There wasn't much in the way of upsets in the third round of this season's FA Cup, but there was still magic.
You might think Liverpool beating Plymouth Argyle 1-0 on Wednesday doesn't qualify as "magic". You would be wrong.
You could be forgiven for forgetting that, at the age of 24, Juan Mata had already achieved the remarkable feat of winning World Cup, European Championship and Champions League titles. The diminutive Spaniard, now 28, manages to avoid the public eye, and the attentions of defenders, with a cerebral approach that wins plaudits without approaching the levels of adulation that his surrounding cast receives.
Bad news first: the FA Cup fourth round will probably be a snoozer. None of the major clubs will play each other, with the best possible game being Arsenal vs. (potentially) a much more boring than usual Southampton team. Yeesh.
The good news: a couple of upsets could turn the whole thing on its head. Say Norwich City get by Southampton and then upset Arsenal, or Wycombe Wanderers beat Tottenham, or Brentford beat Chelsea, or Crystal Palace or Bolton take down Manchester City, or Wigan knock out current FA Cup champs Manchester United? That would be fun, right? RIGHT?
Manchester City’s 5-0 demolition of West Ham at the London Stadium was a crushing experience for Hammers fans. The loudest cheer of the night was reserved for an appearance from high school student Peter Parker, better known as Spider-Man.
Spider-Man was felled in the penalty area, his tackler immediately pointing to the spot in a display of sportsmanship that’s rarely seen. But was it really a penalty, or did Spidey take a dive?
Wayne Rooney moved level with Bobby Charlton at 249 goals for Manchester United in the Red Devils 4-0 victory over Reading in the FA Cup third round. Rooney had been stuck on 248 since late November, but his smartly taken goal on Saturday put the 31-year-old on the brink of history.
Rooney’s goal opened the scoring in the seventh minute. Some fantastic play from Anthony Martial brought the ball to Juan Mata, and his clipped pass was deftly volleyed home by the man of the hour.
Goals from Yaya Toure, David Silva, Sergio Aguero, John Stones and a Havard Nordtveit own goal saw Manchester City demolish West Ham at the London Stadium, 5-0. The visitors were slick in possession, holding over 67% of it, with Toure dominating the midfield and Raheem Sterling troubling a static West Ham backline throughout.
For West Ham manager Slaven Bilic, it was another torrid performance at their new home, which has been anything but a fortress this season.
10 man Manchester United have beaten Crystal Palace to win the 135th FA Cup.
Jesse Lingard scored the game winning goal in the 110’ minute of extra time in a game that was quite dead until the goals started flowing.
Manchester United and Crystal Palace had combined to manufacture just 3 shots on target between them before Palace’s Jason Puncheon broke the deadlock in the 78th minute:
The 135th FA Cup final will take place tomorrow, and the historical significance of the occasion will find its perfect match in the outdated, contrasting styles on the pitch. Manchester United have struggled to dazzle, or even go forward, all year. Crystal Palace have played their best while soaking up pressure and hitting on the counter.
When you are 18-years-old and you play for arguably the most noticeable club in the world, you're not supposed to score 6 goals in your first 11 games. But that's what Marcus Rashford has done since LVG called his name to the first team. Rashford kicked off the scoring against West Ham in the FA Cup quarterfinals. The youngster received the ball at the edge off the box after a West Ham turnover and then showed off his footwork before burying a shot off the upper 90 crossbar. So smooth, so pretty.