“The Magic of the FA Cup” is a curious phrase. The FA Cup itself is steeped in folklore, tradition and memory, but the tactile meaning of the competition in 2016 is debatable. With the vastly increased stakes of the league as well as the allure of playing European football, what is the meaning of the FA […]

Substitute Harry Kane earned Tottenham Hotspur a 2-2 draw at home to Leicester City on Sunday with an 89th-minute penalty that kept his side in the FA Cup. Spurs took an early lead through Christian Eriksen in the third-round tie, before goals from Marcin Wasilewski and half-time substitute Shinji Okazaki put Leicester in control. But […]

Kemar Roofe scored twice as fourth-tier Oxford United pulled off the first major shock in this season's FA Cup by stunning Premier League stragglers Swansea City 3-2 on Sunday. In Swansea's first game since Alan Curtis was placed in charge until the end of the season, the Welsh club, 17th in the Premier League, took […]

During the past month, there has been a scramble by three American football franchises to move from their current locations to the U.S.'s second largest city, Los Angeles. For those unfamiliar, LA has been without an NFL franchise since the Rams and Raiders left in 1995; however, with a few franchises seemingly not as lucrative […]

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he is not concerned that a hectic period of fixtures could derail his team's bid for glory on multiple fronts this season. The Frenchman rested a number of players, including Mesut Ozil, for Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie with Sunderland, which Arsenal won 3-1 courtesy of goals from Joel Campbell, […]

Guus Hiddink has set his sights on giving Chelsea the perfect farewell as the Blues interim manager sets out on the road to Wembley in the FA Cup. Hiddink confirmed this week that he will step down from his second spell as Chelsea caretaker once the current campaign comes to an end, but he is […]

Wayne Rooney's stoppage-time penalty spared Manchester United's blushes as they narrowly avoided FA Cup third round embarrassment with a 1-0 win over Sheffield United on Saturday. United, 11-times winners of the FA Cup, had only once before lost to lower league opposition in 37 ties in the competition. That record was severely tested by the […]

Lionel Messi warmed up for his anticipated fifth World Player of the Year crown by scoring his first hat-trick of the season to move Barcelona back to the top of La Liga by cruising past Granada 4-0 on Saturday. Messi effectively ended the contest within the first 15 minutes with two easy finishes before completing […]

Gareth Bale struck a hat-trick as Zinedine Zidane enjoyed a winning start to his career as Real Madrid boss with a 5-0 rout of Deportivo la Coruna on Saturday. Bale took his tally to 10 goals in his last seven games with two excellent headers either side of a composed left-footed finish after Karim Benzema […]

Remi Garde praised Aston Villa captain Micah Richards for confronting angry fans after the struggling Premier League club were held to a 1-1 draw by fourth tier Wycombe in the FA Cup third round on Saturday. With Villa languishing at the bottom of the table, their embarrassing failure to beat Wycombe only added to the […]

At the start of this season Manchester United had vast, romantic notions of returning to their “rightful” place as Premier League royalty. But the season has unfolded more along the lines of a Shakespearean tragedy than one of romance with Louis van Gaal as the noble, but flawed, protagonist. But it hasn’t turned out that […]

Arsene Wenger insists the allure of the FA Cup remains strong despite fresh claims that the famous old competition has lost its appeal. Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has been infuriated by the Premier League's decision to put a round of fixtures in midweek following the third round and suggested the move was a further sign […]

Newly-appointed Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane warned Friday that star forward Cristiano Ronaldo would not be leaving the club under his tenure. "Cristiano is more than untransferable, he's the soul of this Madrid. As long as I'm here he won't leave, that's for sure," the Frenchman told a press conference ahead of his first game […]

Liverpool were forced to come from behind twice to draw 2-2 at fourth tier Exeter City in the FA Cup third round after an horrendous error by goalkeeper Adam Bogdan almost gifted the minnows a shock victory on Friday. Tom Nichols opened the scoring for Exeter, seeking a place in the fourth round for the […]

It has long been said, in every major sport around the world, that it’s easier to replace a manager than to replace the whole team. But is it? In a year where we’ve seen some high profile managers sacked, shockingly so at times, we need to ask ourselves what defines a world-class manager, and what […]