FA Cup Quarterfinals Review

The England FA Cup survivor pool was reduced to five clubs ahead of next months Wembley semifinals, with only Fulham and Tottenham requiring a replay. Coming off a round of 16 where half the matches required replays, it was a welcome level of finality.

Fulham welcomed a Tottenham team to Craven Cottage that left Jermain Defoe out of the team. They looked to augment that absence by moving nominal left-sided midfielder Luka Modric to the central role he played before joining Spurs. The measure didn’t help, as Spurs were unable to unlock Roy Hodgson’s side. Playing a full-strength defense that saw the return of Benoit Assou-Ekotto push Gareth Bale into midfield, Spurs also kept a clean sheet, throwing this match-up to a reply after a nil-nil.

Portsmouth’s match with Birmingham City looked destined for a similar outcome despite Pompey’s superiority, but in the 67th minute a bit of chaos in front of Joe Hart’s net set-up Frederic Piquionne for the match-winning goal. Piquionne would add a second four minutes later to give Portsmouth a 2-0 win and a trip to Wembley. They will play the winner of Spurs-Fulham, which will be determined on March 24 at White Hart Lane.

Chelsea would down Stoke City by the same score at Stamford Bridge, getting goals from Frank Lampard and John Terry along the way. Terry’s goal was of particular importance given the captain’s recent, public trials. Heading home the insurance tally in the second half, Terry (and his teammates) seemed to have a weight lifted off is shoulders, a bit of normalcy returning to a side that had lost its emotional center amidst last week’s loss to Manchester City.

Reading looked on course for third, 2-0 victory, but three goals in the first twelve minutes of the second half gave Aston Villa the last with a burst. John Carew’s late penalty kick gave the Norweigan a hat-trick in Villa’s 4-2 win, earning Martin O’Neill’s men a meeting with the holders, Chelsea, on April 10.