Fiesty Crawley dump Leeds Utd
SPURS: NO CINDERELLA STORY FOR NON-LEAGUE MARINE FC
Leeds suffered a humiliating FA Cup exit against Crawley as the League Two side swept to a stunning 3- 0 win, while eighth tier Marine’s hopes of causing the competition’s greatest shock were crushed in a 5- 0 defeat against Tottenham.
After the spiking coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc with matches across the third round on Friday and Saturday, the FA Cup was back on more familiar ground yesterday as Leeds became the competition’s latest big name to be knocked out by a feisty underdog.
While Marine’s romantic adventure was cut short by Carlos Vinicius’s hat-trick and Chelsea and Manchester City progressed to the fourth round with ease, Crawley’s unexpected success encapsulated the FA Cup’s unique charm at a time when football is badly in need of some positive news.
Numerous clubs have been hit by Covid-19 problems as the new variant sweeps across Britain, forcing Aston Villa and Derby to field teams of youth players for third round defeats against Liverpool and non-league Chorley respectively.
Despite calls for the English season to be halted, the FA Cup goes on for now and Crawley relished their chance to steal the spotlight.
Leeds sit 12th in the Premier League after a fine first season back in the top-fl ight, but boss Marcelo Bielsa paid the price for making seven changes at The People’s Pension Stadium in Sussex.
On a fairytale day for Crawley, it was fitting that Nick Tsaroulla should open the scoring with his first career goal in the 51st minute.
shley Nadesan’s low shot crept under Kiko Casilla to double Crawley’s lead two minutes later and Jordan Tunnicliffe wrapped up the victory after 70 minutes.
“These players have got a lot to prove to the clubs who have released them and we’ve showed what we can do against a really good side,” Crawley boss John Yems said.
Marine, of the Northern Premier League Division One North West, were trying to bridge the biggest gap – 161 places – between opponents in FA Cup history.
Their squad is comprised of teachers, NHS staff, bin men and factory workers.
The ground is lined on one side by houses, so a few lucky locals watched for free, with Harry Kane absent and Son Heung-min on the bench.
Chelsea thrashed League Two Morecambe 4-0 at Stamford Bridge and Manchester City cruised to a 3- 0 win against second-tier Birmingham at the Etihad Stadium. –