BRAMALL LANE — Dani Ceballos scored an injury-time winner to put Arsenal into the FA Cup semi-finals as their hopes of silverware in this most difficult of seasons remains alive.
The game at Bramall Lane was certainly not without its problems as they survived two disallowed goals and were wobbling after a late Sheffield United equaliser, before Ceballos produced the decisive moment.
The Spaniard, who had come on as a substitute, burst into the area after Nicolas Pepe had led a counter-attack and Ceballos’ fresher legs and sharper mind than the home defenders allowed him to slide a shot under Dean Henderson from a tight angle.
It was Arsenal’s get-out-of-jail card as David McGoldrick’s equaliser moments before had exposed familiar failings in defence for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Dani Ceballos comes up BIG for Arsenal ????
An injury-time winner to send Mikel Arteta's side into the #EmiratesFACup semi-final! pic.twitter.com/E7ai4ryZXU
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) June 28, 2020
But this flawed, imperfect version of the Gunners, who languish in mid-table in the Premier League, remain on course to add to their record haul of 13 FA Cup successes, and fourth in seven seasons, although they will need to play much better in the last four at Wembley in three weeks’ time.
Ceballos’ winner was a cruel blow for the Blades, who had kept plugging away after trailing for an hour. The resumption has not been kind to Chris Wilder’s team as they add this cup exit to three league games without a win.
And the nagging doubt will always be there over whether the outcome would have been different if having 30,000 fans providing vociferous backing would have pushed them over the line, rather than a soulless stadium.
Arteta – an FA Cup winner as an Arsenal player – made five changes to his team with captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang being dropped to the bench, while David Luiz was back in, having signed a one-year contract extension.
The Blades had turned their opponents over here in the league in October and thought they had taken an early lead when John Lundstram headed in from two yards as the visitors failed to defend a corner. To their almighty relief, VAR came to the rescue with Lundstram adjudged offside.
The officials helped the Gunners further when referee Paul Tierney adjudged Chris Basham’s challenge on Alexandre Lacazette worthy of a penalty, which Pepe duly dispatched.
Arsenal’s £72 million club record signing almost had his second after good link-up play with Lacazette but Henderson made an excellent save low down to deny him.
While the Ivory Coast international steered another effort wide just before the break after he was picked out by Kieran Tierney’s smart pull back from Arsenal’s best move of the half.
Sheffield United were searching for their first goal since football resumed and would have taken one in any form, which included a wind-assisted long-kick from Henderson early in the second half, which opposite number Emiliano Martinez was relieved to see bounce just over his crossbar.
The hosts had the ball in the net for a second time, and again they were penalised for offside as John Egan headed home, with VAR upholding the linesman’s initial decision.
The chance they had craved arrived on the hour mark in that most Sheffield United way. Jack Robinson fizzed over a perfect cross for fellow centre-half Basham, but somehow from four yards, Basham headed wide.
But they kept plugging away and a long throw delivered the reward, although the three stooges in Arsenal’s defence all played their part.
Substitute Rob Holding, a replacement for Luiz who went off with an ankle injury, missed his header and Sead Kolasinac volleyed the ball against Shkodran Mustafi which rebounded for McGoldrick to hook it home.
There was almost another when home sub Billy Sharp forced Martinez into a sharp save, before Ceballos’ magic touch spared Arsenal the worries of extra-time.
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