Fa Cup, the results: Tottenham liquidates Preston, ahead of Leicester and Southampton

From our correspondent Davide Chinellato

January 28th
– London

Tottenham and Manchester United do not stick against Preston and Reading and earn qualification for the round of 16 of the FA Cup, on Saturday in the fourth round which was opened yesterday by City’s victory over Arsenal. Sunday’s highlight is Brighton-Liverpool, draws for the round of 16 scheduled for Monday night before Derby County-West Ham.

Preston North End 0-3 Tottenham

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Two spells from Son, the first goal from the new signing Danjuma, and Conte closes the practical fourth round of the FA Cup. The South Korean who had only scored one goal in the last three months returns to be a phenomenon for one evening and gives Tottenham the 2-0 in home of Preston (mid-table side in the Championship). The striker whom Conte had defined as “the ideal husband for my daughter” takes center stage with two pearls: the first, in the 50th minute, is an unstoppable left foot from 25 metres; the second, in the 69th minute and after Preston had sketched a reaction, is a splendid finish with a feint that sends two defenders to the bar. Son is the best in a match in which Tottenham, profoundly changed by Conte, don’t shine but still bring home the result. And he also discovers Arnaut Danjuma, the first reinforcement in January whom Antonio (always acclaimed by his fans, even away from home) sends onto the field in the 71st minute and scores in the 87th minute, making a nice assist from Kulusevski on his first intention. Precisely the revolution in the attacking trident had been the big news of the evening: with Kane convalescing after a week of flu and Richarlison still in the pits, Conte had chosen Ivan Perisic in the role of fake nueve. The move worked especially in the second half, with the Croatian more at ease in the role and protagonist of a splendid back-heel pass for Son before the second goal. As has often happened this season, Tottenham in the second half were much better than they were in the first half, with the team more at ease after spending the opening 45 minutes controlling the game but not creating much up front. Son’s goals in the second half changed everything, the final one from Danjuma adds further optimism that the team can come out of the January window stronger and more complete (almost done for Pedro Porro from Sporting Lisbon. Conte enjoys the next round with the clean sheet for the second game in a row and puts his sights on the next game, City’s visit to the Premier League on 5 February.

THE OTHERS

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Among the Premier League teams involved in Saturday’s FA Cup fourth round, only Fulham ends up in the Replay. Marco Silva’s team drew 1-1 at Craven Cottage with Sunderland (Championship team), with the winning goal canceled by Var. All easy even without Gnonto for Leeds, who went 3-1 at Accrington Stanley ( League One), the 1-0 draw by Leicester at Walsall (League Two) and the 2-1 home draw against Blackpool (penultimate in the Championship) by Southampton, last in the Premier League, were more complicated. The replays are scheduled between 6 and 8 February.

Manchester United 3-1 Reading

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Casemiro at United does everything, even a brace. The Brazilian midfielder is the absolute protagonist of the Red Devils’ internal success on the team coached by Paul Ince (and the next stage on which Cesare Casadei will perform, the talent that Inter sold to Chelsea in the summer and who will now gain experience at Reading) which is worth going through to the FA Cup. In a game that United dominated, the former Real showed why he is a fundamental component of the successful relaunch at Ten Hag: his experience, his habit of winning, served to change the mentality of the team. Furthermore there is his talent, that of a 30-year-old who dominates in the middle of the field and who also stands out when he moves his range of action towards the opponent’s goal. His brace at the start of the second half allowed United to unblock a game that was getting complicated and finally take control of it, then closing it with Fred. Reading are a mid-table side in the Championship and have never been up to United, but Ten Hag has had some good indications beyond the enormous importance of Casemiro. In particular from Antony, the man of the match with Casemiro, not only for the assist for the first goal but for a liveliness on the right that hasn’t been seen for a while. United actually scored a goal in the 35th minute through Rashford, but the watchful eye of the Var had canceled due to an offside by Weghorst at the start of the action. The second half started from 0-0, with United trembling before the break and released in the 55th minute with Casemiro. The former Real exaggerates three minutes later and doubles with a very precise shot from 25 metres. The match ends in the 65th minute, when Reading remain in 10 for the expulsion of Carroll for two yellow cards remedied in less than ten minutes. Immediately after, Fred signs the third goal and Old Trafford continues its party, which not even Mbengue’s goal from the flag in the 72nd minute manages to interrupt.