Wigan stun Manchester City to end quadruple hopes

FA Cup quarter-final, Manchester City 1 (Nasri 68) Wigan Athletic (Gomez 27 pen, Perch 47)

 

Edin Dzeko of Man City looks dejected during the FA Cup Quarter-Final match between Manchester City and Wigan Athletic
Edin Dzeko of Man City looks dejected during the FA Cup Quarter-Final match between Manchester City and Wigan Athletic

Jordi Gomez and James Perch struck as Wigan stunned Manchester City again to keep their FA Cup defence going with a 2-1 win at the Etihad Stadium.

Gomez converted a penalty after more bad defending by the erratic Martin Demichelis and Perch tapped in early in the second half as the holders booked a semi-final date with Arsenal.

Samir Nasri did pull one back as City produced a strong finish but they were unable to prevent a repeat of Wigan's shock victory in last year's final at Wembley.

The result was a tactical triumph for former City striker Uwe Rosler, who has revived Wigan's fortunes since taking over as manager in December.

Ryan Flynn and John Brayford struck second-half goals as Sky Bet League 1 side Sheffield United booked themselves a Wembley semi-final against Hull.

Winger Flynn broke the deadlock in the 65th minute and right-back Brayford's deflected shot less than two minutes later ensured a deserved 2-0 victory for the resurgent Blades over Championship strugglers Charlton.

Nigel Clough's side become the first team from the third tier to reach the last four of the competition since Wycombe in 2001 and extended their remarkable winning sequence to nine matches in all competitions.

The Blades were spiralling towards relegation when former Derby boss Clough took over in November, but five months later the club are daring to believe a late run on the play-offs is on, as well as now securing their place in the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 11 years.

A week after finding himself on the wrong end of a headbutt from Newcastle boss Alan Pardew, David Meyler left his former club Sunderland feeling black and blue as three goals in nine second-half minutes booked Hull's trip to Wembley.

Meyler headbutted the corner flag in celebration after sweeping home the second of his side's three quickfire strikes which turned a largely dismal FA Cup quarter-final into one of great celebration for the home side who cantered to a 3-0 win.

Tigers captain Curtis Davies headed his side into a 68th-minute lead after rising highest to meet a Tom Huddlestone free-kick, before Meyler supplied a cool finish four minutes later after chasing down a punt upfield from George Boyd.

And the Black Cats' agony was complete in the 75th minute when Lee Cattermole, experiencing an afternoon to forget, played a shocking back-pass which left the lurking Matty Fryatt with the simplest of chances to score.

It could have been worse for the visitors, who had to rely on goalkeeper Oscar Ustari saving Sone Aluko's 33rd-minute penalty in order to keep them level at the end of a largely forgettable first period.