FA Cup

NON-LEAGUE Chorley kept their heroic FA Cup dream alive by beating Wayne Rooney’s Covid-hit Derby 2-0.
The Rams were forced to field the kids as – similarly to Midlands rivals Aston Villa – the whole first-team set-up are in self-isolation with Manchester United legend Rooney watching on from home.

Connor Hall continued his goalscoring FA Cup exploits for ChorleyCredit: Reuters

Mike Calveley stabbed home to secure Chorley’s spot in the fourth roundCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Chorley celebrate their second goal against DerbyCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Eight groundsmen camped out overnight at Chorley to defy bitterly cold conditions and get the game on following a pitch inspection.
And they were rewarded when top scorer Connor Hall bundled in after ten minutes to become the first player to net in the first three rounds of the FA Cup in three years.
Rooney’s side struggled in his absence, failing to muster a single effort on goal in the first 45.
They came back into it after the break but struggled to create enough chances.

And Chorley finally put the result beyond doubt when Mike Calveley stabbed in the all-important second goal after 84 minutes.
National League North mid-table Chorley celebrated progressing in the last round by belting out Adele’s Someone Like You so perhaps the third-round victory over Rooney’s Derby calls for a special rendition of Set Fire to the Wayne.
Blackpool 2-2 West Brom (3-2 pens) AET
Sam Allardyce’s nightmare start to life in charge of West Brom continued with a poor defeat to Blackpool at Bloomfield Road.
The hosts went ahead through Jerry Yates’ unmarked finish at the far-post before a Semi Ajayi header put the Baggies level.

Blackpool pulled of a big upset against struggling West BromCredit: Reuters

Sam Allardyce remains winless in charge of the BaggiesCredit: AFP or licensors
Yates managed to fluff a huge opening after a cross from the right as the third-tier team pushed to lead once again.
Fortunately for the forward, his miss meant little as Gary Madine slotted home his seventh of the season soon after.
A clear handball allowed Matheus Pereira an 80th-minute chance from the spot, which he duly converted.
Extra-time came and went as the game headed to a shootout, with Yates being denied by David Button at the first penalty.
But Chris Maxwell denied Kyle Edwards and Darnell Furlong to put the Tangerines on the edge of an upset.
Sulley Kaikai had the chance to seal the win but agonisingly hit his attempt against the post.
And yet Maxwell stepped up once again to parry Pereira’s effort away, pulling off a huge victory for Neil Critchley’s men.
Burnley 1-1 MK Dons (4-3 pens) AET
Will Norris saved Burnley’s blushes on his Clarets debut with two saves in a penalty shootout win over MK Dons.
Cameron Jerome had earlier rolled back the years as the Dons came within seconds of one of the upsets of the day.

Cameron Jerome set MK Dons on the way to a potentially big winCredit: Reuters

Burnley made amends after Matej Vydra’s late lifelineCredit: Reuters
At 34, the ex-Norwich forward has been quietly putting together a fine season at MK Dons after two seasons in Turkey.
And he latched onto a fine Scott Fraser flick-on to head home a first-half opener at Turf Moor.
The League One side were handed a reprieve by VAR at the end of the half when Richard Keogh’s red card was overturned on review.
Burnley fought for a leveller to begin life under new owners ALK Capital and Matej Vydra slid in to make it 1-1 with the final kick of regular time.
Dons boss Russell Martin was sent off for remonstrating with officials ahead of the added half hour.
Unperturbed, the visitors whacked the post from Ben Gladwin’s fine strike and the tie was forced into a shootout following Dale Stephens’ effort being deflected inches wide.
Vydra could not replicate his injury-time heroics from the spot as Lee Nicholls save Burnley’s first penalty.
It was then Norris’ turn to become the hero as he palmed away Lasse Sorensen’s and Gladwin’s attempts, before Phil Bardsley slammed home the decisive kick.

Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle AET
It took until the 109th minute for Arsenal to make the breakthrough against Newcastle – read our full match report from the Emirates Stadium here.
Everton 2-1 Rotherham United AET
Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton needed an extra-time winner from Abdoulaye Doucoure to scrape past a spirited Rotherham United at Goodison Park.
The Toffees thought they had won the game in normal time when Cenk Tosun reacted fastest to poke home from James Rodriguez’s free-kick with five minutes to play.
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Cenk Tosun dinks over Chelsea loanee Jamal Blackman in the Rotherham goalCredit: Reuters

Matthew Olosunde slides the ball past Robin OlsenCredit: PA:Press Association
But the VAR graph lines proved that Tosun was millimetres offside and the goal was scrubbed off – some beginners luck for VAR newbies Rotherham, playing their first game with the controversial technology.
Tosun had ended a 14-month goal drought inside ten minutes at Goodison Park by dinking the ball past Chelsea loanee Jamal Blackman, after Anthony Gordon’s lovely turn-and-pass split the Rotherham defence open.
But Carlo Ancelotti’s side did not use the early lead to their advantage and let Rotherham back into the tie.
The Millers put a complacent Everton under huge pressure and finally were rewarded when Matthew Olosunde rolled the ball into the corner of the net 11 minutes into the second-half.
But they could not make the most of their VAR reprieve and Rodriguez eventually did turn provider for former Watford midfielder Doucoure, who smoothly stroked the ball home three minutes into extra-time to put Everton in the fourth round.

Manchester United 1-0 Watford
An early Scott McTominay goal did the trick for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side – read our full match report from Old Trafford here.
Stoke City 0-4 Leicester City
The Foxes clearly fancy themselves for a first-ever FA Cup crown and Brendan Rodgers picked a strong side for this trip to the Bet365 Stadium.
James Justin showed that Premier League quality with a stunning opener, cutting onto his right-foot and curling home from range.
Sam Vokes had just squandered a great opening from close-range for the hosts but Marc Albrighton popped up to make it 2-0 after 59 minutes.
Ayoze Perez took advantage of Stoke giving away the ball cheaply, allowing a counter-attack to be finished off by the Spaniard, before Harvey Barnes’ powerful effort rounded off a clinical performance.

Bristol Rovers 2-3 Sheffield United
Chris Wilder’s side battled to a much-needed victory at League One Bristol Rovers after a mad four minutes at the Memorial Stadium.
Lys Mousset and Joe Day competed for a cross in the Blades’ opener, which went down as an own-goal by the Rovers man.
But Alfie Kilgour put the hosts on the board with his own towering header, sending the sides into the break level.
An end-to-end tie was turned back towards the Premier League side on 59 minutes when Oli Burke raced through on the break to bury a one-on-one.
Max Ehmer popped up for a 62nd-minute strike from a set-piece and yet United were ahead again mere seconds later.
A smart move down the right saw Jayden Bogle race into the box for a near-post finish.

Chris Wilder watched his side claim a first win of the campaignCredit: Alamy Live News

Jayden Bogle rolled home the second-half winnerCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Queens Park Rangers 0-2 Fulham AET
Scott Parker’s men avoided their fourth third-round exit in five years despite making seven changes at their West London neighbours.
Aleksandar Mitrovic saw a second-half effort cleared off the line as a quiet affair headed into an extra half hour.
Bobby Decordova-Reid opened the scoring via some smart combination play with Mitrovic on 104 minutes, slotting home from 20 yards out.
The same players were involved in a patient move in stoppage-time that ended with Neeskens Kebano hammering home at the near-post.

Huddersfield Town 2-3 Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth beat Huddersfield in the FA Cup at the fifth time of asking in an exciting game at The John Smith’s Stadium.
Romoney Crichlow opened his Terriers account before Ryan Hardie struck a speedy leveller.
A mad first-half saw Aaron Rowe bury a fantastic effort from distance before Panutche Camara collected a cross and rolled Plymouth back into the game.
The visitors led for the first time after 70 minutes, through Joe Edwards’ finish from a fine Danny Mayor run and cross, and held on to see out another of the day’s upsets.
Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Doncaster Rovers
An upset at Ewood Park with Taylor Richards the Donny hero after being allowed all the time and space he could possibly need to race up the middle of the pitch.
The young midfielder then unleashed a fizzing effort that beat the outstretched palms of Aynsley Pears.
Blackburn knocked on the door and fired off 20 shots to five, but could not find an equaliser as their Carabao Cup win over Doncaster in August was avenged.

Boreham Wood 0-2 Millwall
Kenneth Zohore’s 31st-minute effort gave Millwall a half-time lead away at National League Boreham Wood.
Boreham Wood were playing in the first third-round FA Cup tie of their history.
But Shaun Hutchinson dashed their dreams of progression by heading in for the Lions after 74 minutes.
Scott Malone was a creative bright spark for the men from The Den, assisting both goals in the 2-0 win.
Bournemouth 4-1 Oldham Athletic
After the tie was swapped from a frozen Boundary Park to the South Coast, Bournemouth feasted on their lower-league opponents.
David Brooks opened the scoring via a deflection before Oldham went into the break level thanks to Dylan Bahamboula.
In the second-half, the Cherries made their superiority count with Rodrigo Riquelme scrambling home a winner.
West Ham target Josh King scored twice late on to seal Bournemouth’s spot in Monday’s draw.

Stevenage 0-2 Swansea City
Championship high-flyers Swansea carried their strong form into the FA Cup and led early on thanks to Wayne Routledge’s close-range finish.
Stevenage have become something of a cup specialist in recent years and gave a good showing at a misty Lamex Stadium.
But Viktor Gyokeres sealed the Swans’ passage to the fourth round with his first goal since joining on loan from Brighton.
Stevenage debutant Luke Norris had a low penalty saved by Freddie Woodman late on.
Exeter City 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday
The Owls secured their first-ever win at Exeter with goals in either half.
Adam Reach buried a powerful effort after 27 minutes and Tony Pulis’ men left it late to seal the victory.
Callum Paterson waited patiently for Liam Shaw’s cross to roll home the second in stoppage time.

Liam Shaw and Callum Paterson combined for Sheffield Wednesday’s second in DevonCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Norwich City 2-0 Coventry City
Norwich scored two goals in the first seven minutes of a barnstorming opening to their victory against Coventry.
Kenny McLean and Jordan Hugill scored within one minute of each other on six and seven minutes to give the Canaries a flying start at Carrow Road.
Daniel Farke’s 20-year-old shot-stopper Daniel Barden kept Norwich in front in the second-half denying Maxime Biamou on multiple occasions.
Brentford 2-1 Middlesbrough
An all-Championship affair rocked by coronavirus saw Brentford B boss Neil MacFarlane lead the Bees to the fourth round, after Thomas Franks tested positive for the illness.
With two debutants in a much-changed team, Brentford led through Halil Dervisoglu’s accurate finish in the first-half.
An outbreak in the Middlesbrough team meant they travelled to the capital with a team of kids, and Sam Folarin came off the bench to level the score.
The winger had replaced Marcus Browne after a nasty injury to the 23-year-old, who was stretchered off and required oxygen in a seven-minute stoppage.
Halil turned provider for Saman Ghoddos to score his first Brentford goal, and the winner, in the second-half.

Wycombe Wanderers 4-1 Preston North End
Wycombe put away Championship rivals Preston early on at Adams Park, Fred Onyedinma notching a third-minute header.
Joe Jacobson and Josh Knight then scored to kill the tie in the first-half, sending the Wanderers through to the fourth round for only the third time.
Preston had nicked a point late on in their league meeting last month but there were no such heroics this time around, Emil Riis Jakobsen scoring a consolation from the spot.
Alex Samuel buried a quick move to confirm the win on 82 minutes.
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Cardiff City
Lyle Taylor’s thumping volley gave Nottingham Forest the lead against Cardiff.
A side-footed slammer after just three minutes from Gaetan Bong’s cross into the box, caught Neil Harris’ Bluebirds off guard.
And they never recovered with Michael Dawson’s side taking a spot in the fourth-round draw.

Nottingham Forest striker Lyle Taylor smashed home a rocket after just three minutesCredit: Alamy Live News

Luton Town 1-0 Reading
Luton had the better of the all-Championship clash at Kenilworth Road.
George Moncur’s effort after 30 minutes gave Nathan Jones’ side a deserved win against familiar foes in the shape of the Royals – it was the third meeting between the sides already this season.

National League Chorley belt out Adele’s someone like you in the changing room More

THE romance of the Cup may have been wrecked for some, but in this part of Lancashire it is a stronger love affair than ever.
Ignore all this talk about clubs having to field patched-up line-ups because of the virus.

Chorley players blast out Adele in their dressing roomCredit: Twitter @chorleyfc

Forget the fact some of this year’s third round ties have literally been men against boys match-ups.
The bald facts are these…on Monday Chorley, tiny mid-table National League North Chorley, will be in the hat for the back-to-back, last-32 and last-16 draws.
And in five years’ time, do you really think anyone from these parts will look back on this day and say “ah yes, but we only did that because Derby couldn’t field a proper team?”
And they celebrated with another rendition of Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ in their dressing room.

There will be no asterisk in the record books. There will be no mention of the fact Wayne Rooney and his senior stars were watching from home.
No paragraph pointing out that the Rams had 11 kids making their debut and an average age of 19.
Nothing highlighting that they actually went into it as the bookies’ favourites, for all the two clubs are worlds apart.
Just the scoreline. One which – whatever the strengths or weaknesses of the opposition – will go down as the most memorable in Chorley’s existence.

Chorley mob Mike Calveley after he poached their match-sealing second goal for the greatest result in the Non-Leaguers’ historyCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Midfielder Mike Calveley stabs home to finish off Derby’s youngstersCredit: PA:Press Association
Goals from Connor Hall, as prolific a striker as you find at this level, and a late clincher from Mike Calveley made sure of that.
And now, thanks to both round four and round five being drawn on Monday, they can dream of bringing the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea to Victory Park.
Okay, it’s a bit fanciful to think they may end up playing host to both Jurgen Klopp AND Frank Lampard, but you can always dream.
After all, it’s doubtful whether even manager Jamie Vermiglio would have dared imagine they would get this far, for all we are – as we’ve heard a million times – living in unprecedented times.
To be fair, Chorley never seriously looked in danger of not progressing yesterday. Indeed, their biggest scare had come in the early hours, rather than the match itself.
That was when groundsman Ben Kay, sleeping under the huge blanket covering the pitch, awoke to discover the generator had packed up.
It took a frantic call and a hasty dash from an engineer to hotfoot it to the ground, fix the problem, and ensure the tie didn’t fall victim to the frost. How ironic that he came from Derby!
As for the match itself? Well from the minute centre forward Hall headed the minnows ahead, you knew how it would go.

Connor Hall, who only turned his loan move from Woking into a permanent switch on December 24, hails his breakthrough goal for Chorley vs Derby Credit: Getty Images – Getty

Striker Connor Hall heads Chorley in front early on as the sixth-tier side made history with a 2-0 win over DerbyCredit: Reuters
It certainly won’t be elbowing the likes of Ronnie Radford down the list of unforgettable FA Cup strikes.
But to the 22-year-old who is scoring goals for fun this season, it may as well have been a 20-yard screamer, rather than the head tennis it actually was.
When Will Tomlinson swung over a corner, Harry Cardwell, then a combination of Scott Leather and Mike Calveley nodded on, and Hall nodded in.
Ollie Shenton blazed another just over the top soon afterwards, as did the impressive Elliott Newby, and if either had gone in you feared the kids could have got a bit of a spanking.
So full credit to them for the fact they didn’t. Indeed, they actually did their best after the break to take the battle to Chorley.
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But you know what they say about how a good big ‘un will always beat a good little ‘un. And this time the minnows were the mighty.
Never more obvious, by the way, than the highly amusing sight of pint-sized Rams midfielder Liam Thompson standing beside man mountain Harry Cardwell at one stage.
Still, with only one goal between them, you never know. And you couldn’t fault the Derby kids in terms of effort and determination.
But for all that, they didn’t manage a real pulse-raising chance beyond the fifth minute, when for a second Cameron Cresswell thought he’d won a penalty.
Yet keeper Matt Urwin had got his left foot to the ball as Cresswell haired through on goal, and although the player tumbled, ref Kevin Friend was indeed right to rule no spot kick.

That, sadly for the visitors, was as good as it got for them.
They huffed and puffed aplenty, but never got really close again…and seven minutes from the end Calveley reached out to poke home Newby’s delivery, and it was job done.
And from the level of shouts and screams from the Chorley bench, you try telling them the FA Cup isn’t what it was. More

NON-LEAGUE Chorley kept their heroic FA Cup dream alive by beating Wayne Rooney’s Covid-hit Derby 2-0.
The Rams were forced to field the kids as – similarly to Midlands rivals Aston Villa – the whole first-team set-up are in self-isolation with Manchester United legend Rooney watching on from home.

Connor Hall continued his goalscoring FA Cup exploits for ChorleyCredit: Reuters

Mike Calveley stabbed home to secure Chorley’s spot in the fourth roundCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Chorley celebrate their second goal against DerbyCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Eight groundsmen camped out overnight at Chorley to defy bitterly cold conditions and get the game on following a pitch inspection.
And they were rewarded when top scorer Connor Hall bundled in after ten minutes to become the first player to net in the first three rounds of the FA Cup in three years.
Rooney’s side struggled in his absence, failing to muster a single effort on goal in the first 45.
They came back into it after the break but struggled to create enough chances.

And Chorley finally put the result beyond doubt when Mike Calveley stabbed in the all-important second goal after 84 minutes.
National League North mid-table Chorley celebrated progressing in the last round by belting out Adele’s Someone Like You so perhaps the third-round victory over Rooney’s Derby calls for a special rendition of Set Fire to the Wayne.
Everton 2-1 Rotherham United AET
Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton needed an injury-time winner from Abdoulaye Doucoure to scrape past a spirited Rotherham United at Goodison Park.
The Toffees thought they had won the game in normal time when Cenk Tosun reacted fastest to poke home from James Rodriguez’s free-kick with five minutes to play.

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Cenk Tosun dinks over Chelsea loanee Jamal Blackman in the Rotherham goalCredit: Reuters

Matthew Olosunde slides the ball past Robin OlsenCredit: PA:Press Association

Abdoulaye Doucoure stroked home the winner for Ancelotti’s sideCredit: PA:Press Association
But VAR graph lines proved that Tosun was millimetres offside and the goal was scrubbed off – some beginners luck for VAR newbies Rotherham, playing their first game with the controversial technology.
Tosun had ended a 14-month goal drought inside ten minutes at Goodison Park by dinking the ball past Chelsea loanee Jamal Blackman after Anthony Gordon’s lovely turn and pass split the Rotherham defence open.
But Carlo Ancelotti’s side did not use the early lead to their advantage and let Rotherham back into the tie.
The Millers put a complacent Everton under huge pressure and finally were rewarded when Matthew Olosunde rolled the ball into the corner of the net 11 minutes into the second-half.
But they could not make the most of their VAR reprieve and Rodriguez eventually did turn provider for former Watford midfielder Doucoure who smoothly stroked the ball home three minutes into extra time to put Everton in the fourth round.

Norwich 2-0 Coventry City
Norwich scored TWO goals in the first seven minutes of a barnstorming opening to their victory against Coventry.
Kenny McLean and Jordan Hugill scored within one minute of each other on six and seven minutes to give the Canaries a flying start at Carrow Road.
Daniel Farke’s 20-year-old shot-stopper Daniel Barden kept Norwich in front in the second-half denying Maxime Biamou on multiple occasions.
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Cardiff

Nottingham Forest striker Lyle Taylor smashed home a rocket after just three minutesCredit: Alamy Live News
Lyle Taylor’s thumping volley gave Nottingham Forest the lead against Cardiff.
A side-footed slammer after just three minutes from Gaetan Bong’s cross into the box, caught Neil Harris’ Bluebirds off guard.
And they never recovered with Michael Dawson’s side taking a spot in the fourth-round draw.
Luton 1-0 Reading
Luton had the better of the all Championship clash at Kenilworth Road.
George Moncur’s effort after 30 minutes gave Nathan Jones’ side a deserved win against familiar foes in the shape of the Royals – it was the third meeting between the sides already this season.
Boreham Wood 0-2 Millwall
Kenneth Zohore’s 31st minute effort gave Millwall a half-time lead away at National League Boreham Wood.
Boreham Wood were playing in the first third-round FA Cup tie of their history.
But Shaun Hutchinson dashed their dreams of progression by heading in for the Lions after 74 minutes.
Scott Malone was a creative bright spark for the men from The Den, assisting both goals in the 2-0 win.

National League Chorley belt out Adele’s someone like you in the changing room More