Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool
An entertaining tie at Stamford Bridge saw Chelsea knock the league leaders Liverpool out of the F.A. Cup. With the visitors struggling in their Champions League phase tie against Atletico Madrid and losing their first league game to Watford at the weekend, they lost again as Chelsea took them apart on an evening when debutant Billy Gilmour shone in midfield.
Frank Lampard’s side were the more urgent throughout, and goals from Willian and Ross Barkley were enough to see The Blues through to a quarter-final where they will host Leicester City. Willian’s effort squirmed through the hapless Adrian in goal for Liverpool, but there was no stopping Ross Barkley’s strike for the decisive second. The former Evertonian slalomed through the Liverpool side from his own half before jinking into some space ahead of Joe Gomez and smashing an unstoppable shot into the bottom left corner.
Liverpool huffed and puffed, bringing on Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah, but they were impotent in threatening Kepa’s goal and Chelsea prevented the Merseysiders dreaming of the treble any longer. Liverpool may still win the league at a canter, but they may well look back on this period as a worrying sign that next season won’t be as easy as the start of this one was. Chelsea, only alive in this competition, are now joint second favourites to win the F.A. Cup.
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Norwich City (A.E.T. Norwich win 3-2 on Penalties)
At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, one of the shocks of the round took place as lowly Norwich, bottom of the Premier League and looking doomed to reach the Championship before they’d make the F.A. Cup quarter-finals, toppled Tottenham on their own turf.
Tim Krul was the penalty hero for The Canaries, denying both Troy Parrott and Gedson Fernandes in the 4th and 5th penalties of Spurs’ five. In doing so, Krul helped Norwich to their first FA Cup quarter-final in 28 years and have surely condemned Jose Mourinho’s side to their first season under his stewardship without any possibility of a trophy.
Should Spurs miss out on the Champions League places too, a season of Europa League football might see an exodus of the North London side’s assets. They might include Harry Kane or Son-Heung Min, and without either of those players, Spurs would be a far worse prospect on the pitch, something the last month has accurately illustrated.
Spurs had the lead in this game, too, with Jan Vertonghen nodding home in the first 13 minutes. Without Krul’s heroics, Norwich might well have been dead and buried before a late equaliser from Josip Drmic prompted wild celebrations when Idah, Stiepermann and Cantwell scored the penalties that will see Norwich host Manchester united in the next round.
F.A. Cup 5th round results:
Portsmouth 0-2 Arsenal
Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion 2-3 Newcastle United
Reading 1-2 Sheffield United (A.E.T.)
Leicester City 1-0 Birmingham City
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Norwich City (A.E.T. Norwich win 3-2 on Penalties)
Sheffield Wednesday 0-1 Manchester City
Derby County 0-3 Manchester United
F.A. Cup Quarter-Final draw:
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle United v Manchester City
Norwich City v Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
F.A. Cup winners odds:
Manchester City 8/11
Chelsea 8/1
Manchester Utd 8/1
Arsenal 9/1
Leicester 10/1
Sheffield Utd 20/1
Norwich 33/1
Newcastle 40/1
