Shoot!’s FA Cup Awards (Fourth Round)

Action Images via Reuters / Andrew Couldridge

So with the number of teams in the competition halved, we are into the FA Cup fourth round and there are still plenty of upsets on the cards.

There was bound to be some FA Cup magic in the air with some very big ties for some of the minnows left in the competition. The lowest ranked side, Sutton United had to wait until Sunday afternoon for their big day when Leeds United travelled south to Gander Green Lane.

The other non-league side that made the headlines in the third round was Lincoln City, their reward for upsetting Ipswich Town was a tie against Championship leaders Brighton and Hove Albion.

Wycombe Wanderers prevented a giant killing last time out, by knocking out non-league Stourbridge, but this time they were looking to be giving one out, as they faced Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs at White Hart Lane.

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool were looking to get back to winning ways at home to Championship outfit Wolves, hopefully for them with less trouble than the last round when they needed a replay against Plymouth Argyle.

Elsewhere, there were London derbies at Stamford Bridge between Chelsea and Brentford and at The Den between Millwall and Watford on Sunday.

But who made the headlines? And more importantly, who were Shoot!’s Player, Team and Goal of the Round…

Player of the Round: Paul Hayes (Wycombe Wanderers)

No matter of the outcome, it was always likely to be a day that the Wycombe players would never forget, and as the game turned out, they definitely won’t now.

Despite eventually coming out on the wrong end of a 4-3 thriller, Gareth Ainsworth’s men did themselves and the club proud on a day that will never be forgotten in North London.

None more than Paul Hayes, who netted the visitor’s first two goals. His first, a sublime volley, only narrowly missed out on Shoot!‘s Goal of the Round, before holding his nerve with a spot-kick shortly after.

He sent his side into a shock lead inside 23 minutes, smashing home an impeccable volley following a corner that was only partially cleared. You wouldn’t believe it, but it was actually his weak foot!

Wycombe were awarded a penalty when young Spurs defender Cameron Carter-Wickers fouled Sam Wood in the area, and Hayes coolly dispatched from twelve yards.

At this moment, the visitors were in absolute dreamland and at 2-0 up, were probably better off than even the most optimistic fan would have dared to even think about.

Unfortunately for the League Two promotion pushers, they couldn’t hold on for the most incredible of cup upsets, as second-half goals from Son Heung-min (2), Vincent Janssen and Dele Alli caused a heartbreaking exit.

On the day they might rue early missed chances from star man Hayes, who saw his header crash off the bar inside the opening few minutes, but he more than made up for Wycombe and the ‘Magic of the FA Cup’ just wasn’t quite strong enough to push them over the line.

Nevertheless, a day and a performance that will live long in the memory for all those involved with Wycombe Wanderers.

Team of the Round: Sutton United

Arguably the biggest shock of the FA Cup overall, non-league Sutton United booked their spot in the fifth round after knocking out Leeds United – a club 83 league places above them.

The National League side, the lowest-ranked side left in the competition, fought off their Championship opponents 1-0 to be included in tonight’s draw.

Captain Jamie Collins was the hero, burying his second-half penalty to dump Garry Monk’s Whites out of the FA Cup, before defender Liam Cooper was sent off for Leeds late on.

Paul Doswell’s hosts, 16th in England’s fifth-tier, capped off a remarkable victory in front of a sell-out crowd on their artificial pitch at Gander Green Lane.

Goal of the Round: Yaya Toure (Manchester City)

After a mediocre start to the season and a training ground bust-up with manager Pep Guardiola, Yaya Toure’s Manchester City career was seemingly nearing an end.

But in recent weeks he has come back into the fold and has made himself a key player for the Citizens, and he showed why by shining in the Sky Blues’ 3-0 win at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

Sam Allardyce wasn’t happy that Toure was even still on the pitch in the first-half, he was booked after a mistimed tackle on Joe Ledley in the middle of the pitch, and could’ve received a second yellow after a coming together with Joel Ward on the right wing.

But referee Mike Jones decided to keep his card in his pocket, this time.

Wisely, Toure stayed out of the limelight for the rest of the game. That was until the 93rd minute.

With the game already finished at 2-0, a rash foul on Gabriel Jesus, purely out of Palace frustration, gave Manchester City a chance to seal the game in style.

Toure did just that, in typical fashion. From about 25 yards out, he stepped up and expertly made it look easy, wrapping his right boot around the ball and whipping it over the Palace wall and into the top right corner of Wayne Hennessey’s goal.

It’s been highlighted on social media recently that the Welsh ‘keeper seems to be on the receiving end of all great goals: Dele Alli’s brilliant volley, Dimitri Payet’s jaw-dropping free-kick, Andy Carroll’s brilliant overhead kick, Olivier Giroud’s wonderful scorpion kick and more…

So I guess that’s another to the collection!

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