Chelsea and Manchester City were among those that crashed out on a day of shock results…
Saturday will quite possibly go down as one of the most shocking days in FA Cup history. Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton – four of the current top six in the Premier League – all crashed out, while Liverpool were held by Bolton.
SEE MORE:
Brighton Vs Arsenal: Live Streaming & FA Cup Match Preview
Dubious: Man City Boss Manuel Pellegrini Denies Damaging FA Cup Chances With Abu Dhabi Trip
(Video) Not His Best Day: Mourinho Confuses Bradford With Barnsley After Chelsea FA Cup Humiliation
In fact only three top flight teams advanced – West Bromwich Albion, Crystal Palace and Leicester City – in an extraordinary afternoon. There were plenty of performances that fans will be bemoaning today, with many fringe players failing to impress.
Here are the ten biggest villains from yesterday’s action:
10) Kyle Bartley (Swansea City)
Sent-off after just seven minutes against Blackburn Rovers, giving his side a mountain to climb. The Swans would take the lead before eventually succumbing to their Championship opponents 3-1.
9) Mohamed Salah (Chelsea)
The Egyptian was handed a rare chance to impress in a Chelsea shirt, but did little to impress manager Jose Mourinho. With the Blues exiting the FA Cup, his chances are going to become even less frequent.
8) Joe Allen (Liverpool)
Returned from injury during the 0-0 draw with Bolton, but offered little to convince manager Brendan Rodgers that he should return to being a first-team regular. The Welshman needs to do more going forward.
7) Didier Drogba (Chelsea)
The ageing Ivorian striker looked well past his best in a difficult afternoon against Bradford City. The 36-year-old spent much of the afternoon cutting an isolated figure up front in the 4-2 defeat.
6) Florin Gardos (Southampton)
Southampton’s growing injury list has allowed Gardos several chances to impress in recent weeks, but he did anything but against Crystal Palace, coming off at half-time during the 3-2 defeat.
5) Jack Rodwell (Sunderland)
Sent-off for two needless yellow cards as Sunderland again turned in an uninspiring performance during the 0-0 draw with Championship side Fulham. On another day, his petulance could have cost his teammates.
4) Loic Remy (Chelsea)
If Chelsea fans were frustrated with Drogba, they will be even more annoyed with the Frenchman, who was wasteful to say the least in the loss to Bradford. The pair’s performances makes you wonder where the Blues would be without Diego Costa.
3) Lukasz Fabianksi (Swansea City)
Was part of the Arsenal team that won the FA Cup last season, but the Pole won’t be returning to Wembley this term after a nightmare game against Blackburn. After failing to deal with the ball into the box that led to the second goal, he then allowed Rovers third to squirm under his body.
2) Fernando (Manchester City)
Looked off the pace throughout, despite being up against Championship opponents Middlesbrough. His terrible back-pass led to the first goal while his failed clearance gifted the visitors their second.
1) Michel Vorm (Tottenham Hotspur)
Might have been sent-off in the first-half after bringing down the Leicester striker, who was wrongly booked for diving. With the game at 1-1 in stoppage time, he then allowed Jeffrey Schlupp’s shot to bobble over him. A day to forget for the Dutchman.