Eight have become four in the FA Cup and the world’s most famous cup competition is continuing to excite.
Here was another weekend of FA Cup highlights and even now it’s hard to predict which club will be victorious in the showpiece of the season in May.
What we do know is that four teams will be heading to Wembley next month for two compelling semi-finals.
While I don’t agree that the national stadium is used before the final – it detracts somewhat from the big day itself – on all accounts it is a financial necessity for the Football Association and, sadly, that is where we are.
Make sure to study the SBOTOP FA Cup betting odds before semi-final weekend.
Eagles soar
Could the Eagles really be genuine contenders to win the FA Cup for the first time in their history?
That was the question I posed after their fifth round success over Stoke and now the 2016 finalists are back at Wembley again.
Certainly, their manager Patrick Vieira knows what it’s like to triumph as a four-time winner with Arsenal and also part of the Manchester City squad that lifted the trophy in 2011.
Vieira has been hailed for developing a more attractive Palace side, yet they also have displayed determination and grit when called upon.
They certainly had too much for Everton who, granted, weren’t helped when they lost former Palace man Andros Townsend inside the opening 20 minutes.
Shortly afterwards, Michael Olise whipped in a corner and Marc Guehi beat his marker and headed into the far corner of the net.
Four minutes before the break, Wilfried Zaha and Eberechi Eze combined and Jean-Philippe Mateta coolly doubled the advantage for the home side.
A superb last-ditch tackle from Seamus Coleman kept the Toffees in it just before the interval but they rarely seemed like coming back and Zaha put the icing on the cake when he slotted in from close range 11 minutes from time before sub Will Hughes added a fourth to cap off an impressive showing. Palace are heading back to Wembley.
Like Manchester United’s limitations under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Everton will go nowhere fast under Frank Lampard.
Chelsea aim to go one better
They were beaten in a David versus Goliath upset last season in what was one of the most memorable chapters in the competition’s history, so can Chelsea go one better in 2022?
The West Londoners certainly hope so as they look to put off-field troubles to one side.
At FA Cup giantkillers Middlesbrough, the club was unable to sell its entire ticket allocation because of sanctions imposed by the UK government on Russian owner Roman Abramovich, due to his connection to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It meant the side was backed by around 700 supporters who had got their tickets before the sanctions were brought in, while Middlesbrough were cheered on by a sell-out crowd at the 34,000 capacity Riverside Stadium.
Thomas Tuchel’s players responded well amid the uncertainty though and, after Romelu Lukaku tapped in a Mason Mount cross, Hakim Ziyech made it 2-0 with a superb dipping effort from the edge of the box. Job done.
City dig in down south; Liverpool end Forest fairytale run
After two league encounters level-pegging, my colleague asked if champions Manchester City could defeat spirited Southampton when it mattered the most?
The answer it would seem is yes. That’s not to take away from a spirited showing from the Saints who can be a real threat to any team under Ralph Hasenhuttl.
In the end a combination of strength in depth for City and a poorly timed challenge just past the hour mark turned the tie in their favour.
With the score deadlocked at 1-1, Mohammed Salisu’s reckless challenge on Gabriel Jesus saw Kevin de Bruyne restore City’s lead from the penalty spot and, with goalkeeper Zack Steffen pulling off fine saves either side of that goal, the home side’s best chance had gone.
To highlight the differing squad sizes, Phil Foden and Riyad Mahrez both came off the bench and both promptly scored to put a one-sided slant on a scoreline which had been close for an hour.
City will now meet their main rivals for the last four seasons in Liverpool who edged past Championship outfit Nottingham Forest thanks to a Diogo Jota goal.
Forest had seen off holders Leicester and Arsenal en route to this stage and may have caused another upset with a bit more luck and some more composed finishing.
Yet strength in depth was key again as another of the country’s top teams flexed their muscles to proceed.
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