FA Cup: Villa, Brighton suffer shock exits
Aston Villa and Brighton suffered FA Cup embarrassment as the Premier League clubs paid the price for making a raft of team changes in their shock third round exits on Saturday.
Villa are languishing just above the relegation zone after a difficult first season back in the top-flight and boss Dean Smith prioritised that survival battle with nine changes against second tier Fulham.
Anthony Knockaert gave Fulham the lead at Craven Cottage with a 54th minute curler as the former Brighton forward grabbed his first goal since September.
Anwar El Ghazi equalised for Villa in the 63rd minute, but the understudies couldn’t hold on as Harry Arter won it with a 30-yard thunderbolt with 16 minutes left.
Midfielder Arter had only been on the pitch for one minute and 45 seconds before scoring his first goal since November 2017.
“The game was won by two wonder-goals,” Smith said. “I don’t like losing in any competition, but everyone could see this wasn’t top of our priority list, because we have had injuries to three key players.”
Brighton endured the same fate as Villa as Albion boss Graham Potter made seven changes from their New Year’s Day draw against Chelsea and second tier Sheffield Wednesday took advantage with a 1-0 win at the Amex Stadium.
Adam Reach blasted Wednesday into the fourth round with a deflected long-range strike in the 65th minute.
“Credit to Sheffield Wednesday, they deserve to go through. We huffed and puffed but our second-half performance was disappointing. We need to do better,” Potter said.
Watford blew a three-goal lead in a dramatic 3-3 draw against third tier strugglers Tranmere.
Last season’s FA Cup runners-up were three up by half-time at Vicarage Road as Tom Dele-Bashiru, Nathaniel Chalobah and Roberto Pereyra netted.
Villa, Brighton crash to shock FA Cup exits pic.twitter.com/DEruZPT0eC
— Futball News (@FutballNews_) January 4, 2020
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But they lost the recent momentum from new boss Nigel Pearson’s arrival as Connor Jennings and Emmanuel Monthe scored in the second half before Paul Mullin’s 87th minute penalty equaliser was followed by a red card for Pereyra.
Norwich’s teenage striker Adam Idah scored a hat-trick – his first goals for the club – in their 4-2 win at Championship side Preston.
Will Smallbone marked his Southampton debut with a second half goal in their 2-0 victory over Huddersfield, while much-changed Burnley beat Peterborough 4-2.