Manchester City got their FA Cup defence underway in spectacular fashion with 5-0 win over Huddersfield Town on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium.
And, despite the goal fest, the moment of the match was the return to action of Belgian maestro Kevin de Bruyne after a five month absence with injury. The Sky Blues were sublime from start to finish and without the injured Erling Braut Haaland they showed how well they can attack in different formations.
Phil Foden was exceptional throughout, controlling the pace of the game, and he opened the scoring and Julian Alvarez made it 2-0 before the half time break. A Ben Jackson own goal made it 3-0 and, then, to make matters worse for the Terriers, De Bruyne made his return on the hour. Foden added a fourth and then Jeremy Doku rounded off the scoring with an assist from…Kevin de Bruyne.
The FA Cup 2024 betting odds back the Sky Blues to retain their title and this was the perfect start, and with the Premier League and Champions League hotting up, the return of De Bruyne is quite ominous for City’s rivals.
Magpies win the Wear-Tyne derby
One of the biggest rivalries in football dominated the FA Cup 2024 news on Saturday when Championship side Sunderland hosted near neighbours Newcastle United in an FA Cup blockbuster. 44,000 fans packed into the Stadium of Light full of hope and expectation but it was the black and whites of Newcastle who left with a priceless 3-0 victory.
It is 50 years since Sunderland famously won this competition and 69 since Newcastle were FA Cup winners; in fact 1955 was the last year in which the Magpies won a major trophy and that is something the club’s Saudi owners are determined to put right. In reality it was a comfortable afternoon for the Premier League heavyweights from the moment Sunderland defender Daniel Ballard put a Joelinton cross through his own net. The game was up, right at the start of the second half, when Pierre Ekwah tried to dribble the ball out of defence but was caught out by Miguel Almiron and he teed up Alexander Isak who rifled the ball into the net.
The Black Cats went in search of a goal and almost got back into the game but Newcastle keeper Martin Dubravka saved brilliantly to deny Alex Pritchard. Much as the hosts tried they could not get the goal their efforts deserved and when Ballard conceded a penalty to the tricky Anthony Gordon, Isak converted the spot kick to round off a perfect day for the Magpies.
Porro’s wonder strike
Tottenham’s home tie against Burnley didn’t live up to our expectations of an entertaining goalfest…until the 78th minute when Spurs wingback Pedro Porro sent a howitzer past Burnley keeper Aro Muric and into the net. This all Premier League clash never really got going, as a well organised Burnley comfortably kept Spurs at bay. The hosts were missing their inspirational captain Son Heung-Min while Burnley’s star striker Lyle Foster looked off the pace, so there was little to set the pulses racing at either end of the pitch.
But it all changed in the last quarter of an hour when Muric threw the ball out and Porro pressed and won the ball; he took a couple of touches and then, from all of 25 yards, he hit a superb shot into the top left corner leaving the Burnley keeper rooted to the spot. The Clarets came to life and were so close to levelling as Muric joined the attack for a couple of late corners. A goal bound shot from Hannes Delcroix was deflected wide and, when Muric got his head to the resulting corner the ball fell to Zeki Amdoumi, six yards out and his volley flew over.
Maidstone minnows make history
We started this SBOTOP review with the tournament favourites and we end with the lowest ranked club, who managed to stay in the running with a courageous victory on Saturday. Maidstone, who play their football in the sixth tier stunned their League One opponents, Stevenage, thanks to a penalty converted by Sam Corne.
Maidstone have made the fourth round for the first time in their history and have banked over £200,000 so far, with the mouth-watering potential of a Premier League opponent to come next. They were handed their chance when Louis Thompson fouled Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong in first half injury time and Corne slotted home the spot kick.
Maidstone keeper Lucas Covolan saved from Jamie Reid to preserve the lead and also had help from the woodwork twice as the minnows hung on for their biggest win.
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