MAGNIFICENT LATICS PICK OFF CHERRIES
PAUL Cook’s Wigan are flying high at the top of League One – and now they’re adding FA Cup giant-killings to their superb season.
The Latics – who won the Cup just five years ago – put Premier League Bournemouth to the sword at a rain-soaked DW Stadium on Wednesday, running out convincing 3-0 winners.
Sam Morsy coolly tucked home the opener in the ninth minute after Cherries keeper Artur Boruc had saved from Will Grigg. It was in the second half that the Latics put the game to bed against a side featuring eight changes from the side which beat Arsenal at the weekend.
Sub Dan Burn had been on the pitch only a couple of minutes when his instinctive effort crashed in off the underside of the bar on 73 minutes, while Callum Elder’s superb back-post header made it three just three minutes later.
Wigan now have a tasty home tie to look forward to against West Ham next Saturday. Ironically, the Hammers knocked out the Latics’ promotion rivals Shrewsbury in the third round, winning Tuesday’s replay 1-0, courtesy of Reece Burke’s 112th-minute winner.
Excellent
Delighted Wigan boss Cook said: “It was great for some of the lads who haven’t been playing recently to get minutes. And to a man they were excellent, so great credit to them. The other lads who played were brilliant as well.
“West Ham at home in the fourth round is a fantastic tie.”
While Wigan celebrated, there was heartbreak for Championship side
Norwich City at Chelsea on Wednesday. It appeared as though the Premier League side would edge through, thanks to Michy Batshuayi’s 55th-minute goal. However, the Canaries drew level in dramatic style as 19year-old left-back Jamal Lewis headed home off the post for his first senior goal deep into stoppage time.
The Blues – fuming they hadn’t been awarded a penalty when Timm Klose clipped Willian – then had Pedro and Alvaro Morata sent off for two bookable offences late in extratime and the game went to penalties.
Antonio Conte’s men held their nerve to win 5-3 after Blues keeper Willy Caballero saved Norwich’s first spot-kick from Nelson Oliveira.
It was also the end of the road for another ChampiJon
onship team, league leaders
Wolves. They went down 2-1 at Premier League strugglers Swansea.
Jordan Ayew’s superb individual effort gave Carlos Carvalhal’s Swans an 11thminute lead, but Wolves were right back in it when sub Diogo Jota’s effort squeezed in on 66 minutes. Jota had come on two minutes earlier.
However, Wilfried Bony struck the winner just three minutes later to earn the Swans a trip to Notts County in round four.
The previous night, higher division clubs held sway in their replays. Kelechi Iheanacho scored both goals for Premier League Leicester as they saw off League One
Fleetwood at the King Power Stadium.
Awarded
Iheanacho’s second was the first goal to be awarded by a video assistant referee in English football, while ex-Fleetwood star Jamie Vardy came on for the Foxes late on. They now go to another League One side, Peterborough, in the fourth round. Mansfield’s hopes of a mouth-watering tie at home against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City were sunk as they were put to the sword by Neil Warnock’s Cardiff.
Bruno Ecuele Manga gave the visiting Bluebirds a 34thminute lead, but Danny Rose equalised almost immediately. However, Cardiff made the two-level gap between the sides count in the second half.
Junior Hoilett helped himself to a double, while Anthony Pilkington also netted as Cardiff ran out 4-1 victors.
Dadi Bodvarsson was the star of the show for Reading, hitting a hat-trick as they brushed aside Stevenage 3-0 to line up a fourth round tie at fellow Championship side Sheffield Wednesday.
The Owls booked their place by beating another League Two side, Carlisle, in their replay. Marco Matias and Atdhe Nuhiu were on target in Wednesday’s 2-0 win at Hillsborough.