Wolves stun Liverpool with third home defeat

LIVERPOOL sank deeper into their mid-season rut when Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers claimed a deserved 2-1 FA Cup fourthround victory at Anfield as the competition lived up to its reputation for shocks on Saturday.

Goals by Richard Stearman and Andreas Weimann proved enough for Wolves, 18th in the second tier, to inflict a third home defeat in a week on Jürgen Klopp’s faltering side who managed only one win in eight matches this month.

Fourth-tier Wycombe Wanderers, 70 places below Tottenham in the English pyramid, were minutes away from trumping Wolves with a giantkilling away win over Premier League title hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur but lost a thriller 4-3.

Lincoln City, one of two survivors from outside the Football League, continued their dream run with a 3-1 home victory against Championship leaders Brighton & Hove Albion to reach the fifth round for the first time since 1887.

Rafael Benitez’s Newcastle United, Brighton’s close rivals for promotion to the top flight, slipped up to lower-level opponents, outplayed 3-0 at League One’s Oxford United.

Arsenal made light of a touchline ban for manager Arsene Wenger as Theo Walcott scored a hat-trick and Danny Welbeck struck twice in a 5-0 hammering of League Cup finalists Southampton at St Mary’s while Manchester City outclassed Crystal Palace 3-0 at Selhurst Park.

Premier League leaders Chelsea breezed past second-tier Brentford 4-0, Middlesbrough beat Accrington Stanley 1-0 and Burnley saw off Bristol City 2-0.

Blackburn Rovers won a north-west derby 2-0 against Blackpool. — Reuters