And that’ll do for this one. Cheers for reading everyone - have a pleasant Saturday evening, and be kind to each other.
Now attention turns to Anfield, where Liverpool have picked a...changed side to face West Ham. Follow that one with Scott Murray here...
Elsewhere, Leo Messi and Luis Suarez - shockingly enough - scored one apiece to give Barcelona a 2-1 win over Atlético, and it sounded like a pretty spicy affair. See what went down with the help of Tim Hill, here.
That’s your lot from the FA Cup 3pm kick-offs. Not exactly a vintage day of giant killing, but there are a couple of things to possibly keep you going. League One Shrewsbury’s 3-2 win over Sheffield Wednesday definitely classes as an upset, and Peterborough getting a draw at West Brom is pretty impressive too. Here are the full-times:
Wednesday knocked Fulham out of the Cup, only to go out to a goal scored by Jack Grimmer, on loan to Shrewsbury from...Fulham.
— Dominic Bliss (@theinsidelefty) January 30, 2016
GOAL! Shrewsbury 3-2 Sheffield Wednesday
Oh my! There’s your upset, and Shrewsbury have what must surely be a winner in the 97th (ninety-seventh) minute, currently being credited to Jack Grimmer.
Updated
Final whistles going across the country, and there’s a distinct lack of shocks to get the blood flowing...
GOAL! Reading 4-0 Walsall
A comfortable afternoon for Reading then, as Matej Vydra grabs their fourth and his second of the afternoon.
GOAL! Bury 1-3 Hull
Just a consolation at Gigg Lane for the hosts - Craig Jones has scored that one.
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 0-1 Watford
A late goal at the City Ground, and it’s Odion Ighalo once more, sighing and coming off the bench to bag a goal when his teammates couldn’t, prodding home after a long ball from Allan Nyom.
GOAL! Shrewsbury 2-2 Sheffield Wednesday
And the Shrews are level! Akpa-Akpro has a penalty saved, but Shaun Whalley is first to it and forces the ball home.
Updated
GOAL! West Brom 2-2 Peterborough
Oh. Well, maybe it’s not quite gone yet. No sooner were West Brom ahead than John Taylor has taken advantage of some ropey defending to whack home an equaliser.
GOAL! West Brom 2-1 Peterborough
And another upset is gone - West Brom immediately retake the lead, and it’s Saido Berahino who has their second.
GOAL! Portsmouth 1-2 Bournemouth
And that’s that upset snuffed out. Mark Pugh gives Bournemouth the lead after coming on as a sub, nodding home a looping ball at the back stick.
Updated
West Brom 1-1 Peterborough
Against the run of play, Peterborough are level, Shaquille Coulthirst lobbing one in for the Posh to equalise.
Updated
GOAL! Oxford 0-3 Blackburn
Ben Marshall rounds off a satisfactory day’s work for Blackburn with their third and his second of the afternoon.
GOAL! Bolton 1-2 Leeds
A comeback on at the ReeMac? Darren Pratley has bagged one for Bolton, and it’s 2-1 to Leeds with ten minutes to go.
GOAL! Shrewsbury 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday
A potential winner for the Owls, as Lewis McGugan gets his second of the day, firing home from range.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-4 Manchester City
Hoo boy. Another for City, and Raheem Sterling has this one.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-3 Manchester City
And that’s a hat-trick for Kelechi Iheanacho, counter-attacking at pace and slotting his effort nicely home.
Updated
Ash Vish, himself with quite a brief name, offers this: “Three letter team name: FC Goa from Indian Super League.”
GOAL! Bury 0-3 Hull
Lovely old day for Chuba Akpom, as he’s completed his hat-trick to give Hull a commanding lead at Gigg Lane.
GOAL! Portsmouth 1-1 Bournemouth
Eddie Howe has called on a couple of big guns, and it’s paid off straight away as Josh King glances a header home at the near post to level things at Fratton Park.
Updated
Big cheers at the Emirates, as Tomas Rosicky has made his first appearance for Arsenal since last May.
“There’s a football club at Eu, near Dieppe in Northern France,” writes Philip. Good lord.
All the best with that, Tone...
McClean booked for kicking out at Forrester after his compatriot dances past him. Pulis calls him over to have a word to calm down.
— Alan Smith (@alansmith90) January 30, 2016
A few people suggesting Ayr for the short names debate, but their full name is Ayr United, so that doesn’t count, alas.
A contribution on the pithy team names question from Daniel Cavanillas: “Could I submit Croatian football team ‘Krk’ from the island of *drumroll* Krk as a candidate for the ‘shortest team name’ prize? Also quite possibly the only team name without a single vowel.”
GOAL! Bury 0-2 Hull
This chance of an upset would appear to be over - Chuba Akpom has his second of the game, this time slipping a penalty home.
Good lord...
Jeff just mentioned this and, shamefully, I didn't believe him BUT IT'S TRUE Player names son after his SHIRT NUMBER https://t.co/4mTDdnccX3
— Kelly Cates (@KellyCates) January 30, 2016
GOAL! Shrewsbury 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday
And it’s a goal for Jean-Louis Akpa-Akpro, the man whose name sounds like someone rapidly issuing a spelling correction.
Updated
Some quickfire answers on the shortest names thing:
Johannes Johannesson writes: “My team in Akureyri in the north of Iceland is Þór. Only three letters. This is where Aron Einar Gunnarsson and Lárus Orri Sigurdsson were brought up.
“Með bestu kveðju/With best regards.”
And then Adam Hurrey chips in: Three-letter name, man: Odd.”
And Richard Franks has this: “Pau FC. Play in the French 4th tier.”
GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Burnley
It must be like a big warm hug for Arsenal to have Alexis Sanchez back in the team. He’s given them the lead against Burnley, on the counter as he converts a cross from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Updated
Here’s a question from Simon McMahon: “Is Bury the shortest name in football? Are there any teams with just three letters in their full name (so not QPR or PSG)?”
And we’re away again, games kicking off again all over the shop.
Half-times all over the place now, and these here are the scores:
GOAL! Oxford 0-2 Blackburn
And that would seem to be that at the Kassam - another debut goal, this time with Tony Watt bagging on his first match for Blackburn.
Another strike in that relegation tussle at the fire hydrant stadium - Igor Vetokele has made it Rotherham 1-2 Charlton.
GOAL! Portsmouth 1-0 Bournemouth
Oooooooooooh - upset ahoy! And it could barely be a more appropriate scorer for a lower league team, Football League journeyman Gary Roberts finding the net with a couple of minutes remaining in the first half.
Updated
GOAL! Reading 2-0 Walsall
Reading look like they’re easing through to the fifth round - a few minutes after their first, Matej Vydra has a second for the Royals.
G-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-g-goal at the Nou Camp...
GOAL! Bolton 0-2 Leeds
A good debut for Toumani Diagouraga - the midfielder, signed this week from Brentford, has doubled his new side’s lead at the Macbok/Reeron Stadium.
Scottish update from Simon McMahon: “It’s a full house at Tynecastle where Championship Hibs led for just 3 minutes against Premiership St. Johnstone in the first of this weekend’s Scottish League Cup semi finals. Currently 1-1 there. In the league it’s Dundee 1 Motherwell 2, and goalless between Kilmarnock and Hamilton.”
GOAL! Reading 1-0 Walsall
Hal! Robson! Hal Robson-Kanu! has scored for Reading, swivelling inside the area and lashing the thing into the roof of the net.
No idea if this is true from Becky Young, but I like it anyway: “Rotherham’s New York stadium is so named because most of the fire hydrants in New York were made in ... Rotherham. It’s close to Sheffield, you know. With a name like Miller, one might have hoped for better from you.”
Sounds like a ripper at Kingsmeadow - 35 minutes gone and it’s 2-2 already, Yeovil equalising for the second time against AFC Wimbledon, the latest by the 1930s Jack Compton from 40 yards - a mishit cross, by all accounts.
GOAL! Oxford 0-1 Blackburn
Not much to get excited about at Blackburn these days, particularly with the news that Jordan Rhodes is on his way to Middlesbrough. However, at least they’re winning in this one - Ben Marshall has converted a penalty to put them 1-0 up.
Another goal in Cataluyna, but like the tease I am I won’t tell you who’s scored it. Tim Hill will do that here.
GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Burnley
NOW THEN! Now. Then. Sam Vokes has levelled things up at the Emirates, the Welsh forward heading home after a cross from Darikwa.
Updated
A few people have asked if the Villa v City game is being played behind closed doors, based on the picture at 3.06. Not quite, but attendance is....sparse, to say the least.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-2 Manchester City
Could well get ugly at Villa Park. It’s 2-0 to City there, and it’s the lad Iheanacho again, this time slotting home a penalty after Raheem Sterling is felled.
Updated
Chambers’s bunny...
2 - Both of Calum Chambers' goals for Arsenal have come against Burnley. Repeat.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 30, 2016
They’re talking about his testicles there, I’d wager...
19. OUCH! Felt that! @67Kelechi strikes the ball at @MicahRichards in a... shall we say "highly delicate area" from close range! #mcfc
— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) January 30, 2016
GOAL! Shrewsbury 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Lewis McGugan, a man capable of brilliance and absolute apathy in equal measures, has put Sheffield Wednesday ahead with a free-kick that sailed right in from out on the left.
GOAL! Crystal Palace 1-0 Stoke
He’s just too good for Stoke - Wilfried Zaha has the first at Selhurst, beating his man then megging the keeper to put Palace 1-0 up.
Updated
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Burnley
The deadlock is broken at the Emirates, and it’s from a slightly unlikely source - Calum Chambers, making a rare start for the Gooners, has the goal.
Updated
GOAL! West Brom 1-0 Peterborough
Graham Westley signing autographs in the crowd hasn’t done his side much good. Peterborough trail at the Hawthorns, and Saido Berahino has given West Brom the lead. Will this be his last game for the Baggies? Hopefully not, because any move would involve another tortuous saga on transfer deadline day.
Updated
GOAL! Bury 0-1 Hull
Steve Bruce’s team have the lead at Gigg Lane, and Chuba Akpom has stabbed home a rebound to put Hull ahead against Bury.
“Alex Iwobi seems to be the only player in English (perhaps world) football to wear black boots,” writes Charles Antaki. “They look like the sort of rubber anti-verruca slippers you wear at the public baths.”
When what used to be the orthodoxy becomes maverick, rebellious behaviour.
Charlton didn’t lead for long - Chris Burke, making his debut for Rotherham on loan from Nottingham Forest, has made things 1-1 at the preposterously named New York Stadium.
There’s been a goal at the Nou Camp. Tim Hill will tell you who scored that one here...
GOAL! Bolton 0-1 Leeds
Leeds lead, and Souleymane Doukara is the man to get it, latching on to a pass from Stuart Dallas to slot home, the ball only just limping over the line at the Reebok, or whatever it’s called now. Macron! That’s it - the Macron Stadium. I would apolgise to any Bolton fans out there, but you’ve probably got bigger things to worry about at present.
In the Championship, big game at the bottom and Charlton have taken the lead, big Simon Makienok has made it 1-0 over Rotherham.
GOAL! Aston Villa 0-1 Manchester City
And straight away we have a goal. Kelechi Iheanacho, who looks more and more impressive by the week, has given Manchester City the lead, poking home after Brad Guzan saved a header from Fernando.
Updated
The teams are coming out all around the country. It. Is. On.
“Afternoon Nick,” writes our old pal from north of the border Simon McMahon. “It’s League Cup semi final weekend in Scotland, with Hibs v. St. Johnstone today and Ross County v. Celtic tomorrow. But nobody cares about that. Good old fashioned bread and butter league action is where it’s at. Game of the day would have seen the world-famous Dundee United, fresh from last week’s 5-1 demolition of Kilmarnock, travel to face Partick Thistle. The weather has saved the Firhill outfit a hiding from a resurgent United though, it’s off. Focus now switches to the match between Killie and Hamilton, both of whom are starting to look nervously over their shoulder, like Louis van Gaal at a Man United Supporters Club Convention. The Inverness - Hearts game is also off, but in the Scottish Championship first play third as Rangers host Falkirk.”
The Posh manager (as opposed to the posh manager) is a man of the people.
Graham Westley has gone into the away end here to sign some pre-match autographs. Not seen that before pic.twitter.com/MTND0rTM3t
— Alan Smith (@alansmith90) January 30, 2016
If Spanish football is more your thing, you can follow Barcelona v Atlético with the esteemed Tim Hill.
Team news
Arsenal v Burnley
Ospina, Chambers, Gabriel, Koscielny, Gibbs, Coquelin, Elneny, Iwobi, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sanchez, Giroud
Heaton, Darikwa, Keane, Mee, Ward, Boyd, Jones, Ulvestand, Arfield, Vokes, Gray
Aston Villa v Manchester City
Guzan, Bacuna, Richards, Clark, Cissokho, Gana, Westwood, Veretout, Gil, Sinclair, Ayew.
Caballero, Zabaleta, Sagna, Otamendi, Clichy, Fernando, Navas, Fernandinho, Delph, Sterling, Iheanacho.
Bolton Wanderers v Leeds United
Amos, Vela, Dervite, Holding, Moxey, Trotter, Pratley, Davies, Feeney, Wellington, Madine.
Silvestri, Wootton, Bellusci, Bamba, Taylor, Cook, Bridcutt, Diagouraga, Dallas, Doukara, Antenucci
Bury v Hull City
Lawlor, Hussey, Tutte, Etuhu, Mayor, Pope, Soares, Pugh, Cameron, Rose, Brown
Jakupović, Bruce, Taylor, Meyler, Huddlestone, Akpom, Dawson, Aluko, Diomande, Elmohamady, Tymon
Crystal Palace v Stoke City
Hennessey, Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare, Ledley, Cabaye, Zaha, Lee, Puncheon, Campbell.
Haugaard, Bardsley, Wilson, Wollscheid, Pieters, Van Ginkel, Ireland, Odemwingie, Shaqiri, Bojan, Joselu
Nottingham Forest v Watford
De Vries, Lichaj, Wilson, Hobbs, Cohen, O.Burke, Gardner, Vaughan, Grant, Ward, Blackstock
Nyom, Prödl, Cathcart, Ake; Watson, Guedioura; Abdi, Deeney, Anya; Amrabat.
Oxford United v Blackburn Rovers
Slocombe, Baldock, Skarz, Roofe, Mullins, Wright, Sercombe, MacDonald, O’Dowda, Lundstram, Bowery
Steele, Marshall, Ward, Hanley (c), Spurr, Bennett, Lenihan, Evans, Conway, Jackson, Watt.
Portsmouth v Bournemouth
Fulton; Davies, Burgess, Clarke, Stevens; Close, Doyle; Roberts, McNulty, Bennett; McGurk.
Federici, Smith, Elphick, Distin, Cargill, O’Kane, MacDonald, Iturbe, King, Grabban, Murray
Reading v Walsall
Al-Habsi, Gunter, Obita, Cooper, Ferdinand, Norwood, Williams, Tshibola, Quinn, Robson-Kanu, Vydra.
Etheridge, Demetriou, Taylor, O’Connor, Downing, Chambers, Mantom, Bradshaw, Sawyers, Forde, Henry
Shrewsbury Town v Sheffield Wednesday
Leutwiler, Whitbread, Black, Brown, Grimmer, Mangan, Knight-Percival, Clark, Cole, Smith, Akpa Akpro
Price, Palmer, Turner, Sasso, Bennett, Semedo, McGugan, Matias, Sougou, Hooper, Joao
West Bromwich Albion v Peterborough
Myhill, Dawson, McAuley, Evans, Pocognoli, Sessegnon, Yacob, Gardner, McClean, Berahino, Lambert
Alnwick, Smith, Baldwin, Botswick, Oztumer, Santos, Beautyman, Angol, Forrester, Wilson, Coulthirst.
Preamble
Upsets! Big, juicy, delicious upsets. That’s what we’re all here for, isn’t it? Well, maybe not you, Arsenal fans, or you, West Brom lot, but indulge the rest of us for a bit. Indeed, rather than whiffling on further about the potential killings of giants in store today, for Alan Smith and Michael Butler have done some of that here, how about we take a look five fourth round shocks that we’ve seen in days of yore?
Port Vale 2-1 Tottenham, 1988
‘SPURS CRASH OUT IN A VALE OF TEARS’ ran the Observer headline back in 1988, when the previous year’s finalists were given the heave-ho by Third Division Port Vale. And, to say the least, the Observer’s Frank McGhee wasn’t best impressed with Spurs and their new(ish) manager.
Soccer’s most ludicrous current myth that even a very good manager can, on his own, rescue a miserably inadequate team was finally shattered when Port Vale, 18th in the Third Division, looked distinctly better than the Spurs Terry Venables is supposed to lead back to glory.
The man has had disappointments and defeats since his return from Barcelona but this was his first taste of total humiliation - and Spurs thoroughly deserved it.
Venables must take his own share of the blame for a pusillanimous policy that drafted in an extra defender, Ruddock, and left the midfield bereft of a genuinely creative talent.
Chelsea 2-4 Bradford, 2015
The first sign that things might be going south for Jose Mourinho? Probably not, since they won the league a few months later, but this was nevertheless a kick in the pants for Chelsea, losing 4-2 to League One Bradford, with one of the goals scored by a familiar face, former Stamford Bridge youngster Felipe Morais bagging the equaliser for the Bantams. Russell Kempson wrote in the Observer:
This was the real deal – David brutally slaying Goliath. And comfortably, too.Chelsea, the Premier League leaders, swarmed into an early 2-0 lead, which was pegged back to 2-1 by half-time but then, inexplicably, they collapsed in the second half.
Bradford, seventh in League One and separated from Chelsea by 49 places, scored two late goals to take a numbing 3-2 lead. Did they retreat to hold on for a famous victory? Did they heck.
As Chelsea huffed and puffed, suddenly realising that their quest for an unprecedented “quadruple” was going pear-shaped, the Bantams added a fourth goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Jon Stead, a vibrant force up front all afternoon, squared the ball for the onrushing Mark Yeates, a Bradford substitute, and he despatched it with aplomb. Salt was rubbed mercilessly into the gaping wound.
York City 1-0 Arsenal, 1985
The previous season York City had racked up 100 points in the Fourth Division, but there was little to suggest they would beat Arsenal in the fourth round of the FA Cup. And for 89 minutes, it didn’t look like they would. Wrote Patrick Barclay in the Observer:
This was hardly the Cup tie that had everything. Until the 90th minute, in fact, there was little at Bootham Crescent but the nostalgic whirr of a rattle somewhere in a frozen crowd, to conjure memories of York’s historic victory over Tottenham in 1955.
Then Keith Houchen rolled home his penalty - and all hell broke loose. The rattle did overtime, So did the players, who tottered excitedly through five minutes stoppage time. Finally the whistle went, leaving Houchen and his mates to swig champagne while their manager, Denis Smith, unfolded stories from behind the Third Division club’s success.
Houchen would go on to score in the 1987 final for Coventry, while York would hold Liverpool to a 1-1 draw in the fifth round. The less said about the replay, which they lost 7-0, the better.
Norwich 0-1 Luton Town, 2013
The first time a non-league team had knocked out a top flight side since Sutton United did for Coventry City in 1989. Richard Rae wrote in the Observer:
Eighty-five places lower down football’s food chain Luton Town, sixth in the Conference, did a job on Premier League Norwich City. Eighty minutes of containment, keeping their shape and frustrating their illustrious opponents was followed by a swift break and a clinically executed goal to give them a famous victory.
That the winning goal, made by Stuart Fleetwood and JJ O’Donnell and finished by Scott Rendell, was down to his three substitutes must have made the win even sweeter for Luton’s manager, Paul Buckle. His opposite number, Chris Hughton, made substitutions of his own, but Grant Holt, Anthony Pilkington and Wes Hoolohan – Premier League regulars all – failed to make a similar impact.
“It shows you how important a good bench can be,” said Buckle. “I don’t think it’s quite sunk in yet, it was an incredible performance by the players. The most pleasing thing for me was we defended very well and carried a threat of our own throughout. We took great strength from beating Wolves in the third round, we stuck to the same plan, we tried to deny them space, and the players got it right.”
Yeovil 2-1 Sunderland, 1949
Having recently spent £20,050 on Len Shackleton, Sunderland had been nicknamed the ‘Bank of England’ team by wags in the press, but it didn’t do them much good as Yeovil, then of the Southern League, beat them 2-1 in the FA Cup fourth round. The Guardian reported:
Yeovil Town, the Somersetshire Southern League club, were the heroes of the day in Saturday’s fourth-round Football Association Cup games. By defeating Sunderland 2-1 they equally the performance of Colchester United, who reached the fifth round of the competition last season. They did so partly by knowledge of their own ground, but also by their own skilful attacks, particularly these of their centre forward, Bryant, who scored the winning goal in extra time, a defence that was not less stubborn than that of their opponents, and the cool competence of their reserve goalkeeper, Dyke.
Enjoy this clip, featuring some contemporary music.
