Arsenal Eliminates FA Cup holders Wigan in semifinal

Arsenal played their hearts out to come from behind and defeat FA Cup holders Wigan using a precise penalty shootout to reach the final for the first time in 9 years.

Wigan scored first when Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker conceded a penalty in the 63rd minute. Mertesacker made up for it by scoring in the 82nd minute to tie the game and send it to overtime.

The game was scoreless after two extra time periods. Arsenal goalkeeper Lukas Fabianski plays were amazing as he saved Wigan's two shot attempts. Arsenal won the shootout 4-2, giving Wigan six losses in their last eight shootouts.

Arsenal will now advance and face the winner of Hull City vs Sheffield United in the final.

Liverpool Routed Arsenal 5-1

Favorite Arsenal was routed by Liverpool 5-1 using an outstanding first half at Anfield on Saturday.  Martin Skrtel scored the 1st goal after just 55 seconds of the game, then had another one after 9 minutes. Then Raheem Sterling made it 3-0, after that Daniel Sturridge made a goal (4-0).

Then after that shell shocking Sterling made another goal after the break which makes it 5-0.

Arsenal were shell-shocked following Liverpool’s high-pressure approach and after the break Sterling made it 5-0 as the rout continued. To their credit Arsenal kept working hard and bagged a consolation through Mikel Arteta‘s penalty with 20 minutes to go.

With the win Liverpool stay in fourth but are now just five points behind leaders Arsenal, while the Gunners will expect to be replaced at the top by Manchester City or Chelsea later in the weekend.

Arsenal wins against Coventry City 4-0

Arsenal dominated Coventry at the Emirates Stadium, Lukas Podolski had two first-half goals that secured them for a spot in the 5th Round, they won 4-0.

The two clubs are seperated by 54 league places, Arsenal last two goals from Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla showed Arsenal's superiority.

Arsenal's last triumph in the competition came in 2005 when they beat Manchester United in the final, the last time the north London club won silverware of note.

It soon became clear the Premier League leaders would prove too hot to handle for their third tier opponents.

United vs Southampton Resulted to a Draw

London  - Manchester United continues their disappointing start in the Premier League season as the champions were held to a 1-1 draw at home to high-flying Southampton on Saturday.

Adnan Januzaj United's winger had the game's opening goal in the 26th minute with a superb through ball for Wayne Rooney.

Southampton goalkeeper Artur Boruc block England striker's shot but Robin van Persie was near to sweep the rebound home.

The draw put United in eighth place in the standings, eight points below of Arsenal.

In another news, Arsenal returned to the summit with an overwhelming 4-1 win at home against Norwich City. Jack Wilshere scored his second goal in two games that gave Arsenal an 18th-minute lead.

Mesut Ozil had his first league goal for the club through a header from a Giroud cross in the 58th minute and although Norwich midfielder Jonathan Howson replied for the visitors, Aaron Ramsey came off the bench to make sure of victory before Ozil added a fourth.

"A few weeks ago we lost our first home game here (against Aston Villa) and it was a difficult time, but we responded well and since then we have been consistent," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

"I like the solidarity in the team. Of course we have quality, but it's how much we maintain that and sustain that that will decide our future."

Arsenal is leading on the standings by two points from Chelsea, who leapfrogged Liverpool into second place after coming from behind to win 4-1 at home to Cardiff City.

Soccer Updates: Tottenham and Arsenal are on track for Champions League

Tottenham are on the right path for qualification for next season's Champions League as Gareth Bale shot a goal from the corner of the penalty area that lead to Tottenham 1-0 victory beating Southampton in the Premier League.

Gareth Bale goal was his 20th league goal of the season.

Arsenal are now in the third place and push for the Champions League thanks to the fastest goal of the season from Theo Walcott. It took just 20 seconds for Arsenal to score that they held throughout the game as the Gunners recorded a 1-0 win over the Queens Park Rangers.

Chelsea visits Manchester United on Sunday.

At the bottom of the standings, Wigan avoided relegation with a 3-2 victory, keeping the team third from last but reducing the gap to Sunderland to two points.

Aston Villa took a big step to the safety zone. Gabriel Agbonlahor's two goals led a 2-1 win at Norwich, which is only three points ahead of Wigan but has played a game more. Newcastle is even on points with Norwich after drawing 0-0 at West Ham.

Man City dropped points in its bid to finish second by drawing 0-0 at Swansea. The deposed champions are five points ahead of Arsenal. Already-relegated Reading won 4-2 at Fulham.

Hull will return to the Premier League after a three-year absence. It finished second in the League Championship ahead of Watford.

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BERLIN (AP) - Borussia Dortmund held Bayern Munich to a 1-1 draw in the Bundesliga before their Champions League final in three weeks.

Kevin Grosskreutz opened the scoring for Dortmund with a volley in the 11th minute, and Mario Gomez tied it with a header from Rafinha's cross in the 23rd.

Dortmund was awarded a penalty kick when Nuri Sahin's shot struck Jerome Boateng's arm, but Manuel Neuer saved Robert Lewandowski's effort in the 60th minute.

Rafinha was sent off for an elbow to Jakub Blaszczykowski's face in the 64th, two minutes after the Brazilian earned his first yellow card for a foul on Julian Schieber.

Bayern, which wrapped up the title with six rounds to go, maintained its 20-point lead over Dortmund.

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BARCELONA, Spain (AP) - Cristiano Ronaldo headed in two goals to help Real Madrid beat Valladolid 4-3 in a Spanish league match that was overshadowed by growing dissatisfaction with Madrid coach Jose Mourinho for criticizing the club.

Madrid's ninth straight home win in league play denied Barcelona the chance to clinch the league title this weekend.

Madrid reduced Barcelona's lead to eight points, meaning the Catalan side can't seal the domestic title by beating Real Betis on Sunday.

Elsewhere, third-place Atletico Madrid booked its spot in next season's Champions League with a 0-0 draw at Deportivo La Coruna. Also, Valencia eased to a 4-0 win over nine-man Osasuna to stay in the hunt for a top-four finish, while Malaga lost 1-0 at Granada to slip three points behind Valencia in sixth place.

Sections of the crowd jeered Mourinho's name when it was announced before the match, scolding the manager for his recent comments that he may be leaving the club and a country where he doesn't feel ''loved.''

Mourinho used his team's exit from the Champions League on Tuesday as an opportunity to link his immediate future to a return to England. He repeated on Friday that he didn't know if he would stay at Madrid next season, while also taking another veiled shot at benched Spain international Iker Casillas by saying his only mistake was not having brought in new goalkeeper Diego Lopez before this winter.

That latest dig at Madrid's captain even made some of Mourinho's most trusted players bristle.

Mourinho, who is under contract with Madrid until the summer of 2016, appears to running out of allies at the club. He didn't speak after the match, sending assistant Aitor Karanka in his place.

Karanka supported his boss, saying that ''no player has been disrespected,'' while accepting the ire of Madrid's fans for what they widely perceive as a snub by Mourinho.

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MILAN (AP) - Chievo Verona is all but certain of playing in Serie A next season after its goalless draw at home to Cagliari.

Cagliari got off to what seemed a promising start when Marco Sau beat the offside trap and raced clear toward the goal. But Chievo goalkeeper Christian Puggioni parried his powerful shot.

Chievo had the best chance of the match shortly before halftime. Nicolas Frey nodded on Cyril Thereau's cross to Boukary Drame, whose fierce volley was blocked by Cagliari goalkeeper Michael Agazzi. Radja Nainggolan almost won it for Cagliari with a long, screaming shot that flew just past the left post.

Chievo has eight points more than relegation-threatened Genoa and Palermo, who play on Sunday.

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PARIS (AP) - Marseille beat Bastia 2-1 in the French league to postpone Paris Saint-Germain's title celebrations for at least another week.

With three rounds left and a six-point lead in Marseille, PSG cannot clinch the title this weekend but it has a vastly superior goal difference to Marseille. PSG hosts Valenciennes on Sunday.

Andre-Pierre Gignac scored in each half for Marseille at Stade Velodrome to help keep the pressure on PSG. Florian Thauvin tied it for Bastia 53 seconds after halftime as Marseille conceded its first goal in eight matches.

Marseille has almost mathematically secured second place. It is seven points ahead of third-placed Lyon, which plays at Nancy on Sunday.

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LISBON, Portugal (AP) - FC Porto won 3-1 at Nacional to keep the pressure on Benfica as the Portuguese league season reaches its finish.

Porto's victory cut Benfica's lead at the top of standings to one point before the leaders host Estoril Monday.

Forward James Rodriguez opened for Porto in the 10th minute. Eliaquim Mangala doubled the advantage in the 19th, and Lucho Gonzalez added a third goal from the penalty spot three minutes later.

Daniel Candeias scored for the hosts in the 27th.

Porto hasn't lost at Nacional since the 2007-08 season.

Both Porto and Benfica are undefeated this season.