Christian Pulisic earned another penalty kick for Chelsea to help them move past non-League opponents, as many other Yanks won in the FA Cup Third Round.
Swindon 1 – 4 Manchester City
Zack Steffen and Manchester City cruise past League Two team Swindon Town, but the American goalkeeper was unable to keep a clean sheet in the FA Cup affair.
All things pointed to a comfortable win for City, albeit one requiring a trip to Swindon. Bernardo Silva got the scoring off the ground and running just 14 minutes in, after incredible work from 19 year old Cole Palmer down the right-hand side. The teenager turned his defender inside-out before slotting a ball across the box to find Silva for a tap in.
Gabriel Jesus doubled their advantage after Swindon were caught trying to play out of the back. The Brazilian picked the ball off of a loose turn from a Swindon player before slotting it past the goalkeeper from inside the box.
Ilkay Gundogan made it three in the 59th minute after a well taken free kick from outside of the box.
Steffen will have wanted to have kept a clean sheet, but Harry McKirdy was able to slot past the American goalkeeper after being caught in a one-on-one, with the goal going in at the near post.
Parity was restored just two minutes later by Palmer who finally got on the score sheet after blasting a shot in to the top corner far post.
Steffen and City will take on Antonee Robinson and Tim Ream in the fourth round of the FA Cup on February 6th.
Watch the game highlights here:
Chelsea 5 – 1 Chesterfield
Christian Pulisic earned a penalty kick in a routine outing against non-League side Chesterfield United.
High-flying Chelsea kept it professional against the team playing in the fifth tier of English football, starting many regular first-team players. A bright spot in the game was 18 year old Lewis Hall.
The scoring opened up just six minutes in as Timo Werner was gifted a goal from six yards out, and the time to take a touch before slotting in to an empty net.
Callum Hudson-Odoi doubled the advantage in the 18th minute after the visitors gave him too much space as he curled an incredible shot from outside the 18-yard box. Romelu Lukaku added a third just two minutes later after Hall’s effort down the wing saw him win the ball back deep before crossing to Lukaku for the finish.
Andreas Christensen scored a fourth Chelsea goal just before half-time as Hall’s shot was parried wide by the Chesterfield goalkeeper, but only as far as Christensen. His header was easily directed up and over Scott Loach.
The scoring took a pause until the 54th minute, and took Pulisic being isolated out wide to earn a penalty kick. The American’s quick footwork was too much for Calvin Miller, who lost his footing and nearly rugby tackled the American. Hakim Ziyech stepped up and scored the spot kick to make it five for Chelsea.
However, the scoring wasn’t over as Chesterfield got a party favor by way of a Akwasi Asante tap in.
The win puts Chelsea through to the fourth round of the FA Cup where they will face League One Plymouth Argyle.
Watch the game highlights here:
Charlton 0 – 1 Norwich
Josh Sargent had a lively display in an 84-minute outing as Norwich edged past League One side Charlton Athletic.
Sargent had plenty of great runs, but his best chance came in the 63rd minute as he found himself in the box with a shooting angle. Unfortunately he couldn’t make his mind up between passing and shooting, and ended up blazing his shot well wide of the target.
Norwich would eventually get their goal, the only of the game, in the 79th minute through substitute Milot Rasicha, as the visitors scored their first goal in any competition since November 30th. Fellow half-time substitute Teemu Pukki was full steam ahead on goal when as he committed both defender and goalkeeper, he opted to square the ball sideways to Rasicha for an open-goal finish.
Norwich will move on to the fourth round to play Wolves.
Watch the game highlights here:
Burnley 1 – 2 Huddersfield Town
Duane Holmes was a 56th-minute substitute in Huddersfield Town’s dramatic away win at Premier League side Burnley in the FA Cup.
Burnley got on the score sheet first after a quickly-taken free kick found Huddersfield temporarily down to ten men due to an injured player. The goal came in the 28th minute as Jay Rodriguez found space in behind the Huddersfield back line for a header past the Huddersfield goalkeeper Ryan Schofield.
Schofield was forced off through injury after a heavy collision with Chris Wood, with the keeper clutching his shoulder. His replacement was 19 year old Nicholas Bilokapic, making his first team debut.
The visitors made a number of attacking substitutions, including Holmes, Sorba Thomas among others, and the gamble paid off. Holmes picked the ball off of a Burnley player in the center of the park before dishing it wide to Thomas who was bursting forward. Thomas played the ball in to the back post where Josh Koroma tapped into an empty net.
The tide began to shift and Holmes nearly had a goal himself in the 76th minute as his free header off of a deflection ended wide of the goal.
Huddersfield got the goal they deserved in the 87th minute through Matty Pearson who rose the highest on a Thomas corner kick to win the game.
Huddersfield will move on to the Fourth Round where they will play fellow Championship side Barnsley.
Watch the game highlights here:
Wycombe 3 – 3 Sunderland
Lynden Gooch went the distance for Sunderland as the Black Cats dropped two points and into second place in League One.
Sunderland opened the scoring in incredible fashion after a sweeping motion saw the ball crossed in by Dennis Cirkin to find Ross Stewart in the middle of the box. Stewart’s header ricocheted off of the crossbar and down, tumbling over the line by the back leg of Wycombe goalkeeper David Stockdale.
Anis Mehmeti got the home side on the score sheet in the 13th minute after a shot from distance beat Anthony Patterson. The hosts doubled their score in the 36th minute through Sam Vokes after Sunderland failed to deal with a Wycombe corner.
Stewart had Sunderland back in the game just three minutes later after Elliot Embleton’s cross, the forward the first to meet it just six yards out.
Stewart’s would be hat trick should have been the game winner in the 93rd minute. Gooch’s through ball found the surging run of Stewart that sent the away end into elation. The win would have seen Sunderland stay atop League One.
The story was not over as Wycombe earned a 98th-minute corner kick and sent everyone, including the goalkeeper, into the box. Sunderland failed to clear their lines and Wycombe captain Joe Jacobson bundled the game tying goal over the line.
Sunderland quickly turn their attention to 19th placed Lincoln City on Tuesday in more League One action.
Watch the game highlights here:
Notes:
Falorin Balogun did not make the bench for Arsenal as Ethan Horvath’s Nottingham Forest won 1-0 to knock Arsenal out of the FA Cup.
Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson were both unused substitutes in Fulham’s 1-0 win over Bristol City.
Matthew Olosunde did not make the bench for Preston North End who lost 2-1 to Cardiff.
