Premiership greatest goals (Part 1)

THE FA Premier League is celebrating 20 years of sensational action, with many controversial moments, classic matches, title clinching deciders and transfers that shook the world.  However, there is always the debate of what is the greatest goal to have ever be scored in the Premier League.  Well, here is my selection of favourite goals in the world's greatest league and why I think they are special.

Matt Le Tissier - SOUTHAMPTON v Newcastle United (October 1993)

Matt Le Tissier had been dropped from the Southampton side after being accused of acting 'lazy' by unpopular Saints boss Ian Branfoot.  Here is Le Tiss's response against newly promoted Newcastle and for me, it is one of the best individual goals in the 20 year history.  The finish might not have been the cleanest, but the execution was stunning.

Wayne Rooney - MANCHESTER UNITED v Manchester City (February 2011)

I'm never going to be a big fan of Wayne Rooney, but he does produce moments of unbelievable skill and his goal in February to win the Manchester derby at Old Trafford was deserving of any goal to win such a crucial match.  The ability to produce what he did is something that not many players in the world can achieve.  As Martin Tyler said in his commentary, this goal defies description, so just sit back and watch.

Paolo Di Canio - WEST HAM UNITED v Wimbledon (March 2000)

If I was choosing the greatest goal in Premiership history, it would be this sensational strike from Paolo di Canio infront of the Sky cameras.  As ever with the Hammers, there was some lovely build-up involving Trevor Sinclair and Marc-Vivien Foe, but Di Canio stole the show, by leaping off the ground with both feet and striking the ball in mid-air which left Neil Sullivan grasping for thin air.  This was genius at work.

Robert Pires - Aston Villa v ARSENAL (March 2002)

Robert Pires seemed to have a ridiculous ability of scoring 20 goals a season from midfield and he was the perfect foil for Thierry Henry.  On a damp afternoon at Villa Park, he showed cheek in lobbing the great Peter Schmeichel with a piece of sublime skill.  No wonder why Arsenal won the double this season, when you take a look at this finish.

Eric Cantona - MANCHESTER UNITED v Sunderland (December 1996)

Eric 'King' Cantona was one of my favourite ever foreign players to play in the Premiership and I always felt he retired far too soon from The Beautiful Game.  This goal against Sunderland not only completed a 5-0 rout, but the celebration of him just standing there, seeming to indicate; 'See if you can do better!' just summed up Cantona.  A true Premiership foreign great and the finest player for me to have worn United's coveted No.7 jersey.

Cesc Fabregas - ARSENAL v Tottenham Hotspur (October 2009)

There was a time when Arsenal were actually the leading lights in North London.  Tottenham had been improving under Harry Redknapp, but they were left shell-shocked in this derby by two quick-fire goals from the Gunners.  Robin van Persie put Arsenal infront, before Cesc Fabregas went on a brilliant mazy run and finished impeccably past Hereulho Gomes.  One of the finest solo strikes you will ever see.  (Both goals on the embedded video)

Tony Yeboah - LEEDS UNITED v Liverpool (August 1995)

Ghana's first star in the Premiership was Tony Yeboah.  He arrived at Elland Road in January 1995 and left Leeds fans with some great memories in his two years at the club.  The pick of his goals was this sensational volley at home to Liverpool.  The connection with the ball is so sweet, no goalkeeper in the world would save it.

Claus Jensen - Arsenal v CHARLTON ATHLETIC (November 2001)

In one of the biggest shock results of Premiership history, Charlton came to Highbury and beat Arsenal 4-2.  Claus Jensen was an enigmatic player, who never really fulfilled his talent, but this is what the Dane could do and he did it in style, robbing Patrick Vieria of possession, then chipping Richard Wright from a tricky angle.  This was a special goal on a special day for the Addicks.

Maynor Figueroa - Stoke City v WIGAN ATHLETIC (December 2009)

Some might say that Thomas Sorensen shouldn't have been caught out, but I think this was a brilliant piece of vision from Wigan left-back Maynor Figueroa.  For him to even try something like this is fantastic and he got the right result.  No luck in this, just supreme vision and great accuracy from so far out and a deserved winner of Goal of the Season in 2009/10.

Danny Rose - TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR v Arsenal (April 2010)

Quite possibly the best ever goal to be scored in a North London derby?  What an introduction into the first-team for talented youngster Danny Rose, with a strike that he will always be remembered for, no matter what he does for the rest of his career.

Stan Collymore - BRADFORD CITY v Leeds United (October 2000)

The career of Stan Collymore was controversial to say the least.  His best time came at Liverpool, but he rolled back the years on his debut for Bradford City, with a glorious overhead kick against Yorkshire rivals, Leeds.  It was only a brief spell at Valley Parade, but Stan the Man had made his contribution to the Bantams relegation battle.

Barry Horne - EVERTON v Wimbledon (May 1994)

Everton badly needed a hero as they desperately tried to cling onto Premiership status in 1993/94.  They were trailing 2-1 to Wimbledon, when Barry Horne became their unlikely saviour with this rasping drive.  Graham Stuart went on to score the winner and Toffees avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth.  Not a famous goal in the Premier League archives, but a very important goal on the Blue half of Merseyside.

Dallian Atkinson - Wimbledon v ASTON VILLA (October 1992)

In the first season of the FA Premier League, Aston Villa were serious title contenders.  Dallian Atkinson scored the pick of their goals in the inagural campaign, including this breathtaking run and delicious finish at Selhurst Park.  His career stalled after leaving Villa, but in those days, Atkinson could come up with some great predatory finishes.

Stan Collymore - NOTTINGHAM FOREST v Wimbledon (October 1994)

Here's that man again; Stan Collymore with a tremendous run from the halfway line and given all the time in the world by the Wimbledon players, punishes them with a great shot.  This goal was Sky Sports goal of the season in 94/95 and it highlighted the huge talent that Collymore had available to him, which sadly he never really built on.

Cristiano Ronaldo - MANCHESTER UNITED v Portsmouth (January 2008)

Cristiano Ronaldo was the best player in the world, until a certain Lionel Messi came along and his ability to strike a ball from a free-kick is world class.  This is his best example, against Portsmouth, in quite amazing fashion.  David James just had to stand, admire and so did the whole of Old Trafford.

So, that's part one of the greatest goals to have been scored in 20 years of the FA Premier League, but if your favourite isn't here, then don't worry just yet.  I will be doing two more blogs, sharing my favourite selection of 'good goals.'

Premiership goalkeeper bloopers

THE 20th Premiership season begins next weekend and to celebrate, I thought it should be time to embarrass some Premiership goalkeepers with a selection of the biggest blunders in the two decades of football so far.  I'd advise all keepers to run away and hide, because it's time to open the vault and embrace the madness!

Peter Enckleman - Birmingham City v Aston Villa (September 2002)

This still makes me giggle everytime I see it.  Peter Enckleman miscontrolled a simple throw-in backpass from Olof Mellberg and let the ball slip underneath his feet, before trickling into the net.  What was worse; it was the first Second City derby in 16 years and ensured Birmingham beat Aston Villa 3-0.  The Blues did the double and finished above Villa in their first season in the Premiership and got a serious laugh at poor Peter's expense.

Tim Flowers - Blackburn Rovers v Liverpool (February 1996)

It was a weak shot and one of the freakiest goals ever, certainly in Stan Collymore's colourful career.  His 11th minute shot hit a divot in the Ewood Park ground, which Blackburn keeper Tim Flowers had created to help with his postioning.  Collymore's shot hit the divot and bounced over Flowers head and went in.  Liverpool won the game 3-2 and this Flowers moment summed up Blackburn's defence of the title; forgettable!

Shay Given - Coventry City v Newcastle United (November 1997)

Shay Given is normally one of the most reliable Premiership goalkeepers around, but he failed to check his directions in this gaffe.  He claimed the ball from a poor cross and rolled it out, but didn't realise Dion Dublin had wondered off the pitch.  Dublin cheekily ran back onto the field and kicked the ball in the net.  Referee Paul Durkin allowed the goal to stand and it has gone down as one of the strangest in Premiership history.

Massimo Taibi - Manchester United v Southampton (September 1999)

One of the softest goals in Matt Le Tissier's career, which still ranks amongst one of the biggest gaffes in history.  At 2-1, Southampton looked like they might cave in, but somehow, Le Tissier's dribbler of a shot squirmed underneath the grasp of Massimo Taibi.  It was a horrendous error and Taibi only played once more for Manchester United, conceding five at Stamford Bridge.  Oh dear!

Fabian Barthez - Arsenal v Manchester United (November 2001)

Another Manchester United goalkeeper to hang their head in shame was Fabian Barthez.  The charismatic Frenchman had more bad days than good and this was a prime example.  A poor clearance and losing the ball from underneath his body gave Thierry Henry, his international team-mate two simple goals.  Both blunders came in the last five minutes, ensuring United lost 3-1 at Highbury and Sir Alex looks unimpressed.

Carlo Cudicini - Manchester United v Chelsea (May 2004)

Carlo Cudicini had a couple of clangers in the 2003/04 season.  One at Highbury and another at Old Trafford.  With this one, he simply misjudged a woeful cross and Ruud Van Nistlerooy was never going to miss from close range.  Although Chelsea held on for a 1-1 draw to finish in the runners-up spot, Cudicini lost his regular spot in the Chelsea side to Petr Cech when the Jose Mourinho era began in the summer of 2004.

Jerzy Dudek - Liverpool v Manchester United (December 2002)

Jerzy Dudek became a Liverpool hero in Istanbul with his penalty heroics, which was eventual redemption for this gaffe against Manchester United.  Jamie Carragher's simple header back to the Polish goalkeeper should have be caught with his eyes closed.  He lost it and Diego Forlan was presented with an early Christmas gift.  United won 2-1 at Anfield and Dudek lost his place in the Reds side for the best part of two months.

Hereulho Gomes - Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur (November 2008)

Hereulho Gomes regular appointment with the Premiership DVD bloopers list already is enough for a TV series!  This was his worst moment of his catastrophic career at White Hart Lane so far, letting a simple Clint Dempsey in at his near post.  Not the first time Dempsey has benefited from dismal goalkeeping, and it won't be the last Gomes mistake either, I'm sure of that!  For the record, Fulham won this match 2-1.

Ian Walker - Leicester City v Bolton Wanderers (February 2004)

There have been a fair share of England goalkeepers screwing up in the past and Ian Walker had his moment of madness in this match.  Youri Djorkaeff's free-kick was met by a rather tame effort from Bolton's Kevin Davies.  Walker had the ball, then somehow lost it and the ball crept over the line.  Bolton couldn't believe their luck, earnt a fortunate point and Leicester were relegated at the end of the season.  On this evidence, its hard not to see why!

Edwin van der Sar - Fulham v Arsenal (May 2004)

Edwin van der Sar had erratic days at Fulham and none more so than against Arsenal in 2003/2004.  In November, his sensational display kept 'The Untouchables' out.  This time, he tried to be too clever and dribble the ball around Jose Antonio Reyes.  Reyes nicked it off him and the cocky Dutchman was punished.  Arsenal won 1-0 and got one game closer to that historic landmark with an extra bit of help!

Classic Premiership Matches 1-20

In the past 18 seasons, football fans across the globe have been treated to some cracking Premiership matches.  On the eve of the 19th season having begun yesterday, here is a look-back at some classics down the years.

1.             Liverpool                                4-3           Newcastle United                                    Wednesday 3^rd April 1996

The greatest game of the Premiership’s entire history as two attacking sides did battle to keep them in the title race.  A classic header from Robbie Fowler handed Liverpool a dream start, but Newcastle retaliated with goals from Les Ferdinand & David Ginola.  Fowler restored parity early in the second half with a low drilled shot, before Faustino Asprilla curled an attempt around the onrushing David James to put Kevin Keegan’s men back infront.  Stan Collymore tied the game again at 3-3, converting Jason McAteer’s wicked cross and then Stan the Man hit a dramatic stoppage time winner for Liverpool, which funnily enough pushed the title into the hands of their greatest enemies, Manchester United.

2.             Tottenham Hotspur                                3-5           Manchester United                  Saturday 29^th September 2001

This was the greatest turnaround in Premiership history.  Glenn Hoddle’s outfit were in dreamland at half-time, 3-0 to the good against the reigning champions thanks to efforts from new boy Dean Richards, Les Ferdinand & Christian Ziege.  Sir Alex Ferguson rallied his troops at half-time and fought back in the style of champions.  Andy Cole, Laurent Blanc, Ruud Van Nistlerooy, Juan Sebastian Veron and David Beckham all found the net in a breathless second half that left the North London fans stunned into silence.

3.             Blackburn Rovers                   3-4           Chelsea                                    Monday 21^st September 1998

Gianluca Vialli’s foreign superstars found their form in a genuine classic at Ewood Park.  Gianfranco Zola’s magnificent free-kick opened the scoring, but Blackburn got back on terms through Chris Sutton.  A debatable penalty led to Chelsea’s 2^nd, converted by the reliable Franck Lebouef.  Sebastian Perez hooked in Rovers 2^nd equaliser, before being controversially dismissed in a brutal clash with Lancashire old boy Graeme Le Saux.  With both sides at 10 men, Blackburn responded better, Sutton putting them infront after Michael Duberry pushed Martin Dahlin in the box.  Back came Chelsea again, with super sub Tore Andre Flo powering in a header, then coolly converting a long ball from Brian Laudrup to turn a probable defeat into a definite victory.

4.             Leeds United                           4-3           Liverpool                                                Saturday 4^th November 2000

Leeds made an appalling start to this match, failing to deal with two set-pieces from Gary McAllister.  Sami Hyypia & Christian Ziege reaped the rewards.  Step up Marc Viduka with a vintage display, bringing the Yorkshire club level with a cute finish after a dreadful error from Ziege, then a bullet header.  Vladimir Smicer regained Liverpool’s lead after being set-up by fellow Czech, Patrik Berger, before Viduka really took centre stage, twisting and turning his way through the defence for his hat-trick, then chipping an advancing Sander Westerveld when put in the clear by Olivier Dacourt.  The Australian had made his mark in the Premier League and how…

5.             Southampton                          6-3           Manchester United                  Saturday 26^th October 1996

Inspired by the messiah, Matt Le Tissier, Southampton inflicted further pain on Manchester United at the Dell, just six days after United’s 5-0 reverse at Newcastle.  A hat-trick from the unknown Egil Ostenstad plus a majestic chip from Le Tissier and a double by Eyal Berkovic did the damage to give Graeme Souness his finest hour in management.

6.             Tottenham Hotspur                                4-5           Arsenal                                    Saturday 13^th November 2004

It was quite a baptism for new Tottenham boss Martin Jol who witnessed a nine-goal thriller in his first North London Derby.  In a score line more associated to hockey, there were nine different scorers, with common men like Thierry Henry & Robert Pires and more unfamiliar names in the form of Noureddine Naybet & Lauren finding the net.  The pick of the goals was a solo effort from Jermain Defoe.

7.             Portsmouth                             7-4           Reading                                   Saturday 29^th September 2007

The highest aggregated score in Premiership history and a day for Marcus Hahnemann to forget with three goalkeeping blunders.  Benjani took full advantage by striking a hat-trick for Pompey.

8.             West Ham United                   5-4           Bradford City                         Saturday 12^th February 2000

Despite leading 2-0 & 3-1 in this match, Bradford threw it away in this nine goal thriller.  The winner was struck in the closing stages by Joe Cole.

9.             Manchester United                  2-1           Sheffield Wednesday                               Saturday 10^th April 1993

This was a game that ended up changing the history of football.  It looked like Manchester United had thrown the title away again, this time to Aston Villa.  They were 1-0 down to Manchester fanatic John Sheridan, who converted a penalty for the Owls.  Struggling, Alex Ferguson pulled off a tactical masterstroke and threw centre back Steve Bruce forward.  Thanks to a long injury-time stoppage due to an earlier referee issue, Bruce scored twice, the second 7 minutes into injury time.  The celebrations from Ferguson and assistant Brian Kidd said it all, United went on to win the league and start their English dominance.

10.           Chelsea                                    2-3           Arsenal                                    Saturday 23^rd October 1999

Chelsea had been unbeaten at Stamford Bridge since February and hadn’t even conceded a goal at home in the campaign.  They were cruising away with this one, thanks to goals from Gus Poyet & Dan Petrescu.  Inconsistent Arsenal looked dead and buried, but Kanu had other ideas.  The Nigerian hit an 18-minute hat-trick to give the Gunners an improbable victory.  The Blues season never really recovered.

11.           Liverpool                                                3-3           Manchester United                  Tuesday 4^th January 1994

With only 22 minutes gone, Manchester United looked like they were cantering towards another victory at Anfield.  A header from Steve Bruce, stunning lob from Ryan Giggs and a thunderous free-kick from Denis Irwin left Liverpool shell-shocked.  However, the Kop roared their team on, despite their lack of previous form.  Nigel Clough thumped two goals home before half-time and then a bullet header from Neil Ruddock rescued an unlikely point in this masterpiece of a match.

12.           Blackburn Rovers                   7-2           Sheffield Wednesday                               Monday 25^th August 1997

With Englishman Roy Hodgson in charge, Blackburn had been banging in goals, left right and centre.  Infront of the Sky cameras, they gave Sheffield Wednesday a footballing lesson.  Doubles from potent strike force Kevin Gallacher & Chris Sutton, plus further efforts from Jason Wilcox, Lars Bohinen and an own goal left Rovers in seven heaven.  Benito Carbone had a dramatic night, scoring twice and then got sent off for using an elbow on Patrick Valery.

13.           Liverpool                                                4-4           Arsenal                                    Tuesday 21^st April 2009

Liverpool needed to attack, as they attempted to keep up with the red hot pace set by Manchester United, but their moves backfired against Arsenal.  In a belter of a game, Russian newboy Andrei Arshavin profited from shocking defending to score four goals.  Only a stoppage time leveller from Yossi Benayoun salvaged a point for Rafa Benitez, but it ultimately cost them in the final reckoning.

14.           West Ham United                   3-4           Tottenham Hotspur                                Sunday 4^th March 2007

An all-time classic of a London derby gripped fans on a chilly Sunday afternoon.  West Ham had been coasting at half-time, courtesy of Mark Noble and an emotional first strike for the Hammers by popular Argentine ace, Carlos Tevez.  Instead of pushing on, Alan Curbishley saw his side press self-destruct in the 2^nd half.  They were pegged back by a Jermain Defoe penalty and Teemu Tainio.  With five minutes to go, Bobby Zamora headed in to put the East London side back infront, only for a specialised Dimitar Berbatov free-kick to level it up again.  Desperate for the winner, West Ham were caught on the break, with Paul Stalteri snatching a last-gasp winner.  Curbishley’s outfit were now bottom of the table and looked doomed, or were they….

15.           Wolves                                    4-3           Leicester City                          Saturday 25^th October 2003

Between two rivals, this defeat highlighted the problems Leicester had in their battle to avoid the drop.  Coasting at the interval with a 3-0 lead, Micky Adams watched a horror show in the second half, as Wolves battled back to claim a sensational win.  Senegal international Henri Camara poked home the deciding goal four minutes from time.

16.           Oldham Athletic                     4-3           Southampton                          Saturday 8^th May 1993

Despite late wins against Aston Villa and Liverpool, Oldham came into the last day of the season needing to beat Southampton and hope that Crystal Palace were beaten at Arsenal.  Oldham romped into a 4-1 lead at Boundary Park, but faced a nervy ending as Matt Le Tissier scored another hat-trick and the Saints started upping the pressure.  But, the Lactics held on and with an Ian Wright hat-trick at Highbury, Palace went down and awesome Athletic stayed in the Premiership.

17.           Arsenal                                    4-2           Wigan Athletic                        Sunday 7^th May 2006

An emotional farewell to Highbury saw Arsenal achieve their aim of securing Champions League football thanks to their hero and a dodgy food chef.  North London rivals, Tottenham saw their squad decimated by food poisoning on the eve of their trip to West Ham and eventually lost 2-1.  Party poopers Wigan did take a brief 2-1 lead to cause shudders for the home supporters, before Thierry Henry settled the nerves with a sublime hat-trick.  The King of Highbury had signed off in style.

18.           Liverpool                                                4-3           Newcastle United                    Monday 10^th March 1997

Just over a year on from their thrilling first encounter, Liverpool & Newcastle repeated the trick on a pulsating night at Anfield.  Liverpool played some mastering football in the first half, earning a 3-0 half-time lead, due to strikes from Steve McManaman, Patrik Berger & Robbie Fowler.  A pathetic piece of goalkeeping from David James gave Newcastle a way back into the game, allowing Keith Gillespie a consolation.  Suddenly, Liverpool got cocky and conceded soft goals to Faustino Asprilla and Warren Barton in the last five minutes.  It looked like they had thrown it away, until a brave header from Robbie Fowler in injury time won the game.  For the second year running, Geordie hearts had been cruelly broken in Merseyside.

19.           Middlesbrough                        4-3           Bolton Wanderers                   Sunday 26^th March 2006

With a draining UEFA Cup campaign in progress, Middlesbrough were struggling in their battle against the Premiership drop, but turned their domestic season around with a last-gasp triumph over European contenders, Bolton.  3-1 up with an hour gone, Steve McLaren’s side got complacent and goals from Jay-Jay Okocha and Ivan Campo placed the game back in the balance.  An 89^th minute winner from defender Stuart Parnaby earned Boro a crucial three points.

20.           Manchester United                  4-3           Manchester City                     Sunday 20^th September 2009

No doubt that this was the greatest Manchester derby of all time.  Rich Manchester City turned up at Old Trafford, expecting to win, rather than hope to win.  They fell behind inside 3 minutes to a Wayne Rooney goal, but were level by half-time, after Gareth Barry capitalised on some poor goalkeeping.  Darren Fletcher and Craig Bellamy exchanged four goals between each other in the second half, Bellamy’s first was a stunner, the second in the 90^th minute looked to have rescued a point for Mark Hughes men.  However, with almost the last kick of the match, Ryan Giggs fed Michael Owen in, who coolly slotted home past Shay Given and send the home supporters into raptures.  This was an absolute belter.

FA Cup 4th Round Review - Is The Romance Dead?

This was first posted on January 25th at http://happydude88.livejournal.com/

Three weeks ago, former Nottingham Forest and Liverpool player Stan Collymore claimed on Talk Sport after 3rd round Saturday that the romance in the FA Cup is dead. I hope he is eating up his words now. A month on and the most famous cup competition in the world has slayed three of the ‘big 4’ and has left the FA Cup of 2010 wide open.

As Wembley in the middle of May draws closer, so the big guns continue to run into trouble, and following Manchester United’s shock loss at home to Leeds United and Liverpool’s shambolic exit at the hands of lowly Reading in the last round, Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal were the next team with a team full of stars to bite the dust.

The winter of discontent at Stoke of late, with the side in poor Premier League form was put aside yesterday, as they outmuscled, outplayed and outfought their fellow top flight side. Wenger rested his big guns, with daunting Premiership games against Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea on the horizon and this gamble backfired. They should have expected the physical presence of Stoke and the huge danger of Rory Delap’s long throw execution that gave them major problems at the Britannia last campaign. Seventy seconds from kick-off, Arsenal left a gaping hole and Ricardo Fuller beat a hapless Lukas Fabianski to the ball and headed in. It showed the Gunners haven’t learnt their lessons from twelve months ago and a weakness that the youngsters still have. Perhaps, in hindsight, with fixture congestion building up, it was better for Arsenal to exit now rather than play another game in a replay. Stoke’s final two goals were on the counter attack and maximised to great effect – exploiting Arsenal as they pushed for the equaliser. On another note, Sol Campbell looked strong and impressive on his Arsenal return and Theo Walcott’s struggles continued. Surely, Fabio Capello cannot consider him for selection as far as South Africa in the summer is concerned.

With Arsenal gone, the door is open now for Chelsea to defend their FA Cup trophy successful. A comfortable and professional win at Preston, if not glamorous was always expected. Carlo Ancelotti’s main challenge for this trophy may now come from the billionaires on the blue side of Manchester. Yesterday’s 4-2 win at Scunthorpe was hard-fought and if not, flawless, impressive to say the least. Sylvinho’s goal was easily the best of the weekend and has Robinho scored his last goal and played his last game for Manchester City? Roberto Mancini has a big decision to make as the final week of the transfer window approaches. I don’t think Robinho will be a City player in seven days time. For £32million, he has been a disappointing buy and quite frankly, a tortoise could play better on away days. I think Mancini should cut City’s losses ASAP. Meanwhile, credit Scunthorpe United for giving the ITV viewers a fascinating tie. It was a brave and valid attempt.

Elsewhere, the Leeds United fascination in this year’s FA Cup continues. It was an amazing game at White Hart Lane on Saturday night. End-to-end stuff and Tottenham will know that they have been in a game. They could potentially struggle at Elland Road in the replay in ten days time. Will Leeds be able to hold onto the prolific Jermaine Beckford? It’s a tough call for Simon Grayson, as Beckford is out of contract in the summer, so I’m sure the Yorkshire side would like to cash in on their profit. However, Beckford is Premiership class; he gave the Spurs backline a hatful of problems and despite a debatable penalty in the 96th minute, the penalty he took, under so much pressure was top-class. Tottenham have to perform professionally in the replay to overcome this potential banana skin.

Notts County will be very disappointed not to finish off Wigan Athletic, having been two goals up at home. They may have blown their chance, when it comes to a giant-killing and despite their major financial crisis; Crystal Palace produced a stunning performance at struggling Wolves to earn a well-deserved replay. Well done to Portsmouth, considering their major financial peril situation. Overcoming Sunderland, who can’t buy a win if their life was dependent on it, was not an easy scenario and now, Southampton wait in a passionate and lively South Coast Derby in Round 5. And, Birmingham City, Fulham and this season’s cup-kings Aston Villa are still dangers in the latter stages. Should the favourites in blue slip up, these three consistent Premier League sides must be considered as dark horses.

So Stan, who said the romance, was dead in the FA Cup! My message is ‘Never underestimate the power of the FA Cup.’ Roll on Round Five!