The third round of the FA Cup, which took place this weekend, featured an exciting match between Arsenal and Liverpool. The Reds secured a 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium, with a own goal from Polish center-back Jakub Kiwior and a strike from Colombian forward Luis Diaz. Chelsea and Manchester City cruised through easily, while Tottenham had to struggle to overcome Burnley.
At home, the Gunners had a solid first half and clearly had the best opportunities. German Kai Havertz had two clear chances, including a header from a corner well saved by Alisson. The Brazilian goalkeeper of Liverpool, well assisted by the sturdy French center-back Ibrahima Konaté, managed to keep his goal intact until halftime. In the second half, the Reds gradually gained the upper hand. Arsenal's own goal came in the 80th minute, after a cross from the Englishman Trent Alexander Arnold. Luis Diaz scored the second in the 5th minute of stoppage time, well served by the Portuguese forward Diogo Jota.
Chelsea and Manchester City, on the other hand, were playing against much weaker teams and had no difficulty securing victories. The Blues won 4-0 against Preston North End, the current 14th team in the Championship. The first goal was scored by Albanian substitute Armando Broja in the 58th minute, with a header from a pass by Frenchman Malo Gusto. The second goal, also a header, came in the 66th minute, courtesy of Brazilian defender Tiago Silva from a corner. The third goal resulted from a direct free-kick by Jamaican Raheem Sterling in the 69th minute, and the fourth was added late in the game by Argentine Enzo Fernandez in the 88th minute.
The winners of the last Champions League also faced a Championship team, the neighboring club Huddersfield Town, currently ranked 21st in the league. The poor form of the Yorkshiremen and the overall difference in skill level became immediately apparent on the field. Englishman Phil Foden scored a brace in the 33rd and 65th minutes, Argentine Julian Alvarez found the net in the 37th minute, an own goal by Ben Jackson occurred in the 58th minute, and to top it off, Belgian Jérémy Doku scored in the 74th minute. There was no suspense in this match, and the Citizens comfortably advanced to the next round.
The evening was much more stressful for the Tottenham players. Facing Burnley, who are 19th in the Premier League and in desperate need of confidence, the Spurs had to wait until the 78th minute to break the deadlock. It was the Spanish right-back Pedro Porro who unleashed a superb 25-meter shot to open up this tightly contested match.
Regarding the other Premier League clubs: Manchester United, Fulham, Newcastle, Brighton, Sheffield, Bournemouth and Aston Villa also qualified. West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Luton Town will have to replay after drawing against lower division teams. Two matchups between Premier League teams will also be replayed: Crystal Palace vs. Everton, and Brentford vs. Wolverhampton.
To conclude this article, let's applaud the excellent performance of Maidstone United, a 6th division club, who defeated FC Stevenage, a team playing in the third division, with a 1-0 victory. The party must have been great on Saturday in Kent.
