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England FA Cup

Can Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal emulate Liverpool’s great start to the FA Cup?

Angela Asante, January 7 2012,
Liverpool set the pace for other Premier League clubs in admirable fashion on Friday night although another race row involving Oldham’s Tom somewhat tarnished the game.

Liverpool have kicked off the FA Cup in great fashion.

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The Merseyside Reds overcame the pressure of playing the first fixture of this year’s FA Cup competition. Oldham Athletic never looked dangerous anyways, until they tried to prove otherwise on the pitch. Inside the 28th minute, Robbie Simpson stunned Pepe Reina with an incredible shot from long range which hit the top right corner of the net.

At that moment, followers of the match perhaps thought that Liverpool – probably distracted by the absence of goal poacher Luis Suarez – would succumb to an upset. However, Kenny Dalglish and his men had other ideas.

The legend rallied his team from the sidelines and the prayers of the anxious home crowd quickly received a response through Craig Bellamy’s equalizer in the 30th minute. Game on!

 

The moment for Steven Gerrard to stamp his presence at Anfield then arrived. The captain took full advantage of Liverpool’s awarded penalty kick just before the break. Oldham Athletic tried to contain the hosts but Jonjo Shelvey’s 68th minute half-volley put Liverpool too far ahead. To worsen things for the visitors, Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing hit the back of the net late on. 

It’s clear to see that the Merseyside Reds are taking cup competitions very seriously this season. This “flattering” result, as Kenny Dalglish qualified it, could mean the start of a glorious finish for Liverpool in the FA Cup this year. Their Premier League rivals should be on the alert. 

On Saturday, Tottenham Hotspur will commence their FA Cup adventure with a home match against Cheltenham Town. Spurs should have no problem going past this League Two team. Harry Redknapp will take this easy fixture as an opportunity to play the likes of Rose and Pavlyuchenko as Gareth Bale, Kyle Walker, Adebayor and Assou-Ekotto are likely not to feature. Clearing the air over suggestion that he undervalues the match, coach Harry Redknapp explained the following in an interview with the English press:

“We won’t be taking liberties with the game but I do need to make changes.”

Tottenham Hotspur are doing pretty well in the English Premier League and the prospect of surprising Manchester City and Manchester United for the title exists. However, this doesn’t mean that Spurs are only focusing on their Premiership campaign. The FA Cup is very much on their priority list as Redknapp declared:

“I think we’ve got as good a chance as anyone and it’s a competition we want to do well in.

“We want to make sure we get through but it won’t be easy. Mark Yates has done a great job at Cheltenham, they are right at the top of the division and we don’t underestimate them at all.”

Exactly 24 hours after Spurs and Cheltenham’s game, Chelsea and Portsmouth will get active atChelsea vs Portsmouth and the horror of Ballack's injury. Stamford Bridge. The battle will be heated up by good and bad memories. The last time both clubs faced each other was in 2010, in the final of the FA Cup.

That day, Kevin-Prince Boateng’s terrible tackle on Ballack tarnished the Blues’ triumph as the German midfielder subsequently had to pull out from the 2010 FIFA World Cup through injury. Without the services of Cote d’Ivoire’s Didier Drogba, Lukaku will have the chance to impress Andre Villas-Boas. The good news for Chelsea fans is that skipper John Terry is expected to find his place in the starting XI after shaking off a knee injury.

Elsewhere on Monday, Arsenal will host Leeds United. The Gunners will be without the rested Robin van Persie. However, the arrival of Thierry Henry might play a major role in boosting the lads’ mood ahead of the game.

Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Arsenal are levels ahead of their FA Cup opponents. Will they remind the public of the big gap that exists in English football between top-tier teams and minnows?

 

 

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