Arsenal out of FA Cup, Liverpool and Tottenham avoid upsets
A third round exit in the FA Cup doesn't come along very often for Arsenal.
Unless, Nottingham Forest rivals.
Failing to transfer their superior Premier League form to the world's oldest knockout competition, Arsenal were beaten 1-0 by second-tier One on Sunday in the second major blow of the third round - the stage where the top-flight club draws. enter in.
It is only the second time in 26 seasons that Arsenal have fallen at the first hurdle. Forest was also responsible for the other occasion in 2018.
"We weren't good enough," said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, "and we have to apologize for that."
Tottenham and Liverpool avoided a similar fate as Arsenal, starting their comebacks after falling behind third-tier opponents at home. Tottenham won 3–1 over Morecambe and Liverpool 4–1 against Shrewsbury.
Arsenal out
Arsenal became the highest-ranked casualties of this season's FA Cup after scoring in the 83rd minute to substitute Lewis Grabon at the City Ground.
Arsenal's performance was so unnerving that Arteta's team failed to score a shot on target against Forrest, a former European champion who has fallen on hard times since the turn of the century and finished ninth in the championship.
"It's fantastic and I hope the players now really believe in what we're doing," Forest Manager Steve Cooper said. since 1999.
This was in stark contrast to Arsenal's recent performance in the Premier League which has helped propel the team to Champions League status. Just last week, Arsenal overtook leaders and defending champions Manchester City before bursting out after a second-half red card.
In the stand against knife offense Arsenal wore a white bandage instead of the usual red for the match.
The FA Cup has done some amazing things in the third round stage, none bigger than Newcastle losing at home to third-tier Cambridge United on Saturday.
Avoid upset
A little luck - or perhaps it was downright accurate - proved crucial in Tottenham's turnaround against Morecambe.
With his team trailing 1–0 after 73 minutes, Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks sent a free kick from near the corner flag on the left wing and the ball flew over everyone and into the top corner.
"That's what I meant," said Winks, laughing.
Substitutes Lucas Moura and Harry Kane scored more goals in the final five minutes for Spurs, who missed Morecambe in the fourth round for the first time in their 101-year history.
Liverpool made their comeback debut against Shrewsbury long ago, equalizing seven minutes after going back in the 27th.
Kaid Gordon, one of five players from the academy, debuted in a young Liverpool lineup, becoming the second-youngest scorer in the club's history - at 17 years and 96 days - before Fabinho scored 1–1 on either side. With a cool goal for 1. A cheeky backheel goal from fellow Brazilian Roberto Firmino, who came in as a substitute.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was back in the dugout after spending time in isolation after testing positive for the coronavirus, amid an outbreak at the club that led to the closure of the training ground for two days.
"This was the team we could put on the line today and the boys did really well," Klopp said of his provisional team.
Leeds complaint
West Ham won an All-Premier League matchup 2–0 against Leeds, with the crucial opening goal – scored by Manuel Lanzini – controversially awarded after a possible offside against Jarrod Bowen. Leeds players complained on the field, and its president did so via his Twitter account.
Bowen added a second to stoppage time as Leeds crashed out of the third round for the ninth time in the past 12 seasons.
Premier League teams Wolverhampton and Norwich also advanced by defeating lower league teams Sheffield United (3–0) and Charlton (1–0) respectively.
Player petulance
Many large teams use the third round to give their fringe squad members game time, but two players in particular did not take advantage of their opportunity.
Arsenal's back-up left back, Nuno Tavares, faced the infamy of being a 34th-minute substitute against Forest for a poor performance. He reacted by throwing his gloves to the ground in despair before taking his place in the dugout.
Meanwhile, Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Nombele was slow to walk with his head off the ground after being substituted while his team lost to Morecambe. Comparisons with teammates Brian Gill and Dele Alli, who were removed as part of a triple change and sprinted to not waste any time, were stark.
Ndombele, Spurs' record signing, went straight down the tunnel instead of watching his team fight.
"I was a player and sometimes it happened to me that someone was unhappy with my performance," Tottenham manager Antonio Conte said in an attempt to play down the incident.
