FA Cup fourth round news: Winners and losers as Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool and Wrexham advance
Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Wrexham all eased into the FA Cup fifth round, while Burnley’s season slipped further into trouble.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Alex Rhodes breaks down the winners and losers from the FA Cup fourth round following a weekend away from Premier League action.
Mansfield Town: Winner
“It’s an incredible achievement,” admitted first-team coach Andy Garner as Mansfield Town reached the fifth round for the first time since 1975.
His side sit 13th in League One and arrived winless in five, yet were able to topple Premier League opposition.
Burnley took the initial advantage, but two goals, including a superb Louis Reed free-kick, sent Mansfield into raptures at the final whistle.
The Clarets entered the tie full of confidence after a strong 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace in the league, but this result raises further questions about Scott Parker’s position as manager.
Ipswich Town: Loser
Ipswich Town failed to register a shot on target against Wrexham as they exited the FA Cup at the fourth-round stage for a second successive season.
Kieran McKenna’s priorities were clear as he made 10 changes to the side that faced Derby County earlier in the week, with his focus on securing automatic promotion back to the Premier League.
Although Wrexham sit seven points behind the Tractor Boys in the Championship, the Welsh side dominated proceedings, controlled possession, and were unfortunate not to extend their 1-0 advantage.
Ipswich return to the Racecourse in eight days for the league fixture and will need a marked improvement if they are to maintain their promotion aspirations.
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Newcastle United: Winner
Newcastle battled to a 3-1 victory at Villa Park in a tie overshadowed by officiating controversy.
The Video Assistant Referee was not in operation for fourth-round ties as key errors by referee Chris Kavanagh dictated the contest.
Aston Villa took control of proceedings when Tammy Abraham scored the opener, which was incorrectly ruled onside by the assistant referee.
Kavanagh was then involved in a contentious handball decision involving Lucas Digne, one that led to a free-kick on the edge of the box for Newcastle rather than a penalty.
Despite this, the Magpies remained composed and claimed victory after both Sandro Tonali and Nick Woltemade scored as the home side struggled after Marco Bizot received a red card for a reckless challenge on Jacob Murphy.
Brighton & Hove Albion: Loser
With just one win in their last 13 games, Brighton arrived at Anfield in desperate need of a positive result.
Fabian Hürzeler’s side dominated early proceedings but were punished for failing to capitalise on chances in front of goal.
Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Mohamed Salah were all on target for Liverpool as the Reds asserted their dominance on the game.
The Seagulls never looked like mounting a response and changes made by Hürzeler had little impact as their difficult run continues.
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The FA Cup: Loser
This weekend felt significant for the FA Cup as the ‘magic’ of the competition appears to be fading fast, with established Premier League sides more focussed than ever on league and European campaigns.
Former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp previously spoke about fixture congestion and how the demanding schedule changes priorities, saying in 2019 that “everyone was in front of the TV watching the FA Cup and hoping we do not go through”.
Even mid-table and Championship clubs appear less interested.
Oxford United and Sunderland both fielded heavily rotated sides in their uneventful 1-0 contest, with each manager prioritising their individual league campaigns.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery even admitted the “Premier League is the most important competition” after he made seven changes to his starting line-up to face Newcastle.
Liverpool further illustrated the shift in attitude last season.
In a campaign where they won the Premier League, reached the Champions League play-offs, and made it to the Carabao Cup final, they lost 1-0 to Plymouth Argyle, who were later relegated from the Championship.
Attendance figures also reflect changing priorities.
Last season's fourth-round tie between Southampton and Bournemouth attracted 15,000 spectators – a stark contrast to the sell-out crowd of 32,000 for their Premier League meeting.
That is not to say the FA Cup spark has completely disappeared, of course.
On Monday, Macclesfield host Brentford in a match that may reignite belief in this season’s competition.
The National League North side, ranked over 120 places below Brentford, already produced one of the greatest upsets in the tournament’s history when they eliminated defending champions Crystal Palace in the third round.
They will now aim to become the first non-league side since Millwall in 1913 to defeat two top-flight teams in the same campaign.
If they do, it will be proof that while the magic of the Cup may be fading at the top, it still burns brightly further down the pyramid.
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