This weekend’s FA Cup action proved surprisingly devastating for many Premier League teams as five failed to beat opposing lower league squads.
The weekend started poorly for the Premiership as Aston Villa fell to Millwall on Friday 2-1. Little did we know, the result was merely a sign of things to come. On Saturday, Norwich City lost 0-1 to Luton Town, while QPR fell to Milton Keynes Dons harshly 4-2. Sunday however, would yield the most shocking results as Chelsea only managed a draw versus Brentford, while Tottenham lost to Leeds United 1-2, and Oldham Athletic dropped Liverpool by a score of 3-2. The weekend of upsets showed fans the true spirit of football and why tournaments like the FA Cup are so epic and exciting to watch.
England’s oldest tournament gives lower league teams a chance for glory against Premiership teams as well as another opportunity for success. The FA Cup brings the best out of many of England’s lower tier teams as players see a chance to shine on the biggest stage against some of the world’s best. Unfortunately, as fans saw this weekend, the tournament can also bring the worst out of Premier League sides that see inferior teams as pushovers and are often taken by surprise. Liverpool and Tottenham both took losses this weekend, beaten by “inferior” teams, marking one of the biggest upset weekends in years.
While there were some surprising losses this weekend, there were also some unfortunate ones as some big name players missed matches due to injury.
Injury Report courtesy of Physio Room: Player/Injury/Expected Return
Chelsea
Petr Cech/Knock/Unknown
David Luiz/Ankle/Unknown
Oriol Romeu/ACL/June 13th
Tottenham Hotspur
Jermaine Defoe/Hip/Unknown
S. Ranieri/ACL/October 13th
William Gallas/Calf/January 30th
Younes Kaboul/Knee/February 25th
Manchester United
Darren Fletcher/Chronic Bowel Syndrome/Unknown
Ashley Young/Knee/February 2nd
Johnny Evans/Hamstring/January 30th
Liverpool
Glen Johnson/Hamstring/January 30th
Pepe Reina/Hip/February 3rd
Jose Enrique/Hamstring/February 3rd
Martin Kelly/ACL/March 22nd
Arsenal
Thomas Vermaelen/Ankle/January 30th
Coquelin/Hamstring/February 2nd
Mikel Arteta/Calf Muscle Strain/January 30th
Fabianski/Ankle/February 9th
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