FA Cup holders Arsenal face a rematch with last season’s beaten finalists Hull City in the third round of this year’s competition.
In May, Arsene Wenger’s side ended a nine-year trophy drought, as Aaron Ramsey’s extra-time goal clinched a 3-2 win over Hull at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Coincidentally, not only will the Gunners start their Cup defense against Steve Bruce’s team, but Monday’s third-round draw was held in Hull, with the Tigers boss watching on as his side were handed a trip to the Emirates Stadium in the first tie called out.
“We’d been drawn against Arsenal in the rehearsal,” Bruce told BBC Sport. “Let’s hope it is as good as the final, because it was a great game.”
Tigers captain Curtis Davies added: “I guess it was just meant to be.”
The third round of the Cup, which takes place over the first weekend of next month, will also feature a host of fascinating opportunities for memorable giant-killing acts. League Two minnows AFC Wimbledon — in the third round for the first time in their 12-year history — host Liverpool in a match which recalls the 1988 final that was won 1-0 by the original Wimbledon in one of the great FA Cup upsets as the “Crazy Gang” shocked the then-reigning English champions.
Wimbledon are a fan-run team formed from the ashes of the club that left southwest London and became Milton Keynes Dons due to falling attendances and an inability to build a new stadium in the borough.
Premier League leaders Chelsea, who won the Cup in four of the past eight seasons, are to host Championship promotion contenders Watford.
Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United go to either Accrington Stanley or Yeovil Town, who meet in a second-round replay to decide who gets the glamor tie.
Manchester City, the 2010-2011 winners, are to play at home to Sheffield Wednesday, while Sunderland are to host former giants Leeds United in a rematch of the 1972-1973 final when the Black Cats pulled off a shock 1-0 win. There are eight non-league sides in the draw, with the pick of ties with those teams seeing Dover Athletic drawn against Premier League outfit Crystal Palace.
Stoke City are to play Wrexham in a match pitting the Premier League team against a side whose memorable giant-killing act was a defeat of Arsenal in 1992, while West Bromwich Albion are to host Gateshead.
As well as Arsenal against Hull, there are three other all-Premier League ties: Burnley against Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City versus Newcastle United, and Everton against West Ham United.
Chesterfield, whose place in the competition could be in jeopardy after they were charged by the FA with fielding an ineligible player in their second-round win at MK Dons, were drawn to play Scunthorpe United or non-league Worcester City.
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Sunday sparked defending champions Oklahoma City to victory, while Anthony Edwards led Minnesota’s last-minute fightback to beat San Antonio. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 29 points while adding eight assists and five rebounds in the Thunder’s 124-112 home victory over Miami, improving the NBA’s best record to 33-7 after outscoring the Heat 70-53 in the second half. “We locked in defensively. We were finally able to get some stops,” Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins said. “We were able to get out in transition a little bit, get going offensively and find the flow.” Jalen Williams scored 18 points, while
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt knocked reigning champions Ivory Coast out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 3-2 win in the quarter-finals on Saturday, while Victor Osimhen starred as Nigeria beat Algeria 2-0 to set up a clash with hosts Morocco. In Agadir, Morocco, a thrilling last-eight tie saw Omar Marmoush and Ramy Rabia net in the first half for the Pharaohs before an own goal by Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh brought the Ivorians back into it. Salah then got Egypt’s third early in the second half and they held on after Guela Doue again reduced the deficit. Egypt is to face Senegal
Brandon Miller scored 18 points, LaMelo Ball had 17 and the Charlotte Hornets built a 47-point lead in the first half of a 150-95 rout against the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. It was the second-biggest win in franchise history for the Hornets and their largest on the road. The Hornets bounced back from a pair of frustrating losses in a big way, having fallen to Toronto by one point and Indiana by two in their last two games. Charlotte pounded the NBA champion Thunder by 27 in Oklahoma City before those defeats, previously the Hornets’ most lopsided victory of the season. Tre
RSS