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Leeds end 39-year wait The Whites beat West Ham in shootout to reach FA Cup semis

Saints face Cityzen in FA Cup semis

SOUTHAMPTON will face Manchester City in the FA Cup semifinals at Wembley after their shock win against Premier League leaders Arsenal. The Championship side beat the Gunners 2-1 in the quarterfinals at St Mary’s on Sunday. City thrashed Liverpool 4-0 on Saturday to reach the semifinals of the competition for an eighth successive season. Pep Guardiola’s side are bidding to make the final for a fourth consecutive year, having lost to Manchester United in 2024 and Crystal Palace in 2025 following their last win in 2023. Southampton are dreaming of emulating their shock 1976 FA Cup final victory against Manchester United. Relegated from the Premier League last season, Southampton are also hoping to win promotion via the Championship playoffs. Leeds, who lifted the FA Cup in 1972, will meet Chelsea in the other Wembley semifinal. Chelsea, 7-0 winners against third-tier Port Vale on Sunday, famously beat Leeds in a brutal 1970 FA Cup final that went to a replay. – AFP

L EEDS reached the FA Cup semifinals for the first time in 39 years as they survived a dramatic penalty shootout after squander ing a two-goal lead in a thrilling clash with West Ham yesterday. Daniel Farke’s side were moments away from victory at the London Stadium after Ao Tanaka’s first half goal and Dominic Calvert Lewin’s second half penalty put them in control.

needed to be prepared for every thing. I was able to keep my head in place and keep focused on the game, and I’m so happy we won the match.” It was their second shootout victory in the competition this season following their fourth round success at Birmingham. Leeds will face Chelsea in the semifinals at Wembley April 25. A breathless Farke said: “At least I’m old enough that I was already born when there was the last semifinal for Leeds United in the FA Cup in the 80s. “It was a crazy game and it has cost lots of energy, but in the FA Cup quarterfinal both teams are able to fight for quite another piece of history for the club. “To reach, for the first time since a while, the semifinal, the game should be like this with ups and downs and setbacks. We could have made our life a bit easier after an excellent start to the game” The Yorkshire club are in the semifinals for the first time since 1987, when they lost to eventual winners Coventry at Hillsborough. Leeds have lost on their past three trips to Wembley, in the 2024 Championship playoff final, the 2008 League One play off final and the 1996 League Cup final. FA Cup winners for the only time in 1972, Leeds’ last victory at Wembley was in a 4-3 success against Liverpool in the 1992 Charity Shield. Their win over

respective kicks.

But West Ham staged a stop page-time rally as Mateus Fernandes reduced deficit before Axel Disasi’s equaliser forced extra time. With the score still level at 2-2 after the additional period, Leeds keeper Lucas Perri emerged as their shootout hero. Joel Piroe missed Leeds’ first penalty but Calvert-Lewin, Brenden Aaronson, Wilfried Gnonto and Pascal Struijk all con verted their

Perri saved Jarrod Bowen’s opening effort for West Ham and also denied Pablo as Leeds won 4-2 on penalties. “It feels great,” Perri said to TNT Sports . “It is the magic of the cup that we talk about. “It was a crazy game with incredible moments, and we are so happy that we won at the end of the

shootout. Now we will celebrate and keep going. We

FA CUP SEMIFINALS DRAW Chelsea vs Leeds United Man City vs Southampton *Ties to be played at Wembley on the weekend of April 25 and 26.

Semenyo salutes Cherki in City thrashing

Ű BY ANDY HAMPSON

ANTOINE SEMENYO has hailed Rayan Cherki as “one of the world’s best” following Manchester City’s FA Cup rout of Liverpool. Semenyo and Cherki both made key contributions as hattrick hero Erling Haaland fired City to a 4-0 win at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. The pair combined for one of Haaland’s goals before Cherki played in Semenyo to score himself in a devastating display that put City into the last four for a record-extending eighth successive season. “He’s one of the world’s best,” said City winger Semenyo. “He can literally do anything with the ball, so he makes my life easy. “I know that he’s going to drop and he’s going to try and find me in behind or play to my feet, so it just makes it easier.” Cherki’s disguised pass for Semenyo to cross for Haaland’s second goal bamboozled the Liverpool defence and underlined his creative quality. Yet, as in the Carabao Cup final win over Arsenal, Cherki could not resist the occasional flick and trick once the game was won – a trait that has previously drawn a frosty response from Pep Guardiola. The manager’s view this time was unclear as he served a touchline ban and handed media duties to assistant Pep Lijnders. There was admonishment for the Frenchman from the bench though after he swapped shirts with Hugo Ekitike after being substituted late on. Cherki put the shirt on before full time and was immediately told to take it off. Moments like that add to Cherki’s maverick reputa tion, but for Semenyo, it is his creativity and skill that stand out most. “I remember my first day in training,” said Semenyo. “Just some of the skills he was pulling up, I thought, ‘What kind of player is he?’ He’s a top player. Creative with the ball and we love it.” City’s victory marked a strong return after the inter national break and highlighted their determination to finish the season strongly with a domestic treble in their sights. Semenyo said: “I feel like there’s so much aspiration, so many goals that we want to achieve this season. There’s more to come and just have to keep going. “It’s the most important part of the season now, so we just want to win as many games as we can. “Every game’s the final now, so we just have to keep pushing and see what happens.” – The Independent

West Ham was a welcome lift in the midst of a Premier League relegation

Leeds’ Joel Piroe (left) and Wilfried Gnonto celebrate after winning the penalty

battle for both clubs.

shootout against West Ham in the

Third-bottom West Ham are one point behind fourth-bottom Tottenham with seven games left. Leeds, four points above the Hammers, face a return trip to West Ham for a potentially deci sive clash on the last day of the season. – AFP/The Independent

FA Cup quarterfinal on Sunday. – REUTERSPIC

Silva calls time at Etihad

Ű BY RICHARD JOLLY

and somebody who can fit in the first 11. “And then you hope, with our academy, with the young players we already bought, that they can make that step as well in the mid field positions. “If you see our young boys in the academy, then they have to make that step and to grow. But the most important is that the seniors who stay for a long time, that they stay, that they stay, that they stay. That they are always there and around that, you can move. “But it will be hard because, as I said, in the game, when he is not playing, you will see how he is missed, and that’s one game. Imagine a season.” – The Independent

ances under Pep Guardiola than anyone else – with his 450th City game coming in the 4-0 win over Liverpool on Saturday – and was named City’s player of the season in 2018/19. Guardiola has previously described Silva as “irreplaceable”. Lijnders admitted City will face a struggle to bring in a similar player, adding: “You never replace a player with the same kind of player because they don’t exist. Bernardo Silva is unique. The way he controls games, the way he moves, the way he receives, the way he leads, the way he sees the solutions. All these things. “You never search for a replacement of one type of player. You search for what is needed to grow with the team

story comes to an end, and I hope he enjoys the last months – there are only six weeks – and has a good farewell. He deserves all that attention as well.” Silva, who has attracted inter est from Juventus recently, was a past target for Barcelona and had wanted to move on to a warmer climate than Manchester. The 31-year-old, who joined from Monaco in 2017, is one of the most decorated players in City’s history, winning one treble and 19 trophies, including the Champions League in 2023 and six Premier Leagues. Appointed captain for this season, he lifted his first silver ware as skipper when they won the Carabao Cup last month. Silva has made more appear

BERNARDO SILVA will leave Manchester City at the end of the season, the assistant manager Pep Lijnders has announced, say ing the captain deserves a good farewell. The midfielder has long been expected to move on when his contract expires in the summer, but had not revealed that he would go until Lijnders said that “every good story comes to an end” and that the Portugal inter national is in the final weeks of his time at the Etihad Stadium. The Dutchman believes it will be impossible to replace Silva because he is unique, and feels he will leave a huge void. Lijnders said: “Every good