Wayne Rooney and first-team Derby squad absent after coronavirus outbreak; Everton need extra-time to see off Rotherham; Norwich, Forest, Luton, Millwall prevail from early ties; FA Cup fourth and fifth-round draws on Monday, January 11
By PA Media
Saturday 9 January 2021 16:03, UK
Non-League Chorley claimed an unlikely place in the FA Cup fourth round as they proved too strong for a youthful Derby side in an extraordinary tie.
Connor Hall and Mike Calveley were the men on target as the National League North side claimed a 2-0 victory in what was theoretically an upset on a freezing afternoon in Lancashire.
Yet with the Championship visitors decimated by a Covid-19 outbreak at their club, the four division gap between the sides was wiped out, handing the initiative to the part-timers.
Derby, with interim manager Wayne Rooney and their entire first-team squad isolating, were forced to field a team made up from their youth sides in order to fulfil the fixture.
There was an early flashpoint when Derby’s Cameron Creswell went down in the Chorley area, referee Kevin Friend ruled against a penalty after help from his linesman, but the home side took the lead with just 10 minutes on the clock when Hall got the final touch after the Rams failed to clear a corner.
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The non-League side continued to dominate but had to wait until six minutes from time to seal the win when Calveley volleyed in from close range.
- FA Cup results | FA Cup fixtures
Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti’s gamble on resting key players almost backfired as a team registering eight changes laboured to a 2-1 extra-time win over Championship strugglers Rotherham.
The Italian left out top scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, but their replacements were second-best for much of the 120 minutes at Goodison Park.
Cenk Tosun’s first strike for Everton since November 2019 was cancelled out just after half-time by former Manchester United academy graduate Matt Olosunde but substitute Abdoulaye Doucoure scored the eventual winner three minutes into the additional period to spare the Toffees’ blushes.
Lyle Taylor ended his longest goal drought since October 2017 to fire Nottingham Forest into the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 1-0 win against Cardiff.
Taylor took less than three minutes to claim the only goal of the game and his first in 13 outings, meeting Gaetan Bong’s cross with a firm volley from 10 yards.
Junior Hoilett flashed a late volley high and he also hooked another opportunity wide over his shoulder but Forest kept things tight to made it six games unbeaten en route to the fourth round.
Norwich scored two early goals to see off fellow Championship side Coventry 2-0 in a low-key FA Cup third-round tie at Carrow Road.
An assured sixth-minute finish from Kenny McLean and a firm header from Jordan Hugill 80 seconds later settled a game that rarely hit the heights after an exciting start that saw the Sky Blues wasting three early chances before Norwich converted two of theirs.
George Moncur scored the only goal of the game as Luton beat fellow Championship side Reading 1-0 in the FA Cup.
The midfielder volleyed the only goal of the third-round tie in the first half to decide the contest at Kenilworth Road.
Elsewhere, Millwall avoided a potential banana skin at Meadow Park as they comfortably overcame Boreham Wood 2-0 to advance to the fourth round.
Kenneth Zohore opened the scoring on the half-hour mark after being fed by Scott Malone, and after Boreham Wood’s Matt Rhead put an effort over the bar from less than 10 yards out, Shaun Hutchinson’s header (74) sealed the contest.
More to follow.
FA Cup 2020/21 – key dates and draw
The FA Cup schedule has been confirmed, with the final scheduled at Wembley on Saturday, May 15.
There will be no replays this season to help ease fixture congestion.
The draw for both the fourth and fifth rounds will take place on Monday, January 11, ahead of the third-round tie between Stockport and West Ham.
- Fourth round: Saturday, January 23
- Fifth round: Wednesday, February 10
- Quarter-finals: Saturday, March 20
- Semi-finals: Saturday, April 17
- Final: Saturday, May 15
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