Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli to avoid retrospective FA action f…

Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli has escaped retrospective action for improper conduct during the club’s FA Cup exit at Saint Mary’s Stadium.

The Gunners have seen their hopes of winning a stunning quadruple fade almost as quickly as the shocking prediction started.

Manchester City landed the first blow on Arsenal after securing a 2-0 victory in the EFL Cup final at Wembley Stadium before the international break.

The Gunners recalled most of their first-team stars due to injury concerns, but they were dealt another hammer blow on their return to club football.

Mikel Arteta and his troops made the trip to the south coast to visit Southampton for their FA Cup quarter-final clash, but were rocked to their core as the Saints claimed a shocking 2-1 victory.

Despite the magnitude of the result, it wasn’t the only talking point from the dramatic encounter.

There was a moment between Martinelli and referee Sam Barrott that sparked plenty of debate over whether the Arsenal forward should have been dismissed rather than shown a yellow card.

The incident occurred in the closing stages of the game when Arsenal were chasing an equaliser as Martinelli pushed Barrott in an attempt to take a quick free-kick.

He was shown a yellow card, but former Premier League referee Mark Halsey believes he should have been sent off.

He said (via The Standard): “Referee Sam Barrott awarded a free-kick to Arsenal, Martinelli comes rushing in, and he pushes Sam out of the way.

“Now I’m sorry, Gabriel Martinelli showed total disrespect for the match official, Sam Barrott, in that situation.

“Although Sam issued a yellow card, for me it’s a red card. You just cannot put your hands on a referee, let alone push him out of the way.”

The Football Association (FA) will also let the incident slide, citing that the referee had already made an on-field decision.

Arsenal travel to Lisbon tonight, aiming to secure a vital away result in their Champions League quarter-final first leg.

The Gunners have reached this stage as the tournament’s most dominant defensive unit, conceding just 0.5 goals per match in Europe under Mikel Arteta.

They also arrive with a strong record against tonight’s opponents — unbeaten in seven meetings against Sporting, including a 5-1 win at this very stadium last season.

Arsenal have, however, progressed from just three of their last eight quarter-final ties, a reminder that pedigree alone will not be enough tonight.

Arsenal team news

Arteta heads into the tie with a significant defensive concern. Gabriel Magalhães is a major doubt after sustaining a knee injury during the FA Cup exit, with Cristhian Mosquera expected to step in alongside William Saliba at the heart of defence.

There is better news elsewhere, however. Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice are both back in contention after being rested at the weekend, while Jurriën Timber is also fit to feature after a minor groin issue.

David Raya will start in goal, having prevented more goals than any other goalkeeper in the competition this season. In midfield, Martin Zubimendi and Rice provide the platform for captain Martin Ødegaard to influence proceedings further forward.

Arsenal, meanwhile, will look to Viktor Gyökeres to provide the decisive edge. The striker returns to the club where he scored 97 goals and could become the first player to score both for and against Sporting in this competition — a subplot that adds an intriguing layer to an already compelling tie.

Arsenal predicted lineup

Arsenal Predicted XI (4-3-3): Raya; Timber, Mosquera, Saliba, Calafiori; Zubimendi, Rice, Ødegaard; Martinelli, Gyökeres, Saka

When will the match kick off?

The match is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off this Tuesday at the Estádio José Alvalade.

How to watch Sporting vs Arsenal?

UK viewers can watch the match live on Amazon Prime Video from 18:30 BST.

Read more- FA Cup Awards: Leeds win West Ham thriller, Classy Cherki

See Also- FA Cup draw: Leeds to face Chelsea in first semi-final for 39 years

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Michigan defeated UConn 69-63 in the NCAA men's basketball national championship game on Monday night, ending a 26-year national championship drought for the Big Ten.

The Wolverines captured the second NCAA title in school history and its first since 1989.

Elliot Cadeau led the Wolverines with 19 points, including the team's first 3, which came 7:04 into the second half. The second, from freshman Trey McKenney, came with 1:50 left and felt like a dagger, giving the Wolverines a nine-point lead.

To no one's surprise, UConn fought to the finish — Solo Ball banked in a 3 to cut it to four with 37 seconds left — and after two missed free throws, UConn's Alex Karaban (17 points) barely grazed the rim on a 3 that would've cut the deficit to one with 17 seconds left.

Not until McKenney sank two free throws to bring Michigan's shooting from the line to 25 for 28 for the night could the Wolverines (37-3) kick off the celebration.

"Nobody cared about stats the whole season. Nobody cared about nothing but winning," Cadeau said from the trophy presentation stage amid a confetti-strewn court.

The game had a 1950s feel to it.

"If you'd told me we would shoot it this poorly and (be) dominated on the glass and still find a way to win, I don't know if I would have believed you," May said. "This team just found a way all season."

Michigan had to fight for everything. The Wolverines missed their first 11 shots from 3, finished 2 for 15 from there and won despite the struggles of its best player, Yaxel Lendeborg. Ailing with a hurt knee and foot that kept him from elevating, the graduate transfer from UAB finished with 13 points on 4-for-13 shooting.

Truth be told, it wasn't anyone's prettiest night.

UConn's hopes at becoming the first team since John Wooden's UCLA dynasty to win three titles in four seasons came up short, done in by massive foul trouble and its own terrible shooting.

Coach Dan Hurley's team shot 30.9% from the floor and missed its first 11 shots from 3 in the second half.

Braylon Mullins, the hero of the Duke win that put UConn in the Final Four, finished 4 of 17, though he made a pair of late 3s that kept the game in reach.

UConn (35-5) covered the 6 1/2-point spread, and Hurley kept his players out on the court to watch the podium get set up for the presentation of a trophy heading not to Storrs, but Ann Arbor.

About the only consolation: The Huskies clogged things up, slowed things down and made Michigan beat them at their game.

Michigan had become the first team to score 90-plus points in five straight tournament games in the same season. With the help of 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara, the defense amassed eight or more blocks in the first four games of the tournament — the first time that's happened since blocks became an official stat in the 1980s.

The Wolverines had only three swats against Arizona, but that was a 91-73 win in a game that was supposed to be the best of the tournament but turned into something else.

Style points aside, this was a championship built from outside — the best team money could buy.

All five Wolverines starters played college ball elsewhere, and all but Nimari Burnett came to Ann Arbor this season. That's the product of the transfer portal that May has shown no reluctance to use. His ability to form a makeshift group into a winner is still the value of a coach and a culture.

"They might be still calling us mercenaries but we're the hardest-working team," Lendenborg said. "We're the best in college basketball and we'll be one of the greatest ever."

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