semis

For Arteta, it won’t matter that his side are not producing free-flowing football – the Gunners just want to get over the line and lift a trophy this season.

They are having to produce results without a number of key players, who are injured. Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori were unavailable to play against Sporting.

Declan Rice did play, despite being unwell.

And now there is fresh concern for the top of the table clash with Manchester City on Sunday, as winger Noni Madueke limped off with a knee injury.

When Arteta was asked if he sees the physical strain on his players at the moment, he said: “Yes, but when I see them track back when we lose the ball, the habits that they have, it’s just amazing.

“There is a reason why we are the only English team in the competition, because this league and this schedule takes the hell out of you and it’s very difficult to do what we’ve done.

“We are not perfect, we need to improve things, that’s for sure, we recognise that. But there’s value in what these players have done because they deserve it.”

Former Manchester City and QPR defender Nedum Onuoha told BBC Sport: “The fact that they are in their second consecutive Champions League semi-final is huge. Their performance itself wasn’t perfect, but they just wanted to be in that next round, and that’s exactly where they are.

“On a different day, maybe they would create more chances, and perhaps they would actually score more goals. They didn’t create very much, but they are still in the last four.”

Onuoha referenced words from captain Rice, who said Arsenal just wanted to “go one step further”.

“They will look at this game and the things they could have done better, but the fact is there are plenty of clubs around Europe who aren’t in their position now who would be absolutely delighted to be there,” he said.

“It certainly wasn’t a statement performance like some teams around Europe have done in this last couple of matchdays, however Arsenal still have shown they have just as good a chance as everyone else.

“We’ve seen a Real Madrid side, for example, that have scored four goals across two ties and have been knocked out.

“Arsenal, they only needed one, so you can give them credit for the two clean sheets they’ve had across the two ties and that’s what they needed to be in this particular moment.”

Erling Haaland treble and goal by Antoine Semenyo gives City 4-0 win, as Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah misses a penalty.

Erling Haaland hit a hat-trick as Manchester City thrashed Liverpool 4-0 to reach the FA Cup semifinals and increase the pressure on Reds boss Arne Slot.

Haaland netted twice late in the first half of the quarterfinal at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday and completed his treble after the interval following an Antoine Semenyo strike.

With Liverpool trailing by four, Mohamed Salah had a penalty saved by City goalkeeper James Trafford to compound a miserable afternoon for the under-fire Slot.

Liverpool’s tame surrender was a bitter blow to Slot, who had to endure chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” from gloating City fans.

They head to Paris Saint-Germain for the Champions League quarterfinal first leg on Wednesday with Slot desperately needing a victory over the holders to keep the critics at bay.

Slot’s team, who have just two wins in their last seven matches in all competitions, are fifth in the Premier League and far from certain to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

It is a remarkable decline for Slot, who just 12 months ago was on the brink of leading Liverpool to their record-equalling 20th English title.

City’s ruthless performance took them into the FA Cup semifinals for an eighth successive season.

Liverpool made a bright start but Hugo Ekitike fired just wide from the edge of the area before Salah wasted a golden opportunity in the 14th minute, dragging his shot wide from just six yards out.

Ekitike lashed wastefully wide with a snap-shot from nine metres [10 yards] out as Liverpool paid the price for failing to make the pressure count.

Fresh from scoring twice in City’s recent League Cup final victory over Arsenal, Nico O’Reilly was key to City’s 39th-minute opener.

Matheus Nunes picked out O’Reilly in the Liverpool area and as he twisted away from Virgil van Dijk, the defender’s clumsy trip conceded a penalty that Haaland converted in clinical fashion.

Haaland had scored just once in his previous six games in all competitions. But the prolific Norway striker is never far from a hot streak and he doubled City’s advantage on the stroke of half-time.

Rayan Cherki found Semenyo’s run and he lofted a pin-point cross towards Haaland, who made a perfectly-timed run in front of Ibrahima Konate to glance a superb header past Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Liverpool were in disarray and Semenyo landed the knockout blow five minutes after the interval.

Cherki’s pass sent Semenyo sprinting in behind the flat-footed Van Dijk to clip a deft finish over Mamardashvili.

Haaland completed the 28th treble of his career in the 57th minute, drilling home via the underside of the bar after O’Reilly teed him up 11 metres [12 yards] from goal.

On a prolonged farewell tour after announcing he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, Salah produced the latest in a long line of lacklustre performances.

The Egyptian’s struggles were encapsulated by his second-half penalty miss after Nunes fouled Ekitike.

Haaland, meanwhile, praised his teammates for recovering from a difficult opening period to take charge of the game.

“Honestly, in the first half, we struggled a bit, but after 30 minutes, we kept going, and in the end, it was an amazing game at home,” Haaland told broadcaster TNT Sport.

“Another Wembley trip for us, it’s amazing and important.”

Asked if it was City’s best performance this season, he replied: “I think so. Between 30 and 60 minutes, it was one of the better ones.”

Later on Saturday, Chelsea host third tier strugglers Port Vale and Premier League leaders Arsenal visit Championship side Southampton.

West Ham meet Leeds at the London Stadium in the last quarterfinal on Sunday.

Jannik Sinner claimed his 29th and 30th consecutive sets at ATP Masters 1,000 events as he cruised past American Frances Tiafoe into the semi-finals of the Miami Open.

The Italian world number two, who broke Novak Djokovic’s 10-year record of 24 on Monday, never looked back after breaking Tiafoe in the opening game – going on to win 6-2 6-2 in 71 minutes.

The world number 20 simply had no response to a dominant dislay from Sinner, who dropped only nine points on serve across the two sets.

Sinner, who has won four Grand Slam titles, will face either Germany’s world number four Alexander Zverev or Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in the last four.

“I felt like I was serving quite well in the important moments,” said Sinner said on Sky Sports.

“I thought he might be a bit tired because he has had tough matches here a couple of three set matches so I tried to make it physical in the beginning and that helped for sure.”

The other semi-final will pit France’s Arthur Fils against Czech Jiri Lehecka.

Sinner is aiming to become the first man since Roger Federer in 2017 to complete the coveted ‘Sunshine Double’ of winning Indian Wells and the Miami Open in the same year.

The 24-year-old has now reached the semi-finals in four of his five appearance in the Miami Open and triumphed in the tournament in 2024.

Elena Rybakina beat Jessica Pegula for a fifth straight time to move into the Miami Open semi-finals, winning 2-6 6-3 6-4.

Australian Open champion Rybakina was the losing finalist in Miami in both 2023 and 2024, while her American opponent was runner-up in last year’s competition.

Pegula, 32, took a 4-0 lead on her way to the first set, but Rybakina rallied and hit 15 aces and saved eight of 10 break points to come through.

She will face either world number one Aryna Sabalenka in a rematch of the Australian Open final, or the unseeded American Hailey Baptiste in the last four.

“It’s always very difficult playing Jessica,” said Rybakina, 26.

“She started playing well, and I was rushing and frustrated, but I’m happy that I managed to bounce back and turn it around in the second set.”

American fourth seed Coco Gauff and Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic play in the other semi-final on Thursday.

If Gauff reaches the final, she will overtake former world number one Iga Swiatek to move third in the WTA rankings next week.