This year’s third round of the FA Cup may not have been full of shocks, but that only raises the stakes for the next series of games.
Both Liverpool and Chelsea kicked aside the enemies of the Second Leaguewhile Manchester City recorded eight unanswered goals at home against Salford City. Tottenham Hotspur eventually defeated non-league Tamworth with three goals in extra time after a nervous, goalless opening 90 minutes.
However, superb Brentford were relegated by Championship strugglers Plymouth Argyle, who faced Arne Sloto’s Premier League leaders Liverpool in the fourth round.
Arsenal and Manchester United played out a glamorous third-round tie, with the Red Devils winning on penalties despite playing with ten men for more than an hour to earn a tie against Leicester City next month.
Here’s everything you need to know about a fourth round that could be a little more explosive.
Fans of the oldest cup in England will have to wait until February for the next installment. The 16 matches of the fourth round will be spread over the weekend Saturday, February 8.
As was the case in the third round, the matches could be scheduled from that Thursday to Monday. As the concept of replays has been relegated to the realm of away goals and pass-back rules, all matches end on the day they started.
VAR cannot win. When the controversial refereeing system is in place, hours upon hours are wasted debating the validity of decisions made by those at Stockley Park. In case the technology is not introduced – as it was case for the third round cups – the powerful are criticized for her absence.
Despite this, FA Cup referees will not be able to call on VAR support for the fourth round. In what smacks of an entirely arbitrary decision, video assistance will not be used until the fifth round of the cup.
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