Cup romance lives on in whirlwind weekend
LONDON — Arsenal was dumped out of the FA Cup by an inspired Nottingham Forest on Sunday as major shocks in the competition continued, a day after Mark Hughes was fired by thirdround casualty Stoke City.
West Ham and Leicester survived scares against lowerleague opponents, Manchester City came from behind to crush Burnley 4-1, while new Liverpool signing Virgil van Dijk made an instant impact for the Reds.
Here’s a closer look at these and the other major talking points from the weekend’s third-round action.
Shocks ’n’ awe
The FA Cup weekend was a throwback to the time when the third round used to be a red-letter day on the English soccer calendar, giving the game’s minnows a chance to give the big boys a bloody nose.
In the biggest shock, Nottingham Forest ejected holders Arsenal from the competition on Sunday, while 1972 winner Leeds United were sent packing by feisty Welsh side Newport County, which plays it soccer in the fourth tier of the English game.
The previous day, Premier League struggler Stoke crashed out to third-tier Coventry City, the 1987 champion. The increasing dominance of the Premier League and the high-profile Champions League has pushed the FA Cup down the list of priorities, but there are flickers of life in the world’s most famous domestic cup competition.
Hughes axed
Mark Hughes ran out of time at Stoke City — becoming the seventh Premier League manager to be fired this season after his side’s ignominious FA Cup loss to League Two Coventry.
Hughes, 54, was in charge at Stoke for exactly 200 games, following managerial spells with QPR, Fulham, Manchester City, Blackburn and Wales. Speaking after the defeat, he suggested that going out of the Cup could help the club, which is in the relegation zone.
“The fact we’ve gone out, even if it’s a little bit raw at the moment, might help us,” Hughes said. “At the moment we don’t want to discuss Premier League games, but maybe when we wake up on Monday the reality clearly has to be our league form.”
Virgil off to flier
Virgil van Dijk’s debut for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool could not have gone much better.
The most expensive defender in history, who joined from Southampton this month for $102 million, added solidity at the back and powered home a late winner from a corner against Everton for a 2-1 win.
Liverpool has been on a good run in recent weeks but questions about its defense have never completely disappeared.
Klopp will be hoping van Dijk can help his side end its trophy drought, which dates back to 2012.
Mourinho vs Conte
The war of words between Chelsea boss Antonio Conte and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho shows no sign of abating.
Conte dubbed his Stamford Bridge predecessor “a little man” following his team’s scoreless draw against Norwich City.
Responding to Mourinho talking about him in relation to a past match-fixing scandal in Italy, Conte said: “We all know him very well. But it’s always the same. This is his way.
“It’s not a surprise for me. I think when you try to hurt a person, especially if you know very well the truth of what happens, the court proved my innocence, when you do this it means you are a little man.”