Everton dent Arsenal's top-four bid; Watford into FA Cup final

World
Europe

Arsenal's hopes of a top-four finish in the Premier League were dented on Sunday as Everton captain Phil Jagielka took advantage of an unexpected late recall to score the winner in a dominant 1-0 victory at Goodison Park.

The veteran defender, who was brought into the team for a rare appearance after Michael Keane had to withdraw in the warm-up through illness, scored after 10 minutes to earn his side a well-deserved third straight league win.

It marked a significant setback for disappointing Arsenal, who remain fourth in the table but missed an opportunity to leap ahead of their third-placed north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

Unai Emery's side stay on 63 points, one behind Spurs, level with fifth-placed Chelsea and two clear of Manchester United in an increasingly tight battle for the Champions League berths.

Everton's Phil Jagielka (C) beats Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno with a right footed shot from close range during their clash on April 7, 2019. /VCG Photo

The experienced Jagielka proved Everton's unlikely hero after his late call-up, becoming the oldest goalscorer in the league this season at 36 years 233 days when he poked home his finish after Arsenal failed to clear Lucas Digne's long throw.

The ball had fallen kindly after Dominic Calvert-Lewin got the final touch on to him in the aerial battle, allowing Jagielka to score his first league goal in two years and become Everton's second-oldest marksman in the Premier League era.

Arsenal boss Emery felt his team would have to rebound swiftly as they prepared to face Napoli in a Europa League quarter-final first leg on Thursday.

"It was not a good result today but we are still fourth," said the Spaniard. "We lost and we need to get up quickly and find the next step."

Two-goal Deulofeu the Cup hero

Elsewhere, Watford produced one of the great FA Cup comebacks by coming from two goals down to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-2 after extra time of a memorable semi-final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

Raul Jimenez (C) celebrates his goal with by putting on a wrestling mask decorated with Wolves badges during the FA Cup semifinal on April 7, 2019. /VCG Photo

Two-goal substitute Gerard Deulofeu proved Watford's hero as they reached the FA Cup final for the first time in 35 years in astonishing fashion.

The Spaniard scored a sensational individual goal to drag his side back into the match when they were 2-0 down with 11 minutes left and then slotted home the winner in the opening period of extra time to book a final date with Manchester City.

Striker Troy Deeney also enhanced his folk hero status at Watford by nervelessly converting a penalty with the final kick of stoppage time in the 94th minute to enable the Hornets to take the game into extra time.

"This team has got something special. We're not the most talented but the hard work, the desire, you see it there," Deeney told BT Sport, celebrating the club's first Cup final appearance since they lost to Everton in 1984.

Gerard Deulofeu (R) celebrates with fans after the FA Cup semifinal win against Watford at Wembley Stadium on April 7, 2019. /VCG Photo

"Two goals down, many teams would have called it a day but we kept going, brought the little man (Deulofeu) on, added his bit of magic, and the rest is just hard work."

The win earned Watford the toughest of dates with overwhelming favorites City, who beat Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 in Saturday's other semi-final, in the final back at Wembley on May 18.

Pep Guardiola's City are still battling to achieve an unprecedented 'quadruple' of trophies, having already won the League Cup at Wembley and being still in line to win the Premier League and Champions League.

"The final's ages away; for a club this size we should enjoy this moment," said Deeney. "We know Man City are a real formidable team, one of the best in Europe, but it's a one-off game. We're going to show we can beat them."

Source(s): Reuters