Cesc Fabregas came off the bench to score a last-minute penalty to earn 10-times winners Arsenal a 1-1 home draw with Championship side Leeds United in a pulsating FA Cup third-round match.
|Last Updated: Jan 09, 2011, 09:24 AM IST|Source: Bureau
London: Cesc Fabregas came off the bench to score a last-minute penalty to earn 10-times winners Arsenal a 1-1 home draw with Championship (second division) side Leeds United in a pulsating FA Cup third-round match on Saturday.
Three other Premier League clubs were not so lucky, with Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion and Blackpool losing to lower-league opposition as the world’s oldest cup competition maintained its reputation for upsets.
Sunderland, flying high in sixth position in the league, fielded a weakened team and were beaten 2-1 at home by Notts County who are struggling in League One (third division).
Championship promotion-chasers Reading won 1-0 at home to hand West Brom their sixth successive defeat while League One Southampton overcame visiting Blackpool 2-0.
Bolton Wanderers, seventh in the Premier League, needed late goals from Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander to scrape past minor league York City 2-0 while Everton, Fulham, Wigan Athletic, Aston Villa, West Ham United and Birmingham City also progressed.
On Sunday, holders Chelsea entertain Ipswich Town while Kenny Dalglish’s first game back in charge of Liverpool could hardly be bigger as he takes his side to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.
Last year Manchester United lost at home in the third round to Leeds, then in League One.
Snodgrass Opener
The Yorkshiremen looked on course for another upset win at The Emirates in Saturday’s lunchtime kickoff when Denilson tripped Max Gradel in the 54th minute and Robert Snodgrass converted the penalty in front of 8,000 travelling fans.
Arsenal, unbeaten in 28 home FA Cup games since Leeds won at their old Highbury ground in 1997, threw on their big names in an effort to save the tie.
When substitute Theo Walcott was pulled back by Ben Parker up stepped Fabregas to stroke in a 90th-minute spot kick.
In stoppage time Kasper Schmeichel saved brilliantly from Denilson before Nicklas Bendtner had a fabulous chance to win it for Arsenal only to screw his shot badly wide.
“I felt today our game was a bit slow in our passing, we were not sharp in our decision-making, the rest is credit to Leeds. They stopped us from playing,” manager Arsene Wenger told the club’s website (www.arsenalfc.com).
“When Cesc comes on he has that vision so even if he is closed down he doesn’t have to run too much to make the game quicker.
“It was a very difficult game because it was a real Cup game and Leeds were up for it, they played well,” added Wenger. “It was important ... not to go out today because that would have been a shocker.”
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.