Fulham will host London rivals Crystal Palace in the FA Cup quarter-finals after knocking out the holders, Manchester United, on penalties. The Cottagers won the shoot-out 4-3 at Old Trafford after Sunday’s fifth-round tie had ended 1-1 following extra time. The Sky Bet Championship side Preston, the lowest-ranked club left in the competition, will be at home to Aston Villa while the Premier League champions, Manchester City, head to Bournemouth. Brighton, having beaten Newcastle 2-1 after extra time at St James’ Park, will take on either Nottingham Forest or Ipswich, who play on Monday night. The quarter-final ties will take place across the final weekend of March. PA Media
Anyway, these are the four ties again, to be played over the weekend of 28-30 March:
Bournemouth v Manchester City
Brighton v Nottingham Forest or Ipswich
Fulham v Crystal Palace
Preston v Aston Villa
They all look pretty tasty to me, in the most refreshingly open FA Cup in ages.
“Only one of the Big Six in the quarterfinals?” snorts Kevin Hughes. “I feel a rule change coming on.” Yep, stand by for the Swiss System FA Cup.
So there we have it. Short and sweet. The favourites, Manchester City, are away and get to face Premier League opposition for the first time in this year’s competition. Preston v Villa will be a grand occasion at Deepdale, and Fulham v Palace is an intriguing derby. And Forest and Ipswich duel tomorrow for the right to visit in-form Brighton.
Brighton v Nottingham Forest or Ipswich
Bournemouth v Manchester City
Preston v Aston Villa
Fulham v Crystal Palace
Here we go then … with Danny Murphy and Dennis Irwin doing the honours.
Fulham topple the holders, winning 4-3 on penalties after two Bernd Leno saves.
So here are the remaining teams in the draw:
Manchester City
Bournemouth
Preston
Brighton
Aston Villa
Crystal Palace
Fulham
Nottingham Forest or Ipswich
Updated
And we must wait a little longer – Man Utd v Fulham’s gone to penalties.
Updated
While we await the end of the slugfest at Old Trafford (still 1-1 in the 114th minute), here’s what’s been going on in other competitions.
First up, Tom Garry’s WSL roundup, with details to follow of an Arsenal-West Ham humdinger in which the Gunners have just scored three in six minute to lead 4-3.
And in the European men’s game, Barcelona have gone top of La Liga with a 4-0 romp over Real Sociedad.
Preamble
Welcome to coverage of the FA Cup fifth-round draw. The balls will be plucked out of the pot after the match between Manchester United and Fulham. The teams already in the last eight are:
Manchester City
Bournemouth
Preston
Brighton
Aston Villa
Crystal Palace
Nottingham Forest take on Ipswich in the final fifth-round tie tomorrow.
You can follow the remainder of Manchester United v Fulham here while you await the draw.
