Arsenal were dumped out of the FA Cup on Saturday by Southampton, but Premier League trio West Ham, Brighton and Sheffield United all safely progressed.
Saints KO holders after Gabriel OG
FA Cup holders Arsenal were knocked out in the fourth round by Southampton on Saturday after a first-half own goal from Gabriel.
The Brazil centre back deflected Kyle Walker-Peters’ low drive past Bernd Leno midway through the opening 45 minutes at St Mary’s – the first goal the visitors had conceded in over eight and a half hours stretching back to Boxing Day – as Southampton got the better of Arsenal for the first time in the competition.
As a result, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side will take on Wolves at Molineux in February’s fifth round after they edged past non-league Chorley Town 1-0 on Friday night.
Ruthless West Ham cruise past Doncaster
Pablo Fornals got West Ham on their way against Doncaster
West Ham cruised into the FA Cup fifth round with a routine 4-0 home win over Doncaster.
First-half goals from Pablo Fornals and Andriy Yarmolenko put David Moyes’ side in control and after Andy Butler put through his own net, debutant Oladapo Afolayan added the cherry on top with a late fourth.
The win sets up a last-16 meeting with one of Manchester United or Liverpool for the Hammers, who have now won their last five matches.
Bissouma stunner helps Brighton past Blackpool
Yves Bissouma’s stunner put Brighton ahead against Blackpool
Yves Bissouma’s stunning strike helped Brighton avoid an FA Cup upset as they scraped into the fifth round with a 2-1 win over League One Blackpool.
Albion midfielder Bissouma, who has been linked with a host of Europe’s top clubs in recent weeks, underlined his undoubted ability by opening the scoring with a thunderous drive from fully 30 yards.
The visitors briefly levelled through Gary Madine’s close-range finish but were unable to claim a second successive Premier League scalp as Seagulls midfielder Steven Alzate claimed a fortuitous second-half winner.
Albion’s narrow victory books a fifth-round trip to either Brentford or Leicester and provides a timely confidence boost ahead of Wednesday’s top-flight showdown with fellow strugglers Fulham.
Sharp the hero as Blades survive late scare
Billy Sharp celebrates scoring for Sheff Utd against Plymouth
Sheffield United secured just their third win of the season as evergreen striker Billy Sharp helped Chris Wilder’s men avoid an FA Cup upset with a 2-1 win against Plymouth.
The Blades have endured a wretched campaign but some cup tonic for the Premier League’s bottom side continued as they earned a third win from four games in all competitions.
Sharp was the key man at Bramall Lane, providing a fine cross for Chris Basham’s opener (39) before scoring a neat goal early in the second half (47) that proved decisive against the League One side.
Panutche Camara’s goal made it a nervy final 15 minutes, but the Blades, who had controlled the game before then and spurned several other opportunities, held on to set up a home fifth-round tie against Bristol City.
Swansea hit five past Forest to progress
Matt Grimes got two of Swansea’s five against Nottingham Forest
Swansea strolled into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 5-1 victory over Championship rivals Nottingham Forest.
Doubles from Matt Grimes and Liam Cullen, as well as Oli Cooper’s first senior goal, sent Swansea into the last 16 of the competition for the third time in four seasons.
Anthony Knockaert gave Forest hope at 2-1 at the start of the second half, before a controversial penalty restored the hosts’ cushion.
But Swansea showed the form which has taken them to second spot in the Championship in extending their unbeaten home run at the Liberty Stadium to 10 games.
Styles helps Barnsley to win over Norwich
Barnsley’s Callum Styles celebrates scoring the winner against Norwich
Callum Styles fired a deserved winner as Barnsley beat Norwich 1-0 to reach the FA Cup fifth round for the first time in eight years.
Man-of-the-match Styles struck the decisive goal early in the second half as the Reds gained revenge for their narrow defeat to the Sky Bet Championship leaders earlier this month.
Victory for Barnsley sets up a home tie against Luton or Premier League Chelsea, who the South Yorkshire side famously beat at Oakwell in 2008 to reach the semi-finals.
Bristol City through with dominant win at Millwall
Bristol City’s Famara Diedhiou (right) celebrates after his goal against Millwall
A dominant second-half performance eased Bristol City past Millwall at The Den, with a 3-0 win securing their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup for just the second time in 20 years.
The visitors took the lead against the run of play through a Famara Diedhiou penalty and despite creating a number of opportunities, Millwall were unable to get the better of Max O’Leary in the Bristol City goal.
The all-Championship encounter was effectively settled by a deflected Nahki Wells free-kick just before the hour mark, before Antoine Semenyo capped a thoroughly professional performance from Dean Holden’s side.
FA Cup 2020/21 – key dates and draw
The FA Cup schedule has been confirmed, with the final set to take place at Wembley on Saturday May 15.
- Brentford or Leicester vs Brighton
- Swansea vs Cheltenham or Man City
- Everton or Sheff Wed vs Wycombe or Tottenham
- Norwich vs Chelsea or Luton
- Wolves vs Southampton
- Sheff Utd vs Bristol City
- Man Utd or Liverpool vs West Ham
- Fulham or Burnley vs Bournemouth or Crawley
There will be no replays this season to help ease fixture congestion.
- Fifth round: Wednesday February 10
- Quarter-finals: Saturday March 20
- Semi-finals: Saturday April 17
- Final: Saturday May 15
