FA Cup fourth round draw LIVE: Fixtures as non-league sides joined Liverpool and Spurs to discover fate
There were two non-league sides in the draw after Kidderminster Harriers and Boreham Wood progressed in the third round
Kidderminster, the lowest-ranked side remaining in the FA Cup, will play West Ham in the fourth round. The National League North outfit, who stunned Reading with a 2-1 victory on Saturday, are rewarded with a tie at the London Stadium. Non-league side Boreham Wood have been handed a trip to Championship table-toppers Bournemouth.
Holders’ Leicester face the winners of Sunday’s late kick-off between Nottingham Forest and Arsenal. The fourth-round matches will be played on the opening weekend of February.
Full draw
Crystal Palace v Hartlepool United
Bournemouth v Boreham Wood
Huddersfield Town v Barnsley
Peterborough United v Queens Park Rangers
Cambridge United v Luton Town
Southampton v Coventry City
Chelsea v Plymouth Argyle
Everton v Brentford
Kidderminster Harriers v West Ham United
Manchester United/Aston Villa v Middlesbrough
Tottenham Hotspur v Brighton & Hove Albion
Liverpool v Cardiff City
Stoke City v Wigan Athletic
Nottingham Forest/Arsenal v Leicester City
Manchester City v Fulham
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Norwich City
All games to played between Feb.4 and Feb. 7.
West Ham vs Leeds: Recent results
After five games, across all competitions, without a win West Ham turned around their stuttering form with consecutive away victories over Watford (1-4) and Crystal Palace (2-3) in the Premier League. Manager David Moyes has spoken about the Hammers going on a good run in the FA Cup so expect a relatively strong team to line-up against Leeds today as he looks to continue West Ham’s winning run.
Leeds bounced back from three consecutive Premier League defeats - to Chelsea (3-2), Manchester City (7-0) and Arsenal (1-4) - to inflict a confident and composed 3-1 defeat on Burnley in their last match. The win was a much needed victory for Marcelo Bielsa’s team who have earned a little breathing room above Premier League drop zone. Winning creates momentum and Leeds will want that to continue into today’s FA Cup clash with fellow Premier League side West Ham.
Why the FA Cup third round has never been more important
There are few feelings like it in football. That is something that became achingly apparent at clubs like Marine and Chorley last season. The restrictions necessary for Covid denied them the spirit of life that comes with a big FA Cup tie involving a smaller club.
The events of the past two years should help to restore a sparkle to the competition, and especially this most compelling of rounds. That doesn’t just apply to the pandemic. There’s also the Super League, controversial takeovers, and so many other stories that foster the feeling the elite game is just getting away from us, going to some super deluxe level cordoned off and separated from the rest of the game.
The FA Cup third round now, more than ever before, is the great riposte to this. It is the intoxicating antidote. It has actually never been more important, for the game as a whole.
Why the FA Cup third round has never been more important
The third round is an intoxicating antidote to disparity of the modern game, bringing football’s elite back down to earth and to some mucky pitches
West Ham vs Leeds: Moyes on FA Cup run
West Ham boss David Moyes is hoping for a good run in the FA Cup this season and believes he has a squad that can challenge for the trophy.
Speaking ahead of toady’s cup match with Leeds, Moyes emphasised the juggling act between selecting strong teams for cup games without sacrificing any momentum in the Premier League and has backed Nikola Vlašić to step up in the absence of some of the more senior players.
Moyes said:
West Ham vs Leeds: Injuries and absentees
Kurt Zouma, Angelo Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell are all sidelined with injuries causing a dent in West Ham’s defence and forcing manager David Moyes to rely on some of his second stringers. Said Benrahma has travelled to the African Cup of Nations and is unavailable with Pablo Fornals also a dobut after missing a few games.
Leeds’ injury problems continue to mount up. Tyler Roberts and Joe Gelhardt are the latest players to be ruled out and they join Liam Cooper, Kalvin Phillips, Pascal Struijk, Rodrigo, Jamie Shackleton and Charlie Cresswell on the sidelines. However, striker Patrick Bamford is fit again and could return to the starting XI.
West Ham vs Leeds
Follow live updates as West Ham host Leeds in the third round of the FA Cup this afternoon. The Hammers have enjoyed a strong season in the cup competitions so far this campaign, defeating both Manchester United and Manchester City as they reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup, while also progressing to the knockout stages of the Europa League under David Moyes. Back-to-back Premier League wins over Watford and Brighton have also moved West Ham back inside the Premier League’s top five ahead of Wednesday’s meeting with Norwich.
It’s been five years since Leeds last progressed past the third round of the FA Cup, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side losing at this stage in each of the last four seasons. Leeds secured a vital win over Burnley in their last Premier League fixture to ease their relegation concerns and a cup run this season would be fitting on what is the 50th anniversary of their FA Cup winning campaign of 1971-72, which remains the only occasion in which the club have won the competition.
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