign with 73 goals which, when put into context, is incredibly low for a title-winning side. In fact, in the 13 seasons that have followed the ‘Invincibles’, only on four occasions have the champions failed to score less then 73 league goals, and only twice in the last decade.

With such attacking power how did Arsenal only manage 73 goals?

Wenger and his side played out the end of the season to avoid defeat. Now, throughout most of the season, Arsenal went out to play and they went out to win. But it was later on in the season where this point comes into play.

Four draws from their last six games shows two things: going unbeaten was firmly on the minds of the players, the coaching staff, everyone who was involved with the club – going unbeaten was the priority. It also shows that playing entertaining football and sending the fans home happy was not at the forefront of the thinking for the men in charge.

In fact, in the last six games of the campaign Arsenal, with Thierry Henry leading the line, only managed six goals. That’s an average of one goal-per-game; to put that into context only one side in the ENTIRE division had an average of one goal-per-game that season. That side was Wolverhampton Wanderers and they finished bottom.

Invincible means, too powerful to be defeated or overcome. Despite playing our their league season unbeaten, in all competitions Arsenal found themselves on the losing side in some of their biggest games.

During the course of the campaign, Arsenal actually lost to three Premier League sides. Starting with defeats home and away to Middlesbrough in the Carling Cup semi-finals – Arsenal came into the game with their eyes on the first piece of silverware of the domestic season.

The opportunity was there for Arsenal to send out a message to the other top sides in England; that the Gunners meant business. It was clear that Arsenal were looking past Steve McClaren’s side, and the underdogs walked away 3-1 victors on aggregate.

FA Cup semi final vs Manchester United, another massive game for Arsenal. But unlike in their league fixtures, the game had to have an outright winner. Arsenal really went for broke during this encounter with their old rivals. But without frontman Thierry Henry the red half of North London lacked that cutting edge. That same cutting edge their opponents had in abundance and Paul Scholes scored the only goal of the game to send United to the final.

What was to follow was Arsenal’s biggest game of the season; a Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea. After a 1-1 draw at the Bridge, Arsenal welcomed Chelsea to Highbury – firmly in the driver’s seat with an away goal to their name.

Wenger’s men faced their biggest task of the campaign on the biggest stage, and only days after falling out of the FA Cup to Manchester United the chance was there for Arsenal to really show their class. And a victory against Chelsea would have given them a huge opportunity to capture their first ever European Cup.

On the night, however, everything that had come before in the league meant nothing. Wayne Bridge scored the winner for Chelsea as Arsenal exited their second competition in the space of a week; when push came to shove, Arsenal lacked something.

Arsenal did manage to go the entire league season without suffering defeat, an incredibly accomplishment; this was achieved with some rather dubious methods. Portsmouth travelled to Highbury in September 2003, and took an early lead against the Gunners.

While driving into the box, Robert Pires dived to win a penalty, which Henry slotted away to equalise. In the years that followed the manager himself openly admitted to Pires’ dive, whereas after the game the man involved came out and denied the dive. The French wide man said it was:

“…not the way he played and that he was not a cheat.”

Because they did not lose a game, the Arsenal Invincibles are seen as the greatest Premier League side in history. They went unbeaten, that fact is not debatable – but do the maths for one moment. You could go an entire season unbeaten, and still go down, finishing on 38 points – two off the magic 40-point target sides battling the drop aim for. Football is about winning, not avoiding defeat and the 2003/2004 Arsenal side played to avoid defeat throughout much of the key stages of their season.

Arsenal and Arsene Wenger simply took advantage of what was a poor season in terms of standard of football to achieve what they did. Much like Leicester City in 2016, they won the title without being a truly remarkable team.

It’s unlikely that another side will ever go an entire Premier League season unbeaten. This is not because no side could ever do it, but because the very best sides don’t need to go unbeaten to be seen as the very best.

The Magic of the Cup - FA Cup 2017 so far.

The FA Cup, the oldest cup competition in Professional football, the competition where the phrase 'giant killing' was really put into practice and this year, after a few years in the wilderness, it's back with a bang! With the biggest sides in the country using this competition to field weaker sides and for youngsters to gain experience the importance of this competition has dwindled, with the prize money for winning the competition being nothing compared to a respectable finish in the top flight of English football. With last season's FA Cup winners Manchester United pocketing south of £2million, and Aston Villa who placed last in the Premier League receiving over £62million, the long, drawn out cup run was treated as a non priority by a lot of sides, this year however you would have to think otherwise. 

With Chelsea beating the holders Man United 1-0 at Stanford Bridge tonight the semi finals were set, Chelsea vs Spurs, and Manchester City vs Arsenal. Four of the big teams in the country and four of the bookies favourites before a ball was kicked but it has not been as clean cut as it seems. 

This Year's FA Cup has seen history made, in the form of Sutton United and Lincoln Town. For the first time in over a century two non-league sides made their way to the FA Cup fifth round, beating championship sides Leeds and Brighton. It would take 12 time FA Cup winners Arsenal to knock out Sutton in a much more even match then many would expect, the heart of the non-league side shown throughout. For Lincoln however, the incredible run continued! A late, late goal secured a 1-0 win away from home against Burnley, a side with the third best home record in the premier league. Lincoln became the first non-league side in English football since 1914 to reach the quarter finals of the FA Cup and one game away from a Wembley Semi Final! However, much like Sutton the round before, Lincoln fell to Arsenal but the Lincoln players have written their names into the history books. 

It wasn't just teams from outside the football league causing upsets throughout this years FA Cup, there have been more than anyone would expect. During the fourth round we saw Wolves outplay Liverpool at Anfield and pick up a 2-1 against the reds. Oxford shocked high flying championship side Newcastle with a comfortable 3-0 at home. We also saw Premier League sides Hull and Watford fall to Championship outfit Fulham, and League one's representative in this stage of the cup Millwall. The Fifth round was a lot more run of the mill with the majority of the bigger sides advancing, however Millwall once again gained the scalp of high profile opposition, in the form of Premier League Champions Leicester City! The 1-0 home win saw them progress to the quarter finals for a date with cross city rivals Spurs, where sadly the the League one side. the home team proved far too good on the day and strolled to a 6-0 win! 

Between the final four sides in the competition they scored 14 goals in their quarter final ties and conceded none, showing their class to progress to the semi-finals at the home of football, Wembley stadium. Chelsea have local rivals Spurs on route to the final and a chance to complete a potential domestic double with the London club flying high at the top of the league and with Kante in their midfield it will feel like having an extra man on the pitch for the blues. Where as Spurs will have to handle a second consecutive derby in the FA Cup, and with Harry Kane currently nursing a potentially re-injured ankle it could be a tough ask Pochettino's men. Arsenal seemingly have nothing left to play for this campaign, and in what could be Wenger's last they'll want to end the season with some silverware. Their opponents however are still chasing European glory, leading 5-3 from the first leg of their round of 16 tie against Monaco making the FA Cup play second priority. However, City, along side Chelsea, are perhaps the only side in the Premier League with a squad strong enough to make wholesale changes without losing out in terms of ability. Also, you know Pep will be desperate to remember his first season in charge of the Citizans as a trophy winning one. 

This is what the FA Cup is all about, giant killing throughout from surprise outfits, but the trophy comes down to some of the best the country has to offer. There's a reason the tournament has lasted well over 140 years ago, nothing can replace the magic of the cup. 

Semi Final predictions: 

Chelsea 2-1 Spurs 

Arsenal 0-2 Manchester City. 

Final Prediction:

 

Chelsea 2-2 Manchester City (Manchester City to win on penalties)