Jamie Jackson was at the Etihad, while Andy Brassell was at St James’ Park, and both of their match reports are in. Here they are, along with a reminder of the semi-final draw. Thanks for reading this edition of SuperClocko™, incorporating the very first runout for our patented Three-Half MBM System©!
Chelsea v Arsenal or Crystal Palace
Newcastle United v Manchester City
The first legs, hosted by Chelsea and Newcastle, will be played week commencing 12 January 2026. The return legs will be held week commencing 2 February 2026. The final will take place at Wembley on Sunday 22 March 2026.
In the wake of the earlier quarter final, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola spoke to Sky Sports … “Thank you to the incredible fans on a difficult day … windy … rain … they were wet like they were … thank you for coming to be with us … we are happy to be in the semi-final.”
… as did his Brentford counterpart Keith Andrews, who was measured but also displeased with the officials after Abdukodir Khusanov’s controversial challenge on Kevin Schade. “The performance levels were really good … a very tough place to come … we played with a lot of courage … a lot of bravery … the players are so good to work with … so intelligent … I think [Khusanov’s challenge] was a red … they’ve made a mistake, the officials … I’m very quick to support officials … they have a very difficult job … the explanation given was [Schade’s] touch was too big and going away from goal … I don’t see that at all … he’s going straight through .. it’s a crazy tackle and he takes him out … I don’t see it any other way than being a red card.”
