Shocks, sackings grab headlines in FA Cup
london — Arsenal were dumped out of the FA Cup by an inspired Nottingham Forest on a day of major shocks in the competition and on a day after Mark Hughes was sacked by Stoke City.
West Ham and Leicester survived testing ties against lowerleague opponents while Manchester City came from behind to crush fellow Premier League side Burnley 4-1.
And Virgil van Dijk made an instant impact for Liverpool following his mega-money move from Southampton.
Here are some of the major talking points from the third round of the FA Cup. The FA Cup weekend was a throwback to the time when the third round used to be a red letter day in the English football 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 former winners Leeds United were sent packing by a feisty Newport County, who play their football in the fourth tier of the English game. Stoke City crashed out to Coventry City the previous day.
The increasing dominance of the Premier League and the high-profile Champions League have pushed the FA Cup down clubs’ list of priorities but there are flickers of life in the world’s most famous domestic cup competition.
Mark Hughes ran out of time at Stoke City — becoming the seventh Premier League manager to be sacked this season after his side’s ignominious FA Cup defeat 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. —