© EuroFootball.com
On Wednesday evening in England, one of the last matches of the third round of the England Football Association Cup (FA Cup) replay took place, which was marked by a abundance of goals. After them, almost all participants of the fourth round - the sixteenth final became clear. Only one match is left to be played - on January 23, "Luton" will meet "Q.P.R."
"Newcastle" suffered a crushing defeat at home to "Birmingham," who are realistically aiming to return to the "Premier" league. The first goal fell in the 5th minute, when the visitors' goalkeeper Gary McSheffrey scored from a few meters away. Just before the break, the result doubled, when Nolberto Solano scored an own goal following a pass from Cameron Jerome.
The second half started dramatically. In the 56th minute, James Milner softened the score with an impressive shot from more than 30 meters away. However, a minute later, "Newcastle" defender Steven Taylor received a second yellow card and had to leave the field. "Birmingham" played a ball in and shortly after Bruno N'Gotty scored a goal from the penalty area's right edge - 1-3.
Despite numerous and dangerous attacks from the hosts, the guests celebrated another goal. Sebastian Larsson scored from 18 meters out. At the end of the match, the leaders of the "Championship" division simply humiliated "Newcastle" when striker Dudley Campbell scored the fifth goal from long range. The final score was 1-5.
A smashing result was also recorded in the match between "Tottenham" and "Cardiff," who currently occupies the 8th place in the "Championship," where everything became clear in the second half of the first half.
The match started more actively for the "Tottenham" players. The goals did not have to wait long. In the 27th minute, Aaron Lennon scored from a few meters away following a pass from Didier Zokora. A few minutes later, Robbie Keane scored a similar goal after a pass from Dimitar. Steed Malbranque scored from more than 20 meters away in the 41st minute, practically sealing the match. Jermain Defoe scored another goal at the end of the match.
Real drama unfolded in the match between "Fulham" and another "Championship" team, "Leicester." The visitors boldly started the match and scored the first goal. Brian McBride equalized in the 35th minute, but before the end of the half, "Leicester" restored the lead with a precise header from Gareth McAuley.
The second half for "Fulham" started unsuccessfully - James Wesolowski scored the third goal with a long shot into their net.
However, the hosts showed character and managed to recover. "Fulham" newcomer Italian Vincenzo Montella scored twice in the 50th and 58th minutes (first with a shot from 12 meters, second with a header correcting W. Routladge's shot). Until the end of the match, the fight was very intense, and just when it seemed that extra time would be needed, the win was snatched by Wayne Routladge with a precise strike from a few meters in the third minute of additional time added by the referee.
Statistics:
"Newcastle" 1 - 5 "Birmingham" 5‘ [0 - 1] Gary McSheffrey 45‘ [0 - 2] Nolberto Solano (own goal) 56‘ [1 - 2] James Milner 58‘ [1 - 3] Bruno N‘Gotty 83‘ [1 - 4] Sebastian Larsson 89‘ [1 - 5] Dudley Campbell 57‘ Steven Taylor ("Newcastle") sent off
"Tottenham" 4 - 0 "Cardiff" 27‘ [1 - 0] Aaron Lennon 30‘ [2 - 0] Robbie Keane 41‘ [3 - 0] Steed Malbranque 81‘ [4 - 0] Jermain Defoe
"Fulham" 4 - 3 "Leicester" 13‘ [0 - 1] Matt Fryatt 35‘ [1 - 1] Brian McBride 45‘ [1 - 2] Gareth McAuley 47‘ [1 - 3] James Wesolowski 51‘ [2 - 3] Vincenzo Montella 59‘ [3 - 3] Vincenzo Montella 90+3‘ [4 - 3] Wayne Routladge
Sixteenth Final pairs:
"Arsenal" - "Bolton," "West Ham" - "Watford," "Bristol City" - "Middlesbrough," "Chelsea" - "Nottingham Forest," "Ipswich" - "Swansea," "Tottenham" - "Southend," "Barnet" - "Plymouth," "Birmingham" - "Reading," "Derby County" - "Bristol Rovers," "Man City" - "Southampton," "Crystal Palace" - "Preston," "Man Utd" - "Portsmouth," "Blackpool" - "Norwich," "Luton"/"Q.P.R" - "Blackburn," "Wolves" - "W.B.A.," "Fulham" - "Stoke."
The matches will take place on January 27 and 28.
