In a weekend when the four visitor teams progressed in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup, Manchester City won 2-1 in Bournemouth despite the fact that Erling Haaland failed from the penalty spot and Aston Villa won 3-0 at the second level Preston North End.
Haaland compensated for his failure by scoring the tie of the city early in the second half of Sunday, but limited 12 minutes later with an injury to the left ankle.
Omar Marmoush entered as his replacement and, in two minutes, scored the goal that assured that City reached the last four of the Cup for a seventh consecutive season that extended records.
Already out of the Champions League and in fifth place, 22 points behind Liverpool leaders, in a defense of the premiere title League improbably poor, City can partly rescue its season by winning the FA Cup for the eighth time and a third in the mandate of Pep Guardiola.
City will face the Nottingham forest in the Wembley stadium semifinals next month. The same weekend, Aston Villa will meet with Crystal Palace there. Forest and Palace won their quarterfinals on Saturday by knocking Brighton, with penalties, and Fulham.
From the quartet only the city has won a trophy this century.
Haaland wasted a great opportunity to put City ahead when his low penalty of 14 minutes was saved by Bournemouth goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, and then shot a shot on the bar in 16 when he played.
The Norwegian striker delivered an end of the distant publication to match from a cross for Nico O’Reilly’s substitute, just to see that his game will end early when Bournemouth right next to Lewis Cook landed awkwardly in Haaland’s ankle in a 56 -minute Tackle.
Marmoush had an instant impact, with his fellow sub o’reilly again the creator after capitalizing a sliding of the sememel of Bournemouth. Egypt’s striker’s shot was under the body of Arrizabalaga.
Marcus Rashford scored his first goals for Villa to help his new team to reach the semifinals of the FA Cup for the first time since 2015.
Rashford has revived his career in Villa since he joined Manchester United last month and has just returned to the England team, starting the recent classifying World Cup against Albania and Latvia.
The striker took advantage of Lucas Digne’s cross at home for the first game in Deepdale in the 58th minute and then turned a penalty into 63 after Morgan Rogers received a foul. Jacob Ramsey concluded a comfortable victory for Villa in 71.
“It’s a great feeling,” Rashford said. “I feel that I have been fitting and playing better football since I have been here.
“I missed a lot of football before joining with (Villa). My body feels good and I am enjoying my football for now.”
Villa, without a trophy since he captured the English League Cup in 1996, has won the FA Cup seven times, but not since 1957. In the final of 2015, they lost 4-0 against Arsenal.
