European Super Football

Who doesn't love the FA Cup? This weekend brought some shocks, fantastic goals and a group of teams now dreaming of a future tie against the Premier League sides. Author | Josh T Let's have a look at some of the most interesting matches.  Luton Town 4 - 3 Forest Green League One side Luton Town were given a major scare before edging past National League outfit Forest Green Rovers in a thrilling first-round encounter. Gideon Kodua came off the bench to seal victory in stoppage time, moments after the visitors had staged a remarkable fightback from three goals down to draw level. Tranmere Rovers 1 - 3 Stockport County Stockport sealed their place in the second round with a win over Tranmere Rovers. Second-half goals from Jack Diamond, Oliver Norwood and Nathan Lowe saw Dave Challinor’s side progress to Monday night’s draw, with Omari Patrick scoring Rovers’ only reply. Wigan Athletic 1 - 1 Hemel Hempstead (Wigan won 5-3 on penalties) Wigan Athletic survived a major scare a...

Crystal Palace 1 - 0 Manchester City  Crystal Palace claimed the first major trophy in their 119-year history with a stunning 1-0 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final. Author - James L Stadium - Wembley Stadium Eberechi Eze scored the decisive goal after just 16 minutes, finishing off a rapid counter-attack with a composed strike from Daniel Muñoz’s low cross. It was a moment of brilliance that ultimately proved enough to see off the defending champions. For City, it was a day of deep frustration. Pep Guardiola’s side end the season without silverware for the first time since his debut campaign in 2016–17.  Their mood soured further after a controversial incident in the first half, when Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson escaped a red card despite handling outside his area under pressure from Erling Haaland. VAR ruled that Haaland was moving away from goal and had not been denied a clear scoring opportunity. Henderson’s influence only grew from there. He saved a pena...

Crystal Palace v Manchester City FA Cup Final. Fans preview.  Crystal Palace have a golden opportunity to finally put the heartbreak of their previous FA Cup Final defeats behind them.  Author - Ryan Thompson Editor - Jamie P The memories of 1990, when they were narrowly beaten by Manchester United after a replay, and the 2016 final, which ended in extra-time disappointment against the same opponents, still linger for us all.  Now, with a new generation of players, we have the chance to write a new chapter in the club’s history and bring silverware to Selhurst Park. How can Palace win? To lift the Cup, we will need to show belief, bravery and composure. The team standing in the way is one shaped by years of success, guided by a manager of rare brilliance and driven on by the emotion surrounding one of Kevin De Bruyne’s final appearances. However, they have shown a lot of weaknesses this season. Their poor run of form earlier in the campaign a sign that we can beat the...

As we preview the 2025 FA Cup final... Let's explore what happened in the early stages of this season’s competition  Author - Macca 4th Qualifying Round This stage of the competition is so important for many Non League clubs as the financial rewards for progressing to the first round proper are incredible. This season, it was heartbreak for teams like Bury FC, Eastleigh and Bath City. Harborough Town 1 - 0 Bury FC It was heartbreak for fans of Bury in the 4th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup. Despite this, many of their fans will be glad to just have a team to support now after all their problems.  Eastleigh 0 - 1 Southend United Southend United secured a dramatic Emirates FA Cup win against Eastleigh at the Silverlake Stadium, with Aribim Pepple’s late goal, just two minutes from time, sending the Shrimpers into the first round proper. Aldershot Town 2 - 1 Bath City A last-minute goal from Maxwell Mullins ensured the Shots' advancement to the First Round of the Emirates...

Nottingham Forest 0 - 2 Manchester City Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest to secure their place in a third consecutive FA Cup final , brushing aside their opponents with a display full of control and composure. Author -  Macca Stadium - Wembley Stadium While Pep Guardiola's side were booking another trip to Wembley, their grip on the Premier League title quietly slipped away. Liverpool’s win over Tottenham Hotspur confirmed them as champions , ending City's four-year dominance in the league. In the capital’s warm spring sunshine, City imposed themselves from the outset. With the odds stacked in their favour despite being outnumbered in the stands, they wasted little time asserting authority. Just two minutes in, Mateo Kovacic found Rico Lewis on the edge of the area, and the 20-year-old guided a low strike into the bottom corner to give City the lead. Forest struggled to gain a foothold in the first half, as City sensed further openings. Omar Marmoush combined well wit...

Preston North End 0 - 3 Aston Villa Marcus Rashford broke his four-month scoring drought to send Aston Villa into the FA Cup semi-finals with victory over Preston at Deepdale. Author - Paul Woods Stadium - Deepdale After a few missed chances against the competition's last remaining Championship team, Rashford finally scored by tapping in Lucas Digne's cutback in the 58th minute. Five minutes later Rashford kept his nerve to send David Cornell the wrong way with his penalty after Morgan Rogers had been fouled by Andrew Hughes. These were Rashford's first goals since his double against Everton on December 1st   and they kept Villa's hopes alive of winning the FA Cup for the first time since 1957.  Preston battled hard but a clear gulf in class was only underlined by the absence through injury of first-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman and on-loan defender Kaine Kasler-Hayden, who was unable to play against his parent club. Once in front, Villa tightened their grip and...

Brighton & Hove Albion 0 - 0 Nottingham Forest.  Nottingham Forest won 4-3 on penalties. Forest held their nerve in yet another FA Cup penalty shootout, edging past Brighton to book a place in the semi-finals for the first time since 1991. Author - Kieran M Stadium - Amex Stadium Goalkeeper Matz Sels was the hero of the night, producing crucial saves to deny Jack Hinshelwood and Diego Gomez as Forest triumphed 4-3 on spot-kicks after a goalless 120 minutes at the Amex Stadium. In a match desperately lacking in quality, neither side could break the deadlock in normal time, with Brighton looking the more likely to snatch a late winner. Sels, however, had other ideas—his superb reaction save to deny a bullet header from Gomez in extra time kept Forest in the contest. The hosts thought they had won it at the death when Joao Pedro bundled in Pervis Estupiñán’s delivery, but the goal was ruled out for offside, ensuring the tie would be settled from the spot. After two pivotal sav...

Fulham 0 - 3 Crystal Palace Crystal Palace continued their remarkable resurgence under Oliver Glasner, securing a fifth consecutive win with a clinical 3-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage to reach the FA Cup semi-finals. Author - Craig H Stadium - Craven Cottage Fulham dominated the opening half-hour but failed to capitalise on their superiority, with Rodrigo Muniz going closest for the hosts. Palace, struggling to get out of their own half, took the lead against the run of play when Eberechi Eze produced a moment of brilliance in the 34th minute. Cutting in from the left, the England international bent a stunning low strike past Bernd Leno and in off the far post. Eze, fresh from scoring his first England goal during the international break, was instrumental again in Palace’s second. His precise cross found Ismaila Sarr, who nodded in at the near post to double the visitors’ lead. Fulham pushed for a response, with Willian drawing a fine save from Dean Henderson, but they ne...

Nottingham Forest 1 - 1 Ipswich Town (Nottingham Forest won 5 - 4 on penalties) Nottingham Forest secured their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Ipswich Town, setting up a trip to Brighton in the last eight. Author - Josh T Stadium - City Ground Goalkeeper Matz Sels was the hero, saving Jack Taylor’s low effort as Forest triumphed 5-4 on penalties after Ryan Yates’ second-half equaliser had forced extra time. The visitors had taken the lead through George Hirst, but ultimately fell short on a night of fine margins at the City Ground. Watching from the stands was England manager Thomas Tuchel, who is preparing to name his first squad next week ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia. However, with the game slow to ignite until the second half, the new Three Lions boss may not have taken much away from the contest. Click here for more FA Cup news and stories from European Super Football Taylor’s missed spot-kick proved ...

Manchester United 1 - 1 Fulham (Fulham won 4-3 penalties) Bernd Leno was the penalty shootout hero as Fulham knocked Manchester United out of the FA Cup, with the German keeper making two vital saves to send the Cottagers into the quarter-finals. Author - Olivia T Stadium - Old Trafford After both sides converted their first three spot-kicks, Leno denied Victor Lindelöf before Fulham captain Antonee Robinson kept his side’s perfect record intact. That set the stage for Leno to produce another big moment, stopping Joshua Zirkzee’s effort and sparking wild celebrations from the travelling fans. Marco Silva’s men had taken the lead just before half-time when Calvin Bassey was left unmarked at the far post to nod home from close range after Rodrigo Muniz flicked on a corner. United responded through the Portuguese playmaker. He levelled the scores in style, rifling a low shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box after being picked out by Diogo Dalot. Both sides had chances t...

Crystal Palace 3 - 1 Millwall Crystal Palace have reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup after a comfortable win over 10-man Millwall.  Author - Ajay Stadium - Selhurst Park The game's turning point came in the eighth minute when Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts was sent off. Roberts came charging out of his goal and kicked Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta in the head. After a short VAR intervention, he was off and Millwall had a huge job on their hands. Palace then dominated possession, and they eventually made the most of their numerical advantage and took the lead in the 33rd minute when Japhet Tanganga headed a curling Will Hughes cross into his own net. The home side then doubled their lead when Daniel Munoz poked the ball into the net from close range when it fell into his path after bouncing off Tanganga. Millwall looked to be out of the game but Wes Harding gave them a lifeline when he scored from inside the area just before the break. Eddie Nketiah ensured...

Aston Villa 2 - 0 Cardiff City Marco Asensio was the star of the show for Aston Villa again as he helped them secure a deserved 2-0 win over Championship strugglers Cardiff City in the FA Cup. Author - Jamie P Stadium - Villa Park The hosts maintained control throughout the match but faced a strong performance from visiting goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, who made several crucial saves to keep Cardiff competitive. In a clash of attack versus defense, the hosts struggled to break down Cardiff's low block. However, they eventually found the breakthrough when Marco Asensio scored from a precise cross by Marcus Rashford. Asensio secured the win in the 80th minute with another clinical finish, converting a cross from Leon Bailey. This was his fourth goal since joining on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in January. This could still be a landmark year for Aston Villa This year for Villa could yet be one for the history books, with Unai Emery’s side still in the hunt for silverware on two fron...

Aston Villa v Cardiff City preview  FA Cup 5th round weekend kicks off with Cardiff  City travelling to Aston Villa. Author - Sean M It's 17 years since Cardiff reached the FA Cup final and they still have an opportunity to go one better in 2025. The home side in this encounter, Aston Villa, last reached the final ten years ago. They certainly have the quality to go all the way. Can Villa maintain a charge on multiple fronts? Aston Villa are heading into a crucial stage of the season, juggling multiple competitions. They're still in the Champions League and pushing for a top-four finish in the Premier League to secure a return to Europe’s elite next season. The big question is whether they’ll also go all-in on the FA Cup. Unai Emery will want to compete on all fronts, but we've already seen how the packed schedule has stretched his squad. That said, this is exactly where Villa fans want their club to be—fighting on multiple fronts as the season reaches its climax. Even ...

Plymouth Argyle 1 - 0 Liverpool Plymouth Argyle pulled off a classic FA Cup shock as the Championship’s bottom side sent Premier League leaders Liverpool crashing out in front of a raucous Home Park crowd. Author - William G Stadium - Home Park Arne Slot made 10 changes to the Liverpool side that cruised past Tottenham to reach the Carabao Cup final—and it backfired spectacularly as Plymouth seized their moment to book a place in the fifth round. A cagey contest burst into life eight minutes after the break when the hosts were awarded a penalty for Harvey Elliott’s handball. Ryan Hardie stepped up and smashed the spot-kick past Caoimhin Kelleher to send Home Park into pandemonium. Hardie almost doubled his tally moments later, only for Kelleher to tip his effort onto the post. Liverpool pushed for an equaliser late on, but Plymouth keeper Conor Hazard produced two stunning saves—first to deny Diogo Jota, then somehow keeping out Darwin Nunez’s close-range header. The final whistle ...

Coventry City 1 - 4 Ipswich Town Ipswich Town cruised into the FA Cup fifth round with a dominant display, easing past Frank Lampard’s Coventry City. Author - Marcus Stadium - The Coventry Building Society Arena Boss Kieran McKenna opted for a completely rotated XI against their Championship opponents, but the Tractor Boys’ second-string side showed no signs of disruption as they secured a convincing victory. They got off to the perfect start, winning a penalty just 22 seconds in, which George Hirst calmly dispatched. Coventry responded quickly through Joel Latibeaudiere, but Ipswich soon regained control. Jack Clarke struck twice before half-time, and January signing Jaden Philogene, formerly of Aston Villa, netted his first goal for the club to put the tie beyond doubt. That result sees Ipswich, FA Cup winners in 1978, reach the fifth round for the first time since 2007—knocking out last season’s semi-finalists in the process. A closer look at what happened Ipswich fans celebra...

Everton 0 - 2 Bournemouth Everton handed Bournemouth a place in the FA Cup fifth round, marking the final FA Cup fixture ever to be played at Goodison Park. Author - James L Stadium - Goodison Park The Toffees have called the historic ground home since 1892, but this defeat means their next home FA Cup tie will take place at their new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, where they are set to move at the start of next season. It was a night to forget for Everton, who were largely the architects of their own downfall. Captain James Tarkowski endured a nightmare first half, with his errors directly leading to both of Bournemouth’s goals. Tarkowski’s struggles began when he mistimed a sliding tackle on Antoine Semenyo inside the box midway through the first half. The Ghanaian forward dusted himself off and confidently smashed home the resulting penalty past Jordan Pickford. Semenyo caused Everton’s defence problems all evening, narrowly missing with another effort and seeing a tight-angled ...

Brighton & Hove Albion 2 - 1 Chelsea Brighton staged an impressive comeback to knock Chelsea out of the FA Cup and secure their place in the fifth round. Author - Jack L Stadium - Amex Stadium Chelsea took a somewhat fortunate lead early on when Cole Palmer’s lofted cross from the left was spilled into his own net by Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. But the Seagulls responded well, with Georginio Rutter heading home from Joel Veltman’s delivery to bring them level. The turnaround was completed when Rutter turned provider, picking out Kaoru Mitoma—whose £54m move to Saudi side Al-Nassr fell through before the transfer deadline—who calmly lifted the ball over Robert Sánchez. Chelsea were incensed, arguing the goal should have been disallowed after the ball struck Tariq Lamptey’s arm in the build-up. However, with no VAR in operation for the fourth round, their protests were waved away. Click here for more Brighton news Carefree: This is the place for Chelsea stories and match...

Manchester United 2 - 1 Leicester City Harry Maguire was the hero as he nodded home a dramatic stoppage-time winner to send FA Cup holders Manchester United into the fifth round, completing a comeback victory over Leicester City. Author - Olivia T Stadium - Old Trafford With extra time and penalties looming, Bruno Fernandes delivered a teasing free-kick into the box, and Maguire rose highest to head it in. The goal was shrouded in controversy, as the defender appeared to be offside, but with VAR not in use at this stage of the competition, the officials let it stand—much to Leicester’s frustration. For United fans, it was a rare moment of joy in what has been a tough spell, with their team losing five of their previous seven home matches at Old Trafford. The evening had started in familiar disappointment when Leicester took the lead just before half-time in an otherwise uneventful first 45 minutes. Bobby De Cordova-Reid reacted quickest after Andre Onana parried Wilfred Ndidi’s eff...

Millwall 3 - 0 Dagenham & Redbridge Millwall cruised past National League side Dagenham & Redbridge to secure a spot in the FA Cup fourth round, where they will face Leeds United. Author - Neil Jones Millwall 3 - 0 Dagenham & Redbridge More reaction to come from European Super Football ~ eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com youtu.be/N7lOQnDkiTo?... [image or embed] — European Super Football ( @superfootball.bsky.social ) 14 January 2025 at 17:16 The scoring began in unusual fashion as Mihailo Ivanovic netted with a header while lying on the ground. Casper de Norre added a second before 20-year-old Ra'ees Bangura-Williams came off the bench to score his first Millwall goal. Millwall’s fourth-round tie against Championship leaders Leeds is set for the weekend of Saturday, 8 February, at Elland Road. Latest news and stories from the world's greatest cup competition A closer look at what happened The Lions dominated possession with an uncharacteristic 61% against their ...

Arsenal 1 - 1 Manchester United Manchester United won 5-3 on penalties Author - DJ Joshua Zirkzee sealed Manchester United’s place in the fourth round of the FA Cup by scoring the decisive penalty in a dramatic shootout victory over Arsenal, despite the Red Devils playing nearly an hour with 10 men. United faced an uphill battle when Diogo Dalot received a second yellow card in the 61st minute for a mistimed tackle on Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino. The dismissal came after Bruno Fernandes had put United ahead in the 52nd minute with a stunning strike. The Portuguese playmaker curled the ball into the top corner after Alejandro Garnacho capitalised on Gabriel’s slip and delivered a pinpoint cross. Arsenal quickly capitalised on their numerical advantage, equalising just two minutes later. Centre-back Gabriel volleyed home from close range to bring the Gunners level. The momentum appeared to swing further in Arsenal’s favour when Harry Maguire was judged to have fouled Kai Havertz ...