MX23RW : Wednesday, December 25 17:21:52| >> :120:33742:33742:

FA Cup roundup: Sunderland hold Fulham, Southampton edge Blackpool

FA Cup roundup: Sunderland hold Fulham, Southampton edge Blackpool
© Reuters
Sunderland hold Fulham to a 1-1 draw while Southampton edge past Blackpool 2-1 in Saturday afternoon's FA Cup fourth-round fixtures.

Premier League European hopefuls Fulham were held to a 1-1 draw by Championship outfit Sunderland in Saturday's 3pm batch of FA Cup fourth-round fixtures.

Marco Silva's side went behind to a goal from former Tottenham Hotspur youngster Jack Clarke just six minutes in, but Tom Cairney levelled in the 61st minute, and Fulham were handed a major reprieve right at the death when 15-year-old Chris Rigg's winner was ruled out for offside.

Fulham were one of two Premier League teams in action at 3pm, and Southampton hardly covered themselves in glory against second-tier opposition in Blackpool, but Nathan Jones's men still came away with a 2-1 win.

Left-back Romain Perraud scored twice either side of the half-time whistle for the Saints, whose sloppiness at the back allowed Arsenal loanee Charlie Patino to make things interesting in the 67th minute

Blackpool could not find an equaliser as Mick McCarthy's first game in charge ended in disappointment, but there was a late leveller at Ewood Park, as Birmingham City rescued a 2-2 draw away to Blackburn Rovers.

Reda Khadra put the visitors a goal to the good within just three minutes before Bradley Dack and Joe Rankin-Costello turned the game on its head, but substitute Jordan James - who had only been on the pitch for a couple of minutes - forced a replay with a stoppage-time equaliser.

Romain Perraud celebrates scoring for Southampton against Blackpool in the FA Cup on January 28, 2023© Reuters

Ipswich Town and Burnley also shared the spoils at Portman Road - albeit in a much more low-key goalless draw - but the League One promotion hopefuls came agonisingly close to a late winner.

A cross-cum-shot from Conor Chaplin found its way over the head of Bailey Peacock-Farrell before coming back off the woodwork, as the Tractor Boys prepare for a second showdown at Turf Moor.

Yet another stalemate was played out at Hillsborough, where Sheffield Wednesday and fellow League One side Fleetwood Town shook hands on a 1-1 draw after more than 100 minutes of action.

The visitors drew first blood through Promise Omochere, but Josh Earl's own goal in the 71st minute rescued the Owls, who largely failed to make their dominant periods of possession pay.

Another encounter with more than 10 minutes of second-half injury time occurred at Kenilworth Road, as Luton Town were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against League Two side Grimsby Town.

Gavan Holohan struck first for Grimsby before Elijah Adebayo's penalty and Jordan Clark gave Luton a 2-1 lead, but the Hatters were pegged back again by Harry Clifton.

Draws were certainly the theme of the afternoon, but despite the seven places between them in the Championship table, Bristol City passed the challenge of West Bromwich Albion with ease, recording a 3-0 victory at Ashton Gate.

Sam Bell and the highly-rated Alex Scott - aged just 20 and 19 respectively - had the ball in the back of the net before the half-time whistle blew, and the former made it a brace for himself early in the second half to cap off a dominant victory.

ID:505296:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect7450:
Written by
Ben Knapton

Click here for more stories about Alex Scott

Click here for more stories about Sunderland

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Manchester United's Wout Weghorst celebrates scoring against Nottingham Forest on January 25, 2023
Read Next:
Saturday's FA Cup predictions including Manchester United vs. Reading
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd22155232112148
2Leeds UnitedLeeds22136341152645
3Burnley2212822891944
4Sunderland22127334181643
5Blackburn RoversBlackburn2111462518737
6Middlesbrough22105738281035
7West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom22811326161035
8Watford2110473028234
9Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds229582830-232
10Millwall217772118328
11Swansea CitySwansea227692424027
12Bristol City226972628-227
13Norwich CityNorwich226883734326
14Queens Park RangersQPR2251072328-525
15Luton TownLuton2274112538-1325
16Derby CountyDerby2266102728-124
17Coventry CityCoventry2266102834-624
18Preston North EndPreston2241172229-723
19Stoke CityStoke2257102330-722
20Portsmouth204882535-1020
21Hull City2247112131-1019
22Cardiff CityCardiff2146111934-1518
23Oxford UnitedOxford Utd2146112137-1618
24Plymouth ArgylePlymouth2146112245-2318


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!