The Magic of the FA Cup

Some of the lustre of the FA Cup may have diminished over the years, but as the world’s oldest football cup competition it will always have an allure and mystique. One of the greatest things about the 3rd round draw in particular is the possibility of the so-called minnows of the lower reaches of the English football pyramid being drawn against the giants of the Premier League. This year, that hasn’t exactly happened, but if National League North side Alfreton Town manage to get past Walsall in Round 2, they will have a tantalising trip to Southampton, and non-league Chesterfield will play Championship side Watford.

The flip side of a potential giant-killing is the possibility of two of the Premier League’s big boys being pulled out of the hat to face each other in Round 3. And that is exactly what happened this year, as Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool will travel south to London to play Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. Ignoring the Woolwich Arsenal days, this will be the 12th occasion the sides have been drawn against each other in the FA Cup, 101 years after the first. On that occasion Arsenal managed a
0-0 draw at Anfield but were defeated 4-1 in the replay at Highbury. Since then the clubs have contested the FA Cup Final on 3 occasions – in 1950, 1971, and in 2001 in Cardiff, when a Michael Owen brace in the last ten minutes of the match won the Cup for Liverpool 2-1.

The most curious clash came in the semi-final of 1980. On April 12th the sides played out a goalless draw at Hillsborough; on April 16th they replayed the game at Villa Park, which finished 1-1; three days later they met in the league at Anfield. Guess what… it was a 1-1 draw; on April 28th they were back at Villa Park for the second replay, which finished 1-1; so they moved on to Highfield Road in Coventry on May 1st, where Brian Talbot scored the only goal to finally send Arsenal to Wembley! The final, against Second Division side West Ham, was 9 days later, and Arsenal lost by a single goal, scored by Trevor Brooking. But you’d assume the Gunners were also pretty exhausted! Managers today talk about fixture congestion, but this took things to a whole new level!

Elsewhere in the 3rd Round, Tottenham will face Premier League opposition in the shape of Burnley. Before the appointment of Ange Postecoglou in North London, there was plenty of talk that Burnley boss Vincent Kompany was a candidate for the vacancy, but that didn’t materialise. Tottenham’s hopes in the FA Cup might be bolstered by their Australian manager’s swashbuckling approach, which could lead to some much-sought after silverware.

Kompany’s old club Manchester City will take on Championship side Huddersfield at the Etihad as the holders look to repeat last year’s relentless pursuit of trophies, while 8-time winners Chelsea will be looking to progress against another club who have started brightly in the second tier – Preston North End, twice winners of the tournament in 1889 and 1938.

Across London, West Ham – who haven’t taken the trophy home since that 1980 final against Arsenal – welcome Bristol City to the London Stadium. The West Country side have reached the final once before, way back in 1909 when they were beaten 1-0 by Manchester United, who picked up the first of their 12 FA Cup wins to date.

As for potential upsets, non league side Aldershot could have a free hit at Championship side West Bromwich Albion, but they have to get past Stockport in Round 2 first. But this is the FA Cup, and it’s not unheard of for these kind of magic moments to happen!

We’ve got fantastic VIP hospitality packages available for all of these matches, which you can find on our website www.vipfootballhospitality.com or if you’d prefer to talk through the options with one of our team, we’d be happy to talk to you. Just call 01454 201210 and we’ll be able to help you find the best option for you and your party. It’s the perfect way to wind down after the festive period, with the games taking place over the first weekend of the New Year.

CONTACT THE TEAM

Give Us a call on 01454 201210 or email enquiries@circuithospitality.com to see how we can help you.