FA Cup
COVID-19 CASES AT ASTON VILLA PUT LIVERPOOL FA CUP TIE IN DOUBT
Aston Villa’s FA Cup third round-match against Liverpool on Friday (Jan 8) is in doubt after Villa reported new Covid-19 cases in their first-team squad.
Villa closed their training ground and cancelled Thursday’s practice session, as a number of players and staff went into isolation.
“A second round of testing was carried out immediately and produced more positive results today,” Villa said in a statement.
The FA said later on Thursday that a final call on the game would be taken on Friday after the results of additional tests were known.
“The FA and Aston Villa are working closely together to try to ensure that the club’s FA Cup third round tie with Liverpool can go ahead as planned at Villa Park tomorrow evening,” the FA said.
Earlier, the FA said Southampton’s FA Cup third-round match at home to Shrewsbury Town will not take place as scheduled on Saturday after the third-tier team reported several Covid-19 cases in their squad.
Shrewsbury told the FA that due to the “significant number” of cases, they did not have enough fit players who were not in self-isolation to fulfil the fixture against the high-flying Premier League side.
“Shrewsbury Town provided the FA with details of the medical advice it had received and its communications with local Public Health England and liaised with the FA’s Covid Medical Officer for the FA Cup,” the FA said.
“The FA also requested and considered further information regarding Shrewsbury Town’s ability to fulfil the fixture.” The FA said there will be a meeting of its Professional Game Board next week to decide on the fate of the fixture.
Championship (second-tier) side Middlesbrough also said preparations for their third-round match at Brentford had been affected after a number of their first-team players and staff tested positive.
Derby County said on Wednesday that their first-team squad and interim manager Wayne Rooney would play no part in Saturday’s FA Cup match at sixth-tier Chorley as they were self-isolating after an outbreak of the virus at the club.
But the game is due to go ahead with Derby set to pick a team predominantly made up from the club’s Under-23 and Under-18 squads with youth coaches taking charge.
Covid-19 outbreaks have led to four Premier League matches being postponed and more than 50 games in the lower divisions of the Football League (EFL) being called off this season.
-Reuters
The first weekend of semi-automated offside decisions in English soccer descended into confusion on Saturday as Bournemouth had a goal ruled out after a record eight-minute VAR check.
Bournemouth, who eventually beat Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on penalties in the FA Cup fifth round after a 1-1 draw, thought they had doubled their lead when defender Milos Kerkez scored in the 35th-minute goal.
However, new technology could not be used because the six-yard area was too crowded and VAR officials had to revert to manually drawing lines before disallowing the goal.
Fellow defender Dean Huijsen was adjudged to have been in an offside position as Kerkez’s effort brushed his shoulder before going in to the net.
The VAR check was further complicated as VAR officials Timothy Wood and Darren England also had to also examine the possibility of hand balls prior to the tight offside call.
Both sets of fans voiced their disapproval at the interminable wait, chanting “it’s not football any more” and “this is embarrassing”.
Referee Sam Barrott, who eventually announced the decision to the crowd via a microphone, had to explain to the respective managers and players what was happening during the delay.
-Reuters
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FA Cup giant-killers Plymouth Argyle drew Premier League champions Manchester City on Monday as the second-tier side’s fifth-round reward for a shock defeat of Liverpool at the weekend.
Holders Manchester United will host Fulham at Old Trafford in one of at least three all-Premier League clashes, with League Cup finalists Newcastle United at home to top-tier rivals Brighton & Hove Albion.
Bournemouth will host Wolverhampton Wanderers in another all-top-flight encounter.
Struggling Plymouth caused one of the great upsets of the FA Cup on Sunday when they beat a second-string Liverpool 1-0, ending the Premier League leaders’ hopes of a quartet of trophies this season.
The Pilgrims are bottom of the Championship but City, who reached the fifth round with a 2-1 win at third-tier Leyton Orient on Saturday after going behind early on, have been misfiring this season.
There will be a fourth all-Premier League clash if Nottingham Forest avoid trouble at League One (third tier) Exeter City on Tuesday, with Ipswich Town awaiting the winners.
Aston Villa, who ended Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes on Sunday, host second tier Cardiff City.
The fifth round matches will be played on the weekend of March 1 and 2.
Last 16 draw:
- Preston North End v Burnley
- Aston Villa v Cardiff City
- Doncaster Rovers or Crystal Palace v Millwall
- Manchester United v Fulham
- Newcastle United v Brighton & Hove Albion
- Bournemouth v Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Manchester City v Plymouth Argyle
-Reuters
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A much-changed Liverpool were dumped out of the FA Cup by struggling second-tier side Plymouth Argyle, who pulled off a stunning 1-0 fourth-round win at Home Park on Sunday that put an end to the visitors’ hopes of a quadruple.
The hosts took the lead in the 53rd minute after they were awarded a penalty for a handball by midfielder Harvey Elliott and Ryan Hardie stepped up to send Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher the wrong way.
Premier League leaders Liverpool were bereft of ideas and had just one shot on target in the opening half, with Plymouth keeper Conor Hazard making a diving save in the 36th minute to keep out James McConnell’s long-range shot.
Ahead of the Merseyside derby against Everton on Wednesday, Liverpool made wholesale changes with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Alexis Mac Allister among the big-names rested and left at home.
Liverpool, who were also forced into an early change when defender Joe Gomez went down injured, failed to create many chances in a scrappy encounter as Plymouth, who sit bottom of the second-tier Championship, gradually grew in confidence.
Arne Slot’s side switched gears after going down but Hazard proved to be the hero for Plymouth as the Northern Irishman brilliantly kept out Diogo Jota’s volley in added time, as well as a header from Darwin Nunez.
With Liverpool top of the Premier League, having strolled into the Champions League’s last 16 and reached the League Cup final, some fans and pundits had begun to speculate about a potential quadruple.
Plymouth’s remarkable victory, however, brought a shuddering halt to talk of clean sweep of silverware for Slot’s side, who had only lost three games all season, prior to Sunday.
Meanwhile, there was no surprise in the other FA Cup fourth-round tie with Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers beating second-tier Championship side Blackburn Rovers 2-0 at Ewood Park.
There was little to separate the two teams in the opening minutes before Wolves hit Blackburn with two rapid-fire goals through midfielder Joao Gomes in the 33rd minute and seconds later via forward Matheus Cunha.
Blackburn defender Dominic Hyam had the ball in the back of the net in the 19th minute, but his celebrations were cut short when the linesman’s flag went up for offside.
-Reuters
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