Arteta outwits Guardiola: Arsenal beats City in FA Cup semi

Seven months after leaving Pep Guardiola's side, Mikel Arteta outwitted his mentor to ensure his first season as Arsenal manager will end with an FA Cup final.

In only his 25th match as a manager, Arteta masterminded a 2-0 victory — secured by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's double — that ended Manchester City's title defense on Saturday.

It was a cup won as part of a treble last season when Arteta was assistant to Guardiola at City and fans were still allowed to pack into the national stadium.

Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, left, kicks the ball away from Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan during the FA Cup semifinal soccer match between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley in London, England, Saturday, July 18, 2020. (AP PhotoJustin Tallis,Pool)

Just a few hundred key personnel were allowed into Wembley for Saturday's game as the 90,000-capacity was largely empty for the first time for a top-level game due to ongoing pandemic restrictions.

Football shut down for three months in England and resumed in June with City beating Arsenal 3-0 in the Premier League. This semifinal was as one-sided as that night in City's favor. But Arsenal found a way of ending a run of seven successive losses when it had been outscored 20-2 by City.

Unlike at the Etihad last month, David Luiz was a formidable barrier in central defense, rather than giving away a goal and being sent off. City managed only one shot on target — the fewest in a game since April 2018 — when Raheem Sterling struck at goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez before Arsenal's opener.

Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, centre, scores his team's second goal during the FA Cup semifinal soccer match between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley in London, England, Saturday, July 18, 2020. (AP PhotoJustin Tallis,Pool)

The goal was the culmination of an 18-pass move involving 10 players — straight from the Guardiola playbook. Aubameyang, who had just squandered a chance to score, slid in ahead of Kyle Walker at the far post to poke in Nicolas Pepe's cross in the 19th minute.

Sterling had chances to level at the start of the second half, striking wide and over in the opening minutes.

But Aubameyang secured Arsenal's passage into the final in the 71st. Played in by Kieran Tierney, the striker cut in from the left flank and poked the ball between Ederson's legs for his 25th goal of the season.

Manchester City's Eric Garcia reacts after the FA Cup semifinal soccer match between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley in London, England, Saturday, July 18, 2020. (AP PhotoJustin Tallis,Pool)

The FA Cup is the second trophy surrendered by City this season after losing the Premier League title to Liverpool.

But City has already successfully defended the League Cup and can still win a double. Guardiola's side remains in the pandemic-delayed Champions League.

BURNLEY EYES EUROPE

Arsenal's Kieran Tierney helps teammate Ainsley Maitland-Niles with cramp during the FA Cup semifinal soccer match between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley in London, England, Saturday, July 18, 2020. (AP PhotoMatt Childs,Pool)

The number of Europa League slots in the Premier League depends on who wins the FA Cup.

Burnley still has a hope of qualifying for Europe after moving up to ninth by beating Norwich 2-0 in Saturday's only Premier League game.

Norwich, which has already been relegated, had two players sent off before Burnley took the lead.

Emiliano Buendia went for violent conduct and Josip Drmic for a mistimed tackle before Chris Wood scored in first-half stoppage time. Ben Godfrey then turned the ball into his own net in the 80th minute.

CHAMPION LEEDS

While Norwich is going down, Leeds is returning to the Premier League after a 16-year exile. And the northern English team will be promoted as champions.

The League Championship title was clinched on Saturday after third-place Brentford lost 1-0 at Stoke. It is the first trophy for Leeds since 1992 when it won the last edition of the First Division before it became the Premier League.

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Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus scored more goals in 53 minutes on Saturday than he had in the previous eight months in the English Premier League.

Becoming the first player in the league to score four goals in one game this season, Jesus led City to a 5-1 thrashing of Watford to open a four-point lead over second-placed Liverpool in the title race.

Liverpool can trim that back to one point with five matches left by beating Everton in the Merseyside derby on Sunday.

Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus celebrates after scoring his fourth goal, his side's fifth, during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Watford at Etihad stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, April 23, 2022. (AP PhotoJon Super)

Jesus scored three goals in the league before the arrival of next-to-last Watford for a match that ended up resembling a training exercise.

The Brazil international netted twice in the first half and twice more in the opening eight minutes of the second half — one of which was a penalty to complete his hat trick.

Rodri scored the other goal for City, which used the match to give key players a rest ahead of Real Madrid's visit in the Champions League semifinals on Tuesday.

Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes reacts after failing to score from a penalty kick during an English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Manchester United at the Emirates stadium in London, Saturday April 23, 2022. (AP PhotoAlastair J. Grant)

While City stayed on course for the title, fierce rival Manchester United likely dropped out of the race for Champions League qualification.

By losing at Arsenal 3-1, United fell six points behind its top-four rival and manager Ralf Rangnick all but called time on his team's season.

“I don’t think it’s very realistic to dream and think of the top four," Rangnick said at the end of a week when United also lost at Liverpool 4-0 and hired a new manager, Ajax's Erik ten Hag, for the start of next season.

Arsenal moved into fourth, three points above north London rival Tottenham, which visited Brentford late.

In other games, last-placed Norwich plunged closer to relegation with a 3-0 loss at home to Newcastle, while mid-table teams Leicester and Aston Villa drew 0-0.

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