This weekend, the magic of the FA Cup was akin to the sorcery of an episode of “Stranger Things.” It was an Upside Down in which the biggest teams in England’s grandest division fell victim to — or survived narrow escapes — against seemingly no-hopers from the lower leagues.
In Germany, Borussia Dortmund weren’t the beneficiaries of the patented “new manager bounce,” with the Schwarzgelben falling in Niko Kovač’s debut in the dugout.
Meanwhile in LaLiga, Barcelona took advantage of the stalemate in the Madrid derby Saturday to close in on the league’s leading pair with a victory that now sees the top three clubs in Spain separated by only two points.
Luis Miguel Echegaray, Sam Marsden and Constantin Eckner make observations from across Europe to bring you up to speed on what you might have missed this weekend.
The FA Cup’s fourth round gave us plenty of dramatic highlights and delivered various narratives from across the board. From six-goal thrillers and penalty shootouts in a Championship matchup to absolute bangers that caused mayhem in the stands, there was something for everyone.
Let’s begin with the struggles from the top of the Premier League table. If Nottingham Forest lose to Exeter City on Tuesday, that will mean the current top four (Liverpool, Arsenal, Forest and Chelsea) of England’s top flight will be out of the competition. The Premier League sides that are still in don’t look dominant, so there’s a chance — not a great chance but a chance nonetheless — that a team from the lower leagues could reach the final. It’s highly improbable, but never say never.
Plymouth Argyle earned a historic victory over Arne Slot’s Liverpool, Leyton Orient led against Manchester City for 40 minutes before eventually losing and Tom Brady’s Birmingham City fought extremely hard before succumbing to Newcastle United. We’ll see if League Two’s Doncaster Rovers can create more magic Monday against Crystal Palace.
In an all-Premier League affair Sunday, Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio made their Aston Villa debuts as Unai Emery’s side won 2-1 against Tottenham Hotspur. Villa are now in the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in 10 years.
The oldest knockout competition in the world seldom disappoints.
Plymouth Argyle are at the very bottom of the Championship. They have conceded more goals than any other team in the top four divisions of English football (63), and what did they do Sunday? They won 1-0 against the leaders of the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
It was a magnificent, historic victory in front of their fans at Home Park. It was Liverpool’s first defeat in the competition to lower-league opposition while topping the table since 1984. Sure, Slot rotated his team and there’s an argument to make that he was perhaps slightly arrogant in his selection as the clearly had an eye on Wednesday’s Merseyside derby, but you can’t take anything away from Argyle, who quite simply became warriors against arguably the best team in Europe.
“We all came here today with a dream and we have done it,” goal scorer Ryan Hardie said to ITV. “I don’t know what to say.”
Hardie didn’t need to say anything. Just savor the moment.
This might prove to be a controversial take because Tomoki Iwata’s screamer for Birmingham against Newcastle was a majestic cannon of a half volley that nearly broke the net so it really deserves a mention, so does Kaoru Mitoma’s delightful finish for Brighton & Hove Albion against Chelsea. The FA Cup is all about David-over-Goliath moments of glory that have the power to electrify an entire stadium with a single opportunity, though, and that’s exactly what Jamie Donley’s 50-yard shot did for Leyton Orient against Man City.
It was the 16th minute at Gaughan Group Stadium and both teams were at a stalemate when the Spurs loanee saw Ortega off his line and attempted an audacious attempt. The ball bounced back off the bar and proceeded to hit the German goalkeeper before going into the net. It was a ridiculous moment and one that provided nothing but joy for the League One side. City won 2-1 in the end, but thanks to that opening goal, Orient fans went into pandemonium and experienced a moment they’ll never forget.
