Key events
Some optimistic thoughts from Portsmouth and Norwich fans in the comments ahead of their FA Cup ties today.
Easiest guaranteed win for a side today will be Arsenal. They just need to turn up and the game is theirs. We (Portsmouth) are so woeful at the moment I’d be surprised if we don’t score an own goal as well to help them along.
After yesterday’s giant killings, we are Norwich City respectfully will ask Crystal Palace to hold our beer as we crash out to Walsall today, Saddle Up Walsall.
Serie A: Let’s zoom in on the game of the day in Italy as Inter host Napoli at 7.45pm (GMT). These two teams have scooped up four of the last five scudetti between them – with two each – and their rivalry is now among Serie A’s hottest. Inter lead the way this season on 42 points but Napoli, in fourth, are only four points behind. Milan, Roma and Juventus will all think they still have a chance of competing for the title too.
Inter and Napoli’s first meeting this season was certainly eventful. Kevin De Bruyne put Antonio Conte’s side ahead from the penalty spot but tore his hamstring in the process. Scott McTominay’s second-half strike was a beauty and set Napoli on their way to a 3-1 win. Can they repeat the feat at San Siro tonight?
Speaking of Scotland, Martin O’Neill returned as Celtic’s caretaker manager after the sacking of Wilfried Nancy and oversaw a 4-0 win against Dundee United yesterday. One Rangers fan is pining for the Nancy days already.
Celtic seem to have rediscovered some competence under martin oneill. That’s just not allowed, can they get nancy back please?
Under normal circumstances Id be happy with a draw at pittodrie, but aberdeen are currently rubbish and we need to keep momentum going, so a win is important. Glen Hoddle thinks Mikey Moore should be playing for Spurs. Hopefully he plays well enough and keeps scoring to give Frank/his successor a decision to make.
Off out now into the rain. This might not be fun… have a great Sunday all of you!
Today’s key fixtures
There are another eight FA Cup third-round matches on the agenda today. Fratton Park will be rocking for the visit of Arsenal as Portsmouth host the Gunners for just the second time since 2009. Manchester United, still led by interim interim manager Darren Fletcher, are at home to Brighton, who usually enjoy a trip to Old Trafford.
The early game sees Derby take on Leeds at Pride Park – that’s always a feisty one, as Frank Lampard and Marcelo Bielsa will attest. Struggling West Ham will be hoping to avoid an upset at home to QPR, while League Two Walsall will be up for a visit to Norwich.
Derby v Leeds (12pm GMT)
Portsmouth v Arsenal (2pm)
Hull v Blackburn (2.30pm)
Norwich v Walsall (2.30pm)
Sheffield Utd v Mansfield (2.30pm)
Swansea v West Brom (2.30pm)
West Ham v QPR (2.30pm)
Manchester Utd v Brighton (4.30pm)
The first and last games on the list look to be the best for my taste anyways.
Derby vs Leeds is a fixture steeped in history and i like watching Brighton play football when they are on song so hopefully they are today.
United have there own stuff to sort out of course but they could come out firing which i think they could well do making for a good game, i am tipping Brighton though to go through.
As the WSL returns after its winter break, Chelsea will be keen to make a fast start to the new year and bridge the six-point gap between them and the leaders Manchester City. Sonia Bompastor’s defending champions host West Ham at Kingsmeadow today, while City are at home to Everton. Tottenham have been going well under Martin Ho, who’s been speaking to Tom Garry, and they host Leicester.
Aston Villa v Brighton (12pm)
Chelsea v West Ham (12pm)
Manchester City v Everton (12pm)
Tottenham v Leicester (12pm)
Liverpool v London City Lionesses (2.30pm)
In Europe, there’s a big game in Serie A as defending champions Napoli take on Inter at San Siro. Inter lead the way in the division, four points ahead of the team managed by Antonio Conte, who has won league titles with both sides. There’s also a clásico in the Spanish Super Cup final, while Bayern Munich host Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga.
And in Scotland, Premiership leaders Hearts visit Dens Park to take on Dundee, while Rangers are in action later on too.
Afcon: Egypt and Nigeria completed the semi-final lineup with wins over Côte d’Ivoire and Algeria respectively yesterday. Wednesday’s semi-finals are as follows:
Jonathan Wilson was in Tangier to watch Mohamed Salah inspire Egypt to the last four:
It would be too much on the back of one game to say that Egyptian football is back to where it was 20 years ago. But under a veteran of Hassan Shehata’s side, they at last played with an energy and a wit that recalled the golden age. Again Côte d’Ivoire were on the receiving end. Now for Senegal and putting right more recent football history.
More FA Cup
My taste of FA Cup action yesterday came at the Etihad Stadium, where I watched Manchester City thump Exeter 10-1 from the away end. It was a brutal … but at least the 7,800 travelling supporters had something to cheer in 19-year-old George Birch’s peach of a goal late on.
Manchester City paid third-tier Exeter plenty of respect – Erling Haaland and Rodri started the game, with Antoine Semenyo scoring on his full debut. Off the bench came the likes of Jérémy Doku and Bernardo Silva.
The Guardian’s Sam Dalling and Christopher Thomond was given access to the Exeter dressing room for the day and submitted this insider report:
Jamie Jackson was in the press box:
As for Crystal Palace, the defence of their FA Cup crown did not make it past the first hurdle. It’s fair to say Oliver Glasner was not pleased with their drab display:
With all the respect [to Macclesfield] in a game like this you don’t need a tactic, you don’t need a manager who tells you what to do. You have to do the right things. We have to score five or six against a non-league team, but we didn’t show any kind of quality.
Macclesfield dedicated their historic victory to the memory of Ethan McLeod, whose parents were in attendance at Moss Rose.
Manager John Rooney said:
We spoke about Ethan being here with us before kick-off. Seeing his parents after the game was something very special and I’m sure Ethan was looking down on us today.
Defender Sam Heathcote said:
A lot of the lads said that at the full-time whistle when we managed to find each other … that was for him. We try to do our best for him. It’s been such a difficult time, everyone has come together massively since that happened and that shows you how special this club is.
It has been called the biggest shock in the history of the FA Cup and it’s hard to argue with that. Macclesfield of National League North knocked out the holders Crystal Palace, just weeks after the death of the non-league side’s player Ethan McLeod in a car crash. Dominic Booth was there to capture the mood:
Yeremy Pino’s late free-kick was Palace’s only moment of quality and ensured nerves set in for the sell-out crowd of 5,348, but Macclesfield were not to be denied. Ecstatic scenes followed. The pitch invasion that came after the full-time whistle, those bear-hugs between players and fans who began partying into the night; none of it will be forgotten in a hurry in this corner of Cheshire.
John Brewin also charts the fall of Macclesfield Town and the rise of Macclesfield FC in their place, with Robbie Savage and now John Rooney at the heart of the revival of football in Macclesfield.
Macclesfield is not Wrexham, hand-picked by Hollywood execs to show off UK working-class folk and then paired with two American screen stars. Rumour has it the town was passed over for what became Disney’s Wrexham project because, being in Cheshire, and surrounded by villages that house the north-west’s footballer and stockbroker belts, it was too bourgeois. The town retains a tough, working-class edge, particularly in the area where the ground is situated. Open skies that reach up to the surrounding Peak District can make it an eerie place to visit.
Preamble
Hello and welcome to Sunday’s matchday live. It’s another big day in the men’s FA Cup with Leeds, Arsenal and West Ham all facing Championship opposition, while Manchester United take on Brighton.
The WSL is back this weekend after its winter break with 10 out of 12 teams in action today, including Chelsea and Manchester City.
There are also some intriguing fixtures across Europe, plus Rangers and leaders Hearts are playing in the Scottish Premiership.
Help us build up to the day’s football by getting in touch via the matchday.live@theguardian.com email with your thoughts and predictions. Or you can get in touch to talk about yesterday’s action, including Macclesfield’s historic upset of Crystal Palace.
