Que Sera, Sera, whatever will be, will be. The FA Cup quarter-finals delivered action and entertainment in abundance, with the semi-finals returning to Wembley Stadium at the end of the month.
It’s been a tournament full of cup upsets, with holders Crystal Palace exiting at the third round to non-league Macclesfield setting the tone for chaos to come.
Speaking to Gambling.com, whose casino reviews cover leading operators like 888 Casino, one football analyst said: “This has been the most unpredictable FA Cup in years. When Arsenal go out to a Championship side and Liverpool are hammered four-nil, you know the draw has completely blown open. Any of the four semi-finalists could genuinely win this.”
The biggest shock of the round came as title favourites and 14-time FA Cup winners Arsenal were beaten 2-1 away to Championship side Southampton.
Mikel Arteta’s hopes of a quadruple were slashed after defeat in the League Cup final, with a late Shea Charles goal at St Mary’s putting the domestic double out of reach for another year.
Elsewhere, defending Premier League champions Liverpool were dumped out by last year’s finalists Manchester City 4-0. Erling Haaland’s hat-trick inflicted further misery on the Reds, who have struggled throughout the last 12 months under the inconsistent Arne Slot.
Chelsea strolled past Port Vale 7-0 at Stamford Bridge, whilst Leeds United edged past West Ham via penalties in what felt like one of the longest games of football in recent history.
It was a cup weekend that proved hard to call. With the final four confirmed, here’s how each team’s odds stack up to lift the trophy on 16th May.
Finalists in the last three FA Cup finals, trips to Wembley are almost getting boring for Manchester City.
Having won the League Cup comfortably before the March international break, Pep Guardiola’s side will be back in the capital to take on Southampton with hopes of putting their loss to Palace 12 months ago right.
City reached a record-extending eighth straight FA Cup semi-final by thrashing Liverpool in a game defined by Haaland’s brilliance and the supporting cast of Ryan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo.
If this is to be one of Guardiola’s last seasons in England, he’ll want to wrap it up in style. While the Premier League title might be out of reach, his side are clear favourites for the Cup.
Chelsea made light work of League One strugglers Port Vale in the last round. The game was almost over before it started, with the Blues taking the lead after 64 seconds en route to a 7-0 thrashing that never looked in doubt from the opening exchanges.
Liam Rosenior has taken the competition seriously, fielding full-strength sides at every stage after beating Charlton, Hull and Wrexham earlier in the competition. But it will be Calum McFarlane taking charge instead after the Blues opted to sack Rosenior after just three months in charge.
They finally face Premier League opposition in Leeds as they look to lift the trophy for the first time since Antonio Conte’s side beat Manchester United in 2018. That drought feels longer than it should for a club of Chelsea’s stature and resources.
Leeds will provide a sterner test than anything they’ve faced so far in the competition, but Chelsea’s squad depth and Wembley experience could prove decisive in a tight semi-final.
Whilst Premier League survival might be the number one priority for Leeds United, if you offered them the FA Cup, many fans at Elland Road wouldn’t care less about their league position.
The chance to end decades of hurt and lift a major trophy would eclipse the potential pain of relegation for supporters who’ve watched this club yo-yo between divisions, not lifting the trophy since 1972.
Daniel Farke’s side almost threw the quarter-finals away at West Ham, squandering a 2-0 lead before winning on penalties at the London Stadium.
That pattern of fragility has defined their season, but they’ve also shown they can frustrate the big boys when the occasion demands it. The Yorkshire outfit have taken points from Liverpool and Manchester United whilst remaining unbeaten against Chelsea in two games already this season.