The FA Cup—A Fourth Round to Remember

The Emirates FA Cup—England’s oldest and most prestigious knockout competition—has been the scene of some of the most thrilling soccer games of all time. Some memorable games include last year’s matchup between Hollywood-backed Wrexham and Sheffield United in an exhilarating fourth-round tie at the Racecourse, and Arsenal and Manchester United’s historic 3-2 final in 1979. The FA Cup has also been host to incredible upsets and underdog runs, such as Lincoln City and Sutton United’s unbelievable 2016-17 run, where Sutton progressed to the round of 16 before being sent home, with Lincoln even progressing to the quarter-finals. 

Going into the fourth round, the 2023-24 Emirates FA Cup thus far has been notably less thrilling, as almost every Premier League team secured a place. Only one non-league club—National League South’s Maidstone United—remains in the competition. 

On Monday, January 8, the 16 matches of the fourth round were drawn, revealing exciting matchups like Chelsea vs. Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester City, Fulham vs. Newcastle United, and Ipswich Town vs. Maidstone United. Critics began to wonder if the outcomes of this round would be predictable like the previous rounds, or if the FA Cup’s surprising nature would finally return. Looking back on the fourth round, it’s safe to say that it indeed lived up to expectations.

Now, let’s discuss the four most exhilarating matches of the fourth round. 

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester City

Tottenham and Manchester City were both in decent form heading into the match but were also missing attacking superstars, as Tottenham were without captain and winger Son Heung-Min, and Manchester City were without phenom striker Erling Haaland. Both also had stars returning from injury who could not provide full starts—attacking midfielder James Maddison for Spurs and midfielder Kevin De Bruyne for City. 

Tottenham’s fairly captivating season has thus far provided them with a decent opportunity of upsetting Manchester City at home. After all, four more wins would end their 15-year trophyless run, a feat they had come so close to achieving time and time again. Spurs, however, were unable to capitalize: they only had one shot all game and were defeated by defender Nathan Aké’s 88th-minute kick from less than a meter.

Though Tottenham will be disappointed, their elimination from the cup will allow them to focus solely on the Premier League, where top-four sights are surely in reach: as of February 5, they currently stand in fifth place, just two points behind high-flyers Aston Villa.

Ipswich Town vs. Maidstone United

Entering the game, both teams were in extremely different places. Championship-side Ipswich Town, who had been outstanding all season, were in second place and on track to be promoted to the Premier League or at least qualify for the Championship playoffs. On the other hand, Maidstone United, who were relegated from the National League last season, were in fourth position and 19 points behind National League South leaders Yeovil Town. 

While Maidstone United had done well in the competition up to this point, defeating League One high-flyers Stevenage 1-0 in the third round, beating Ipswich Town away would be an entirely different feat. 

In the 43rd minute, however, forward Lamar Reynolds scored an incredible goal after Ipswich Town had been caught defenseless by midfielder Liam Sole’s wonderful assist. Ipswich Town remained in the game, though, drawing level in the 57th minute through Brighton loanee and winger Jeremy Sarmiento. Nevertheless, Maidstone midfielder Sam Corne’s well-executed breakaway in the 66th minute proved to be the game-winner, as Ipswich were unable to capitalize on any opportunity that followed.

Sheffield United vs. Brighton and Hove Albion

Sheffield United, despite struggling in the Premier League this season (tallying just 10 points in 21 games), hoped to emulate their stunning 1-1 draw away at the Amex earlier this season. As the game began, Brighton’s two first-half goals were quickly canceled out by Sheffield United’s 44’ and 45+8’ goals, the latter a result of an awkward but impressive header from forward William Osula. 

The Blades’ momentum was short-lived, however, as striker Joao Pedro’s two goals (making it a hat-trick on the day) and forward Danny Welbeck’s 90+7’ late strike led to a 5-2 defeat, a result similar to what they have experienced all season. 

Everton vs. Luton Town

Everton and Luton Town, two Premier League bottom-table opponents, were both looking for a lift in morale. Both teams also had close third round ties—Everton snuck past Crystal Palace 1-0 only after a replay at Goodison Park while Luton also required a replay to beat League One side Bolton Wanderers 2-1.

In the 39th minute, Everton left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko’s awkward corner own goal (originally awarded to center midfielder Ross Barkley) quickly put his team behind. While right winger Jack Harrison’s 55th-minute goal drew Everton on level terms, history would repeat itself, as substitute and center forward Cauley Woodrow would win it with an emphatic finish for Luton in the 90+6’. For Luton, the fairytale story continues, as their form since this match has been impeccable. A 4-0 win against Brighton and 4-4 draw against a revitalized Newcastle lifted them out of the relegation zone and gave fans much to look forward to.

Overall, while the round produced some relatively dull results, with 0-0 ties in Chelsea vs. Aston Villa and Bristol City vs. Nottingham Forest, it also provided storylines such as Maidstone United that will be anticipated up until the fifth round commences in late February.