5 things we learned from the FA Cup fourth round

The FA Cup fourth round saw controversy, shocks and superb football as there was more excitement in the world’s oldest cup competition.

Here, Press Association Sport looks at five talking points following an incident-packed weekend.

VARiety is the spice of life

Serious stuff from the big-boys…

While Liverpool crashed out and Tottenham were held to a replay by Newport, all of the big teams took the competition seriously and named strong sides. Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United – who handed a debut to new recruit Alexis Sanchez as they won 4-0 at Yeovil on Friday – made some alterations but still boasted plenty of household names. With City pulling so far clear in the Premier League, other sides know the FA Cup offers a better chance for silverware – whereas City themselves continue to chase success on four fronts.

…But Cupsets still keep dreams alive

Sanchez hits the ground running

Signed from Arsenal in a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan earlier in the week, Sanchez made his Manchester United bow in the modest surroundings of Huish Park. The Chile international was named man of the match after an action-packed performance saw him lay on the pass which led to Marcus Rashford’s opener and then set up Ander Herrera after the interval. Sanchez played a little over 70 minutes and was jeered throughout by the home supporters, but it made little difference as the 29-year-old showed just why Jose Mourinho and United were willing to offer him a weekly wage reported in some areas to be worth in excess of £500,000.

Batman shows he can be Chelsea’s unexpected hero