Roberto Mancini, the King of the Italian Cup, took his first step towards Wembley when his Manchester City side earned a 1-0 third-round FA Cup win at Championship side Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Trailing 1-0 from the semi-final first leg, Chelsea turned the tie on its head with goals by N'Golo Kante and Eden Hazard in the first half but Fernando Llorente struck for Spurs in an enthralling Stamford Bridge duel.
Holders Chelsea beat Aston Villa 3-0 to sweep into the FA Cup final for the third time in four seasons on Saturday and keep alive their dream of a first FA Cup and League double. All three goals came late in the game with Didier Drogba breaking Villa's resistance after 67 minutes before Florent Malouda (89th) and Frank Lampard, deep in stoppage time, gave Chelsea an ultimately comfortable victory.
Manchester United have been rejuvenated under new manager Jose Mourinho and are poised to mount a strong challenge for the Premier League title, skipper Wayne Rooney has said. The 30-year-old forward, who secured his fifth league title with the club the last time they won it in 2013, scored eight top flight goals last season as United finished fifth and failed to qualify for the Champions League.
Teams progressing to the latter stages of the FA Cup next season will be allowed to field a fourth substitute in extra time, the English Football Association (FA) announced on Wednesday.
Arsenal are fifth in the Premier League table with two games to play. They will miss out on finishing in the top four for the first time in more than 20 years if they win their remaining matches but Liverpool and Manchester City do not drop points.
Chelsea got their hands on the first trophy of the English season on Sunday when they beat Manchester United on penalties to win the curtain-raising Community Shield after a lively Wembley encounter had ended 2-2.
Darron Gibson fired holders Manchester United through to the last four of the English League Cup on Tuesday with a 2-0 win at Old Trafford that ended Tottenham Hotspur's hopes of a third successive final.
Lionel Messi lifted Barcelona out of their recent slump with two goals in a vintage display as his side survived a tenacious Tottenham Hotspur fightback to claim a 4-2 victory in Champions League Group B on Wednesday.
Wayne Rooney continued his remarkable scoring streak with his 28th goal of the season to seal Manchester United's 2-1 win over Aston Villa in the 50th League Cup final at Wembley Stadium Sunday.
Images from the English Premier League matches played on Saturday
Tottenham Hotspur gained a slender advantage in their League Cup semi-final against London rivals Chelsea as Harry Kane's penalty earned them a gritty 1-0 first-leg win.
English third-tier club Sheffield United kept alive their FA Cup dream on Sunday when two goals in as many minutes gave them a 2-0 victory over Charlton Athletic and a place in the semi-finals.
The brain may be sharp as ever, but the legs seem heavier, the pace worryingly slower. He's still only 32, but the strain of a decade-and-a-half of paranormal activity on the pitch may just be piling up.
Aston Villa reached the League Cup final after coming from 2-0 down to beat Blackburn Rovers 6-4 in a thrilling semi-final second leg on Wednesday.
Aston Villa took a step towards next month's League Cup final at Wembley when a James Milner goal gave them a 1-0 win over Blackburn Rovers in the first leg of a lively semi-final at Ewood Park on Thursday.
English FA president Prince William called on FIFA to reform and show that "it can represent the interests of fair play" in a speech at the FA Cup final on Saturday.
England and Serbia will clinch their places in next year's World Cup if they win their qualifying matches on Wednesday while three other European countries can also qualify if results go their way.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
Andriy Shevchenko might have had problems playing in England but will be Ukraine's main threat in Wednesday's World Cup qualifier, former Chelsea team mate Frank Lampard said Monday.
England interim manager Gareth Southgate wants the job on a permanent basis, Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn said on Thursday.
A summary of Friday's Euro 2020 qualifying matches.
Arsenal recovered from going two goals down in the opening eight minutes to beat Hull City 3-2 after extra time in the FA Cup final and win their first trophy for nine years at Wembley on Saturday.
The new managers of Manchester United and Manchester City will face an early confrontation when the teams meet in a friendly in Beijing on July 25. Jose Mourinho, officially confirmed as United boss on Friday, and old adversary Pep Guardiola, who is replacing Manuel Pellegrini at City, will renew hostilities in the pre-season International Champions Cup. There was little love lost between the pair when Mourinho was in charge at Real Madrid and Guardiola led Barcelona. The rivalry is likely to be just as fierce when United attempt to make up ground on their neighbours, who have finished above them in the Premier League for the past three seasons.
Fabio Capello described David Beckham's man-of-the-match award as like American president Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize after the midfielder made a 30-minute cameo in a 3-0 defeat of Belarus on Wednesday. Beckham, sporting a bushy beard, said he is taking nothing for granted but insisted he would fight for his place in what would be a fourth World Cup finals with England.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal left the squad's hotel on Sunday saying "it's over" amid reports he was about to be replaced by Jose Mourinho. Dutch boss Van Gaal was greeted by waiting Red Devils fans following United's FA Cup final win over Crystal Palace at Wembley on Saturday. When asked by a Sky Sports reporter if he had time to talk, Van Gaal replied: "It's over." Whether that meant he had been sacked by United was not immediately clear. But the 64-year-old former Netherlands manager's brief remark will fuel speculation he is on his way out of Old Trafford. No sooner had United lifted the FA Cup then reports in the British media emerged that former Chelsea boss Mourinho would be replacing one-time mentor Van Gaal.
A few things NaMo could do to make his England yatra unforgettable.
FA Cup holders Arsenal were taken to extra time before a horrendous error by Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici brought the Championship side's dream to an end in a 2-1 semi-final defeat on Saturday.
Manchester United will soon be "winning in style" again courtesy of their never-say-die attitude on the pitch, midfielder Juan Mata has said ahead of Saturday's FA Cup final against Crystal Palace at Wembley. Louis van Gaal's men, who finished fifth in the Premier League this campaign, failed to qualify for the Champions League for a second time in three seasons and hope to win their first trophy since taking home the Community Shield in 2013. The club's three-year barren run has coincided with the retirement of manager Alex Ferguson, who led the club to 13 Premier League title, five FA Cup and two Champions Leagues during his 26 years at the helm. "This club is going to be fighting for titles," Mata told the BBC.
England secured an emphatic 4-0 victory in Kazakhstan on Saturday to move closer to qualifying for next year's World Cup finals.
Adnan Januzaj has signed a five-year contract with Premier League champions Manchester United.
Fabio Capello has picked the England team up from one of its lowest moments and restored trust and belief in the side, David Beckham said on Monday.
The following are talking points from the weekend's Premier League action:
Matches interrupted by bad light late in the day will be able to finish once the roof is closed and the lights switched on, meaning night tennis at Wimbledon is likely this year.
Didier Drogba struck late to clinch a 2-1 victory for Chelsea over Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday. The Ivory Coast striker pounced on Frank Lampard's lofted pass with six minutes remaining to give Chelsea their first FA Cup success over Arsenal since 1947.
IMAGES from the EPL matches played on Wednesday
Arsene Wenger can be excused a little smugness as he prepares his Arsenal side for Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg at home to Villarreal as a bleak-looking season has suddenly burst into bloom. Last week's 1-1 draw in Spain makes Arsenal favourites to progress to a semi-final against either holders Manchester United or Porto while on Saturday they face Chelsea in the last four of the FA Cup at Wembley.
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti said he was ready for the start of the season after marking his first competitive game in charge with a penalty-shootout victory over Manchester United in the Community Shield on Sunday.
Holders Chelsea advanced to the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a 2-0 home win over Stoke City while Aston Villa joined them after coming from 2-0 down to win 4-2 at Reading with a John Carew hat-trick on Sunday.
Captain John Terry struck five minutes from time to give stuttering England a 2-1 win over Ukraine on Wednesday and extend their 100 percent start to World Cup Group Six qualifying.
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