FA Cup

BIRMINGHAM keeper Neil Etheridge claimed he was racially abused in yesterday’s 2-2 FA Cup draw at Blackburn.The Philippines captain, 32, reported it to ref Keith Stroud, who briefly halted the tie.
Neil Etheridge claims he was racially abused during Birmingham’s FA Cup tie with BlackburnCredit: Getty
Etheridge was furious and the game was briefly halted after the alleged abuse from a fanCredit: Getty
And FA chiefs will now investigate.
City boss John Eustace said:  “Neil was racially abused, which is bang out of order.
“There is simply no room for that in society.
“It’s really disappointing that this happened. We don’t condone it at all.
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“The referee will report it and it will be for the authorities to take action. It’s a very serious issue.
“Neil was shaken up after the game. The lads got right behind him and made sure he was OK.”
The keeper was furious amid claims of a slit-eyed gesture from a fan during the fourth-round clash.
Blackburn said: “We are aware of allegations of racist abuse.
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“The club has a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of abuse and discrimination, and will take the strongest possible action against anyone identified committing such offences.”
Birmingham added: “We will assist the FA and authorities accordingly.
“There is no room for racism in the game.” More

MANCHESTER UNITED cruised into the next round of the FA Cup with a 3-1 win over Reading.Two goals from Casemiro and a strike from sub Fred set the Red Devils on their way to victory at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag saw his Man Utd side beat Reading 3-1 in the FA CupCredit: AFP
Their Championship opponents huffed and puffed as United were made to work for their win.
Yet Erik ten Hag will be delighted at seeing his men get over the line as Andy Carroll was also sent off for Reading.
But who was United’s best player on the night? And did anyone have a game to forget?
Here, SunSport’s Neil Custis delivers his player ratings…
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DAVID DE GEA – 7
Didn’t have a lot to do but when called up showed his reactions are as sharp as ever.
Produced a brilliant instinctive stop with his legs to deny Junior Hoilett right on half-time.
But questions remain over future with contract running down.
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Aaron Wan-Bissaka was effective getting up and downCredit: AFP
AARON WAN-BISSAKA – 7
The argument used to be that, yes, he could tackle, but didn’t offer enough further up-field.
Well that is starting to change as he gets more and more involved with United’s attacks.
VICTOR LINDELOF – 6
Called up for the two Cup games this week and has barely put a foot wrong.
Ten Hag has real strength in depth at centre-back.
HARRY MAGUIRE – 6
There is always extra pressure on Maguire when he gets a chance now he is not first choice.
But he looked solid last night as he tries to fight his way back into the team for the Premier League.
TYRELL MALACIA – 5 
Almost cost United right on half-time when he dithered dealing with a cross that allowed Junior Hoilett a shot on goal.
Malacia was thankful for De Gea coming to his rescue.
Casemiro was on top form for Man Utd tonightCredit: Getty
CASEMIRO – 9
What a signing he has been.
Runs games as he strolls from box to box and proves he has an eye for goal as well with two in this victory over Reading.
CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN – 6
Subbed off just short of the hour after a fairly quiet game.
Curled an early free kick just wide.
ANTONY – 7
Got criticised for his performance at Arsenal but has recovered with two good games in four days.
Superb slide-rule through ball for Casemiro’s opener but lost his man for Reading’s goal.
BRUNO FERNANDES – 6
Not at his influential best.
Sent a few long-range shots flying over but did provide the assist for Fred’s goal.
MARCUS RASHFORD – 6 
Denied his moment in history by VAR.
He thought his far post header in the first half had made him the first United player to score in ten straight home games but Wout Weghorst was slightly offside in the build-up.
Wout Weghorst struggled on his home debutCredit: Getty
WOUT WEGHORST – 5
Broke his duck for United at The City Ground in midweek but was quiet on his home debut.
He is not the long-term answer up front for United.
SUBS:
Facundo Pellistri (for Fernandes, 68) – 6 
It has taken a while for him to get his chance but this was his third appearance as a sub recently to show he is in Ten Hag’s plans now.
Alejandro Garnacho (Rashford, 68) – 6
Real one for the future. Loves picking the ball up and just charging at opponents.
Fred (Eriksen, 57) – 8
What an impact he had teeing up Casemiro for his second and got a goal himself with a clever flick of his instep.
Kobbie Mainoo (Casemiro, 73) – 6
Admitted to feeling a bit starstruck when he replaced Casemiro against Charlton and did so again in the second-half here and helped United see the game out.
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Anthony Elanga (Weghorst, 73) – 6
Thought this could be breakthrough season for him but largely being used as a late sub. More

OLD TRAFFORD went Brazil nuts and Andy Carroll simply went nuts as Manchester United cruised into the FA Cup last 16.Samba stars Casemiro – with a double – and Fred were the unlikely marksmen with three in ten second-half minutes, to wreck Paul Ince’s return to his old stomping ground.
Casemiro put the Red Devils ahead with a scooped finishCredit: Getty
Casemiro was outstanding again for UnitedCredit: Getty
Fred celebrates after scoring the Red Devils’ thirdCredit: Getty
Andy Carroll was sent off after two rash challengesCredit: PA
And just to make it a right miserable evening for the Royals boss, he saw striker Carroll sent packing after two ludicrous lunges earned two yellow cards.
Twice he slid in like a runaway horse – or donkey – on Tyrell Malacia and then Casemiro, to leave ref Darren England with a simple decision.
A dismissal, incidentally, which came with a comic slice as Carroll initially headed in the wrong direction, clearly not knowing where the tunnel was.
Mind you, given the problems the one-time Liverpool forward has had in locating the goal in recent times, maybe it should have come as no surprise.
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And talking of goals, few had Casemiro and Fred down as the potential goal getters in a game which United always dominated yet had to wait nearly 55 minutes to break through.
For all Erik ten Hag had set his stall out by naming not far short of his strongest line up, there was plenty of huffing and puffing before the door finally came down.
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If they’d taken a fraction of the chances they created, a place in the fifth round would have been checked by the break as well.
Christian Eriksen curled a free kick inches wide, Bruno Fernandes dinked an effort just over and Wout Weghorst failed to make a proper connection bang in front.
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Keeper Joe Lumley made an impressive save – an absolutely fabulous one you could say – to beat away a Marcus Rashford free kick, and Baba Rahman blocked Eriksen’s follow-up.
Mind you, when it came to blocks, centre-back Tom McIntyre made so many that he’ll wake up with more bruises than a night in a punishment parlour.
And even when it appeared that the dam had finally cracked, technology ruled otherwise.  
Fernandes’ attempted ball into the box came back off McIntyre – again – and sat up for Weghorst to nod back into the danger area.
Rashford arrived at the far post to nod it down and over the line before Lumley dragged it from through his legs and out of his goal.
Yet while United celebrated, Reading survived, as Weghorst was half a blue-line-on-screen offside.
VAR official Dean Whitestone pointed it out and referee England ruled it out.
Considering the last time Stockley Park ruled on a goal at this place was THAT derby strike from Fernandes, maybe it was a case of fortune levelling itself out.
Yet it was fractions at best.
Enough, though, to save Reading.

Just as David De Gea then saved United when Reading enjoyed the rarest of excursions into United territory.
Rahman’s cross drifted to Malacia at the far post, and after Junior Hoilett nicked it off the napping left back, De Gea made a trademark stop with his feet.
Nonetheless, a warning shot that all that possession, all that territorial advantage and all that dominance meant nothing without a breakthrough.
It arrived ten minutes after the break with a goal very much made in Rio and finished in Manchester.
Antony was the architect with a magnificent pass which split the defence to pick out the perfectly timed run of Casemiro.
Crucially Mamadou Loum hesitated for half a second and that was enough for the Brazilian to pounce and dink a marvellous finish over Lumley.
Cue collective sighs of relief around most of Old Trafford… ones which were doubled three minutes later as the same man struck again to end any lingering doubts.
This time Fernandes grabbed the assist, if a simple two-yard lay-off merited it.
For in truth it was all Casemiro’s own work, curling one into the corner from 25 yards.
Well at least it would have been, had it not taken a slight clip off Tom Holmes’ hair en route to the net… even if it hardly altered the flight path.
Time, then, for Ten Hag to give some of his stars a break.
And when Fred replaced Eriksen, he got in on the Samba celebrations by bagging the third.
Again Reading were caught dozing, this time by Fernandes’ quick low ball into the box, and Fred’s finish was straight from the Neymar textbook with a cute close range flick.
All too much for Carroll, whose frustrations boiled over with those two rash dive-in challenges.
At least it gave him longer to dry the pony tail, eh.
In his absence, substitute Amadou Mbengue arrived to power in a consolation header that at least gave an impressive away support something to cheer.
As for United fans?
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Well it was all pretty routine, really, and they remain the only English club still chasing silverware on four fronts.
A quadruple is, admittedly, stretching things a little… but with the strides they are making under Ten Hag, you’d be surprised if they don’t end up with at least one.
Amadou Salif Mbengue scored a consolation goal for Reading from a cornerCredit: PA
It was another impressive outing from the Red DevilsCredit: Reuters More

FANS were all saying the same thing after Andy Carroll was sent off at Manchester United for two horror tackles in “10 minutes of madness.”The Reading striker started his side’s 3-1 FA Cup fourth round defeat at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Andy Carroll was sent off in Reading’s FA Cup defeat at Man UtdCredit: AFP

Fans reacted to the striker’s ‘crazy 10 minutes’ after picking up two yellowsCredit: PA
But he ended up taking an early bath after losing his head in the second half.
Carroll was given his first booking in the 59th minute for bashing into United’s Tyrell Malacia, with his shoulder making contact with the Dutchman’s face.
But instead of cooling down, the ex-Liverpool and Newcastle star continued to barrel around the field.
And not long after Carroll was given his marching orders for a bruising late challenge on Casemiro.

It prompted fans to flood Twitter as they reacted to the incident, with some reckoning he should have been sent off even earlier for some other wild tackles – including a scissor tackle on Christian Eriksen moments earlier.
One said: “Andy Carroll really wanted to be sent off didn’t he! Crazy 10 minutes of late challenges.”
Another declared: “1) Can’t believe Carroll still playing and 2) can’t believe not a straight red for the scissors on Eriksen. Dreadful – never rated him.”
One joked: “Andy Carroll still doing Andy Carroll things.”
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Carroll somehow escaped a booking for this challenge but quickly picked up two yellowsCredit: Reuters
It was a bad night for Carroll as Reading lost 3-1Credit: AFP
And another added: “Andy Carroll is still alive!?”
Carroll’s dramatic behaviour came after United raced into a two-goal lead after the break thanks to a double from Casemiro.
Straight after Carroll’s red card, the hosts scored another through midfielder Fred.
Reading did manage to pull one back with 15 minutes remaining thanks to Amadou Salif Mbengue.
But it was too little, too late as United held on to book their spot in the next round. More

FULHAM fan and Hollywood A-lister Hugh Grant headed to Craven Cottage on Saturday to see his side in FA Cup action.But he appeared to have his view of the action restricted by a pole.
Hugh Grant was spotted appearing to look around a pole during Fulham’s 1-1 draw with SunderlandCredit: Premier Sports
Grant was in the stands cheering on his beloved CottagersCredit: Rex
Built in 1896, Craven Cottage is the oldest football stadium in London.
And despite a shiny new Riverside Stand currently under construction, there are still some structural obstacles elsewhere in the ground.
At today’s 1-1 draw with Sunderland, Love Actually and Notting Hill star Grant was spotted peering around a pole while sitting in the crowd.
He appeared to lean over to his right in order to get a clearer view of the action.
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The film star looked stylish in a flat cap and jacket as he watched his beloved Fulham take on the Black Cats.
Although Grant, 62, had to wait a while before he had anything to cheer about.
Home side Fulham went a goal down to Championship side Fulham just six minutes into the game.
Jack Clarke put the visitors ahead, stroking home after capitalising on an Issa Diop error.
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And the Premier League high-flyers had to wait until the 61st minute for skipper Tom Cairney to level the score.
Captain Cairney showed superb footwork to evade two challenges before firing past Anthony Patterson.
Sunderland thought they had won it at the death when 15-year-old Chris Rigg found the back of the net, but the goal was ruled out for an offside in the build up.
In the end it finished 1-1, meaning the two sides will have to do it all again in a replay for a spot in the FA Cup fifth round. More

PREMIER LEAGUE outfit Leeds have been praised for leaving their changing room spotless after their game against Accrington Stanley.The Yorkshire side faced the League One side in the FA Cup fourth round tie at the Wham Stadium.
Leeds were praised for their gesture to Accrington Stanley after their FA Cup clashCredit: AFP
They left the away dressing room spotlessCredit: Twitter – @MartinSykes6
Leeds won the clash 3-1 with goals coming from Jack Harrison, Junior Firpo and Luis Sinisterra.
Accrington did get a consolation through Leslie Adekoya in the 81st minute.
But it was the sportsmanship gesture after the game that got people pleasing the Premier League side.
Leeds made sure to leave the away changing room spotless as Leeds security member Martin Sykes showed on Twitter.
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Sykes posted a picture of the tidy space, with nothing left behind and all the rubbish in the bin, along with the caption: “That’s respect shown for a beauty little club from the #lufc backroom team.”
And fans on social media loved the gesture, as one Tweeted: “Class from LUFC 💙🤍💛.”
A second commented: “The way Leeds United left the away dressing room at Accrington Stanley today. Classy! 👏.”
A third wrote: “Respect Leeds, that’s what it is all about 👏👏👏.”
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A fourth said: “Big tick for you guys, it doesn’t go unnoticed.”
A fifth joked: “Not so dirty Leeds?”
During the game, one of the Leeds supporters stormed the pitch and performed the worm after one of the goals.
Leeds are now in the fifth round of the competition and will have to wait to see who they face.
The draw for the next round takes place on Monday, January 30 at 7pm. More