England, Europe, Regions POSTS
FA Cup 4th round – Where’s the shocks?
Published by DSAdmin on January 25, 2009
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FA Cup 4th Round Final Scores:
Cardiff 0-0 Arsenal
Chelsea 3-1 Ipswich
Derby 1-1 Nottm Forest
Doncaster 0-0 Aston Villa
Kettering 2-4 Fulham
Hartlepool 0-2 West Ham
Hull 2-0 Millwall
Liverpool 1-1 Everton
Man Utd 2-1 Tottenham
When the holders of the FA Cup go out of the tournament in January to a lower league team, the word shock instantly springs to mind but was the Swansea victory over Portsmouth really much of a surprise? Pompey boss Tony Adams has yet to show the authority he displayed effortlessly for Arsenal and England throughout an illustrious playing career while his team navigates a particularly difficult patch in the EPL.
Perhaps the only surprise came in the fact that the game finished 2-0 but Swansea seemed to take their foot of the gas and make it easy on their opponents in the second half. Adams will no doubt trot out the cliché that the club can now concentrate on the league but unless Pompey start winning some games, Adams will be concentrating on the recruitment papers as opposed to the league tables.
Elsewhere, a big shocker at Old Trafford when United and Spurs fielded players that most of the crowd actually knew and the much anticipated battle of the reserves never quite took place. Both teams have got bigger fish to fry at the moment and you can tell United weren’t fully focussing as they let in a goal. Sir Alex Ferguson’s nose was still pink the last time United lost a goal in the league but the big Russian Pavyluchenko slipped Vidic within the opening stages of the game to wake United up and remind them there was a proper game on. The rest of the first half was one way traffic with Paul Scholes firing in a trademark finish and then the Tottenham old boys sucker punch undid Redknapp as Carrick provided Dimitar Berbatov with a perfect pass which he duly dispatched into the bottom corner. Berbatov wouldn’t have been too happy at having to run for a few yards but he was all smiles in acknowledging the goals and no doubt his revenge on Spurs fans who booed him in January.
With Cardiff having been in more major finals than Arsenal in the past couple of seasons, you’d think Arsene Wenger would have instilled a bit more urgency in his side but as it was, the Gooners were lucky to still be in the Cup. If Cardiff had better shooting then the knives would really be out for Wenger but the home comforts of the Emirates should be enough to see them through to the next round. With no trophies in four years and no chance of the league, the FA Cup should be of much more importance to Arsenal and to Wenger if he wants to maintain his reputation.
In fact, there could well be a few of the big time managers looking at the FA Cup and thinking their job may rely on lifting the trophy in May and that’s not something you’d of thought at the start of the season. Perhaps theres life in the old dog yet!
** Photo Credit – http://www.flickr.com/photos/a_ndrew/ **
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