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Are Premier League teams taking the FA Cup seriously?

The semi-final draw was completed on Monday night for the FA Cup after Chelsea defeated Mancheste...



Are Premier League teams takin...
Soccer

Are Premier League teams taking the FA Cup seriously?

The semi-final draw was completed on Monday night for the FA Cup after Chelsea defeated Manchester United in the final Sixth Round tie of the competition.

Arsenal will play Manchester City, while Chelsea will play Tottenham. The games will take place on April 22nd and 23rd at Wembley.

Currently all four teams occupy the top-three places in the Premier League and fifth place. Only Liverpool have denied a 'clean-sweep' of the top four reaching the semi-finals.

Despite the Premier League dominance of the Cup, are the clubs taking the competition seriously, or have they been the beneficiaries of a kind draw?

From the Third Round to the Sixth Round, eight all-Premier League ties took place, meaning eight teams were eliminated. With four remaining in the draw, it means that almost half of the teams in England's top-flight were knocked out by lower-league teams.

Of the four semi-finalists, Manchester City had the toughest route to Wembley. Pep Guardiola's side failed to meet a team in League One or below, defeating three Premier League sides and The Championship's Huddersfield Town.

Despite playing one Premier League team, Arsenal had the easiest route to the final four. Their Fifth and Sixth Round games were against non-league opposition.

Tottenham were the only team to reach the semi-finals without facing a Premier League side. Aston Villa and Fulham were the best teams put on front of Mauricio Pochettino's side.

Until Monday night's win at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea had also failed to meet Premier League opposition.

Despite the high league positions of the FA Cup's last four, only Manchester City have had to battle their way to the position they are now in. A mixture of kind draws, and beating mid-ranking opposition helped the other teams.

The draw also shows who the tournament is still valued by successful teams. Fans of teams like Bournemouth, Stoke City and Burnley (who were all knocked out by lower-league sides) would all love a trip to Wembley next month.

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