The FA Cup fifth round was declared after the fourth rounds were played by all teams. There were a couple of draws in the fourth round ties which would mean that only after the replay the exact fixture can be determined. None the less, we have the schedule lined up for the pre-quarters of the oldest football tournament – the FA Cup.
There is only one all Premier League tie which sees Manchester United host struggling Reading, while Manchester City were also drawn at home, taking on Spurs’ conquerors Leeds United.
Arsenal will take on Blackburn at the Emirates with Chelsea facing a long trip to Middlesbrough if they can overcome League One side Brentford in their Stamford Bridge replay – Sunday’s first game between the sides ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw.
Luton Town’s reward for beating Norwich in the fourth round of the FA Cup is a fifth-round tie with Championship side Millwall.
Paul Buckle’s men made history on Saturday by becoming the first non-league team to knock out a top division team in the Premier League era, Coventry the last to suffer the ignominy against Sutton United in 1989.
The two clubs have history in the competition, albeit not of the positive variety, with the riot at their 1985 sixth round tie at Kenilworth Road leading to a ban on away fans by Luton that lasted for four years.
The weekend’s other giant-killers were also drawn at home with Oldham, 3-2 winners over Liverpool, given the chance to knock out Everton in the last-16 and MK Dons drawn at home to Championship side Barnsley.
The final game is also dependant on a replay with Wigan drawn away to either Huddersfield or Leicester who drew 1-1 on Saturday.
Fifth round draw:
Huddersfield Town or Leicester City v Wigan Athletic
MK Dons v Barnsley
Oldham Athletic v Everton
Luton Town v Millwall
Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers
Manchester City v Leeds United
Manchester United v Reading
Middlesbrough v Brentford or Chelsea
All the fifth round ties are to be played the weekend of 16/17 February. The replays of the fourth round would be played in the opening week of February leading to an action packed Feb from not only the FA Cup perspective but also with the Champions League coming back into action. Lots to look forward to in February…
Tags: Arsenal, Blackburn, Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Everton, FA Cup, February, Football, Leeds United, Manchester City, Manchester United, Premier League, Reading, Tottenham, Wigan Athletic