Immediately after Leeds United’s cup triumph at West Ham United, the draw for the FA Cup semi-finals took place. Manchester City and Chelsea, the two hot favourites to win the national cup competition, have avoided a clash.
Leeds won on Sunday after a thrilling penalty shoot-out against West Ham. The team, featuring players such as Joël Piroe and Pascal Struijk, has been drawn against Chelsea, who, thanks in part to a goal from Jorrel Hato, made short work of League One side Port Vale the day before (7-0).
Chelsea are the favourites on paper, butThe Blueshave been warned. In the league, Chelsea could only manage a 2-2 draw at home against Leeds, who proved too strong for the Londoners in December: 3-1.
On paper, Manchester City had the toughest quarter-final, with a home tie against Liverpool. Despite a promising start fromthe Reds, Pep Guardiola’s men eventually ran riot (4-0). Erling Braut Haaland scored a hat-trick.
City now face a semi-final against Championship side Southampton.The Saintscaused a massive upset on Saturday by beating Arsenal at home, a side well on their way to the English league title. Against all odds, the score was 2-1.
The semi-finals will be played over the weekend of 25–26 April. Both matches will be played at Wembley.
FA Cup semi-final draw:
Chelsea - Leeds United
Manchester City - Southampton