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Saturday European Rewind: Chelsea ousts Tottenham in FA Cup, Dortmund fights back, and more

Premier League leaders Chelsea booked their place into the FA Cup final with a 4-2 thumping of London rivals Tottenham at Wembley Stadium.

Antonio Conte’s side used two second-half goals to pull away from their rivals, who had previously pegged them back twice. Willian’s fourth-minute free-kick gave Chelsea a 1-0 lead as the Brazilian beat Hugo Lloris to the bottom-right corner. Harry Kane drew Tottenham level, heading home Christian Eriksen’s assist past Thibaut Courtois after 18 minutes.

Willian’s 43rd-minute penalty kick put Chelsea back in front before halftime. Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min was whistled for the foul after tripping Victor Moses inside of the box. Dele Alli’s 19th goal in all competitions, drew Tottenham level at 2-2 early in the second-half. Substitute Eden Hazard put Chelsea in front for good, striking home in the 75th-minute. The goal of the match however came five minutes later, as Nemanja Matic’s long-range effort went off the crossbar and in.

At the final whistle, Chelsea booked its first FA Cup final appearance since 2012, while Tottenham suffered its first defeat in all competitions since Feb. 16.

Elsewhere, Bayern Munich fought back for a point at home and visiting Mainz, while Borussia Dortmund fought back for a derby win against Borussia Monchengladbach. In Italy’s early match of the day, Atalanta defeated Bologna, 3-2. Sevilla earned an important home win in Spain, while Valencia fell on the road at Malaga. In Premier League action, Hull City and Swansea earned important victories in their fight for survival.

Here is a rundown of all Friday and Saturday’s action across Europe:

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE

10-men Hull City inched one step closer to Premier League survival after defeating Watford, 2-0, at the KCOM Stadium on Saturday. Despite a first-half red card to striker Oumar Niasse, Hull scored twice in the second half to pull away. Lazar Markovic’s 62nd-minute finish opened the scoring for Marco Silva’s side, while Sam Clucas added an insurance strike on a half-volley in the 71st. Watford lost its second league match of the month, while Hull sits two points clear of the bottom three.

Swansea City earned an impressive 2-0 home victory against Stoke City on Saturday, helping them in their fight for Premier League survival. Fernando Llorente’s 12th goal of the season gave the hosts a 1-0 lead after 10 minutes. Stoke failed to draw the score level  in the 69th minute  as Marko Arnautovic skied his penalty-kick opportunity. A minute later, Swansea stamped the final score at 2-0 as Tom Carroll’s deflected effort beat Jack Butland. Swansea remains in 18th but snapped a six-match winless run in the process. Stoke loses their fourth out of five matches this month.

Here are all of Saturday’s Premier League results:

AFC Bournemouth 4 – Middlesbrough 0

Hull City 2 – Watford 0

Swansea City 2 – Stoke City 0

West Ham United 0 – Everton 0

ENGLISH F.A. CUP

Chelsea 4 – Tottenham Hotspur 2

SPANISH LA LIGA

Sevilla kicked off Round 33 in the Spanish La Liga by defeating Granada, 2-0, at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. A brace from midfielder Pablo Ganso proved to be the difference for the hosts in their win. Ganso’s fourth-minute finish opened the scoring for Sevilla, who held a 1-0 lead at halftime. The Brazilian international doubled his tally, and Sevilla’s lead, in the 46th minute, finishing from close range. Granada keeper Guillermo Ochoa made ten saves in the defeat, which was his side’s third in a row. Sevilla is level on points with third-place Atletico Madrid, while Granada remains in last place on 20 points.

Malaga bounced back from a 2-0 loss at Deportivo last weekend, defeating Valencia, 2-0, on Saturday. A 36th-minute header from Recio opened the scoring for the hosts before Sandro Ramirez doubled Malaga’s lead four minutes later. Valencia recorded two shots on goal, but ultimately fell for the first time this month. The hosts move up to 14th, sitting four points behind Valencia in the La Liga standings.

Atletico Madrid received a 73rd-minute winning goal from Antoine Griezmann to defeat Espanyol, 1-0, away from home. Following a scoreless first half in Barcelona, Griezmann’s left-footed shot found the bottom-left corner from a tough angle. It was the Frenchman’s 16th league goal of the season. The hosts only recorded two shots on goal, while Atletico had three. Madrid remained in third, but moved to four points behind second-place Barcelona in the standings. Espanyol remained in ninth-place, dropping their first result since Apr. 4th.

Here are all Friday and Saturday’s La Liga results:

Sevilla 2 – Granada 0

Malaga 2 – Valencia 0

Villarreal 2 – Leganes 1

Osasuna 2 – Sporting Gijon 2

Espanyol 0 – Atletico Madrid 1

GERMAN BUNDESLIGA

Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich pegged visiting Mainz back twice in a 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena. Mainz held a 1-0 lead after three minutes as Bojan scored inside the box. Arjen Robben drew Carlo Ancelotti’s side level in the 16th-minute, finishing off Franck Ribery’s assist. Mainz held a 2-1 lead going into halftime, as Daniel Brosinski converted a penalty kick in the 40th minute. Thiago’s fifth league goal of the season proved to be an important one as the Bayern midfielder drew the hosts level a second time, this in the 73rd minute. Bayern extended their lead to nine points over second-place RB Leipzig, who play on Sunday. A point for Mainz, saw the visitors jump up to 13th in the table.

Borussia Dortmund fought back for a 3-2 road win against local rivals Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday. An 87th-minute winner from Raphael Guerreiro earned Thomas Tuchel’s side a huge three points in their hopes for a top-four finish. Marco Reus’ 10th-minute penalty-kick gave Dortmund an early 1-0 lead at Borussia-Park. Lars Stindl’s 10th league goal of the season drew the hosts level just before halftime. Gladbach took a 2-1 lead in the 48th-minute after an own-goal by Dortmund’s Marcel Schmelzer found the back of the net. Substitute Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang pulled Dortmund level just before the hour mark, finishing off Ousmane Dembele’s assist. After striking the post four minutes prior, Guerreiro headed home Dortmund’s winner which moved the visitors up to third in the table.

Hertha Berlin increased its chance for a European qualification spot after a 1-0 home win against Wolfsburg on Saturday. Despite a scoreless first-half, Berlin used a 59th-minute winning goal from striker Vedad Ibisevic. The Bosnian international headed home following a fast break, which kept the hosts in fifth-place in the standings. Wolfsburg only recorded two shots on goal, falling for the third time in their last four matches. Berlin sits on 46 points, while Wolfsburg drops to 14th in the table, a point clear of the relegation playoff place.

Here are all of Friday and Saturday’s Bundesliga results:

FC Koln 1 – 1899 Hoffenheim 1

Bayern Munich 2 – FSV Mainz 2

Hamburg SV 1 – SV Darmstadt 2

Ingolstadt 2 – Werder Bremen 4

Eintracht Frankfurt 3 – FC Augsburg 1

Borussia Monchengladbach 2 – Borussia Dortmund 3

ITALIAN SERIE A

In the must-watch match in Italy on Saturday, Fiorentina held on for a 5-4 home win over visiting Inter Milan. Despite a hat-trick from striker Mauro Icardi, Inter fell for the third time this month. Matias Vecino’s 23rd-minute finish gave the hosts a 1-0 lead, prior to Ivan Perisic drawing Inter level just five minutes later. Icardi’s first goal of the match put Inter ahead 2-1 in the 34th-minute. Federico Bernadeschi saw his penalty-kick saved in the 52nd-minute by Inter keeper Samir Handanovic.

The hosts rolled off three goals in an eight-minute span to go up, 4-2, after 70 minutes. Davide Astori, Vecino, and Khouma Babacar all scored goals in that span. Babacar’s second goal of the match made it 5-2 after 79 minutes before Icardi added two goals before stoppage-time. The hosts hung on for their first win since April 2. Fiorentina stays in eighth, while Inter sits a point better off in seventh.

Despite being pegged back from a 2-0 lead, Atalanta defeated Bologna, 3-2, at the Atleti Azzurri d’Italia. A 75th-minute winner from Mattia Caldara gave the hosts a much-needed win despite losing a lead earlier in the second-half. Andrea Conti’s third-minute finish made it 1-0 to Atalanta before Remo Freuler doubled the lead in the 14th-minute. Mattia Destro’s sixth goal of the season pulled Bologna to within one in the 16th minute. Federico Di Francesco pulled Bologna level in the 61st-minute, finishing from a left-footed effort. Caldara’s sixth goal of the season moved Atalanta to fourth-place in the standings. Bologna drops to 15th, remaining winless in the month of April.

Atalanta 3 – Bologna 2

Fiorentina 5 – Inter Milan 4

FRENCH LIGUE 1

Paris Saint-Germain kept the pressure on Ligue 1 leaders Monaco with a 2-0 home win against Montpellier on Saturday. Edinson Cavani’s 29th-minute finish opened the scoring at the Parc des Princes, as Unai Emery’s side took a 1-0 lead into halftime. Angel Di Maria’s sixth league goal of the season, doubled PSG’s lead three minutes into the second-half. Montpellier had four shots on goal, but could not beat PSG keeper Kevin Trapp in-goal. PSG go into first-place at least until Sunday, as Monaco travels to Lyon. Montpellier remains in 12th, eight points clear of the relegation zone.

Marseille was held to a scoreless draw at Nancy on Friday, despite both teams striking the post once. Faitout Maouassa’s left-footed effort struck the left post after 14 minutes, which was the hosts best chance of the first-half. Marseille’s Florian Thauvin hit the right post in the 67th minute from a difficult angle. Nancy had two shots on goal, while Marseille recorded three. The hosts sit a point clear of the relegation zone, while the visitors move up to fifth-place.

Here are all of Friday and Saturday’s Ligue 1 results:

Nancy 0 – Marseille 0

PSG 2 – Montpellier 0

Lorient 5 – Metz 1

Bordeaux 2 – Bastia 0

Lille 3 – Guingamp 0

Dijon 3 – Angers 2

Caen 0 – Nantes 2

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