FA Cup roundup 28/1/23: Fulham force replay; Leeds & Leicester advance
The FA Cup fourth round kicked into full gear on Saturday after Manchester City and Arsenal's curtain-raiser as sides dotted across England's footballing pyramid battled out for a place in the competition's last 16.
There were just 11 Premier League sides left in the draw - the fewest in any FA Cup fourth round since 2007/08 - but the division's elite avoided upset. Fulham came closest to an early exit but forced a replay against Sunderland, as Leeds United and Leicester City both advanced.
It may have been a round lacking in top-flight departures, but there was plenty of intrigue in the latest edition of the world's oldest cup competition.
Accrington Stanley 1-3 Leeds United
Leeds made it into the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in seven years with a routine 3-1 victory away to League One Accrington Stanley.
Jack Harrison opened the scoring with a howitzer before Junior Firpo and Luis Sinisterra sealed victory with a quick-fire double in the second half. 18-year-old Leslie Adekoya became the youngest scorer in this season's competition with a consolation goal 38 seconds after his late substitution.
Walsall 0-1 Leicester City
Michael Flynn was furious this tie wasn't broadcast on a major TV channel but Walsall's sofa-bound fans were spared a high-definition view of their team's 1-0 defeat to Leicester.
Kelechi Iheanacho continued his excellent form in the competition - netting his seventh goal in seven cup games (thanks to a hefty deflection) - after Youri Tielemans missed a second-half penalty for the comfortably superior visitors.
Blackburn Rovers 2-2 Birmingham City
Jordan James snatched a fourth round replay for Birmingham City with a 91st-minute equaliser against fellow Championship side Blackburn Rovers.
Blackburn are 14 places above their visitors in the second tier and recovered from an early opener to underline that advantage on the pitch with goals from Bradley Dack and Joe Rankin-Costello either side of the interval. However, James came off the bench to level the tie and force a replay at St Andrew's.
Bristol City 3-0 West Bromwich Albion
A brace from Samuel Bell, sandwiching Alex Scott's tap-in, sent Bristol City to a 3-0 victory over Championship foes West Bromwich Albion.
The Robins are now unbeaten in seven matches (W3 D4), condemning West Brom to consecutive defeats in the process.
Fulham 1-1 Sunderland
Tom Cairney saved Fulham from a fourth-round upset on Saturday, slotting a silky second-half equaliser to earn a 1-1 draw against Championship side Sunderland.
Jack Clarke robbed a dozing Issa Diop to open the scoring after six minutes. Fulham piled forward in search of an equaliser, laying siege to Anthony Patterson's goal with 12 shots on target while leaving the back door open for the visitors. The two sides combined for 39 shots in an end-to-end affair which will be replayed at the Stadium of Light in the coming weeks.
Ipswich Town 0-0 Burnley
Third-tier Ipswich Town held Championship leaders Burnley to a goalless draw at Portman Road on Saturday afternoon.
Vincent Kompany's Clarets were denied a goal for just the third time in 33 games this season. Sitting third in League One, Ipswich are also vying for promotion and came closer to breaking the deadlock in a tight affair.
Luton Town 2-2 Grimsby Town
Championship side Luton Town duked out an entertaining draw with League Two strugglers Grimsby Town.
Goals from Luton's Elijah Adebayo and Jordan Clark after the interval overturned Gavan Holohan's first-half opener. However, Harry Clifton equalised within a minute, cancelling out the 57-place gap between the clubs at kick-off.
Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Fleetwood Town
Sheffield Wednesday followed up their toppling of top-flight Newcastle United with a draw against Fleetwood Town, who sit 15 places below the Owls in League One.
Fleetwood had taken the scalp of second-tier Queens Park Rangers in the third round and the match-winner that day, Promise Omochere, opened the scoring at Hillsborough. The hosts rattled off a raft of shots but only steered one on target - which Jay Lynch comfortably saved.
Lynch was ultimately beaten but his own player, unable to prevent Josh Earl's shanked clearance from exploding into the roof of Fleetwood's net.
Southampton 2-1 Blackpool
Southampton condemned Mick McCarthy to defeat on his debut in the Blackpool dugout thanks to a brace from Romain Perraud.
The left-back became the first Saints player not called James Ward-Prowse to score a direct free-kick since 2018 (per Opta) before doubling Southmapton's lead after the break. Arsenal loanee Charlie Patino halved the deficit but couldn't avoid defeat.
McCarthy has now lost his last nine matches in management, stretching back to his previous post in charge of Cardiff City in the autumn of 2021.