Middlesbrough 1 – 0 Tottenham
Middlesbrough became one of the standout teams of the FA cup this season after knocking out Manchester United at Old Trafford in the FA cup 4th round.
On Tuesday night, Tottenham became another “top six” victim of Middlesbrough’s fantastic cup run. The 8th placed championship side have found themselves in an FA cup quatre-final, facing the opportunity to take part in their first semi-final in this FA cup since 2006. It would be only their third appearance in an FA cup semi-final in the club’s history.
Josh Coburn was the hero of the evening, with his 107th minute strike giving Middlesbrough another night to remember.
Kane might argue his disallowed goal was harsh after he was seen pulling on the defender’s shirt. It appeared that both players had hold of each other.
However, no one can stay Middlesbrough didn’t deserve to progress to the next round, creating many good chances throughout the 120 minutes.
Middlesbrough goalkeeper Joe Lumley played a massive part in his side’s win. After a Spur’s corner took a deflection, it looked as if it would bobble in, but the keeper showed great reactions and kept his team in the lead.
Peterborough 0 – 2 Manchester City
Manchester City remain favourites for the FA cup following a standard 2-0 win for the English champions. Pep put out a very strong side, showing his full respect to the team sat rock bottom of the championship.
Peterborough survived the first half without conceding, but it was only a matter of time.
Mahrez gave the visitors the lead before Phil Foden produced a phenomenal pass to set up Jack Grealish for his first ever FA cup goal.
Peterborough players can be proud of their performance. They managed to create opportunities and had three attempted on target, more than a lot of Premier League sides have managed against Man City this season.
Crystal Palace 2 – 1 Stoke
Despite Stoke struggling in the championship this season, Patrick Viera will have known this would be a tough game.
Throughout the match Stoke had more attempts at goal. They certainly had their chances to progress to the quarter-finals.
It was Kouyate who opened the scoring for Crystal Palace but Stoke fought back well with a deserved equaliser through Tymon.
In the end, Palace’s Premier League quality showed, and Riedewald scored an 82nd minute winner to send Palace through.
Southampton 3 – 1 West Ham
Southampton’s fine league form carried over into the FA cup where they impressively knocked out West Ham, a team who have been challenging with the “top six” this season.
Despite Antonio scoring for West Ham, goals from Perraud, Ward-Prowse and Broja sent Southampton through to a deserved FA cup quarter-final.
This is a very disappointing result for David Moyes’ side. With top four slipping away from them, and now knocked out of both domestic cups, West Ham fans may look back at this season with a lot of regret.
Have West Ham missed a golden opportunity?
Luton 2 – 3 Chelsea
This match proved to be one of the most thrilling of the round.
Luton, who are currently in a championship play-off position, more than held their own against a strong Chelsea side.
They managed to take the led not once but twice in the first half.
Into the second half, they still had a massive job on their hands to maintain their lead for their quarter-final spot. Unfortunately for them, Chelsea’s quality finally shone through as Werner and Lukaku saved the club’s blushes and kept Chelsea in the FA cup.
A great cup run for Luton, but ultimately it could be a blessing in disguise as they are currently in a battle for promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs.
Liverpool 2 – 1 Norwich
Minamino is proving to be the perfect player to get Jurgen Klopp a result in the domestic cups. In eight appearances in the League and FA Cup this season, the Japanese international has managed seven goals and one assist.
After a comfortable first half for Liverpool thanks to a brace from Minamino, Liverpool took their foot off the gas and seemed to be cruising into the quarter-finals.
A lack of concentration in defence allowed Norwich to close the gap by one goal, creating a nervous atmosphere around Anfield for the final 15 minutes.
Despite this, Liverpool’s showed their experience and saw the game out, not allowing Norwich to create much more.
If they hadn’t managed this, there would’ve been more controversary surrounding VAR. A Norwich defender seemingly blocked Diogo Jota’s shot on goal with his arm when the score was 2-0. Players, fans and even commentators seemed bemused that nothing had been given. Fortunately for the officials, Liverpool’s win means this didn’t become a huge talking point.
However, with many poor VAR and refereeing decisions in English football this season (most recently at Goodison Park), is it important that we review it as soon as possible?
Everton 2 – 0 Boreham
Everton survived an FA cup upset by beating the team 79 league places below them. It brings the end to an incredible cup run.
Boreham Wood were a reminder for everyone just how magical the FA cup can be.
They didn’t go out without a fight and managed to keep the score level in a stale game for almost an hour.
Salomon Rondon gave Everton the lead in the 57th minute and secured the victory with a second in the 84th.
Despite Everton’s poor form in the league this season, their fans will be hopeful that a trip to Wembley is on the cards as the club look to secure their first FA cup semi-final since 2012.
FA Cup Quarter-Final Draw
Middlesbrough v Chelsea
Southampton v Manchester City
Crystal Palace v Everton
Nottingham Forest/Huddersfield Town v Liverpool