Derbies to decide FA cUp Final!

[bapa]

THE FA Cup will be won by a team from London or Liverpool after Tottenham and Everton triumphed overnight to set up capital and Merseyside semi-final derbies at Wembley next month.
Tottenham produced a rousing finish to beat Bolton 3-1, 10 days after the original match was abandoned because of Fabrice Muamba's on-field cardiac arrest.

Ryan Nelsen, Gareth Bale and Louis Saha scored in the final 16 minutes to earn Spurs a semifinal meeting against London rival Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on April 15.

It was an emotional reunion for the two teams at White Hart Lane, the scene of Muamba's collapse when the Bolton midfielder's heart stopped beating on its own for 78 minutes. He was revived by medics and is now making encouraging progress in the hospital.

"The events of 10 days ago were fresh and it was an opportunity for everybody to say thanks for the support," Bolton manager Owen Coyle said.

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Everton beat Sunderland 2-0 in a quarterfinal replay, setting up a semifinal against local rival Liverpool at Wembley on April 14.

Croatia striker Nikica Jelavic's 24th-minute goal and an own goal by David Vaughan 12 minutes into the second half ended Sunderland's hopes of a return to Wembley for the first time in 14 years.

With Muamba in the midst of a remarkable recovery that has captured the public's imagination across the globe, the Tottenham-Bolton match was as much a celebration of the midfielder's improved health as a fight to reach the semifinals.

A stadium that fell eerily quiet when Muamba collapsed just before halftime on March 17 was filled with a minute's applause from both sets of fans to honor the former England under-21 international.

"As horrible as those events were, there's been a real positivity about what has come out from it," Coyle said. "We have the best game in the world, bar none. But to see it in such a good light, although we don't want to see the scenes that we did, was great."

Coyle acknowledged before the game that he didn't know how his players would react returning to the scene of such a traumatic occasion.

Emotionally, they seemed to hold up well, although they had to adapt after the 25th-minute loss to injury of midfielder Darren Pratley, who was carried off on a stretcher from almost the identical place where Muamba's chest was pumped by medics to keep him alive.

Bolton was no match for a rampant Spurs, though, with goalkeeper Adam Bogdan producing a series of stunning saves to keep the home side at bay.

"It was one of the great goal-keeping performances," Spurs manager Harry Redknapp said. "You just couldn't believe what was happening."

Nelsen finally broke the deadlock in the 74th minute by looping a header into the top corner after meeting a cross from Rafael van der Vaart, who had earlier curled a free kick against the bar.

Bale slotted home the second after running onto a pass by substitute Jermain Defoe from a rapid counterattack, before Kevin Davies pulled a goal back for Bolton in the 90th minute.

Saha settled any Tottenham nerves with a cracking finish on the turn from 20 yards.

"Two great semifinals, all-London derby and Merseyside derby. A fantastic weekend to look forward to," Redknapp said.

[Rampant Antagonism]

The FA Cup will not be decided by a derby.

[bapa]

The FA Cup will not be decided by a derby.

cool story bro.........


the article states, differently though!

[Nice One Cyril]

The FA Cup will not be decided by a derby.

cool story bro.........


the article states, differently though!

No it doesn't, the FA Cup Final will be between a Merseyside team and a London team. How is that a derby?

Great weekend's football to look forward to.

[Facts and Stats]

The second game should not be played on the 15th April.

[Nice One Cyril]

The second game should not be played on the 15th April.

Why not? Your mob are getting the Saturday anyway which, given the travelling involved, probably makes sense.

[Facts and Stats]

We will never play on the 15th April.

If the 15th was the Saturday we would have played the 16th.

The 14th is an interesting day for Liverpool logistic wise, football fans going south and horse race goers going to Aintree

[BTAC]

The second game should not be played on the 15th April.

As far as I'm aware the game isn't on the 15th.

[Facts and Stats]

did you lose the ability to read on your birthday?

We are the first game on the 14th, the other game is the 15th.

[BTAC]

did you lose the ability to read on your birthday?

We are the first game on the 14th, the other game is the 15th.

As you were.

[FRANKEL]

We will never play on the 15th April.

If the 15th was the Saturday we would have played the 16th.

The 14th is an interesting day for Liverpool logistic wise, football fans going south and horse race goers going to Aintree

Yeh grand national far more important that cup semi

[Red-4-Life]

Bring it on Liverpool only save their good performances for the big games!

[Jonny Lidon]

spurs won't win it, there's not a 1 at the end of the year.

that said it would be good to see it happen.

[ronaldo07]

i'll put my money on spurs to win this one !!

[OldRedback]

Keep your pocket money Ronaldo - not sure anyone would want to take your lunch money off you.

No Manchester derby?

[God Is No Englishman]

Malaysian Ringgit aren't worth that much anyway.