FA Cup
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR BATTER NIGERIA’S 1ST EVER OPPONENTS, MARINE CROSBY IN FA CUP

Marine Crosby, the first opponents of Nigeria’s first ever opponents in the famed UK Tourists in 1949 on Sunday fell 0-5 to Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup.
Sports Village Square recalls that in the 1949 match played on 31 August, the visiting Nigerian side playing barefooted won 5-2. Marine again conceded the same number of goals in the encounter with Tottenham on Sunday.
The Mourinho-managed Tottenham ensured they did not fall foul to the biggest FA Cup shock in history as Carlos Vinicius scored a first-half hat-trick in a 5-0 demolition of eighth-tier Marine.
The 168 league places between the sides is the biggest gap between opponents the 150 years of the FA Cup and the gulf in class showed as Spurs’ fringe players took their chance to shine.
Far from the luxury of the £1 billion (S$1.8 billion) Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Jose Mourinho’s men had to get changed in a function room due to social-distancing guidelines.
No fans were allowed into the due to coronavirus restrictions, but plenty watched on from gardens in the houses backing onto the 3,185-capacity Rossett Park.
Marine did not miss out on their big pay day as 23,000 fans bought virtual tickets to support a side whose season has been curtailed due to the pandemic.
The home side missed out on facing England captain Harry Kane as he did not travel, while Mourinho left Son Heung-min and Gareth Bale on the bench.
Spurs still fielded a strong side featuring Dele Alli, Toby Alderweireld and Lucas Moura, while Kane’s replacement Vinicius made his case for more game time in a busy few months ahead with Tottenham still involved in four competitions.
Marine were inches away from a stunning lead when Neil Kengni’s long-range strike caught Joe Hart out and came off the bar.
Vincius quickly restored order with two simple finishes from close range before Lucas’s fine free-kick made it 3-0.
The on-loan Benfica striker then completed a 37-minute hat-trick with the goal of the game as his subtle lob dropped into the far corner.
Mourinho introduced 16-year-old Alfie Devine at half-time and Tottenham’s youngest ever player had a debut to remember as he fired in at the near post to make it 5-0.
Bale was then brought on for the final 25 minutes to aid his return to match fitness, but the four-time Champions League winner could not add to the scoreline as Spurs cruised into the fourth round.
FA Cup
Eight-minute VAR check at Bournemouth is new English record

The first weekend of semi-automated offside decisions in English soccer descended into confusion on Saturday as Bournemouth had a goal ruled out after a record eight-minute VAR check.
Bournemouth, who eventually beat Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on penalties in the FA Cup fifth round after a 1-1 draw, thought they had doubled their lead when defender Milos Kerkez scored in the 35th-minute goal.
However, new technology could not be used because the six-yard area was too crowded and VAR officials had to revert to manually drawing lines before disallowing the goal.
Fellow defender Dean Huijsen was adjudged to have been in an offside position as Kerkez’s effort brushed his shoulder before going in to the net.
The VAR check was further complicated as VAR officials Timothy Wood and Darren England also had to also examine the possibility of hand balls prior to the tight offside call.
Both sets of fans voiced their disapproval at the interminable wait, chanting “it’s not football any more” and “this is embarrassing”.
Referee Sam Barrott, who eventually announced the decision to the crowd via a microphone, had to explain to the respective managers and players what was happening during the delay.
-Reuters
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FA Cup
FA Cup giant-killers Plymouth draw Man City in fifth round

FA Cup giant-killers Plymouth Argyle drew Premier League champions Manchester City on Monday as the second-tier side’s fifth-round reward for a shock defeat of Liverpool at the weekend.
Holders Manchester United will host Fulham at Old Trafford in one of at least three all-Premier League clashes, with League Cup finalists Newcastle United at home to top-tier rivals Brighton & Hove Albion.
Bournemouth will host Wolverhampton Wanderers in another all-top-flight encounter.
Struggling Plymouth caused one of the great upsets of the FA Cup on Sunday when they beat a second-string Liverpool 1-0, ending the Premier League leaders’ hopes of a quartet of trophies this season.
The Pilgrims are bottom of the Championship but City, who reached the fifth round with a 2-1 win at third-tier Leyton Orient on Saturday after going behind early on, have been misfiring this season.
There will be a fourth all-Premier League clash if Nottingham Forest avoid trouble at League One (third tier) Exeter City on Tuesday, with Ipswich Town awaiting the winners.
Aston Villa, who ended Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes on Sunday, host second tier Cardiff City.
The fifth round matches will be played on the weekend of March 1 and 2.
Last 16 draw:
- Preston North End v Burnley
- Aston Villa v Cardiff City
- Doncaster Rovers or Crystal Palace v Millwall
- Manchester United v Fulham
- Newcastle United v Brighton & Hove Albion
- Bournemouth v Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Manchester City v Plymouth Argyle
-Reuters
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FA Cup
Liverpool suffer shock FA Cup defeat to Plymouth

A much-changed Liverpool were dumped out of the FA Cup by struggling second-tier side Plymouth Argyle, who pulled off a stunning 1-0 fourth-round win at Home Park on Sunday that put an end to the visitors’ hopes of a quadruple.
The hosts took the lead in the 53rd minute after they were awarded a penalty for a handball by midfielder Harvey Elliott and Ryan Hardie stepped up to send Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher the wrong way.
Premier League leaders Liverpool were bereft of ideas and had just one shot on target in the opening half, with Plymouth keeper Conor Hazard making a diving save in the 36th minute to keep out James McConnell’s long-range shot.
Ahead of the Merseyside derby against Everton on Wednesday, Liverpool made wholesale changes with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Alexis Mac Allister among the big-names rested and left at home.
Liverpool, who were also forced into an early change when defender Joe Gomez went down injured, failed to create many chances in a scrappy encounter as Plymouth, who sit bottom of the second-tier Championship, gradually grew in confidence.
Arne Slot’s side switched gears after going down but Hazard proved to be the hero for Plymouth as the Northern Irishman brilliantly kept out Diogo Jota’s volley in added time, as well as a header from Darwin Nunez.
With Liverpool top of the Premier League, having strolled into the Champions League’s last 16 and reached the League Cup final, some fans and pundits had begun to speculate about a potential quadruple.
Plymouth’s remarkable victory, however, brought a shuddering halt to talk of clean sweep of silverware for Slot’s side, who had only lost three games all season, prior to Sunday.
Meanwhile, there was no surprise in the other FA Cup fourth-round tie with Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers beating second-tier Championship side Blackburn Rovers 2-0 at Ewood Park.
There was little to separate the two teams in the opening minutes before Wolves hit Blackburn with two rapid-fire goals through midfielder Joao Gomes in the 33rd minute and seconds later via forward Matheus Cunha.
Blackburn defender Dominic Hyam had the ball in the back of the net in the 19th minute, but his celebrations were cut short when the linesman’s flag went up for offside.
-Reuters
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