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When Liverpool squeezed Bournemouth for £17 million for striker Dominic Solanke, the consensus was that the Cherries had been had.

Sure, Solanke had absolutely ripped it up in the youth set-up for Chelsea before making his senior debut at the age of 17. He was also widely regarded as one of the finest striking talents to emerge in English football in quite a while, and led the U-20 national team to World Cup glory in 2017.

Still though, it seemed odd that Eddie Howe and Bournemouth were desperate enough to overlook the fact he had barely featured for the Reds, and had only managed one goal in a paltry 21 appearances over two years. Not even an earlier move to Chelsea's Dutch satellite club Vitesse Arnhem – theoretically a slower-paced league – was enough to get Solanke flowing: he averaged less than a goal every three games in the Eredivisie.

It is not unheard of for a club in the Premier League's lower reaches might turn to a promising young forward struggling to make a name for himself at one of the division's bigger sides. But to pay a fee that handsome; what were Bournemouth thinking?

Here was Howe's reasoning. “He brings a different dynamic to the front-line,” he said upon getting his man. “He is good in the air, a physical presence. It’s a lot of money across the board to sign players now but look at his international record. He is one of most talented young strikers in country.”

Whatever optimism he harboured quickly dissipated as, predictably (to everyone but him and the decision-makers at the Vitality Stadium), Solanke failed to fire. The 22-year-old played well over 1000 minutes (38 league matches) in search of a first goal for the Cherries, looking for all the world like a foal tottering about on skates.

There is a suspicion that his relatively early physical development may have been a major factor in his absurd domination of the youth ranks. While that seems overly simplistic, it explained to a degree his drastically weaker output when playing against his physical peers.

Even more concerning was his inability to form a coherent partnership with club talisman Calum Wilson upfront, and in recent times Howe began to suggest Solanke's intelligence could translate well to a midfield role; gone was the devastating centre-forward, and in his stead was a player who was being damned with faint praise.

That all changed, however, in the 4-1 win over Leicester last weekend. Half time gave no indication of what was to follow: Leicester were a goal up and purring, while Bournemouth were in all-too-familiar disarray and had lost their best defender in Nathan Ake.

A change in shape after the break saw Howe's side roar back, and suddenly it was the Foxes rocking, scampering for cover as their opponents rediscovered their menace.

No player embodied this transformation more than Solanke, suddenly arriving as a goal threat in Dorset. After Junior Stanislas drew the Cherries level from the spot, Solanke finally broke his duck, slipping a finish under Kasper Schmeichel in the Leicester goal for 2-1.

If there was an element of good fortune about the first (there was and no one could have done with a good heaping of luck more than he), there was no doubting his second and Bournemouth's fourth.

“I thought he took his two goals very well,” Howe gushed afterward. “Especially the second one because that was a really difficult ball to receive and his quick feet and his technical abilities presented him with the chance and he’s taken it really well, so very positive signs for him. I thought he was outstanding.”

It was a performance to redeem both men to a degree: Howe from a perceived incompetence in the transfer market (Jordon Ibe, anyone?), and Solanke from being labelled a complete bust.

However, comforting as the repair to both their reputations must have been, there is the looming danger of relegation still, suggesting that perhaps Solanke has left it too late.

The renewed confidence from the result was evident in the subsequent game, albeit in defeat to Manchester City. Solanke failed to add to his tally, but the team-wide fight shown was admirable.

Games against Southampton and Everton (both teams with little more to play for) remain, and offer Solanke a chance to kick on and make up for lost time. If Bournemouth, three points from safety, stand any chance of pulling it out of the fire at the death, then a confident, firing Solanke is as good a portent as any in these trying circumstances.

Bruno Fernandes is the "hero" Manchester United fans wanted, according to Paul Ince, who says the £50 million (€55m/$63m) star 'has made the difference' for the Red Devils.

United are currently enjoying a 19-match unbeaten run across all competitions, which has seen them move to within touching distance of a top-four finish and glory in both the FA Cup and Europa League.

Fernandes has yet to experience a loss in the famous red shirt, and his contribution of eight goals and eight assists in his first 17 appearances has been seen as the main reason behind Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side's resurgence in the second half of the season.

Ince has been hugely impressed with the impact the Portugal international has had since arriving at Old Trafford from Sporting CP in January. The former United midfielder thinks his old club are finally heading in the right direction again under Solskjaer, and he believes Fernandes has been the catalyst for major change.

When asked about the Red Devils' recent progress and possible transfer activity this summer, Ince told the Daily Star: "What you're seeing now is a solid nucleus in that side, but there's also plenty of talk about the likes of Jadon Sancho and Kai Havertz. It's exciting times for United, it really is.

"Solskjaer is putting himself in a position where he can win things and suddenly all of this talk about Mauricio Pochettino is drifting away.

"There was a lot of gloom hanging over Old Trafford and that's now gone as United have improved.

"It was Fernandes from day one that made the difference. You come to United and it's one of the biggest clubs in the world. You can't take your time to settle in. You have to hit the ground running - which is something Paul Pogba didn't do.

"United fans have always wanted a hero and they've not had that for a long time. Fernandes is now the star name to sing about."

Ahead of United's FA Cup semi-final showdown against Chelsea on Sunday, Ince went on to challenge Fernandes to prove he can sustain the same level of outstanding performances over a lengthy period.

"His performances have been so good but you do still have to give it more time," he said. "Players like Roy Keane and Paul Scholes did it over several seasons, but the first signs are he's got a bit of everything. He has a lovely touch and awareness - as well as being a set-piece specialist."

Fernandes has also had a positive effect on Pogba, who is now being tipped to sign a new long-term contract with United after months of speculation over his future.

However, Ince thinks there is still a possibility that the Frenchman could be sold now that he is no longer the main man in Solskjaer's midfield.

"Player prices now are going to come down," he added. "Would Real Madrid or Juventus pay £90m for Pogba?

"He won't command that sort of money. It'd be more like £60m. But with the introduction of Fernandes, you never know, United might consider letting him go if they need some cash."

Shamim Meraj, oen of the founders of Real Kashmir FC, severed all ties with the I-League outfit almost two months ago,  Goal  has reliably learnt. 

Sources close to Meraj have confirmed to Goal  that the former co-owner had growing differences with the team management over multiple issues. While he wanted to adopt a more entertaining style of football, other members of the team management wanted to stick to the approach adopted by coach David Robertson which involved the typical English brand of football, utilising the physical attributes of the players at his disposal.

"It was very frustrating for him to see Kashmir play that kind of football. He felt that football should always entertain people but that was not happening at Real Kashmir. There was too much workload on one player and he was not being able to give his best. The other key players did not suit the methods of the coach. He wanted to change things at the club. The third-place finish in the debut season fuelled further ambition and that might have become a bane for the club," said a source close to Meraj in the condition of anonymity.

Meraj is also the editor of his family-owned local newspaper  Kashmir Monitor . In March 2016, he formed Real Kashmir alongside Sandeep Chattoo to engage local youth with the sport. 

“I was out with my friends in the city for a stroll. We decided to do something that could engage them. I requested a couple of my friends to send footballs for them. That's when the idea of forming a small club struck me,” Meraj told in an interview a few years back.

In 2017-18 the  Snow Leopards  became champions of the Second Division I-League and booked a berth in the I-League. In their first season in top tier football, they made a name for themselves in the footballing landscape of India as they finished third in the table. 

In 2019-20 they reached the semi-final of Durand Cup where they were beaten by Mohun Bagan. In I-League, they were in the fourth position with 22 points from 15 matches before the competition was suspended due to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

Ever since their entry into the I-League, Real Kashmir has caught the attention of the country, thanks to their spirited performances despite challenges. Every home match normally sees a full house which is a rarity in I-League.

With Meraj no longer connected to the club, co-owner Sandeep Chattoo has taken complete charge of the club. When  Goal  reached out to Meraj, he declined to comment. 

Former Indian team defender Gouramangi Singh believes that the fresh crop of young defenders must be given enough opportunities to prove themselves before becoming a regular in the national team.

The likes of Jamshedpur FC’s Narender Gahlot and ATK’s Sumit Rathi have attracted eyeballs with their performances for the country at the junior level and in the Indian Super League (ISL) respectively. While Gouramangi believes these players have done well, he remained hesitant in suggesting that these players are in a good position to challenge the national team mainstays.

The former defender praised the likes of Sandesh Jhingan and Adil Khan. He was of the opinion that for the young talents to be considered in the top echelons of the country, they need to play more matches and display consistency.

At the same time, he believes that the youngsters must not be subjected to external pressure and must try to explore the game on their own.

“I like Sandesh Jhingan. He was there when I was with the national team. I think he is doing very well. Among the youngsters, I am talking about Narender Gahlot. I don’t know how many games he was involved in. But we need to give these boys more time. They will need at least 20-30 games a seasonin your bag to be considered as “arrived”,” he said.

“It’s the senior players who are currently doing well. It’s good to see Adil Khan and Sandesh doing well. Regarding the younger players, let’s not put too much pressure on them. Let them explore and find a way for themselves. Of course, they are good. But to prove that they belong to this level, they need to play more matches and fight for their place.

“Time flies. Playing football is the best job. Training every morning and waiting for the weekend game is the best feeling. The sooner they realise this, the better. And they need to take care of themselves, stay away from injuries, enjoy the game and improve every day. We have the likes of Adil only for a few more years and then we will need more names to come up. Hopefully we get to see more new talent coming up in the I-League and the ISL in the new season.

The 34-year-old also spoke about how the Coronavirus situation has affected his pet project KAGO – which aims at training kids and young adults in Manipur. Yet again, he emphasised on the need for enough game-time to help the youngsters gain experience.

“The Covid-19 situation has affected KAGO like it has affected every walks of life. In the last few months, there has been no training. It would be stupid for us to do anything now. There are four coaches who are involved with the academy. We are in touch with the players, we have groups and try to connect over call. But officially we are not open. We are not having any regular training. We are waiting for the government to release new regulations so we can start training. It is very uncertain now.

“Last year they started the Manipur Youth League – a tournament with eight teams playing in the home-away format. The teams get to play 14 matches, but they were unable to complete it because of the Covid-19 situation. We are hoping that the situation is normal soon and they get to play. There are talks that by October they can resume the new league again. For them the U13, U15 and Youth League is very important because they will get some game-time," he concluded.

Galatasaray continued their push for a place in Europe defeating Goztepe 3-1 in Saturday’s Turkish Super Lig clash at the Turk Telekom Stadium.

Having suffered defeats in their last three encounters, Fatih Terim’s men returned to winning ways thanks to second-half goals from Marcelo Saracchi, Emre Akbaba and Yunus Akgun, while Stefano Napoleoni’s effort served as a mere consolation for the visitors.

In a game characterised by several misses from the hosts, it was Sofiane Feghouli who was presented with the chance to Gala ahead in the 18th minute, however, his shot went off target.

Six minutes later, Adem Buyuk rounded off goalkeeper Beto to poke into an empty net, however, VAR replay showed that the Turkish forward had received the ball from an offside position.

Marcio Mossoro blew away Goztepe’s biggest chance in the first chance as his strike went wide after finding his way in the Yellow-Reds’ goal area with a minute before the half-time break.

In dire of a win, Terim’s team continued their push for a goal, and luckily for them, they were rewarded with a penalty kick after VAR ruled that Beto had fouled once of Gala’s forwards.

Sadly, Younes Belhanda missed the kick as the Morocco international’s kick kissed the upright despite sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.

10 minutes later, left-back Saracchi saved the 30-year-old’s blushes after drilling home a long-range effort that was unstoppable by Beto.

In the 77th minute, Napoleoni levelled matters for the visitors after profiting from a defensive mishap from the hosts to head home a Murat Paluli cross.

With nine minutes left to play, Akbaba restored the lead with a well-taken freekick from the edge of Goz Goz box before substitute Akgun sealed the win in the 90th minute.

Belhanda saw every minute of action as well as Cote d’Ivoire’s Jean Seri who is on loan from Fulham, while Taylan Antalyali came in for Algeria’s Feghouli with a minute left to play.

Gabon's Mario Lemina, Nigeria's Jesse Sekidika and DR Congo defender Christian Luyindama were unused substitutes.

With this win, Galatasaray climbed to fifth having accrued 55 points from 33 games – a point behind Besiktas who occupy the last Europa League spot. They travel to Antalyaspor on Saturday for their last game of the season.

Zinedine Zidane insisted he was not "special", saying he was simply lucky to be in charge of Real Madrid.

Zidane has led Madrid to the La Liga title this season for his 11th trophy as coach of the Spanish giants.

But the Frenchman dismissed any suggestions he felt like the "special one" – a title Jose Mourinho has previously used to describe himself.

"No, no. I don't feel that. I feel lucky to be here with these players every day," Zidane told a news conference.

"And being in this club, that's why I feel lucky, and that's why I enjoy that much every day. Because one day [it] will finish, as it happened already, but this time for real.

"That's why I am enjoying and focused on these kinds of things."

Madrid's La Liga title was their first since 2016-17, when Cristiano Ronaldo led them to the crown.

Ahead of their final game of the league season against Leganes on Sunday, Zidane paid tribute to his players for delivering the title.

"I think every title we get is merit of the team, the players who are involved in that time," he said.

"It doesn't have to demerit them, especially this one, as it has been very complicated and tough. We have fought until the end.

"It is time to enjoy the achievement, but for football and for everyone, we have a game [against Leganes]."

Zidane has refused to confirm whether he'll be managing Madrid next season, admitting the future is never certain in football.

"Nobody knows what's going to happen in the future. I never talk about next season or the following year. I've got a contract and I'm happy. You never know what will happen in the future," he said.

"Things can change overnight in the world of football and I have no idea what the future holds.

"We want to keep pushing and testing ourselves until the very end of the season. There will be a few days' rest after the game against Leganes, but the season continues. We will be back training and preparing for City after the game against Leganes."

At just 21, Alex Chidiac is no stranger to pressure, the young Matilda has been performing on the big stage since she was a teenager.

Chidiac made her debut for the national team when she was just 16 and has been playing competitive football for over six years. 

Yet in the last 18 months, she's faced some of the biggest challenges in her young career. And she hasn't been on the pitch for over half of it. 

Chidiac was the latest guest on Sporting News' Remember The Name podcast and spoke in-depth about her football life to date. 

In particular, she opened up about her dream move to Europe, the heartache of missing out on the 2019 Matilda's World Cup squad and coping with a serious injury during the COVID-19 outbreak. 

For the lifelong Chelsea fan, playing football in Europe has always been a goal for Chidiac. 

"Football from a young age is all I ever wanted to do," Chidiac said.

"I was a massive Chelsea fan growing up so I wanted to be like Didier Drogba. I was obsessed with the Premier League.

"I remember one when Chelsea won the Champions League and it went into extra-time and Drogba got the winning goal, I absolutely lost it. It was the best thing. Every year I'd get a Chelsea kit from London, so I had all of the kits growing up."

Every member of her family adopted a different team to support, creating a Premier League rivalry that would see them up at all hours of the morning watching football. 

But that translated on the pitch for Chidiac, with her family and coaches believing she had what it takes to become a professional footballer.

"When I was younger, I had the backing of everyone around me telling me 'you are going to be a professional footballer'," Chidiac recounted.

"At the end of the day, they saw this was something I was super passionate about and it's all I ever wanted to do."

With supportive parents pushing her every step of the way, Chidiac started rising up the levels of Australian women's football. 

She played for junior representative teams, made her debut as a 15-year-old in the W-League for Adelaide United and was handed her first national cap for the Matildas at 16. 

When she was 16, Chidiac had early discussions about moving to Europe with an Italian side. But in 2018, she took her career into her own hands and finally made her dream move happen. 

"It was something that I've always wanted to do is go overseas and play football," Chidiac said. 

"A lot of that was watching EPL, La Liga and all the leagues overseas and being like 'I want to do that'. As soon as I found out about that opportunity at that age I was like 'how do I make that happen?'"

Chidiac got in touch with an agent who specialised in big European moves and after looking at a number of clubs, Atletico Madrid eventually won her signature. 

At first, she didn't believe that Atletico Madrid were interested in signing her. 

"I remember getting the email at 3am," Chidiac said. 

"I looked at my phone, I don't know why I woke up...I looked at my phone and put it away and thought 'that's not real'. The next morning he [Chidiac's agent] called me and went, 'no, that's legit'."

After a couple of weeks that included getting the contract translated and negotiating with the Matildas to let her play in Spain, she was all set to move to Madrid. 

"I didn't know a lot of information about going over to Spain," Chidiac admitted. "It was more, I have to do it because I can't turn down Atletico."

Chidiac wasn't ever concerned about the move not working out because she knew at such a young age, the experience would only help her grow. 

But she definitely was pushed outside her comfort zone in her first few training sessions with Atleti. 

"I relied on two of my teammates, one from Italy and one from Portugal, if I didn't have them that season I would have exploded in some sense," Chidiac joked. 

"The first year, I'm not going to lie, it was too much going on that I couldn't focus on the football things, it was more survival. 

"I wanted to know what I was doing in the drill, I wanted to know what the tactics were but it was never clear. 

"Even going on the field, I didn't a hundred per cent know what position I was playing or where they wanted me to do, it was more like I just had to go on and play."

A testament to her perseverance and determined character, Chidiac studied and earned a Certificate II in Applied Language, so her Spanish has definitely improved. 

And don't forget the 311 days straight on Duolingo. While she was looking forward to putting that to good use, an ankle injury suddenly ruled her out of action. 

And it's been that way for the best part of a year. 

"It happened in September and it sucks because I was finally starting to gain a lot of momentum in training," Chidiac recalled. 

"The coaches were noticing how well I was performing and I felt really, really confident.

"I knew straight away there was something wrong with it, I always get up from tackles and I had never had an injury. 

"I was told roughly one and a half months, so it wasn't anything bad...but it ended up being nearly a full year now."

The innocuous challenge from a teammate capped off what had been a disappointing 2019 for Chidiac, and one she's still recovering from now. 

Earlier that year, Chidiac was the only fully-contracted Matilda to miss out on a place in their squad for the 2019 World Cup. 

"Being the only contract Matilda not to go, not to even be in the train-on squad leading up to it definitely hurt," Chidiac admitted. 

"Especially after the tough first season that I had in Spain. I feel like I could have made a decision there to just not give up, but I probably could have not worked as hard as I did to get back into a good state."

Thanks to Covid-19, Chidiac found herself back in Australia as she continued to recover from her ankle injury. 

Atleti even allowed her to spend some extra time here at home compared to the rest of the squad, knowing it would help with her rehabilitation. 

However, it wasn't the easy travel story you might associate with a player from a professional football club like Atletico Madrid. 

"There was no real precautions or anything happening in Spain," Chidiac said. 

"Out of nowhere, I remember one day where they're like, 'we're going to close schools now'. 

"Things were changing by the hour...and we were like 'what's going on?'

"[The club] said stay at home, they gave us a couple of dumbells and exercise bands and stuff to bring home with us, but we had no idea. 

"And then on Monday, that's when the full lockdown happened and we had to stay at home. The Army were patrolling the streets and the hospital that was packed, we lived across the street from it."

Despite no decision being made on the Priméra Division season, a number of Atleti's international players decided they wanted to return home for their health and safety. 

"We technically couldn't [return home] because we were still contracted," Chidiac said.

"At that point, it was three or four weeks in that I was like 'I need to get home'. I was really annoyed because a few days before was the last normal flight, normal being 23 hours as opposed to 45.

"So when I booked that 45 [hours], I was like 'why am I doing this'. But obviously it was definitely worth coming home."

For Chidiac, at just 21 she knows she has a lot of her career ahead of her. 

But the resilience and perseverance she has learned in the last 12 months are set to be the trademark of her footballing style.

"To be able to bounce back to where I was before the injury, I was really, really happy with that," Chidiac said.

"I'm most proud of the way I've been able to take things and keep moving forward. 

"Obviously a lot of highs but I was kind of prepared that I was going to go through some lows."

The last 12 months has seen a string of high-profile Matildas make the move to Europe, just like Chidiac did back in 2018. 

Sam Kerr, Caitlin Ford, Lydia Williams, Steph Catley, Ellie Carpenter, the list goes on.

"It's strange now, everyone's coming to Europe...they can come hang out," Chidiac laughed. 

"After the World Cup, all the girls saw that we struggled against European teams and the way that they played. If we want to get better as a national team, we need to be put up against that a little bit more than what we've been doing before."

But it's Sam Kerr's move to Chelsea that has particularly caught Chidiac's attention and revealed a new, long-term goal. 

"There's a way for Australians now, let's go," Chidiac said on a potential move to Chelsea.

"That's definitely something I'm hoping for one day [playing for Chelsea], I'm not ready for it just yet.  I need to make sure I'm there at the perfect time where I can get the number 11, and everything has to fall into place. 

"I'm aiming for that as well. If I score a goal for Chelsea, honestly, it would be everything."

David Luiz deserved all the praise that came his way after Arsenal's stunning FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester City, according to head coach Mikel Arteta.

The Brazilian's defensive qualities have been often questioned after a series of high-profile and costly mistakes, but he was masterful at Wembley as Arsenal earned a shock 2-0 victory.

He made 11 clearances, four interceptions and a crucial block to deny Raheem Sterling in the second half, with Opta statistics showing he also won all four of his aerial duels and touched the ball more times than any team-mate.

David Luiz was praised after the game for his "fantastic" display by former England captain Rio Ferdinand, having formed a solid back-three alliance with Shkodran Mustafi and Kieran Tierney.

It was apt that the Brazilian should produce his very best against City, having been widely pilloried for his display when Arsenal took on the same opposition and lost 3-0 in the Premier League last month.

On that occasion, David Luiz came off the bench as an early substitute, blundered for City's first goal and was then sent off when giving away a second-half penalty.

"This is part of football. I didn't have any doubts about David Luiz's reaction. He put his hand up after that game [against City], but he didn't have to do that," Arteta said.

"We all make mistakes. The way he has been training, helping each other and performing, it's been phenomenal. I am delighted that people can see this side of him now as well, and praise him because he deserves that."

Arsenal surprised many in the game by handing David Luiz a new one-year contract just days after the 33-year-old's calamity of a performance at the Etihad Stadium.

"What he needs is that we trust him, that we have no doubts in what he can do. The best way to do that is to make him play," Arteta said.

"He's had some difficult moments but he's also had some incredible moments. Big athletes go through those moments – I'm happy he's playing at the level he is now.

"I want him to perform on the pitch. He's doing that again now in a really good way, I'm really happy for him today."

Luiz himself responded to his critics after the match and stressed he's only worked even harder after making recent mistakes. 

Pep Guardiola knows "it does not take a genius" to know Manchester City must improve if they are to knock Real Madrid out of the Champions League.

City began this week with a significant victory off the field as the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned their two-year ban from UEFA competitions, finding allegations of Financial Fair Play violations to be either "not established" or "time-barred" under regulations set out by European football's governing body.

On the field, it has been a different story, with Guardiola critical of his players' performance in Saturday's 2-0 FA Cup semi-final defeat to Arsenal.

Despite winning the EFL Cup in March, City's meek Premier League title defence in 2019-20 means their campaign will ultimately be judged on how the reformatted Champions League plays out.

They hold a 2-1 advantage over Madrid before the second leg of the last-16 tie at the Etihad Stadium on August 7.

The winner will progress to an eight-team straight knockout tournament in Lisbon the following week, taking on whoever prevails from the match-up between Juventus and Lyon – the Ligue 1 side 1-0 to the good at halfway.

Madrid have won 10 out of 10 since returning from lockdown to wrap up La Liga glory, while losses to Chelsea and Southampton have taken City's overall tally of Premier League defeats to nine this term.

"I don’t have to tell them. They know it, they feel it," said Guardiola, who also felt his players deserved to lose their 2-1 midweek win over relegation-threatened Bournemouth.

"We know the standards that we have to be on these kinds of stages, in these kind of competitions. Maybe we are learning, maybe not. We will see.

"The last game against Bournemouth was not good and today the first half was not good. We struggled to play at our level.

"It does not take a genius to realise we have to increase our standard against Madrid if we want to have any chance to go through."

Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez all went close to a second-half equaliser before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang completed his brace in the 71st minute.

Mahrez's effort, sharply stopped by Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez at his near post, was City's only attempt on target, but Guardiola felt the game was lost during a lacklustre first period.

"We didn't make a good performance," he said, after City failed to prevail in a domestic cup tie for the first time since February 2018.

"We can lose the game. My regret is we didn't play the first half like we played the second one.

"Sometimes it happens. It's an incredible run but sometimes you can lose. But the way we lost, particularly in the first half, we're sad about this."

David Luiz dazzled in Arsenal's FA Cup semi-final win against Manchester City - delivering a performance hailed as "fantastic" by Rio Ferdinand and Robin van Persie.

Former England centre-back Ferdinand and ex-Arsenal striker Van Persie saw David Luiz produce a series of priceless tackles, blocks and interceptions in a 2-0 victory for the pre-game underdogs.

The Brazilian made 11 clearances, Opta statistics showed, and looked rock solid as he, Shkodran Mustafi and Kieran Tierney formed a resilient back three.

"He was the standout performer," Ferdinand told BT Sport. "Every cross that came into the box, he was the man on the end of it most of the time, heading and putting his body on the line.

"Defensively he didn't put a foot wrong. When he plays in a three at the back - he did it under [Antonio] Conte as well at Chelsea - he looks a much better player.

"You get the security of numbers in terms of having two other defenders immediately alongside you as a centre-back, and it decreases the space between you.

"So it is easier for him but you can't take anything away from him: he was fantastic today."

Ferdinand described defence as "the area where they've always let themselves down" and an "Achilles heel" for Arsenal in recent times.

If it was surprising that Arsenal should keep a clean sheet against a City side that beat them 3-0 in June, it was made more so by it being David Luiz setting the standards at the back - given his error-strewn showing in that previous encounter concluded with a red card.

Ferdinand said: "He's come in for a lot of criticism in the last couple of seasons and a lot of it rightly so at times. He's made a lot of mistakes and you get criticised for that. Today I think the way they set up helped him.

"Three centre-backs, they packed out the middle of the pitch, and they played with a defensive security. There was a stability about the way they played. They were composed defensively and they had a sharp edge on the counter-attack.

"When they went forward - minimal times over the course of the game because they were pushed back - they looked like a team who were very dangerous and capable of scoring and they got two very good goals."

Van Persie also found much to admire in David Luiz's game, having feared Arsenal faced "a tough evening".

"Tonight he put his body in front of the balls he was blocking," Van Persie said. "I think he headed away maybe 25 balls tonight. He was absolutely fantastic."

Jean-Pierre Nsame maintained his astonishing goalscoring form in the Swiss Super League with a hat-trick as Young Boys ran rampant against FC Zurich with a 5-0 win.

The Indomitable Lions striker produced a man-of-the-match performance with his return in front of goal which helped his team bag an emphatic away victory at Zurich on Saturday.

Nsame assisted Miralem Sulejmani in starting the party at the Stadion Letzigrund in the 33rd minute before scoring his first goal of the night nine minutes later, thanks to an assist from DR Congo's Meschack Elia.

Three minutes into the second half, the 27-year-old continued from where he left off by stretching Young Boys' lead to 3-0 and he also scored the fourth after converting from the penalty spot in the 59th minute.

Marvin Spielmann wrapped up the victory for Gerardo Seoane's side after benefitting an assist from Cameroon's Moumi Ngamaleu in the 73rd minute.

Nsame who is the leading top scorer in the Super League, has been in outstanding form this season with 28 goals in 28 league matches and he has scored 10 goals in seven games since the Swiss top-flight resumed from the coronavirus hiatus.

The former Angers forward has scored three hat-tricks so far with two of them coming against FC Zurich.

The triumph shot Young Boys to the summit of the Super League table as they aim to retain the top-flight title.  They have gathered 64 points from 32 matches, two points above second-placed St. Gallen who have a game in hand.

Next up for Young Boys is a trip to Neuchatel Xamax on Thursday and Nsame will be aiming to extend his goalscoring run against the bottom-placed side.

Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney took to social media to apologise after a picture was shared online of him putting his middle finger up following the club's 2-0 win over Manchester City. 

The now deleted picture showed the the entire squad celebrating with fans on Twitter quick to spot and point out Tierney's gesture. 

Tierney, 23, has struggled with injury since joining the Gunners from Celtic in 2019 and seemed to acknowledge his joke may not have gone down too well with everyone online. 

"Didn’t realise this was getting posted," Tierney said on Twitter in reference to the picture. 

"Was a joke with the kitman. I’m so sorry if it caused anyone offence - wasn’t meant in anyway."

Thankfully for Tierney, most fans weren't offended, with one that is currently battling cancer seeing the lighter side of the joke.

Tierney was quick to acknowledge the Gunners supporter, urging him to keep fighting and promising to send him his Arsenal jersey worn in the club's 2-0 win over Manchester City on Saturday. 

The Scottish defender was a class act on and off the pitch on Saturday as he starred in the club's FA Cup semi-final win. 

Along with the clean sheet, Tierney claimed the assist for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's second goal with a fantastic pass, and is hopeful the Gunners can now kick on to bigger and better things moving forward. 

"It was tough, we knew we would have less of the ball against City and you have to take your chances when you get them. Aubameyang does what he does," Tierney told BBC's Match of the Day. 

"We have to suffer together in games like this, When we get the ball we have to play well but we know we will have 5-10 minute spells when we won't see the ball.

"Aubameyang has done it for so long, it's an honour for me to play with him. That ball I played isn't a goal-scoring ball but he makes it one.

"We are building for something big."

Arsenal will now face either Chelsea or Manchester United in the FA Cup final next month at Wembley, where a win for the Gunners would guarantee their place in the Europa League next season. 

Ismael Bennacer broke his Serie A duck in AC Milan's 4-1 victory against Bologna on Saturday.

The Algerian midfielder scored the Rossoneri's third goal at the San Siro Stadium four minutes into the second half, after goals from Alexis Saelemaekers and Hakan Calhanoglu gave them a 2-1 lead into the break.

The strike was Bennacer’s maiden goal for AC Milan and his first goal in the Serie A after 65 appearances since he made his debut for Empoli last season.

Later in the game, efforts from Ante Rebic and Davide Calabria sealed victory for Stefano Pioli's men.

Bennacer and Ivory Coast's Franck Kessie were the double pivots in Milan's midfield, and they helped them stretch their unbeaten run to eight league matches since the restart of the football in Italy.

The Ivorian midfielder featured for the entire duration of the encounter but Bennacer played 79 minutes before his substitution.

Bennacer who was named the Best Player at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, has established himself in Pioli's system this campaign with 28 league appearances so far and his impressive performances have made him a transfer target for French champions PSG.

Kessie who has also been a key player in the Rossoneri's midfield is reportedly attracting interest from city rivals Inter Milan after his contribution of four goals after 31 league games,

For Bologna, Senegal's Ibrahima Mbaye was introduced as a 59th-minute substitute while Gambia duo Musa Juwara and Musa Barrow were not involved in the game as they watched on as unused substitutes.

The victory boosted Milan's chances of qualifying for European football next season as they moved to sixth in the Serie A table with 56 points after 34 matches.

Kessie and Bennacer will be hoping to help AC Milan stretch their unbeaten run when they travel to Sassuolo on Tuesday for their next league fixture.

Nicolas Pepe continued his fine form this season to star as Arsenal defeated Manchester City 2-0 to reach the FA Cup final on Saturday.

The Cote d’Ivoire international set up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for the opener before Kieran Tierney assisted the Gabon international for his second of the night.

Pepe’s contributions to the Gunners’ triumph at Wembley Stadium means he has been involved in 17 goals in all competitions for Mikel Arteta’s men, with eight goals and none assists.

Even more impressively, the former Lille ace is next to Aubameyang in terms of involvement for Arsenal’s goals this term - with the captain having an input in 27 goals scored this season.

Despite Pep Guardiola’s men boasting of a superior ball possession, they were unable to contain a disciplined Gunners’ team that looked resolute in defence marshalled by David Luiz - while Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez’s combination failed to beat impressive goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

After putting up a fine shift at England’s football cathedral, the Cote d’Ivoire international was replaced in the 72nd minute by Joseph Willock.

With the striker helping Lille qualify for the 2018-19 Champions League with 22 goals and 11 assists in Ligue 1, Pepe joined Arsenal for €80million (£72.9m).

“We are really happy with what has happened in the last four or five days,” said Arteta after the game.

“To beat probably the best two teams in Europe is the nicest thing to do so credit to the players for what they are doing, their performances and the level of fight they are showing.”

The victory by the North London outfit will now see them wait patiently for either Chelsea or Odion Ighalo’s Manchester United to battle for the winners’ diadem on August 1.

The Emirates Stadium giants who will not feature in next season’s Champions League have two Premier League fixtures remaining, playing on Tuesday and Sunday. 

Manchester City are away at Watford before finishing up at home to relegated Norwich City. The Gunners also have the Hornets to come, though before that final-day encounter they travel to Aston Villa.

This year's FA Cup final will see Arsenal battling it out with either Manchester United or Chelsea at Wembley for the coveted trophy.

The North Londoners defeated Pep Guardiola's side - who were defending champions - in a shock 2-0 loss at Wembley with a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang double proving the difference.

Goal has the details on when the FA Cup final will take place and more.

When is the 2020 FA Cup final?

The FA Cup final is set to be played Saturday August 1 at Wembley, and will be shown on BBC One.

Mikel Arteta will have the opportunity to win his first piece of silverware as Arsenal coach, and a victory in the final would see the Gunners win a record 14th title

The competition was forced to be halted for three months due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was announced earlier this year by the FA that this year's edition will be known as the Heads Up FA Cup final in order to raise awareness about mental health.

Prince William, who serves as president of the FA, said: “We’re going to really use the final as a moment to promote good, positive mental health for everyone.

"It’s quite timely bearing in mind what we’ve all been through with this pandemic."

The Emirates, who usually serve as the sponsor of the tournament, agreed with the name change.

Heads Up is a campaign that serves to encourage the conversation about mental health in football. The campaign hopes to emphasise that the mental health of players is as important as their physical health. 

Will fans be allowed to attend the 2020 FA Cup final?

As has been the case with all games played in England since the restart, the 2020 FA Cup final will be played behind closed doors with no fans in order to prevent the further spread of Covid-19.

FA's chief executive Mark Bullingham said: "We are pleased to agree the provisional restart date for the FA Cup.

"The competition has been an integral part of the English football calendar for nearly 150 years and we'd like to thank the Premier League executive and clubs for their support in scheduling the remaining matches during this unprecedented time."

Mikel Arteta is hopeful Arsenal's 2-0 win over Manchester City in their FA Cup semi-final on Saturday will convince Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to re-sign. 

The Gunners' captain scored in either half at Wembley as Arteta's side progressed to a record 21st FA Cup final in the same week they also beat Premier League champions Liverpool 2-1. 

Aubameyang's future at Arsenal has been the subject of increasing speculation over the past few months with the Gabon international contracted until the end of next season. 

Arteta is keen to lock down his star attacker to a new contract and feels his side's win over City might be exactly what Aubameyang needed to see. 

“Hopefully it will help him to be more convinced we are going in the right direction," Arteta told BBC Sport of Aubameyang post-match. 

“We’ve had an incredible week to beat the best two teams in Europe, it doesn’t happen every day.

“I don’t care who plays, I can trust them - we made changes ad everyone was ready. We had to suffer in many moments. We had to be really well organised and minimise the spaces."

On facing off against former mentor Pep Guardiola, Arteta added: “I high-fived him after the game and wished him luck. I love him like yesterday or this morning the same way."

While Arteta was thrilled with the win on Saturday, the Spaniard admitted it was bittersweet considering no fans were in attendance as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 

"I'm extremely happy and proud of the players. I'm sad that we can't enjoy this moment with our fans," Arteta told BT Sport. 

"That's what you need against this team. You have to make the most of the opportunities and put everybody on the line. They are the best team in Europe in the way they play positionally.

"There's a great chemistry between them [Arsenal players] and they believe in what we are trying to do and you can see that. Congratulations to them.

"They [Man City] are really good on the high press, as we are as well. We gave the ball away in dangerous situations and they are good in that transition moment but the first goal was really great. There are some things that we are trying to close down."

Alexis Saelemaekers and Ismael Bennacer scored their first goals for in-form Milan as they thrashed Bologna 5-1 to go sixth in Serie A.

The Rossoneri extended their unbeaten run to nine matches to stay on course for a Europa League spot, outclassing their former coach Sinisa Mihajlovic's Bologna side at San Siro on Saturday.

Saelemaekers put them in front and Hakan Calhanoglu capitalised on a howler from goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski to double the Rossoneri's lead as they knocked the ball around with a swagger.

Takehiro Tomiyasu pulled one back late in the first half with a rasping strike, but goals from Bennacer and Ante Rebic in the space of eight minutes put Milan out of sight.

Davide Calabria added a fifth in the closing stages to cap a magnificent performance from Milan.

Milan swarmed forward from the start and they were in front after 10 minutes, Rebic showing great trickery before backheeling to the onrushing Theo Hernandez, whose cross was fired into the far corner first time by Saelemaekers after a clever dummy from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Rebic came close before Skorupski gifted Milan a second goal, the goalkeeper’s attempted clearance following a backpass from Riccardo Orsolini allowing Calhanoglu to drill home 24 minutes in.

Milan were rampant and Franck Kessie rattled the post, but Bologna were back in it courtesy of a great finish from Tomiyasu, who cut inside and fired into the top corner from 20 yards just before half-time.

The Rossoneri resumed control after the break, though, Bennacer slotting home after being played in by Calhanoglu and Rebic turning sharply before finishing with his left foot after 57 minutes having been set up by Ibrahimovic.

Kessie had a shot cleared off the line and Federico Santander was unable to pull one back with an indirect free-kick inside the penalty area at the other end.

Calabria then swept home his first goal of the season in stoppage time to round off a brilliant move involving Rafael Leao and put the icing on the cake.
 

What does it mean? Rampant Milan close in on Europe
 
Milan have not lost since the season resumed and on the evidence of this performance, they should be playing European football next season with four games to play.

Stefano Pioli's men were a joy to watch, causing the Bologna defence all sorts of problems and they have won six of their last nine matches without defeat. Bologna are heading for a mid-table finish.

Rebic oozes class

Rebic tormented the visitors in a brilliant performance, finding pockets of space and linking up well with Ibrahimovic. He created six chances in the match, more than double anyone else on the pitch.

The Croatia forward turned Danilo inside-out in the build-up to the opening goal and could easily have had more than one of his own, a strike which took him to 12 goals since the start of 2020.

Danilo all at sea

It was a tough night for Danilo as Bologna were unable to live with the passing and movement of a Milan side brimming with confidence. The Brazilian was withdrawn just before the hour-mark after being run ragged.

What's next?

A trip to eighth-placed Sassuolo is Milan's next assignment on Tuesday, when Bologna are on the road again at high-flying Atalanta.

Alexis Saelemaekers and Ismael Bennacer scored their first goals for in-form Milan as they thrashed Bologna 5-1 to go sixth in Serie A.

The Rossoneri extended their unbeaten run to nine matches to stay on course for a Europa League spot, outclassing their former coach Sinisa Mihajlovic's Bologna side at San Siro on Saturday.

Saelemaekers put them in front and Hakan Calhanoglu capitalised on a howler from goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski to double the Rossoneri's lead as they knocked the ball around with a swagger.

Takehiro Tomiyasu pulled one back late in the first half with a rasping strike, but goals from Bennacer and Ante Rebic in the space of eight minutes put Milan out of sight.

Davide Calabria added a fifth in the closing stages to cap a magnificent performance from Milan.

Milan swarmed forward from the start and they were in front after 10 minutes, Rebic showing great trickery before backheeling to the onrushing Theo Hernandez, whose cross was fired into the far corner first time by Saelemaekers after a clever dummy from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Rebic came close before Skorupski gifted Milan a second goal, the goalkeeper’s attempted clearance following a backpass from Riccardo Orsolini allowing Calhanoglu to drill home 24 minutes in.

Milan were rampant and Franck Kessie rattled the post, but Bologna were back in it courtesy of a great finish from Tomiyasu, who cut inside and fired into the top corner from 20 yards just before half-time.

The Rossoneri resumed control after the break, though, Bennacer slotting home after being played in by Calhanoglu and Rebic turning sharply before finishing with his left foot after 57 minutes having been set up by Ibrahimovic.

Kessie had a shot cleared off the line and Federico Santander was unable to pull one back with an indirect free-kick inside the penalty area at the other end.

Calabria then swept home his first goal of the season in stoppage time to round off a brilliant move involving Rafael Leao and put the icing on the cake.
 

What does it mean? Rampant Milan close in on Europe
 
Milan have not lost since the season resumed and on the evidence of this performance, they should be playing European football next season with four games to play.

Stefano Pioli's men were a joy to watch, causing the Bologna defence all sorts of problems and they have won six of their last nine matches without defeat. Bologna are heading for a mid-table finish.

Rebic oozes class

Rebic tormented the visitors in a brilliant performance, finding pockets of space and linking up well with Ibrahimovic. He created six chances in the match, more than double anyone else on the pitch.

The Croatia forward turned Danilo inside-out in the build-up to the opening goal and could easily have had more than one of his own, a strike which took him to 12 goals since the start of 2020.

Danilo all at sea

It was a tough night for Danilo as Bologna were unable to live with the passing and movement of a Milan side brimming with confidence. The Brazilian was withdrawn just before the hour-mark after being run ragged.

What's next?

A trip to eighth-placed Sassuolo is Milan's next assignment on Tuesday, when Bologna are on the road again at high-flying Atalanta.

Pep Guardiola was left to lament an off-key performance from his charges as Manchester City were sent crashing out of the FA Cup at the hands of Arsenal. 

The holders of the trophy were considered favourites for Saturday's semi-final clash at Wembley, with Guardiola fielding a near-full strength side against former protege Mikel Arteta. 

But the Gunners followed up their defeat of Liverpool midweek with another impressive result, downing City 2-0 with a goal in each half from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. 

That defeat means last season's double winners are left with just the Carabao Cup from 2019-20, although they remain active in the Champions League when the competition resumes in August. 

And Guardiola was in no mood for excuses, admitting that their display, particularly in a muted first half in which his side failed to muster a single shot on target, was simply not good enough. 

"We didn't make a good performance, we were not ready enough," the coach confessed to  Match of the Day  after the final whistle. 

"If you don't play for 90 minutes in a semi-final this can happen. We didn't play good, we are human beings. The opponent played good, sometimes it happens.

"The only regret is that we didn't play the first half like we played the second one. We had to change the set-up but we couldn't do it."

City looked sharper after the break, and came close to levelling when Riyad Mahrez was denied by Emiliano Martinez. 

Guardiola explained that he called on his charges to show more intensity during his half-time talk, while playing down the importance of his side's individual errors in the outcome. 

"I said we have time, we can do it," he said of his message in the dressing room. 

"We changed something, the mentality, be aggressive. Be aggressive.

"Mistakes? It happens, it's football. Mistakes in front of the goal, it happens. Today that is not the reason."

City, who are already assured of second place in the Premier League and a spot in next season's Champions League following Monday's favourable CAS resolution, continue their campaign with a visit to Watford on Tuesday, before playing their final league clash of 2019-20 the following Sunday at home to Norwich City.