The FA Cup 3rd Round is halfway complete and already we could have the upset of the round after West Brom’s shocking loss.
Some Premier League clubs made light work of their opponents while others struggled to come away with a result, finding it difficult to overcome their opposition on the day.
On Friday, two FA Cup fixtures took place hosting four English top-flight teams. The one, no surprise in the result while the other was the more heated and tightly contested of the pair of encounters.
Liverpool beat a gallant Aston Villa side filled with U23’s while Palace were lucky to only go down by one goal. Joining the winning duo from Friday’s first two fixtures are another seven Premier League clubs.
Everton, the first of the lot to secure a 4th-round place with their Merseyside neighbours and then Manchester United was the last of the top-flight teams to join those who have already advanced through to the next round.
EPL clubs results – FA Cup 3rd Roud
Friday
Aston Villa 1-4 Liverpool
Wolves 1-0 Crystal Palace
Saturday
Everton 2-1 Rotherham
Blackpool 2(3)-2(2) West Brom
Queens Park Rangers 0-2 Fulham
Burnley 1(4)-1(3) MK Dons
Bristol Rovers 2-3 Sheffield United
Stoke City 0-4 Leicester City
Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle
Manchester United 1-0 Watford
Biggest win by a Premier League club
Stoke City 0-4 Leicester City
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The cold and windy conditions in Stoke-on-Trent were not enough to put Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester off their game as they comprehensively beat them in their own backyard.
James Justin kicked off events with the best goal of the game in the first half. It was the only goal scored in the first 45 minutes. The rest, two, three, and four, came after the break.
Marc Albrighton, Ayoze Perez, and Harvey Barnes applied the finishing touches, giving the Potters no chance of a comeback. Their 4-0 victory at the Bet365 Stadium was the biggest of the round so far.
Most shocking result
Blackpool (3)2-2(2) West Brom
The most shocking result of the 3rd round involves one of the worst teams of the day and a team fighting for survival in the EPL domestic league. West Brom’s loss to Blackpool was the most unexpected defeat.
Their meeting was one of two to enjoy a penalty shootout – the other being Burnley who won their penalty battle. However, the way the fixture played out, it was never the Baggies to win.
They had to come back from behind and level the score on two separate occasions. Big Sam is finding his return to professional football a nightmare in these early days.
Allardyce has not won a game in charge since taking over from Slaven Bilić – he is four games in already.
One. Of. Our. Own. 👑
— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) January 9, 2021
100 wins as Sheffield United manager. pic.twitter.com/dXhy3orCLc
A big round of applause goes too…
A standing ovation for Chris Wilder who has finally reached 100 wins while in charge at Sheffield United. The Blades’ boss not only won his 100th game but also won his first of this season.
Besides two Premier League draws, he has lost every other outing thus far. Adding to the celebrations, this is only the first time the Blades have scored three goals in one game.
They’ve only managed to score more than one, once before in a 3-2 loss by the hands of Manchester United. A massive boost for a club suffering their lowest low since rejoining the top tier last season.
They will be hoping this is the catalyst to finally kickstart the slowest and worst start to a season by a Premier League club.
The Premier League clubs left to play
Sunday
Cheltenham vs. Leeds United
Chelsea vs. Morecambe
Manchester City vs. Birmingham
Marine vs. Tottenham
Newport County vs. Brighton
Monday
Stockport vs. West Ham
So far so good for EPL clubs
The Premier League dominance is starting to take shape in the FA Cup. So far nine EPL clubs have made it through to the next round while three were kicked out of the competition.
Still happening before the round has concluded… Five top-flight teams play on Sunday while one club waits till Monday for their FA Cup action.