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.
STANDINGS: The Uni-President Lions’ victory pushed the CTBC Brothers to first place after they won their third straight game, beating the Fubon Guardians 6-3 The big bats of the Uni-President Lions were on fire in the CPBL yesterday as they crushed the Rakuten Monkeys 21-5 in Taoyuan, with outfielder Lin An-ko driving in seven runs on five hits and two homers. The result enabled the CTBC Brothers to take the No. 1 spot after they beat the Fubon Guardians 6-3. It was a highlight reel for the Taiwanese-Argentinian star Lin, who drilled two homers amid a heated home-run race between himself, now on 16 for the season, and Lions teammate Su Chih-chieh, who is on 18. Lin performed outstandingly, collecting five hits at six at-bats to drive
GERMAN LEADER: Liverpool’s 19th English title, one behind Manchester United’s record of 20, owes much to the transformational impact of coach Juergen Klopp Liverpool on Thursday ended a 30-year wait for the English title as they were crowned Premier League champions, triggering jubilant scenes as fans ignored social distancing measures to celebrate uproariously. Juergen Klopp’s men sealed a 19th league title with a record seven games remaining after Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat of second-placed Manchester City left the defending champions an unbridgeable 23 points adrift. Liverpool’s first English title since 1989-1990 — delayed by the COVID-19 suspension — earns them their maiden trophy in the Premier League, which was introduced in 1992-1993 and has been won 13 times by their archrivals Manchester United. Klopp was in tears
WOLFSBURG BEATEN: Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski scored from a penalty, his 34th league goal this season, finishing as the top Bundesliga scorer for the fifth time Werder Bremen gave themselves hope of avoiding relegation from the Bundesliga by thrashing Cologne 6-1 to grab a playoff place on the last day of the season, while champions Bayern Munich routed VfL Wolfsburg before lifting the trophy on Saturday. Japan striker Yuya Osako scored twice as Bremen stole the lifeline of the relegation/promotion playoff place from Fortuna Duesseldorf, who lost 3-0 against Union Berlin and were relegated with SC Paderborn, finishing one point behind Bremen. “We put in a great performance under pressure, but we are aware that we haven’t achieved anything — in the relegation playoff, the emotions will be
Alexis Lafreniere was supposed to walk on stage on Friday night in Montreal as the top pick in the NHL draft. After the COVID-19 pandemic paused the hockey season and postponed that possibility, Lafreniere was supposed to find out Friday night where he would be going when the league held its draft lottery. Instead, he must wait a little bit longer. Chaos reigned at the NHL draft lottery, with the No. 1 pick still up for grabs in a second lottery drawing among the eight teams that lose in the qualifying round of the playoffs — if play resumes. “We all knew
RSS