Placed in the wake of Qatar’s mechanical coverage of the World Cup, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s eye-watering £175m-a-year deal with Saudi big shots Al-Nassr, this year’s FA Cup third round reminded fans just what football’s oldest competition is all about.
With a mountain of giant-killings and a throng of goals for supporters to sink their teeth into, the beating heart of league and non-league football crowned the FA Cup in glory once again, as eight Premier League sides crashed out of the competition.
With just one initial third-round clash left between Oxford and Premier League leaders Arsenal, Sportsmail has chalked up a list of 10 things we learned from the memorable and eventful weekend.
Stevenage scored twice late on to come from behind and thump Aston Villa out of the FA Cup
Premier League giants CAN fall
The last time eight top flight sides exited the competition in the third round was back in 2007-08, when Portsmouth were crowned FA Cup champions against Championship outfit Cardiff in the final.
Everton, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Brentford, Newcastle, Chelsea and Aston Villa have all already waved farewell to a potential shot at silverware, and the tally will rise to at least 10 when either Liverpool or Wolves are knocked out during their third round replay next week.
Meanwhile, Leeds needed an injury-time equaliser from teenager Sonny Perkins to rescue a replay against Cardiff in Wales, and Arsenal could still slip up against Oxford United on Monday evening.
With transfer fees and player contracts rising uncontrollably every season, it’s a treat to watch the likes of Stevenage overthrow Aston Villa away from home with two goals in the final two minutes.
Frankly, it’s what the FA Cup is all about.
Blackpool thrashed top flight strugglers Nottingham Forest 4-1 to advance to the fourth round
Chelsea fans are turning on Potter
If there ever was a honeymoon period during Graham Potter’s early days at Stamford Bridge, it is fair to say it is well and truly over.
Chelsea’s 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City – who left Erling Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne, Ederson, Joao Cancelo and Ilkay Gundogan on the bench – seemed like the tipping point for most Blues fans.
Slumping to a fifth defeat in seven matches across all competitions, Potter is already under pressure despite taking over from Thomas Tuchel in September, and making a slow start is not advised at Stamford Bridge based on the club’s track record of axing managers.
A section of Chelsea’s disgruntled away support could be heard chanting ‘We’ve got Tommy Tuchel’ whilst reminiscing about their former coach, who won the Champions League and Club World Cup during his time in west London.
With a local derby up next against high-flyers Fulham, Potter will hope he can carve out a much-needed win and rekindle his relationship with the Blues support.
Chelsea fans were disgruntled after Graham Potter and Chelsea were beaten 4-0 by Man City
Moore is shining in Sheffield
Newcastle’s FA Cup progress was never going to define their season. Eddie Howe has one eye on the Magpies’ top four hopes and the other on their Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against Leicester next week.
But take nothing away from the exceptional job Darren Moore is doing at Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls sit second in League One and are 10 matches unbeaten in all competitions, thanks to Josh Windass’ double against Newcastle at Hillsborough.
Despite suffering play-off heartbreak to Sunderland last season, Moore has bounced back to fashion one of the strongest teams in the third tier, boasting the best goal difference in the league with a free-scoring attack and well-organised defence.
Whilst it’s true Howe could have deployed a stronger line-up against the Owls, Newcastle’s team was still adorned with proven top flight talents such as Martin Dubravka, Sven Botman, Joelinton and Alexander Isak.
And will an all League One fourth round clash against Fleetwood at the end of the month, there’s every chance Sheffield Wednesday can carve out a historic cup run under Moore.
Darren Moore’s excellent work at Sheffield Wednesday continued as the Owls beat Newcastle
VAR has no place in the third round
The benefits and pitfalls of VAR have been showcased to full effect in the Premier League in recent seasons, and there is certainly an argument to be made for its involvement in the early rounds of the FA Cup.
However, this weekend’s third round action rolled back the years to offer fans a different experience. One without the seemingly endless offside reviews, without the anticlimactic chalking-off of a goal, and without the predictable decision-making by referees once called over to the pitchside monitor.
By and large, the FA Cup evaded mass controversy in terms of refereeing decisions during the third round and as a result gave fans what felt like a more authentic experience in the stands.
Even Gary Lineker felt compelled to comment on the great debate this weekend, tweeting: ‘Football’s much more fun without VAR’.
Southampton found the win they needed
They weren’t flowing like a well-oiled machine at the weekend, but at least the FA Cup provided Southampton with a much-needed win to lift the dressing room’s spirits.
Six league matches on the spin without victory ahead of their trip to Selhurst Park, the Saints had an opportunity to face Premier League opposition without the pressure of falling further behind at the foot of the table.
After falling behind in the early stages through Odsonne Edouard, Nathan Jones’ side launched a comeback thanks to goals from James Ward-Prowse and Adam Armstrong, and managed to grab the victory despite putting in yet another disjointed display.
Sometimes, all that is needed to turn the tide is a positive result – and Jones will hope it sparks a fruitful Premier League run, starting with an away trip to Everton on Saturday.
James Ward-Prowse (L) and Adam Armstrong (R) helped Southampton to a much-needed win
Cardiff ARE capable of scoring
The Welsh side went into their third round clash with Leeds as the lowest scorers in the Championship, failing to score in their last three matches against Blackburn, Coventry and QPR.
But it all clicked for Cardiff in a blistering first-half performance against Jesse Marsch’s side as Jaden Philogene and Sheyi Ojo fired well-taken goals past Joel Robles to hand the Championship outfit a 2-0 advantage at the break.
The Bluebirds may have crumbled at the death and given up two second-half goals as Leeds forced a replay, but their performance in the third round will breed confidence that they can turn around their shaky Championship record in attack.
Ex-Liverpool man Sheyi Ojo netted for Cardiff, who are the lowest scorers in the Championship
We’re only going to see more of Wrexham
First, a pair of Hollywood owners. Next, a blockbuster documentary on Disney Plus. Now, a slice of FA Cup history.
It feels as though Wrexham’s third round thriller against Coventry this weekend was all part of the grand plan to propel the non-league side further into the limelight.
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Due to the investment of owners Robert McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, the Welsh side are no longer viewed as underdogs in the National League, but they seemed to relish their status as second-favourites during their scintillating 4-3 win in the west Midlands.
Getting promoted from the National League is no easy feat, but first place is within Wrexham’s grasp if they win both their games in hand.
Non-league side Wrexham beat Coventry 4-3 in a thriller to book their spot in the fourth round
Spurs need a playmaker
Registering a single shot on target against managerless Portsmouth continued to cast doubt over Tottenham’s ability to create meaningful chances.
After a resilient first-half display from the League One side, Spurs pulled away in the second-half after Harry Kane’s well-taken goal – but struggled to put Pompey to the sword as Antonio Conte would have hoped.
Son Heung-min was kept incredibly quiet by ex-Arsenal academy graduate Zak Swanson, Emerson Royal and Ryan Sessegnon struggled to hurt Portsmouth on the flanks and Spurs continued to miss the midfield presence of Rodrigo Bentancur.
Recruiting a playmaker in January would no doubt be a wise move.
Striker Harry Kane scored from Spurs’ only shot on target against League One side Portsmouth
Wolves replay could hurt Liverpool
Hwang Hee-chan’s equaliser forced a replay in Wolves’ 2-2 draw against Liverpool at Anfield, and the extra fixture could create an additional headache for Jurgen Klopp’s already-depleted squad.
The Reds take on in-form Brighton and big six rivals Chelsea either side of their third round replay, facing Potter’s side in the early kick-off just four days after the match.
In a bid to avoid extra injuries and fatigue, Klopp could bypass the tournament by naming an entire line-up of youngsters, as he has been known to do in the past.
Wolves forward Hwang Hee-chan equalised as Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw on Saturday
The third round is the best in the FA Cup
If the weekend proved anything, it’s that the third round produces the most entertaining contests in the FA Cup and almost encourages lower-league teams to have a go against the Premier League giants.
The magic of the competition is epitomised by the third round and is conventionally where most upsets are found, with Stevenage and Wrexham providing the greatest stories of this weekend.
Although it was once felt that FA Cup would one day be left behind as a result of the growing beast of the Premier League and Champions League, the FA Cup third round is continuing to help protect the historic tournament’s long-term future.