The FA Cup is a great way to end the very hectic football calendar after Christmas. It just has everything that none of the leagues in England can give you. By throwing all of the teams together, it really does bring out the best from the rest.
The third round of the competition is always an interesting one. It is the point where the Premier League and Championship teams get thrown into the mix and it really does just have all of the ingredients possible to bring about so many upsets. But it is a well known fact that everyone one loves an underdog.
Over the weekend (so far) there have been many surprises. Blyth Spartans led Birmingham City 2-0 at half time causing a lot of people to suddenly believe in the lower side. However, it just wasn't meant to be as a 6 minute period completely changed the game. Birmingham scored 3 in that time, meaning that Blyth got knocked out of the competition 3-2 after the 90 minutes.
Another match that had people everywhere getting excited for a possible upset was the game between Derby County and Southport. A lot had been made about this fixture in the build up and Southport weren't ready to roll over and let Derby play the game that they wanted to. Derby have been flying high in the Championship, so a lot of people were expecting a lot when the game went into the final minutes of stoppage time. It just wasn't meant to be though, with Luke Foster conceding a penalty in the last minute which Chris Martin tucked away neatly. Talk about a heartbreak in the cup...
Then, there was the game between Stoke City and Wrexham. Everyone was expecting the Premier League team to stroll against the Conference team, but the match proved to go against expectations. For a little while at least... Wrexham eventually took the lead through Carrington. The lead lasted only 7 minutes though, because Stoke came back into it, and in 15 minutes turned the game around, making the final result 3-1.
There was, of course, the game that caused the actual upset. The game took place between QPR and Sheffield United. Even though QPR haven't been in top form recently, a lot of people still expected them to beat the League 1 side. It just wasn't meant to be though. QPR didn't play at their best and Sheffield took advantage of this, going on to win 3-0. First heartbreak of the weekend? Not exactly. There was an all Premier League clash between Leicester City and Newcastle United. The bottom side looked to have no chance against their opposition, but proved a lot of people wrong when Ulloa gave them the lead in the first half and they managed to take that through to the end of the game.
However, there were the obvious results that fans expected certain teams to win. It wasn't always easy though. Manchester City beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 in the end, but had to come back from a goal down and had Milner to thank for his two goals that won them the game. Manchester United beat Yeovil Town 2-0, including a wonder strike from Ander Herrera, but the game was made difficult for them by a resilient Yeovil side. Chelsea beat Watford 3-0, although it did take them until the second half to break the deadlock. Finally, Arsenal beat Hull City 2-0, but that game also wasn't as easy as the score line may suggest. Hull enjoyed a lot of the ball but just didn't create any clear cut chances and Alexis Sanchez put on a man-of-the-match performance.
So, will there be any shocks in the remaining games? AFC Wimbledon host Liverpool tonight, Burnley host Tottenham and Everton host West Ham. Only in the FA Cup would you be able to hear fans around the country wondering if the smaller teams could knock out the Premier League big teams, but isn't that the beauty of it all. The draw is also tonight, so football fans around the country will be waiting to see who their teams, if they're still in, will be getting in the next round. Will there be any more shocks to see then? Only time will tell.
There was, of course, the game that caused the actual upset. The game took place between QPR and Sheffield United. Even though QPR haven't been in top form recently, a lot of people still expected them to beat the League 1 side. It just wasn't meant to be though. QPR didn't play at their best and Sheffield took advantage of this, going on to win 3-0. First heartbreak of the weekend? Not exactly. There was an all Premier League clash between Leicester City and Newcastle United. The bottom side looked to have no chance against their opposition, but proved a lot of people wrong when Ulloa gave them the lead in the first half and they managed to take that through to the end of the game.
However, there were the obvious results that fans expected certain teams to win. It wasn't always easy though. Manchester City beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 in the end, but had to come back from a goal down and had Milner to thank for his two goals that won them the game. Manchester United beat Yeovil Town 2-0, including a wonder strike from Ander Herrera, but the game was made difficult for them by a resilient Yeovil side. Chelsea beat Watford 3-0, although it did take them until the second half to break the deadlock. Finally, Arsenal beat Hull City 2-0, but that game also wasn't as easy as the score line may suggest. Hull enjoyed a lot of the ball but just didn't create any clear cut chances and Alexis Sanchez put on a man-of-the-match performance.
So, will there be any shocks in the remaining games? AFC Wimbledon host Liverpool tonight, Burnley host Tottenham and Everton host West Ham. Only in the FA Cup would you be able to hear fans around the country wondering if the smaller teams could knock out the Premier League big teams, but isn't that the beauty of it all. The draw is also tonight, so football fans around the country will be waiting to see who their teams, if they're still in, will be getting in the next round. Will there be any more shocks to see then? Only time will tell.
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