The FA Cup quarter-final draw took place on Monday, and Joe Cole and Joe Hart did the honours. The former England players helped create a fascinating last-eight line-up. There is a nice mix of ties.
We have a clear standout fixture in terms of quality between two of the best Premier League sides of recent years. There is another all-PL quarter final between teams at the other end of the table. That one pits two relegation rivals against each other, with both sure to be keen to strike a psychological blow before the run-in to the league campaign really begins.
Additionally, we have two Premier League big boys coming up against lower-league opposition. Southampton play in the Championship while Port Vale are at the bottom of League One. Both have done brilliantly to make it this far, but can they somehow cause another upset to make it through to a Wembley semi?
FA Cup Quarter-Final Fixtures
A total of 747 clubs entered the FA Cup this season, and we are down to the following final eight:
- Southampton v Arsenal
- Chelsea v Port Vale
- Manchester City v Liverpool
- West Ham United v Leeds United
The quarter-final fixtures will take place over the weekend of Saturday, the 4th of April. However, full details will be released in the coming days.
For Glamour, go to Manchester, for Romance, head to West London
For much of the past 10 years, Manchester City and Liverpool have been the two best teams in the Premier League. Indeed, they have been among the very best in the world. Neither has been at their best this term. Moreover, we may never witness the levels of brilliance we saw at the height of the Guardiola v Klopp rivalry. However, there is no doubt that the glamour tie of the last eight will take place at the Etihad.
Man City are still very much in the Premier League title race. Additionally, they have the EFL Cup final against Arsenal to look forward to. That game is on the 22nd of March. Before that, they face Real Madrid twice in the Champions League. Suffice to say, it is a big few weeks for Pep’s troops. Should they win their next five matches, including the FA Cup clash with Liverpool, an unprecedented quadruple could still be on the cards. Not bad for a team not at their best, even if we have included a lot of hypotheticals.
FA Cup Liverpool’s Best Chance of Silverware
As for the Reds, the FA Cup may be their only realistic shot at glory this term. Although they finished above Man City (and Real Madrid for that matter) in the league phase of the UCL, and face Galatasaray next, it would still be a real surprise if they were to lift the Champions League trophy.
Arne Slot is under pressure, and a trophyless campaign coupled with failure to qualify for next term’s UCL could see the Dutch boss dismissed. In addition, Xabi Alonso is currently available, and that could sway the Reds board in favour of sacking Slot. Consequently, the FA Cup takes on extra importance for Liverpool and their manager.
However, while many neutrals will be eagerly awaiting news of when Man City v Liverpool will be played, others may be more interested in the unlikely fairytale we could witness at Stamford Bridge. Port Vale have never won the FA Cup and have never played in the final. Indeed, they have reached the semis just once, doing so back in 1953/54. That was, in fact, the only previous time they have made it as far as the quarters. And in a further good luck omen, they were a third-tier team back then too!
Can the Valiants upset the odds and send the Blues packing? If the clash was taking place at Vale Park, we might just think it was possible. However, on home soil, the Premier League side will surely prove too strong. Jon Brady’s men are eight points adrift at the foot of the League One table. They did incredibly well to beat Sunderland in the last round, but they rode their luck in that one. Moreover, there is a huge difference between the Black Cats at home and Chelsea away. We suspect this will be the end of the road for the minnows. The bookies agree, and they price Vale at odds of 22/1 to win at the Bridge!
Blades Cut Lone League One Path
If we do see Port Vale defeat a side currently 62 places above them in the English football hierarchy, it will be an incredible accomplishment. It will not, though, be the first time a side from League One has made it to the final four of the FA Cup. Back in 2013/14, Sheffield United had that honour.
The Blades scythed down top-tier outfit Aston Villa away from home in the third round. They then beat another PL club, Fulham, in the fourth round, before getting the better of Championship clubs Nottingham Forest and Charlton in the next two rounds. In the semis, they avoided Arsenal but did not get to play Championship Wigan. Instead, they met Hull City, then in the Premier League. They lost a Wembley goal-fest 5-3 but gave their fans a day and indeed a season to remember.
That Sheffield United are the only side from League One to make the final four of the FA Cup shows just what a big deal it would be if the Valiants can somehow find a way past Liam Rosenior’s men.
Pre-League One Era
That said, a number of third-tier teams, including, as said, Vale themselves, have appeared in the semis in the days before the current league system/naming existed.
In 2001, Wycombe Wanderers lost 2-1 to Liverpool at Villa Park in the semis. They were in the third tier at the time, though it was then called the Second Division. Before that, Chesterfield went even closer to becoming the first third-tier side to make the final. In 1996/97, they drew 3-3 with Middlesbrough at Old Trafford. A goal in the 119th minute forced a replay, but the Spireites lost that one 3-0.
Going back another decade or so, Plymouth also made the last four. Then, in the logically named Division Three, the Pilgrims were beaten 1-0 by Watford. Norwich are another third-tier club to have made it that far, doing so in 1958/59. The 1950s were a strong decade for Division Three clubs, with York City making the semis in 1954/55 and, as we know, Port Vale doing so 12 months earlier.
However, the very first club to defy the odds and go all the way to the last four of the FA Cup while in the third tier of English football was Millwall. They did so in 1936/37 when they lost 2-1 to Sunderland. Can Port Vale become the first such club to achieve this remarkable feat more than once? It seems unlikely, but the magic of the cup has a habit of conjuring new spells when we least expect them!
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