FA Cup 3rd Round Review - Part 2/2

Welcome to the second part of the FA Cup 3rd Round Review which includes the Premier League leaders, a handful of upsets and the lowest ranked side in the competition.

Queens Park Rangers vs Blackburn Rovers
Ian Holloway named fringe players in their Third Round tie against Blackburn and was left wanting more from the whole team, with the exception of Jamie Mackie. They hosts started on the back foot and were punished in the 8th minute, when, keeper Matt Ingram could only parry Gallagher's header at defender Joel Lynch who could only watch the ball roll in his own net. It was a game of few great chances but, when the visitors got their chance to double their advantage, they did so with Feeney tapping the ball into the open goal after Ingram had denied Gallagher again. Just 3 minutes later, the hosts were given a lifeline as Yeni Ngbakoto was fouled inside the area and Bidwell converted from the spot. It counted for nothing though as Blackburn held on and will host either Barnsley or Blackpool in their third successive appearance in the 4th Round. The loss for QPR meant that they equalled the unwanted record of most defeats at this stage of the FA Cup - 48 times. (Level with Plymouth Argyle)

Rotherham United vs Oxford United

League One side Oxford United would have gone into this tie against the Championships bottom side with every hope of making the 4th Round for the second year running. The hosts got out of jail early on as their keeper produced a great save to deny Maguire from the penalty spot. They didn't learn from their poor defending though and 4 minutes before the break, found themselves behind, courtesy of a low driven strike from their ex-player Ryan Taylor. Rotherham started the second half much better and in the 51st minute, got their equaliser through a brilliant strike from Ward. However, 10 minutes from time, the visitors were back ahead as Edwards headed home and then 8 minutes later Johnson put it on a plate for Hemmings who put the ball in the back of the net to make it 1-3. The hosts did get one back through a great header from Tom Adeyemi but it proved to just be a consolation as Rotherham's miserable season just gets worse. Oxford United host the winner of Birmingham vs Newcastle and will no doubt give either of them a run for their money.

Stoke City vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Mark Hughes named a strong side as Stoke City hosted a solid Wolves side looking to upset their Premier League opposition. It was the visitors who struck first, skillful winger Helder Costa beat his man before hitting an unstoppable shot past the keeper at his near post just before the half hour mark. The second half seemed like it was all going to be about one man, Wolves keeper Carl Ikeme. He produced four incredible saves to deny Arnautovic, Affelay, Crouch and Allen from getting the equalising goal. However, it was his teammate Matt Doherty who produced a moment of magic to take the headlines, as his sublime free-kick from 25 yards nestled into the top left corner to secure Wolves' place in the 4th Round. It was just one of those days for Stoke City who lose at this stage for the first time in 9 years, whereas Wolves face a trip to Liverpool or Plymouth.

Sunderland vs Burnley

The Stadium of Light hosted this affair between the two Premier League clubs and it was one that both fans will hope to remember quickly. The game was contested by two fully strengthed side but the quality of the game suggested the opposite, which both managers seemed to agree with in their post-match interviews. Jack Rodwell had the first sight of goal of the afternoon but dragged his powerful strike well wide. Burnley's Sam Vokes was just as wasteful as he went through one on one with the keeper, but his tame effort was well saved. The hosts opted to shoot from range rather than work the ball into the box and were almost rewarded for it but Nick Hope did well to tip Rodwell's strike over the bar. It was the visitors who came closest when James Tarkowski's bullet header crashed off the post but the rebound was put over. Defoe thought he should have had a penalty when he went down under the presence of Darikwa but was instead deemed to have dived. One of these sides will surely show more quality in the replay and knowing that the winner will host either Bristol City or Fleetwood, the winner of this will fancy their chances to make it to the 5th Round.

Sutton United vs AFC Wimbledon

This tie had a great piece of history behind it, the return to where it all began in 2002 for AFC Wimbledon when these two sides played in a friendly. 15 years on, they met in the FA Cup 3rd Round which sums up the magic and the beauty of this competition. AFC Wimbledon were aiming to reach the 4th Round for the first time in their history whereas their hosts were aiming for their 3rd appearance in the next round, the last coming almost 30 years ago. It was the Conference side who started the brigher though with clinical striker Matt Tubbs not living up to his reputation as he failed to work the keeper from 18 yards. Then from a Wimbledon corner, Sutton managed to counterattack and Maxime Biamou was sent through one on one, but he curled his effort wide of the near post. Another counterattack by the hosts saw the ball break to Biamou again who brought it down well on his chest, struck it well towards the far corner but was denied yet again by keeper James Shea. The Dons failed to really create any great chances, their only one of not was defender Robertson firing his volley over but other than that, they were outplayed at times by Sutton who did well to earn a replay. It will be another close game between these two in the replay and, with Leeds United travelling to the winner, there's definitely an extra incentive for these two sides.

Watford vs Burton Albion

Nigel Clough would have instilled plenty of confidence into his side as they travelled to Premier League side Watford, who were without a win in their last 5 games. In the 21st minute though, the hosts showed their quality as a quick passing move tore the visitors defence wide open, which allowed teenager Brandon Mason to pick out the unmarked Christian Kabasele in the box who tapped home. Watford continued to dominate possession and force their Championship opponents into long range efforts. With 13 minutes to go a moment of pure class was produced by Jerome Sinclair, who picked the ball up on the half way line, dribbled past a trio of players like they were amateurs and fired into the far left corner to secure the hosts place in the 4th Round. It was a bad day for Burton who failed to register a shot on target and they miss out on the trip to Millwall, who I'm sure Walter Mazzari won't make the same mistake Eddie Howe did.

West Bromwich Albion vs Derby County

West Brom are enjoying their best season in years in the Premier League, and their fans would have been hoping for the best when they hosted playoff chasing Championship side, Derby County. It was Pulis' side that struck first. 10 minutes before half-time, as Matt Phillips found space 25 yards out and curled the ball into the back of the net, past Carson, who really should have done better. It was a double salvo from the Championship side which proved decisive however, with Darren Bent beating Myhill at his near post from 25 yards in the 51st minute, before Tom Ince scored a brilliant curled free-kick which left Myhill standing. West Brom dominated the game, having an absurd 28 shots, but only managed to hit the target with 25% of these which proved costly. Pulis said he was proud of his side, but it's Derby County who get to host Leicester City in the 4th Round.

Wigan Athletic vs Nottingham Forest

Both of these Championship sides came into the game in awful form, with Wigan without a win in their previous 7 outings and Nottingham Forest without a win in 6. Despite form suggesting it would be a tight affair, it was nowhere near as the 2013 winners were on fire. It took until first half stoppage time for Wigan to finally get their deserved goal, left-back Stephen Warnock was in acres on the left hand side and played a great ball into the path of Will Grigg who did what he does best. It only took 12 minutes after the break for them to get their second, again Warnock finding space on the left hand side and pulling it back, this time for Wildschut, who managed to get goalside of Demetriou before his low strike beat the keeper. With 9 minutes left, Eric Lichaj had the opportunity to put Forest back in it from the penalty spot, but, his attempt was well saved by Haugaard. A poor performance by Forest sees them become the side without a win in 7, whereas Wigan have a trip to Old Trafford.

Wycombe Wanderers vs Stourbridge

The lowest ranked side left in the FA Cup faced a difficult task as they travelled to League Two playoff chasing Wycombe. But 7th tier Stourbridge went into their first ever 3rd Round game with confidence, having knocked out League One Northampton in the previous round. It was the Northern Premier League side who had the first real sight of goal as striker Benbow beat his man on the edge of the box, but his subsequent strike was straight at Jamal Blackman. Dan Scarr almost put the visitors ahead 20 minutes later but was denied, courtesy of a great reaction save from Blackman. Wycombe came out strong after the break and in the second minute of the second half, Sam Wood volleyed home from close range after some heroic defending from the 7th tier side. The Beast that is Adebayo Akinfenwa then came close after strengthening his marker, but saw his curled effort saved and this proved costly, as in the 70th minute a moment of magic happened. A free-kick for the visitors, from deep inside the Wycombe half found it's way into Dan Scarr, who expertly turned his man and fired into the bottom right corner to send the fans into bedlam. The visitors came close again soon after, as Tonks' whipped cross crashed off the top of the crossbar, however it was the League Two side that regained the lead courtesy of a brilliant header by Akinfenwa. It was a great run by Stourbridge, who clearly made an impression on Wycombe boss Gareth Ainsworth as he had nothing but praise for them. Their fans will surely look back on this run with pride but will feel gutted when they see that a win here would have given them a trip to White Hart Lane, which Wycombe will surely look forward to.

Preston North End vs Arsenal
The weekend after Giroud scored what may arguably end up being goal of the year, he remained the lone striker for the trip to Championship side Preston. Arsene Wenger had never lost at this stage of the competition before but a poor start, just like the Bournemouth game put that run in jeopardy. Hugill caught Monreal sleeping before the ball eventually broke through to Robinson who fired home after just 7 minutes. Preston would have had two more if not for a block at the near post by Mustafi and a misplaced pass by Robinson, who I'm sure heard about that one from Hugill after. Iwobi produced a moment of magic as he flicked it over the defender's head before laying it off to Giroud, who was evidently caught in two minds as he produced what can only be described as neither a cross nor a shot. Preston almost capitalised again on sloppy defending from the Arsenal centre-halfs as Gallagher lobbed Ospina but Monreal was on the line to clear. The Gunners finally woke up in the second half, Iwobi layed off Ramsey outside the box who took a touch before striking into the far right corner. Mustafi tried to redeem himself for his errors as he made a great run to the near post, but saw his half volley saved. It was a much better second half performance from Wenger's side and with 1 minute to go, the assist of the round was produced as Giroud flicked on to Perez, who then instinctively backheeled it back into the Frenchman, who did what he does best right now, scoring late goals. A lucky escape for Arsenal who travel to Southampton or Norwich (Personally I'm praying for Norwich), whereas Simon Grayson should definitely sign a clinical striker, as that is all Preston need to be a great side.

Cardiff City vs Fulham

Onto Sunday's games now, the first of which saw Fulham travel to Wales, hoping to get the bragging rights over their Championship counterparts. However it was Cardiff who took the lead, a deflected free-kick from Anthony Pilkington came off Lucas Piazon left the keeper standing after just 8 minutes. Just 6 minutes later though, the visitors were level. A great run by Bennett, who then lay the ball into Stefan Johansen whose strike was emphatic. Just after the half hour mark, the eventual winner was scored by the 16 year old sensation, Ryan Sessegnon. He found himself in the right place at the right time to turn the ball in to the open goal, following Tom Cairney's effort which hit the crossbar. The visitors dominated the second half but, last ditch challenges denied Sessegnon his second and Piazon a place on the scoresheet. The hosts were given a footballing lesson and if Fulham  play like this against Hull in the next round, they have a great chance of going through.

Liverpool vs Plymouth Argyle

Jurgen Klopp named the youngest Liverpool side in the history of the club when they hosted one of League Two's top clubs, Plymouth Argyle. At an average age of 21 years and 296 days, this young Liverpool side showed great work effort but were lacking that touch of quality that you need to break down a defensive side. Origi will feel hard done by that his goal was disallowed for a foul and the hosts ended up finishing the first half with a staggering 80.3% possession, but failed to make much use of it. Plymouth's best chance came when Jake Jervis bursted into life down the right hand side, beat two defenders, but dragged his shot wide. The last 10 minutes saw Liverpool up the intensity, but still lacked the quality and creativity in the final third, the closest they came was when a free-kick deflected off Smith, but McCormick held it well. A great result for Plymouth, and with Jurgen Klopp saying he'll play the kids again in the replay, Argyle have a great chance of progressing to the next round, in which the winner of this will host Wolves.

Chelsea vs Peterborough United

Antonio Conte made nine changes to the side that suffered defeat to Tottenham, with the hope of getting back to winning ways against League One side Peterborough United. It was a mixed first 15 minutes for Gary Cahill, he almost scored a Zola'esque flick at the near post, before losing Lee Angol in the box, whose header was saved by Begovic. Chelsea started to go through the gears then though as Terry came close, before Pedro checked the ball onto his right foot and fired an unstoppable shot into the top right hand corner, which McGee standing, who had just made an incredible save to deny Loftus-Cheek. Ruben Loftus-Cheek was involved again in setting up Pedro, but he somehow hit the bar from six yards. Two minutes before the break, however, and the youngster did get an assist, laying off Batshuayi who drilled the ball home. The Premier League leaders started the second half, just as they ended the first, with Willian drilling the ball into the bottom right hand corner. It wasn't all plain sailing for Chelsea as John Terry, who was making his first start since October, was sent off for a foul on Lee Angol with 23 minutes to go. Just 3 minutes later, Angol was involved again, laying off Nichols who smashed it past Begovic, giving the League One side some hope. However, it proved to be just a consolation goal as, with 15 minutes to go, Pedro did get his second, curling his effort from 20 yards past McGee to see the hosts into the 4th Round, where they will have a hard time hosting Brentford.

Middlesbrough vs Sheffield Wednesday

On paper, this looked like it would be a close game, Middlesbrough have been inconsistent this year, whereas, Sheffield Wednesday are chasing promotion to the top flight yet again. Middlesbrough had the better of the chances in a first half where both teams struggled to break the deadlock, first Ayala rushing his volley, subsequently hitting it over, then Traore being denied by a great block. The second half belonged to the hosts however, for both the right and wrong reasons. In the 58th minute, they took the lead through Grant Leadbitter's curled free-kick, but couldn't celebrate for long, with Ayala fouling Forestieri just a minute later and being sent off. Despite being down to 10 men, Boro got a second in comical style as Negredo closed down the Sheffield Wednesday keeper, who kicked the ball against the Spaniard and watched it go in. Stuani then flicked Negredo's strike in, only for it to be ruled out for offside and then in stoppage time, a brilliant run by Stuani ended up with his shot being saved, but, the ball fell for De Roon on the edge of the box, who fired it into the top corner. I can see Middlesbrough going far in this competition and will feel confident as they host Accrington Stanley in the next round.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Aston Villa

After beating Chelsea, you'd think Pochettino would have kept the same side out to keep confidence high, but, it was only  Alderwieleld and Dier who kept their place, as Spurs hosted Villa. It was a dire performance from the hosts in the first half and they only looked like the team that beat Chelsea when Dele Alli came on. Villa's best chance of the game came in the second half when Agbonlahor was denied by two great blocks, both of which were made by Alderwiereld. The hosts finally broke through the resilient Villa defence with 19 minutes left to play, as Nkoudou's cross was flicked in expertly by Ben Davies, a great way to score his first for the club. Spurs secured their place in the 4th Round with 10 minutes to go, when Son peeled off his marker and smashed the ball home to double the advantage. Spurs will need to be much better when they host Wycombe in the next round, whereas, Aston Villa now have to focus on turning their season around.

Cambridge United vs Leeds United

The final game of the 3rd Round saw two sides chasing promotion in their respective leagues meet, League Two Cambridge United and Championship Leeds United. The hosts came out with the right attitude, forcing their Championship opposition into long balls due to their high pressing, it almost paid off when Ikpeazu found himself free in the box, before having his shot saved. However, in the 25th minute, he wasn't to be denied as a deflected free-kick fell to him, before using his strength to turn his man and fire his shot in off the near post. Leeds showed a bit of quality towards the end of the first half with Mowatt, who was their best player on the day, having his shot tipped over by Norris and then Cooper forced Norris to make the save of the game. Garry Monk clearly had put these players in their place as it was roles reversed in the second half. In the 56th minute, the Championship side got a deserved equaliser as Mowatt's cross was headed in by Stuart Dallas. Mowatt, deservedly got the winner 7 minutes later as Antonsson's header hit the top of his head and found the top corner, giving Leeds fans a trip to either Sutton or Wimbledon. Cambridge United, if they play like they did in the first half, when they get back to action in the league, there's no reason they can't get promoted.

That rounds up the review of the FA Cup 3rd Round, this year didn't fail to give us some upsets, great goals, and unforgettable memories for some fans. Two non-league sides remain for now, but both will have to win a replay in order to keep their amazing cup runs alive.