FA Cup

JOE WILLOCK thought that 2020-21 was going to be his breakthrough year at Arsenal.
But that’s not the way things have worked out so far for the young midfielder.

Academy product Joe Willock rues his headed miss before the Gunners went on to beat Newcastle 2-0 after extra time in the FA CupCredit: AP:Associated Press

England Under-21 midfielder Joe Willock blew this big chance to seal it for Arsenal in normal time after his latest so-so displayCredit: Getty Images – Getty

And while his academy pals Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe have emerged as key figures in the Gunners revival, Willock is suddenly left wondering where he figures in the manager’s plans.
Saka and Smith Rowe were both rotated to the bench as Arsenal kicked off their defence of the competition which they have won more times than any other club.
And that meant an overdue opportunity for Willock to make an impression in the middle of the park.
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Anchoring the midfield alongside Mohamed Elneny in a 4-2-3-1 formation wasn’t exactly the playmaker role which he craves.
But beggars can’t be choosers and Mikel Arteta was relying on Willock’s energy and athleticism to lead the press of which he is so keen.
He certainly had his work cut out against Newcastle’s five-man midfield but that didn’t stop him looking to break forward into the penalty-area at every opportunity.
Those late bursts from deep have been a feature of Arsenal’s play in this season’s Europa League campaign.

Willock has been the stand-out star in that competition so far, scoring three times to help his team win all six of their group games.
But running the show against the likes of Dundalk, Molde and Rapid Vienna is one thing.  
Doing it on a consistent basis in the Premier League is a totally different proposition and one which Arteta doesn’t yet trust Willock to carry out.

Scoring substitute Emile Smith Rowe made a much bigger impact than Joe Willock, while fellow youngster Bukayo Saka, left, has had a stunning seasonCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Since the Spaniard took charge at the Emirates 13 months ago, Willock has managed just four starts in the League.
No wonder he could barely contain his frustration when he was hooked in the goalless draw at Leeds in November.
Because the suspicion remains that Arteta is still not totally convinced by a player who saw far more under action when Unai energy was in charge than he has this past year.
At just 21-years-old, there is still plenty of time for the young North Londoner to prove his worth to his manager.
But having seen brothers Chris and Matty both failing to make the grade in big-time football, you could forgive him for starting to worry about his own long-term prospects.
This was a game which he needed to take by the scruff of the neck in front of a nationwide TV audience on BBC1.
He saw plenty of the ball against a Newcastle team who were clearly happy to play with ten men in their own half and challenge Arsenal to break them down.
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But there were too many times when he was guilty of taking the safe option of a sideways pass rather than seeking to open the opposition up with something more imaginative.
There is a clearly a decent player in there, but without regular first team opportunities you do wonder if that talent will be allowed to blossom at Arsenal.
Maybe his confidence has taken a bit of a bashing as a result of spending more time on the substitutes’ bench than he expected.
His most memorable moment of this disappointing Cup tie was when he took an arm in the face from Andy Carroll as he contested an aerial challenge with the Newcastle striker.
But he was also guilty of conceding a number of free-kicks in his own half which invited Newcastle to test Arsenal’s ability to defend set-pieces.
He should have forced a breakthrough when he was picked out by Nicolas Pepe’s 64th minute cross right in front of goal.

But he sent his unchallenged header down into the turf to give keeper Martin Dubravka the extra split second he needed to make a crucial save.
It was to prove a disappointing final contribution to the match before being replaced by Granit Xhaka two minutes later.
And with Thomas Partey set to return from injury and Arsenal looking to sign a box-to-box midfielder this month, Willock knows he can’t keep allowing these chances to pass him by.

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EMILE SMITH ROWE saw red, then yellow and finally gave Arsenal’s FA Cup defence the green light with an extra-time breakthrough.
Second-half substitute Smith Rowe seemed set to miss the added 30 minutes after initially being sent off in stoppage-time for a foul on Sean Longstaff.

Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe hails his extra-time breakthrough after his VAR red card let-offCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Sub Emile Smith Rowe bags the Gunners’ opener with a neat finish, having earned a reprieve on VAR just before extra timeCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

Arsenal’s extra-time heroes Emile Smith Rowe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrateCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

Emile Smith Rowe’s challenge barely made contact and was reduced from a red to yellow card offence after ref Chris Kavanagh watched replaysCredit: BBC

But the decision was reviewed and the Gunners midfielder made the most of his reprieve in the 119th-minute of a distinctly average game.
Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang added the second, but until then there had been little to warm the cockles on a bitterly cold evening.
In normal time, the strikers who had at one time or other been talismanic for their teams wasted the best openings.
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Aubameyang failed to convert two chances that you would have backed him to bury before his poor form began in the wake of him signing a lucrative new contract.
Newcastle’s Andy Carroll could not break the deadlock when presented with the kind of opportunities he used to make count when he was deemed worthy of a £35m move to Liverpool and an England place.

But when fellow substitutes Bukayo Saka and Alexandre Lacazette combined to help the ball on to Smith Rowe, he produced the moment of quality that the match had been so desperately lacking.
Taking the ball on his chest, the 20 year old took himself on the wrong side of a Newcastle defence that had worked so hard to keep Arsenal at bay.

And Smith Rowe found the finish that had eluded Aubameyang and Carroll.
Aubameyang tucked home a goal of his own from Kieran Tierney’s cross and the holders were through to the fourth round.
Nothing says the magic of the cup quite like two mid-table Premier League sides making seven changes each for a game in a 60,000-seater stadium without fans.
A couple of Newcastle’s alterations were at least positive.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang watches as his sidefoot shot doubles Arsenal’s victory marginCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

Bernd Leno brilliantly foils Newcastle striker Andy Carroll in stoppage time to the normal 90 minutesCredit: EPA

Joe Willock can’t believe after seeing Newcastle keeper Martin Dubravka thwart his headerCredit: AP:Associated Press
Captain Jamaal Lascelles was back after being absent from the team since the end of November when Covid-19 swept through the club’s training ground.
And goalkeeper Martin Dubravka made his first appearance of the season following his recovery from a long-term heel injury.
But Bruce named only seven of his permitted nine substitutes to lay bare once more the challenges facing clubs in a congested winter schedule during a pandemic.
Arsenal themselves went down to eight when Gabriel Martinelli was injured in the warm-up.
Within a minute, late replacement Reiss Nelson found himself in space down the left only to hit a tame shot and Bruce turned the freezing air bluer still with a tirade against right-wing back Emil Krafth.
There was another warning for the visitors down the same flank when Lascelles was forced to take Nelson out with an agricultural challenge near the halfway line and earn an early booking. 
But after that the visitors looked pretty secure for the most part..
Happy to slip into a 5-4-1 when out of possession, they closed down the spaces where Arsenal’s forwards like to play.
Aubameyang had a particularly quiet opening quarter of the game before the best chance of the half fell to him.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang misses a golden chance before extra timeCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta saw his side struggle to dominate vs NewcastleCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

 Cedric Soares and Joe Willock face up to Newcastle striker Joelinton Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
A quickly-taken free kick played him in down the right but Dubravka made a decent save and Willian sent the follow-up well high and wide.
Arsenal looked the more likely team to score but a combination of indecision and good defending stopped Nelson and Nicolas Pepe turning decent openings into something more.
The only thing working harder than Newcastle was Bruce’s voice, as louder cries of “Get out!” broke up a continuous stream of instructions to his team.
Carroll’s best first-half work had been in his own box, but he should have given Newcastle the lead after the break.
After sending a header wide and then producing his team’s first shot on target, the former England striker missed a gilt-edged chance. 
Assistant referee Ian Hussin wrongly flagged Carroll offside from Jeff Hendrick’s cross-shot but if the Newcastle forward had put the ball in the net, rather than wide, it would surely have been declared a goal by VAR.
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Fortunately for Carroll, Aubemeyang was also lacking conviction, making a mess of his finish after breaking the offside trap.
Dubravka then did wellkept out a Joe Willock header and other half-chances also came and went for the home team.
Elliot Anderson came on for his Newcastle debut in the hope he could provide a Louie Barry moment. In a frenzied climax to normal time, the 18 year old almost did.
When his initial shot was blocked, the ball fell for Carroll but Leno made a match-saving stop.

Almost immediately Arsenal’s task seemed to have become harder, when referee Chris Kavanagh showed Emile Smith Rowe a red card for a challenge on Sean Longstaff.
But Kavanagh downgraded it to a yellow after being advised to look at a replay by the VAR and it remained 11 v 11.
Dubravka made a brilliant save to keep out Granit Xhaka’s fine effort early in the first period of extra time but Arsenal’s pressure finally told.

Willian fires an early effort for Arsenal at home to NewcastleCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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EVERTON striker Cenk Tosun has denied making the far-right ‘Grey Wolves’ gesture after scoring against Rotherham.
The 29-year-old wheeled away after scoring what he thought was his second goal to put the Toffees 2-1 in the FA Cup third round clash.

Everton striker Cenk Tosun has denied making the ‘Grey Wolves’ sign

This is the sign to show support for the Grey WolvesCredit: AFP – Getty

The Turkish international held his arms apart before pointing them at the sky, with his fingers in a similar form to the sign made by members of the extremist group.
The goal ended up being disallowed, but Everton scraped through in the end thanks to Abdoulaye Doucoure’s extra-time winner.
But much of the talk after the game was around Tosun’s celebration.
However, according to the Liverpool Echo Tosun ‘made it clear he had not made the gesture, or even being aware of the group based in Turkey’.

He claimed “he was simply pointing to the sky in thanks”.
The Grey Wolves are an ultra-nationalist neo-fascist group based in Turkey.
They are the largest right-wing extremist organisation in Germany and were banned by the French government last year.
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.

Devlet Bahceli, leader of Turkeys Nationalist Movement Party, has been known for supporting the far-right movementCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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.

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JAMIE VERMIGLIO hailed “incredible” Chorley groundsman Ben Kay.
Kay slept overnight on the PITCH to save the FA Cup dream of the National League minnows.

Chorley groundsman Ben Kay went above and beyond to ensure the FA Cup shock went ahead

The game was in doubt after snow and a blown heaterCredit: PA:Press Association

And his hard work allowed Vermiglio’s men to KO Covid-hit Derby to reach the fourth round and bag a £500,000 jackpot. But not before a blown heater threatened to KO the tie.
Boss Vermiglio revealed the late scare which went close to wrecking their giant-killing hopes.
He said: “Last night, I’m on my laptop watching Derby’s Under-23s and I get a message saying it’s in doubt.
“I phoned groundsman Ben Kay, who said it was 50-50. I FaceTimed him at 2am knowing he was staying at the stadium and he wasn’t positive.

“One of the heaters had blown and he was worried we wouldn’t get the tie on.
“I FaceTimed him again at 6am and someone else answered the phone and showed him fast asleep in the middle of the pitch.
“He’d slept here to make sure we got it on — it’s incredible really.”
Goals from Connor Hall and Mike Calveley saw off a Rams side made up of U23 and U18 kids, with all the seniors missing because of Covid.

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Chroley boss Jamie Vermiglio hailed the ground staff after recording a famous FA Cup win over Wayne Rooney’s Derby CountyCredit: Reuters
Interim manager Wayne Rooney was another absentee — but the England legend still found time to give the Chorley chief a pre-match call.
Vermiglio added: “Credit to Wayne, I don’t know him personally but he phoned before the game and apologised that he couldn’t be here.
“That was really humble and a surprise. I was wondering where Coleen was because the kids were shouting down his ear!

“I wanted to compete against him — but I would not swap that now for us getting through to the fourth-round proper.
“The only unfortunate thing is if this was two seasons ago, this ground would’ve been absolutely pumping and jumping.
“Now if you can organise it, I’d like Liverpool away in the next round please!”

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