FA Cup 3rd round results: Chelsea, Villa and Spurs ease into next round

THE third round of the world’s oldest knockout competition is famed for throwing up some surprising results and yesterday (Jan 6) was no different.

FocusM looks at some of the fixtures involving teams from the top flight.

Crystal Palace 0 v Everton 0

A replay is something both could have done without. The Eagles for their extensive injury list, the Toffees to save resources for the relegation scrap after the points deduction left them uncomfortably close to the drop zone. But both will have to do battle again for the privilege of a spot in the 4th round with both sets of supporters desperate for a tilt at silverware.

Tottenham Hotspurs 1 v Burnley 0

Spurs were without talisman skipper Son Hueng-min but did just enough to edge out Burnley. Vincent Kompany can now focus all attention on Burnley’s survival bid but will be disappointed that his team could not at least force a replay.

Chelsea 4 v Preston North End 0

Chelsea showed here that they are capable of turning the syle on, albeit after a somewhat laborious first half against lower division opposition. Mauricio Pochettino will take great heart from Armando Broja’s performance in leading the attack as well as Raheem Sterling’s stylish manoeuvres which underline his desire to get back into the England team for Euro 2024.

Middlesbrough 0 v Aston Villa 1

The home side looked to have done enough to earn a replay but a late goal from Matty Cash helped Villa progress into the next round. The visitors who are flying high in the Premier League were not firing on all cylinders but ultimately did just enough to get the win. The performance underlines the Villans growing maturity and ability to get the job done without fully exerting themselves.

Gillingham 0 v Sheffield United 4

Blades supporters will have enjoyed the spectacle of their team bullying the opposition instead of the weekly thumpings they are witnessing in Premiership fixtures. The emphatic scoreline will give Sheffield United players plenty of confidence that they can indeed pull off a miracle and avoid relegation. Meanwhile, players and fans can look forward to the draw for the fourth round.

Queens Park Rangers 2 v AFC Bournemouth 3

A branstorming up tie saw the Rangers take a two-nil lead. The Cherries staged a superb comeback in the second half that underlines the effect manager Andoni Iraola is having on the team. Fast, counter-attacking football is becoming their calling card and Bournemouth will fear no one in the next round.

Stoke City v Brighton

 

Stoke City 2 v Brighton & Hove Albion 4

The home side took the game to Brighton but were ultimately undone by a better class of players. Goals from Pervis Estupinan, Lewis Dunk along with a brace from Joao Pedro were enough to see off Stoke. Roberto de Zerbi will be pleased to see the return of Brighton’s high press, which put Stoke’s backline under constant pressure.

Sunderland 0 v Newcastle 3

There was a lot of hype surrounding the first Tyne-Wear Derby since 2016 but the gulf in class was just too much for the Black Cats to bridge. The home side were raucous but the Magpies were unperturbed by the hostile atmosphere, perhaps a result of already experiencing noisy away grounds at Dortmund, Milan and Paris this season. Alexander Isak scored a brace to make it a fairly comfortable and routine win for Newcastle.

Other FA Cup 3rd results:

Sheffield Wednesday 4 v Cardiff 0

Swansea 2 v Morecambe 0

Blackburn 5 v Cambridge 2

Hull 1 v Birmingham 1

Newport 1 v Eastleigh 1

Norwich 1 v Bristol Rovers 1

Southampton 4 v Walsall 0

Watford 2 v Chesterfield 1

Coventry 6 v Oxford United 2

Maidstone United 1 v Stevenage 0

Millwall 2 v Leicester 3

Wimbledon 1 v Ipswich 3 – Jan 7, 2023

 

All photos credited to The Guardian

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