Special Sport Report – FA Cup 3rd Round

Giant Killers and Penalty Shoot-outs

Hello, it’s Jasper, Junior Sports Reporter for The Havering Daily, and welcome to another article where I look at this week’s football.

Happy New Year! Sorry for the short break, but I’m back and ready to deliver.

In the National League South, there was no game this weekend for Hornchurch, with their match postponed once again, following on from last week.

In the Premier League, Arsenal have enjoyed a strong festive period and now sit six points clear at the top of the table. West Ham also gifted Wolves their first win of the season.

This week’s focus, however, is firmly on the FA Cup and other major events in football.

Transfer Update

A number of eye-catching transfers and managerial changes have taken place recently.

Antoine Semenyo completed a move from Bournemouth to Manchester City, with his £62 million release clause triggered. As famously confirmed by Fabrizio Romano: “Here we go!” Semenyo has made an instant impact, scoring two goals in his first two games.

On the day of writing, Conor Gallagher completed his move to Tottenham Hotspur. The former Chelsea captain has been linked with Spurs for years and, in my opinion, this is a smart move. Gallagher impressed during his time at Atlético Madrid, and Spurs have been in need of a midfielder capable of strong build-up play.

Manager Update

Three major clubs have parted ways with their managers in the past week.

Ruben Amorim was sacked by Manchester United and replaced by Michael Carrick until the end of the season. Chelsea dismissed Enzo Maresca and appointed former Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior, who enjoyed a 5–1 win on his debut.

Xabi Alonso was also sacked after Real Madrid lost the Supercopa final to Barcelona and has been replaced by Álvaro Arbeloa.

Could Thomas Frank or Nuno be next?

It is Spurs v West Ham this weekend, so we have the “El Sack-ico” London derby.

Selected Fixtures – Saturday 10th January 2026

Newcastle United 3 v 3 AFC Bournemouth

(Newcastle win 7–6 on penalties)

Goalscorers

Newcastle:

• H. Barnes (50’, 118’ ET)
• A. Gordon (90+5’, pen)

Bournemouth:

• A. Scott (62’)
• D. Brooks (68’)
• M. Tavernier (120+2’)

An incredible penalty shoot-out, with Bournemouth’s final spot-kick from Diakité brilliantly saved by Aaron Ramsdale. Not a single penalty went wide.

We were at the game, and photos from the match are included. It was a special victory dedicated to King Kev, who is currently battling cancer.

Macclesfield 2 v 1 Crystal Palace

Goalscorers

Macclesfield:

• P. Dawson (43’)
• I. Buckley-Ricketts (60’)

Crystal Palace:

• Yeremy Pino (90’)

At kick-off, there were 117 league places between these sides. FA Cup holders Crystal Palace were knocked out in the third round by National League North side Macclesfield, despite fielding a full-strength XI.

This result will go down as one of the greatest giant-killings in FA Cup history.

There have been several memorable upsets in recent seasons:

Two seasons ago, Ipswich Town lost 2–1 to Maidstone United before going on to secure Premier League promotion later that same campaign.

Last season, Liverpool were beaten by Plymouth Argyle before eventually winning the league, while Plymouth now sit in League One below rivals Exeter City.

A close call also came last season when Spurs beat Tamworth 3–0, although the match went to extra time after finishing 0–0 in normal time.

Full List of FA Cup 3rd Round Results

Wolverhampton Wanderers 6 – 1 Shrewsbury Town
Doncaster Rovers 2 – 3 Southampton
Tottenham Hotspur 1 – 2 Aston Villa
Port Vale 1 – 0 Fleetwood Town
Preston North End 0 – 1 Wigan Athletic
Ipswich Town 2 – 1 Blackpool
Wrexham 3 – 3 Nottingham Forest (Wrexham win 4–3 on pens)
Charlton Athletic 1 – 5 Chelsea
Manchester City 10 – 1 Exeter City
West Ham United 2 – 1 Queens Park Rangers
Sheffield Wednesday 0 – 2 Brentford
Fulham 3 – 1 Middlesbrough
Everton 1 – 1 Sunderland (Sunderland win 3–0 on pens)
Liverpool 4 – 1 Barnsley
Burnley 5 – 1 Millwall
Norwich City 5 – 1 Walsall
Portsmouth 1 – 4 Arsenal
Derby County 1 – 3 Leeds United
Swansea City 2 – 2 West Bromwich Albion
Salford City v Swindon Town (to be played 20/01/26)
Boreham Wood 0 – 5 Burton Albion
Grimsby Town 3 – 2 Weston-super-Mare
Hull City 0 – 0 Blackburn Rovers (Hull win 4–3 on pens)
Newcastle United 3 – 3 AFC Bournemouth (Newcastle win 7–6 on pens)
Milton Keynes Dons 1 – 1 Oxford United (Oxford win 4–3 on pens)
Cheltenham Town 0 – 2 Leicester City
Cambridge United 2 – 3 Birmingham City
Bristol City 5 – 1 Watford
Stoke City 1 – 0 Coventry City
Macclesfield FC 2 – 1 Crystal Palace
Manchester United 1 – 2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Sheffield United 3 – 4 Mansfield Town

FA Cup 4th Round: Matches to Look Out For

Several eye-catching ties are ahead, including two all-Premier League clashes: Liverpool v Brighton and Aston Villa v Newcastle United.

The FA Cup Last-16 fixtures are:

Liverpool v Brighton & Hove Albion
Stoke City v Fulham
Oxford United v Sunderland
Southampton v Leicester City
Wrexham v Ipswich Town
Arsenal v Wigan Athletic
Hull City v Chelsea
Burton Albion v West Ham United
Burnley v Mansfield Town
Norwich City v West Bromwich Albion
Port Vale v Bristol City
Grimsby Town v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Aston Villa v Newcastle United
Manchester City v Salford City or Swindon Town
Macclesfield v Brentford
Birmingham City v Leeds United

Look out for my FA Cup 4th Round report in the coming weeks.

Join me next time for coverage of the Manchester derby and Mohammed Kudus facing his former club, West Ham. I’m also hoping Hornchurch finally get a game played — fingers crossed there are no more postponements.

That’s all for this week’s football round-up — see you soon for more results, highlights, and stories from the world of football.

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