Christian Pulisic aiming to settle unfinished Chelsea business in FA Cup final


  • English
  • Arabic

Christian Pulisic cannot wait to get back to Wembley and handle his unfinished FA Cup final business.

Pulisic fired Chelsea into a stunning early lead in the 2020 FA Cup final against Arsenal, only to hobble off with a hamstring injury.

The American forward was forced to watch from the sidelines as the Gunners hit back to win 2-1, with Frank Lampard’s Blues unable to turn that early impetus into victory.

Chelsea reached their third FA Cup final in a row with Sunday’s 2-0 semi-final win over Crystal Palace, as Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mason Mount’s goals subdued the Eagles.

Pulisic was an unused substitute in that match but has returned to full fitness after another injury-hit campaign, and is determined to help the Blues see out their season in style with further silverware.

Chelsea host Arsenal in the Premier League on Wednesday night, but Pulisic's sights are on a return to Wembley.

Asked if he wants to put right his own record at the ground, he replied: “Yeah absolutely, that’s the idea. We want to get well-prepared.

“Obviously we’ve got other games leading up to that. But we want to be 100 per cent ready to go when the final comes around, and I’m going to do my best to play a part in that and hopefully help us win.

“I want to play as much as I can now, that’s definitely my goal.”

Chelsea will face Liverpool in the FA Cup final in a repeat of February’s League Cup showdown when the Reds won 11-10 on penalties.

Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga proved the luckless man to miss from the spot after Liverpool counterpart Caoimhin Kelleher had fired into the net in a near-flawless shoot-out from both sides.

Pulisic admitted facing the Reds again in another cup showdown would add an extra spice to the May 14 Wembley showpiece.

Asked if there will be extra edge to taking on Liverpool again, Pulisic replied: “I think that will be good, we definitely want to play against them again and it will be a really good match, and we’re looking forward already to the challenge.

“And hopefully we can get on the better side of them. There’s not really been much between us in the matches this season, so we’re hoping we can come out on top.

“It’s not going to be easy, it’s probably going to be another one of those games, and hopefully we can just get the edge on them.”

Bareilly Ki Barfi
Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao
Three and a half stars

THE SPECS

Engine: six-litre W12 twin-turbo

Transmission: eight-speed dual clutch auto

Power: 626bhp

Torque: 900Nm

Price: Dh940,160 (plus VAT)

On sale: Q1 2020

A State of Passion

Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi

Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah

Rating: 4/5

Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Polarised public

31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all

Source: YouGov

Most wanted allegations
  • Benjamin Macann, 32: involvement in cocaine smuggling gang.
  • Jack Mayle, 30: sold drugs from a phone line called the Flavour Quest.
  • Callum Halpin, 27: over the 2018 murder of a rival drug dealer. 
  • Asim Naveed, 29: accused of being the leader of a gang that imported cocaine.
  • Calvin Parris, 32: accused of buying cocaine from Naveed and selling it on.
  • John James Jones, 31: allegedly stabbed two people causing serious injuries.
  • Callum Michael Allan, 23: alleged drug dealing and assaulting an emergency worker.
  • Dean Garforth, 29: part of a crime gang that sold drugs and guns.
  • Joshua Dillon Hendry, 30: accused of trafficking heroin and crack cocain. 
  • Mark Francis Roberts, 28: grievous bodily harm after a bungled attempt to steal a £60,000 watch.
  • James ‘Jamie’ Stevenson, 56: for arson and over the seizure of a tonne of cocaine.
  • Nana Oppong, 41: shot a man eight times in a suspected gangland reprisal attack. 
Super Bowl LIII schedule

What Super Bowl LIII

Who is playing New England Patriots v Los Angeles Rams

Where Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States

When Sunday (start time is 3.30am on Monday UAE time)

 

Updated: April 18, 2022, 1:13 PM