Stronger Premier League lineups, teams intent on attack and third-round upsets have helped revive the profile of football’s oldest competition
Anfield, Friday. While Virgil van Dijk humbly celebrates scoring Liverpool’s late winner the TV cameras pan out to capture one of the images of the season: Jürgen Klopp shaking his fists with the jittery frenzy of someone suddenly plugged into the national grid while yards away the Everton assistant manager, Sammy Lee, simultaneously twists his body, shuts his eyes and barks a pained expletive.
The Ricoh Arena, Saturday. The Coventry City defender Jack Grimmer meanders unchallenged towards the Stoke City box, swings his right foot and seems stunned as it evades a stuck‑in‑the-mud Jack Butland to put the Sky Blues ahead. Then Grimmer’s tongue comes out and he is clowning around with his team-mates and no wonder: Coventry are on their way to humbling a side 56 places higher in the League pyramid.
Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion
Peterborough United v Fleetwood Town or Leicester City
Huddersfield Town v Birmingham City
Notts County v Wolves or Swansea City
Yeovil Town v Manchester United
Carlisle United or Sheffield Wednesday v Stevenage or Reading
Cardiff City or Mansfield Town v Manchester City
MK Dons v Coventry City
Millwall v Rochdale
Southampton v Watford
Middlesbrough v Brighton & Hove Albion
Bournemouth or Wigan Athletic v Shrewsbury Town or West Ham
Hull City v Nottingham Forest
Newport County v Tottenham Hotspur
Norwich City or Chelsea v Newcastle United
Sheffield United v Preston North End
Related: Arsenal out of FA Cup after stunning Lichaj double for Nottingham Forest
Related: The Dozen: the weekend's best FA Cup photos
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