by Bristol City helping love the Cup again
In an era where there seems to be a strange desire to downplay cup competitions at every opportunity, it was heartening to hear Bristol City’s Tommy Conway discuss what it meant to him the goal scored by West Ham in the FA Cup. third round replay. Conway was a fan in the Lansdown Stand the night his youth club beat Manchester United in the Carabao Cup in 2017 and seven years later it was his goal that earned another tie against Premier League opposition. Seb Palmer-Houlden, the City striker who will play against United for Newport on Sunday, was a ball boy when the Robins gave José Mourinho’s side a bloody nose. City made plenty of friends during their cup run, which ended in the semi-finals against Manchester City, and will host Nottingham Forest on Friday for another chance for the club to improve its reputation. Ben Fisher
Fit-again Chukwuemeka primer for Chelsea chances
There was a surprise when Carney Chukwuemeka joined Chelsea from Aston Villa in the summer of 2022. Was it a wise move for the teenage midfielder? He was on the fringes last season, sinking into the background as Chelsea’s stock fell and expensive signings arrived. But pre-season gave the England youth international a new chance. Mauricio Pochettino gave him opportunities and started Chukwuemeka in Chelsea’s first two games of the new campaign. But the challenges continued. Chukwuemeka suffered a serious knee injury minutes after scoring a stunning goal against West Ham in August. He spent a long time on the treatment table but is now back. He will be hoping for a chance when Chelsea host his old team on Friday night. Jacob Steinberg
Porro was out to show his old friends what he can do
The eyes of the Tottenham support will be on James Maddison, who is set to return from almost 12 weeks out with an ankle injury to face Manchester City on Friday night. But Pedro Porro will also be prominent, one of the players who stepped down in Maddison’s absence. The right-back, on City’s books for three seasons from 2019 without making an appearance, has provided six of his eight assists for the season since Maddison was ruled out. And it was his long-range save that earned Burnley a 1-0 win over Spurs in the third round of the FA Cup. Porro struggled in the second half of last season after his move from Sporting, not helped by what Ange Postecoglou described on Thursday as a “very unstable environment”. However, he has flourished since the manager arrived in the summer, particularly as he has moved up and across midfield. David Hytner
The stones rolled up for a test trip to Ipswich
Maidstone head to Portman Road dreaming of becoming the lowest team to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup since Blyth Spartans’ famous run in 1978. The odds are against National League South outfit Ipswich, of course, and it is the game of the English. now much more unequal than it was 46 years ago. Maidstone’s cause would also not be helped without suspended defender Raphe Brown and injured forward Sol Wanjau-Smith. New Dutch signing Manny Duku could be one to watch out for though and the well-traveled striker is feeling strong. “Imagine winning 1-0 and I get the goal – that would be incredible but it doesn’t matter who scores,” he said this week. Stones also have a promotion campaign to focus on, as do their opponents, and the non-leaguers can only hope that Ipswich will draw enough attention for themselves to have a day off here. But Kieran McKenna’s side have a ruthless streak that will take a few laughs. Tom Davies
Back to Goodison Barkley with a twinkle in his eye
His departure from Everton means Ross Barkley is unlikely to get the best of welcomes when he returns to his boyhood club on Saturday, even if it was more than five years ago, but he will be respected on the threat he poses to Luton Town and perhaps. on how the midfielder managed to revive an iconic career. Barkley, now 30, has not reached the heights that former Everton managers David Moyes and Roberto Martínez envisioned for the creative midfielder but has flourished this season under Rob Edwards. It is no coincidence that, for the first time since leaving Everton for a disappointing spell with Chelsea, then Aston Villa, then Nice, Barkley has full confidence in his manager as well as a continued run forward. There will be some irony if Everton are the ones to suffer from his revivals in the FA Cup and Premier League relegation battle this season. Andy Hunter
How seriously will Wilder take the FA Cup?
Football managers like to talk about “the next game is the important game” but, in reality, the vast majority of their games come first. It is far from improbable that Sheffield United’s Chris Wilder and Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi could be willing, at least privately, to sacrifice FA Cup progress to achieve different goals. Wilder’s side are bottom of the Premier League and seven points adrift of safety and face a potentially crucial six-pointer at Crystal Palace on Tuesday. Brighton are seventh in the top flight and in the last 16 of the Europa League. Does Wilder have a weak squad and focus on the trip to Selhurst Park or does he believe a cup win could help build some much-needed confidence and momentum in South Yorkshire? Likewise does De Zerbi think Brighton can compete on three fronts? It seems that only one thing is certain; neither manager will want a fourth-round replay. Louise Taylor
Can Wilson help Fulham recover from Liverpool losses?
Fulham were too passive for the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool. They struggled to recover from conceding an early goal and didn’t do enough to break through, but took the lead when Harry Wilson came off the bench in the second half. The winger made a positive impact and will be hoping to start when Fulham host Newcastle on Saturday night. The question is whether Marco Silva’s side have recovered from the disappointment of failing to beat Liverpool. Another cup competition offers a quick response. JS
Black Country derby has it all
West Brom or Wolves could have no excuse not to go full throttle when they meet in the first Black Country derby since May 2021, and the first in front of supporters for 12 years , when Albion enjoyed a 5-1 drubbing at Molineux. Wolves are in good form in the Premier League and are in no real danger of being relegated so they can prioritize the Cup. Albion, while focused on the Championship play-off race, could also benefit greatly from the money and profile a run would bring to a club which has been plagued in recent years by protests, ownership strife and financial problems . The owner, Guochuan Lai, who has put the club in debt, is still in lengthy talks with the Warmfront Holdings consortium, but on the pitch West Brom have impressed Carlos Corberán’s management and have a chance to show what they are. able against the Baggies team most fans want to beat. TD
Quansah solves Klopp’s defensive quandary
Jarell Quansah is the answer to why Liverpool didn’t sign a new central defender last summer. The 20-year-old produced another masterful display to help Jürgen Klopp’s side, and an inexperienced defense that has changed dramatically, reach the Carabao Cup final at Fulham on Wednesday. It was the Warrington-born defender’s 16th appearance of his breakthrough season and is the latest example of Liverpool bucking Klopp’s policy of always keeping a path open for academy talent as they pursue another four , following up with the visit of Norwich in the FA Cup on Sunday. . “The pre-season was very positive,” said Klopp of Quansah, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Bristol Rovers. “We’ve been asked a lot that we need to sign a new centre-back, and of course we’ve been thinking about that. It’s not that we ignore potential issues, but when we saw it it was clear that we will not go for it, that we will have our own solution.” AH
Manchester United visit to give Newport a great week
It may have slipped under the radar because of everything else going on at Rodney Parade this week but on Wednesday evening news that Huw Jenkins’ takeover had finally been confirmed at the Football League gave County supporters another boost Newport. Jenkins, the former chairman of Swansea City, has acquired a majority stake of 52% from the supporters’ trust, which has owned and run the club for the past nine years. Last summer, Newport lost key players due to financial constraints and registered a £1.2m loss, but Manchester United’s visit will result in a £400,000 windfall. “It’s been a turbulent summer, but I think we’ve put together a really good group of lads and team and gone from strength to strength,” Newport manager Graham Coughlan said. “We are in a good place, but we have come through many storms to get here.” BF
