One of a possible three late-season trips to English soccer’s national stadium was reserved when City reached the semifinals of the FA Cup on Saturday.

Manchester City is banking on Wembley Stadium being a key staging post in its pursuit of a second straight high pitch of major trophies.

One of a possible three late-season trips to English soccer’s national stadium was reserved when City reached the semifinals of the FA Cup on Saturday.

In the event that that came as no real surprise, second-level Coventry’s progress to the last four certainly did.

Man City ousted Newcastle with a 2-0 victory secured by two redirected shots by Bernardo Silva in the first half. Kick Guardiola’s team has now advanced to the FA Cup semifinals for six straight seasons, an uncommon achievement in the 153-year history of the competition.

The day’s drama came a couple of hours earlier at Molineux as Coventry scored two goals profound into stoppage time to beat Wolverhampton 3-2 and reach the semifinals interestingly since 1987 the year the team won the cup.

US striker Haji Wright completed the remarkable comeback in the 10th minute of added-on time, three minutes after Ellis Simms with his second goal of the game equalized for Coventry.

Sitting in eighth place in the Championship, Coventry was the lowest-ranked team to get to the quarterfinals. The club from central England has endured a violent and financially rough past years and years since relegation from the Premier League in 2001 however can anticipate another excursion to Wembley, where it lost the Championship playoff final to Luton at the end of last season.
It also gives Mark Robins, Coventry’s manager, another magical FA Cup moment.

Robins probably saved Alex Ferguson from getting terminated three years into his storied residency as Manchester Joined manager by scoring the champ in a FA Cup third-round match against Nottingham Forest midway through the 1989-90 season, when Ferguson was under severe pressure.

That is broadly heralded as a defining moment in Ferguson’s prize laden residency that lasted nearly 27 years.

For the overwhelming majority, Guardiola ranks just as high as Ferguson and back-to-back Premier League-Champions League-FA Cup trebles would surely place him in his very own class.

To do that, City would have to get back to Wembley, where the FA Cup semis are held, two more times this season. For the FA Cup final on May 25 and the championship in the Champions League, which is also being hosted by the famed London scene seven days later.

The FA Cup quarterfinals will be completed Sunday when Manchester Joined hosts great rival Liverpool and Chelsea is at home to second-level Leicester.
The draw for the semifinals will also be made on Sunday.

TOTTENHAM BEATEN

Tottenham’s offered for Champions League qualification was wounded by a 3-0 loss at Fulham in one of three Premier League games played Saturday.

Rodrigo Muniz scored either side of a goal by Saa Lukic as fifth-place Tottenham missed the chance to climb above Aston Villa into fourth for one night at least. Villa visits West Ham on Sunday.

Tottenham stayed six points ahead of sixth-place Manchester Joined together and both have 10 matches remaining.

The Premier League looks increasingly prone to have five berths in next season’s expanded Champions League because of the strong showing of English teams in European competition this campaign.

RELEGATION FIGHT

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Burnley boosted its improbable hopes of staying up with a first success in 2024 while relegation candidates Luton and Nottingham Forest drew 1-1.

Close to-last Burnley beat 10-man Brentford 2-1 to end a 11-game winless spat all competitions and move eight points adrift of safety in its offered to avoid an immediate re-visitation of the Championship.

Jacob Bruun Larsen changed over a 10th-minute penalty awarded after a push by Brentford left back Sergio Reguilon, who was sent off for the offense because he was the last man. David Datro Fofana added a second prior Kristoffer Ajer diminished the shortfall in the 83rd to ensure a brazen finish at Turf Moor.

Forest stayed three points above Luton, which is third-to-last and occupying the final relegation spot, after seeing its 34th-minute volley opener by Chris Wood canceled out by substitute Luke Berry.

Forest won’t be sitting too comfortably because it very well may be hit with a points derivation before very long for overspending.

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