F.A. Cup 2012 - 5th Round Predictions

The F.A. Cup 2012 5^th Round Predictions

Liverpool v Brighton & Hove Albion

Liverpool overcame Manchester United in what was touted as match of the round. The two bitter rivals locked horns once more at Anfield and it was Liverpool who took the lead through a Daniel Agger header. The lead was short lived and a tidy cut back found Park Ji Sung who promptly found the back of the net with a stinging effort. The game was back and forth from that moment with both teams having their own chances to win the game, but it was Dirk Kuyt who found the back of the net in the dying moments after a great flick on from Andy Carroll. So it was Liverpool that got the upper hand this time but it has left Sir Alex Ferguson bubbling under the lid and will want to get revenge on the Merseyside team as soon as he can.

Brighton’s 4^th round tie against Newcastle will be remembered by the seagull’s fans for a very long time as they pulled of a memorable win. This is the second time in consecutive seasons that the seagulls have found themselves in the 5^th round of the F.A. Cup and they will fancy their chances as they face up against premier league giants Liverpool. It was a Will Buckley shot which deflected off the unfortunate Mike Williamson and found the back of the net to give Brighton their 1-0 win over the premier league high flyers.

Prediction

Liverpool 3 – 2 Brighton

Everton v Blackpool/Sheffield Wednesday

The other Liverpool based side found their way into the 5^th round after a great performance against fellow premier league side Fulham. The blue side of Merseyside would have been delighted to see Everton come from behind after a Danny Murphy penalty gave the West London side the lead. Goals from Stracqualursi and Fellaini were enough to give Everton a 2-1 win.

Neither Blackpool nor Sheffield Wednesday could find the killer blow in a great tie which looked destined for a Sheffield Wednesday win. It took a converted penalty by Kevin Phillips in the 90^th minute to grant them a replay.

Prediction

(Predictions for both Sheffield Wednesday and Blackpool as the winner of the replay is not yet confirmed)

Everton 2 – 0 Sheffield Wednesday

Everton 1 – 1 Blackpool

Chelsea v Birmingham City

In a game which was being hyped up by whether John Terry and Anton Ferdinand would shake hands, or if any of the QPR team for that matter would shake the Chelsea captains hand’s following reports of racist remarks made towards Anton Ferdinand in their last Premier League fixture. It was decided a couple of hours before the game that neither teams would shake hands in the typical tradition that happens before the game as the FA feared there could be a negative reaction from the players and fans alike. The game itself was rather tame and QPR never really looked threatening going forward and a Juan Mata penalty was what separated the two teams in a 1-0 win for the blues.

Birmingham really showed up at Bramall lane as they fired four past Sheffield United to earn themselves a place in the 5^th round. It was Rooney who secured Birmingham the win with a brace and I know what you’re thinking, not Wayne but Irish born Adam Rooney who had a fine game. They will now face off against Chelsea who are now hitting a rich vain of form and will really fancy themselves in this fixture.

Prediction

Chelsea 3 – 0 Birmingham City

Crawley Town v Stoke City

Crawley Town caused the shock of the round as the League Two side overcame their Championship rivals in a 1-0 victory. The Red Devils were fancied the bow out of the cup but they had other things in mind and this victory will live long in the memory for the fans. It was Matt Tubbs that had etched his name in history as it was his goal that separated the two teams in front of a 14,000 plus KC Stadium.

Last seasons F.A. cup finalist who were narrowly beaten by current Premier League leaders Man City are on a steady path for another Wembley appearance. They played against a rather tame Derby County team and Stoke found it a very easy path into the 5^th round. Goals from Cameron Jerome and Robert Huth were enough to give the Potters a 2-0 win.

Prediction

Crawley Town 0 – 1 Stoke

Stevenage v Tottenham

Stevenage fans will be overjoyed to see their team playing in the 5^th round of the F.A Cup against Premier League outfit Tottenham. They overcame Nott’s County in close game which was decided by an own goal. Stevenage had many chances to add to their goal tally but it didn’t matter at the end of the day as they came out 1-0 winners.

Tottenham played against Championship side Watford in the 4^th round and man aged to overcome their North London rivals in a 1-0 victory. It was a Scott Loach error that gave Tottenham their win as a speculative effort by Van Der Vaart from outside the box looked like it was going to be easily saved but the goalkeeper seemed to dive over the ball. Spurs had most of the possession but Watford had the best chances and they were unlucky not to get one of the score sheet.

Prediction

Stevenage 0 – 4 Tottenham

Norwich City v Leicester City

Norwich played out a hard fought victory against fellow Premier league side West Brom at The Hawthorns. They took the lead through Grant Holt for their lead to be cancelled out by a Marc-Antoine Fortune goal. The game looked destined to go to a replay but up popped Simeon Jackson in the 85^th minute to score the winner in a close contest.

Jermaine Beckford was Leicester City’s hero on the day as his brace gave them a 2-0 win over Swindon. They were dominant throughout and really deserved their place in the 5^th round of the F.A. Cup.

Prediction

Norwich 1 – 2 Leicester City

Arsenal v Sunderland/Middlesbrough

Arsenal came from behind to knock out high flying Aston Villa in a thriller. Boo’s rang around the stadium as the gunners came in at half time with the score 2-0 to Villa, it looked like they were destined for their 4^th defeat in a row in all competitions. The hair dryer treatment from Wenger must have surely worked when in the space of 10 minutes they found themselves leading the game 3-2. Two clear cut penalties were both converted by Captain Robin Van Persie and in between the two penalties Walcott’s fantastic run into the box ended up bobbling everywhere before deflecting off himself and into the net. It was a great game for all spectators (except maybe Villa fans) and Arsenal fans will also be relieved at the returns of Bacary Sagna, Mikel Arteta and Thierry Henry.

Sunderland and Middlesbrough played out a stalemate at the Stadium of light and will need to play out a replay to see who will face the gunners in the 5^th round. It was thrilling encounter between two even teams and the Championship side really held their own against Premier League outfit Sunderland. Robson opened the scoring for Middlesbrough and they looked on the cards for a shock win, the returning Frazier Campbell had other ideas and levelled the two sides once more in the 59^th minute. Hopefully we have another great game at the Riverside Stadium to watch when these two sides clash once more.

Prediction

(Predictions for both Sunderland and Middlesbrough as the winner of the replay is not yet confirmed)

Sunderland 0 – 1 Arsenal

Middlesbrough 0 – 3 Arsenal

Millwall/Southampton v Bolton Wanderers

It was a stalemate when Millwall and Southampton met at the New Den as the two championship sides cancelled each other out. It looked as if the championship high flyers were going to advance to the 5^th round but an 86^th minute goal from Henderson was enough to earn the South London side a replay.

Bolton took confidence from their league win over Liverpool into the F.A. cup fixture against fellow Premier League side Swansea and won 2-1. Luke Moore gave the Welsh side the lead but The Trotters came back with goals from Pratley and Eagles.

Prediction

(Predictions for both Southampton and Millwall as the winner of the replay is not yet confirmed)

Millwall 0 – 1 Bolton

Southampton 2 – 1 Bolton