Liverpool's Quadruple Bid at Stake in FA Cup Final against Chelsea

Liverpool's Sadio Mane (L) celebrates after scoring against Manchester City Glyn KIRK AFP
Liverpool's Sadio Mane (L) celebrates after scoring against Manchester City Glyn KIRK AFP
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Liverpool's Quadruple Bid at Stake in FA Cup Final against Chelsea

Liverpool's Sadio Mane (L) celebrates after scoring against Manchester City Glyn KIRK AFP
Liverpool's Sadio Mane (L) celebrates after scoring against Manchester City Glyn KIRK AFP

Liverpool will bid to keep their quadruple chase alive in Saturday's FA Cup final against a Chelsea side hoping to welcome incoming owner Todd Boehly with victory at Wembley.

Jurgen Klopp's men have four matches left in their historic attempt to become the first English team to win all four major trophies in one season, AFP said.

They beat Chelsea to lift the League Cup in February and have reached the finals of the FA Cup and Champions League, where they face Real Madrid on May 28.

No English club has come this close to such an incredible clean sweep, but Liverpool know their hopes of winning the Premier League are starting to fade.

Manchester City moved three points clear of the second-placed Reds with a 5-1 win at Wolves on Wednesday and need four points from their last two games against West Ham and Aston Villa to retain the crown.

If a second English title in three seasons proves beyond Liverpool despite their blistering form in the second half of the season, then winning two more cup competitions would be a memorable consolation.

First up is a rematch with Chelsea, who fought gamely in an intense League Cup final in February before Liverpool prevailed 11-10 in the shoot-out that followed a 0-0 draw.

Liverpool and Chelsea are the first English teams to meet in both domestic finals in the same year since Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday in 1993.

Klopp's side will hope they emulate Arsenal, who did the cup double against Wednesday that season.

But, in their 60th game this season, fatigue could be a threat to Liverpool's hopes of a first FA Cup triumph since 2006.

In a bid to keep his stars fresh, Klopp made several changes in Tuesday's win at Villa, yet still lost Brazil midfielder Fabinho to an injury that rules him out of the final.

- 'Important and intense' -
The history chasers will be back on league duty at Southampton on Tuesday and, aware of the strain on the squad, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson called for one last push, starting at Wembley.

"The more it goes on, the more important and intense the games are. We are using all the squad and I thought the boys that came in were brilliant (against Villa)," Henderson said.

"That's football and there's going to be ups and downs in a game. You've got to react in the right way. To be honest, the boys have done that for a long period of time.

"The boys have been incredible. Stay together in important moments and you get your rewards in the end. Let's prepare now for a big game on Saturday."

Like Liverpool, Chelsea's season will conclude with 63 games played, but it has been Thomas Tuchel's side who have looked more drained in recent weeks.

Before Wednesday's 3-0 victory at Leeds consolidated their grip on third place, the Blues had won just once in five league games as they struggled to recover from their painful Champions League quarter-final exit at Real Madrid.

Uncertainty over the future of the both the club and several key players has also been a factor since Roman Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale just before he was sanctioned by the government after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

With LA Dodgers co-owner Boehly and his consortium agreeing a £4.25 billion ($5.2 billion) takeover last weekend, subject to approval from the Premier League, Chelsea can finally plan for next season.

Before that, Tuchel has the chance to end the Abramovich era with one last prize, in the process winning his first English domestic trophy after leading Chelsea to Champions League and Club World Cup glory over the last year.

Tuchel is sweating on the fitness of Mateo Kovacic after the Croatia midfielder was injured at Leeds.

"He has a swollen ankle and is in a lot of pain. If he misses it I'm very disappointed because he was a clear starter," Tuchel said.



Lazio Coach Sarri Undergoes Minor Heart Operation

Soccer Football - Champions League - Round of 16 - Second Leg - Bayern Munich v Lazio - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - March 5, 2024 Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth/File Photo
Soccer Football - Champions League - Round of 16 - Second Leg - Bayern Munich v Lazio - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - March 5, 2024 Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth/File Photo
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Lazio Coach Sarri Undergoes Minor Heart Operation

Soccer Football - Champions League - Round of 16 - Second Leg - Bayern Munich v Lazio - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - March 5, 2024 Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth/File Photo
Soccer Football - Champions League - Round of 16 - Second Leg - Bayern Munich v Lazio - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - March 5, 2024 Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth/File Photo

Lazio head coach Maurizio ​Sarri has undergone a minor heart operation, the ‌Italian ‌Serie ‌A ⁠club ​said ‌on Monday, Reuters reported.

Italian media reported that it was a routine ⁠intervention, and ‌Lazio ‍said ‍the 66-year-old ‍Sarri was expected to resume his ​regular duties in the coming ⁠days.

Lazio, eighth in the league standings, host third-placed Napoli on Sunday.


Sabalenka, Kyrgios See only Positives from 'Battle of the Sexes' Match

 Tennis - 'Battle of the Sexes' - Nick Kyrgios v Aryna Sabalenka - Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - December 28, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka, her goddaughter Nicole, and Australia's Nick Kyrgios celebrate with trophies after the match REUTERS/Amr Alfiky/Pool
Tennis - 'Battle of the Sexes' - Nick Kyrgios v Aryna Sabalenka - Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - December 28, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka, her goddaughter Nicole, and Australia's Nick Kyrgios celebrate with trophies after the match REUTERS/Amr Alfiky/Pool
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Sabalenka, Kyrgios See only Positives from 'Battle of the Sexes' Match

 Tennis - 'Battle of the Sexes' - Nick Kyrgios v Aryna Sabalenka - Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - December 28, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka, her goddaughter Nicole, and Australia's Nick Kyrgios celebrate with trophies after the match REUTERS/Amr Alfiky/Pool
Tennis - 'Battle of the Sexes' - Nick Kyrgios v Aryna Sabalenka - Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai, United Arab Emirates - December 28, 2025 Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka, her goddaughter Nicole, and Australia's Nick Kyrgios celebrate with trophies after the match REUTERS/Amr Alfiky/Pool

Aryna Sabalenka and Nick Kyrgios defended their controversial "Battle of the Sexes" match and said they failed to understand why an exhibition aimed at showcasing tennis drew so much negativity from the tennis community.

Former Wimbledon finalist Kyrgios ​defeated world number one Sabalenka 6-3 6-3 at a packed Coca-Cola Arena on Sunday despite several rule tweaks implemented by the organisers to level the playing field.

Critics had warned that the match, a nod to the 1973 original "Battle of the Sexes" in which women's trailblazer Billie Jean King beat then 55-year-old former Grand Slam winner Bobby Riggs, risked trivialising the women's game.

King said Sunday's encounter lacked the stakes of her match while others, including ‌former doubles world ‌number one Rennae Stubbs, said the event ‌was ⁠a ​publicity stunt ‌and money grab.

"I honestly don't understand how people were able to find something negative in this event," Sabalenka told reporters.

"I think for the WTA, I just showed that I was playing great tennis; it was an entertaining match ... it wasn't like 6-0 6-0. It was a great fight, it was interesting to watch and it brought more eyes on tennis.

"Legends were watching; pretty big people were ⁠messaging me, wishing me all the best and telling me that they're going to be watching from ‌all different areas of life.

"The idea behind it ‍is to help our sport grow ‍and show tennis from a different side, that tennis events can be ‍fun and we can make it almost as big as Grand Slam matches."

Kyrgios, who was once ranked 13th in the world but had tumbled to number 671 after injuries hampered his career over the last few years, pointed to how competitive Sabalenka ​was against him.

"Let me just remind you that I'm one of 16 people that have ever beaten the 'Big Four' - Andy Murray, ⁠Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafa Nadal have all lost to me," Kyrgios said.

"She just proved she can go out there and compete against someone that's beaten the greatest of all time. There's nothing but positive that can be taken away from this, Reuters reported.

"Everyone that was negative watched. That's the funny thing about it as well, like this has been the most talked about event probably in sport in the last six months if we look at how many interactions we had on social media, in the news.

"I'm sure the next time we do it, if I'm a part of it and if she's a part ‌of it, it'll be a cultural movement that will happen more often, and I think it's a step in the right direction."

 

 

 

 

 

 


Emery Has Arsenal Score to Settle with Surging Aston Villa

Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery reacts to his team's equalizer during the English Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Aston Villa, in London, Britain, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery reacts to his team's equalizer during the English Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Aston Villa, in London, Britain, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
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Emery Has Arsenal Score to Settle with Surging Aston Villa

Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery reacts to his team's equalizer during the English Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Aston Villa, in London, Britain, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery reacts to his team's equalizer during the English Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Aston Villa, in London, Britain, 27 December 2025. (EPA)

Unai Emery returns to the scene of one of his few managerial failures on Tuesday, aiming to land a huge blow to former club Arsenal's ambitions of a first Premier League title for 22 years.

Dismissed by the Gunners in 2019 just over a year after succeeding Arsene Wenger, Emery's second spell in English football has been a very different story.

The Spaniard has awoken a sleeping giant in Villa, transforming the Birmingham-based club from battling relegation to contending for their first league title since 1981.

An impressive 2-1 win at Chelsea on Saturday extended Villa's winning run in all competitions to 11 -- their longest streak of victories since 1914.

That form has taken Emery's men to within three points of Arsenal at the top of the table despite failing to win any of their opening six matches of the season.

"We are competing very well. We are third in the league behind Arsenal and Manchester City. Wow," said Emery after he masterminded a second half turnaround at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Villa were outclassed by the Blues and trailing 1-0 until a triple substitution on the hour mark changed the game.

Ollie Watkins came off the bench to score twice and hailed his manager's change of system as "tactical genius" afterwards.

Few believe Villa will still be able to last the course against the far greater riches and squad depth of Arsenal and City over the course of 20 more games.

But a title challenge is just the next step on an upward trajectory since Emery took charge just over three years ago.

After a 13-year absence from Europe, including a three-year spell in the second-tier Championship, the Villains have qualified for continental competition for the past three seasons.

Paris Saint-Germain were on the ropes at Villa Park in April but escaped to win a thrilling Champions League quarter-final 5-4 on aggregate before going on to win the competition for the first time.

Arsenal also left Birmingham beaten earlier this month, their only defeat in their last 24 games in all competitions.

However, Emery getting the upper hand over his former employers is a common occurrence.

The 54-year-old has lost just twice in 10 meetings against Arsenal during spells at Paris Saint-Germain, Villarreal and Villa, including a 2-0 win at the Emirates in April 2024 that ultimately cost Mikel Arteta's men the title.

Even Emery's ill-fated 18 months in north London were far from disastrous with the benefit of hindsight.

He inherited a club in decline during Wenger's final years but only narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification in his sole full season in charge and reached the Europa League final.

Arsenal's loss has been to Villa's advantage.

For now Arsenal remain the outsiders in a three-horse race but inflicting another bloody nose to the title favorites will silence any doubters that Emery's men are serious contenders.