Whether their club won or lost, spectators who came out to watch the fifth round of the FA Cup were big winners.
British footie fans have long gazed enviously at rugby and American football because their miked-up officials explain their rulings to the crowd and the TV audience. After an experiment with this at the last Women’s World Cup, the fans in this cup got to hear the referees explain things such as the chalking off of Fabian Schär’s stoppage-time winner at Newcastle.
Anything that can make this sport more fan-friendly is something we can get behind. What about the rest of the winners and a few losers too?
FA Cup fifth round winners
Danny Welbeck
With players for both Newcastle and Brighton visibly gassed in extra time, the veteran striker came off the bench, split the defense, and chipped the ball over Martin Dúbravka to give the Seagulls a galvanizing win.
Nico O’Reilly
For a few glorious minutes after Maksim Taloverov’s goal, it seemed like Plymouth Argyle would do to Manchester City what they did to Liverpool. City’s lineup of mostly first-team players eventually imposed their class on Argyle, but it was their 19-year-old reserve midfielder who headed in both goals that gave City their win. That’ll show the management that you deserve a promotion to the senior squad.
Marco Asensio
His two goals transformed Aston Villa’s nervy game against Cardiff City into a comfortable win. Villa’s winter loan business looks better by the week.
Antonee Robinson
The American left-back captained Fulham to a win at Old Trafford, converting the Cottagers’ final kick in the penalty shootout to eliminate Manchester United. We should also mention his goalkeeper Bernd Leno, who stopped spot kicks by Victor Lindelöf and Joshua Zirkzee to advance his team to the quarterfinals.
Robbie Brady
The Irishman opened the scoring for Preston North End with a brilliant left-footed free kick that wouldn’t have been out of place in the top flight. Their opponents from Burnley may wind up in the top flight next year, but the Lilywhites can savor an easy knocking of their Lancashire neighbors out of the tournament.
FA Cup fifth round losers
Matheus Cunha
The Wolves playmaker made like Zinédine Zidane and scored on a magnificent thunderbolt from deep to tie the game against Bournemouth. Unfortunately, the Brazilian also made like Zidane when he head-butted Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez and got sent off before the penalty shootout. Wolves went on to lose on penalty kicks, and the Cherries avenged their midweek Premier League defeat.
Anthony Gordon
There were two red cards in the Newcastle-Brighton match, but while Tariq Lamptey’s second yellow card was careless, the Newcastle winger with the 1980s feathered hair was downright stupid when he put two hands to the face of Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke and shoved him. Now he’ll miss the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.
Liam Roberts
There was only one way it was ever likely to go when Millwall’s goalkeeper delivered a Bruce Lee-style flying kick to the face of Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta and drew a red card only eight minutes into the game. Palace won easily, and thankfully, the French striker and Palace’s leading goal-scorer posted on social media that he was okay after needing a stretchering off and 25 stitches.
Jack Taylor
During a penalty shootout where all the takers on both teams were lashing their spot kicks into the net, the Ipswich midfielder produced a low shot to Matz Sels’ left corner that the Belgian keeper saved to give Nottingham Forest the walkoff win. With the Blues looking to go down to the Championship, they played the third-place team to a stalemate and had a berth in the quarters within reach, but Taylor’s missed kick was the difference.