FA Cup fifth round: talking points from the weekend’s action
Max Dowman and Rio Ngumoha staked their claim for more game time while Fulham paid for a lack of ambition
Port Vale have only ever reached the last eight of the FA Cup once before in their entire history, in 1953-54, when they went one stage further, losing the semi-final at Villa Park 2-1 to West Brom thanks to a much-disputed winning goal. If only VAR had been present then, you might say. In their fifth-round victory over Sunderland this weekend, they were also unfortunate despite the presence of technology. Why was referee Anthony Taylor not asked to go and check the TV monitor when George Hall was cynically taken out by the Sunderland goalkeeper Melkor Ellberg, just outside the penalty area with the match on a knife-edge? Even if the striker’s run was going away from goal, he surely had the pace to have got a shot away. Let’s hope VAR give the remaining lower-division teams fair shrift when it comes to the rest of the competition. Peter Lansley
Match report: Port Vale 1-0 Sunderland
Match report: Mansfield Town 1-2 Arsenal
Match report: Newcastle 1-3 Manchester City
Match report: Wrexham 2-4 Chelsea (aet)
Match report: Wolves 1-3 Liverpool
Match report: Fulham 0-1 Southampton
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