FFT's round-up of Saturday's FA Cup action, as Liverpool exit to West Brom while Newport come close to upsetting Tottenham
Liverpool 2-3 West Brom
A really exciting game, if you were able to forgive the many, many intrusions by the VAR - which, incidentally, remains clunky and poorly used thought out. Anyway, Liverpool are out. West Brom deserved their win, defending better and attacking with a precision which they were desperately short of during Tony Pulis's tenure.
Liverpool? Same old, sadly, for the home support. At the end of a week which started with them losing to Swansea, this defeat will re-animate the conversation about their defence and, more precisely, Jurgen Klopp's inability to fix it.
Tottenham survived a mighty scare in Wales. Padraig Amond's header had - quite deservedly - given the minnows the lead and for a long time it looked as if they might hold on. Spurs created very little and only after introducing Dele Alli and Son Heung-min from the bench did they begin to exert proper pressure. Eventually it told: Harry Kane tapping in at the back-post after Son's clever near-post flick. Newport are rewarded with a replay at Wembley.
Goals:Amond 38' - Kane 82'
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Peterborough 1-5 Leicester
The air went out of this tie quickly. Fousseni Diabate gave Leicester a fast start with a neat, prodded finish before, three minutes later, Kelechi Iheanacho curled a low shot beyond Jonathan Bond to make it two. Iheanacho would add a third inside half-an-hour, effectively ending the contest. Even with Andrew Hughes grabbing a consolation shortly into the second-half, Diabate would add his second of the game late on to restore some gloss to the scoreline and, in injury time, Wilfred Ndidi scored a fifth.
Steve Mounie gave David Wagner's side a first-half lead, meeting Florent Hadergjonaj's header perfectly to beat David Stockdale in the visiting goal. Birmingham would level the game shortly after half-time, with Lukas Jutkiewicz finishing well after a mistake by Michael Hefele and that would end the scoring. Replay needed.
Goals:Mounie 21' - Jutkiewicz 54'
Middlesbrough 0-1 Brighton
Not a classic and few signs that Brighton are properly invested in this competition - Chris Hughton made all sorts of changes to his starting XI, fielding a virtually unrecognisable defence and a makeshift attack. Middlesbrough didn't take advantage though and, with almost the final kick of the game, the ball ricocheted off Glenn Murray and in. Brighton through to the next round.
Goals:Murray 90'
Notts County 1-1 Swansea
A turgid game throughout most of first half, but Luciano Narsingh put Swansea ahead in stoppage time. The visitors had deserved their lead - just - but wasted little time in surrendering it, with Jon Stead (remember him) equalising from close range at the beginning of the second-half. Back to the Liberty Stadium they'll have to go - another replay needed here.
Goals:Stead 62' - Narsingh 45'
Southampton 1-0 Watford
Not quite the start that Javi Gracia had in mind, with Jack Stephens giving Southampton the lead within four minutes after a Shane Long shot had deflected to him. Watford huffed and puffed but with little impact and Southampton are through, gaining a modicum of revenge for what happened in the league game two weeks ago.
Goals:Stephens 4'
Wigan 2-0 West Ham
Will Grigg opened the scoring here, thudding a header past Joe Hart ("...your defence is terrified..." etc). It was a lead which Wigan would take into the break and it got worse for West Ham soon after the restart, when Arthur Masuaka was shown a straight red card for spitting at Nick Powell. West Ham were condemned to an embarrassing exist on 62 minutes, when Grigg doubled his side's lead and his own tally, converting a penalty harshly awarded for handball. Laughably poor from the visitors.
Goals:Grigg 7', 62 (pen)
Other results:
Hull 2 - 1 Nottingham Forest
Millwall 2 - 2 Rochdale
MK Dons 0 - 1 Coventry
Sheffield United 1 - 0 Preston
Yeovil Town 0 - 4 Manchester United (Friday)
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Seb Stafford-Bloor is a football writer at Tifo Football and member of the Football Writers' Association. He was formerly a regularly columnist for the FourFourTwo website, covering all aspects of the game, including tactical analysis, reaction pieces, longer-term trends and critiquing the increasingly shady business of football's financial side and authorities' decision-making.
