In recent weeks, Arsenal have been looking like the Arsenal of old. A win at the Reebok Stadium and then a tremendous fight-back at home to Bolton indicated that Arsene Wenger’s team had rediscovered their backbone.

Arsenal definitely had a weakened team out, so it is not as if it was a major upset but when it has been so long since their last triumph, Gooners fans will be disappointed at their Britannia Stadium exit.

Ricardo Fuller was quick off the block to fire the home side into a 2nd minute lead, with Rory Delap’s long throw striking fear into the Arsenal defence.

Arsenal play some amazing flowing football but they remain massively vulnerable when put under any amount of pressure and their failure to deal with this tactic saw them chasing the game from the start.

Stoke will consider themselves unlucky not have earned a penalty for a foul on Fuller, which Arsene Wenger may find ironic after his annoyance about his side not getting penalties and before half-time, Arsenal got themselves back on level terms.

Denilson’s shot was deflected home and Arsenal may have thought that much like the last round against West Ham, they would come from behind against Premier opposition.

Wenger brought on Eduardo and Ramsey in a double substitution in an attempt to win the tie but it seemed to galvanise Stoke City further and it wasn’t long before the home side struck again.

With 12 minutes to go, Ricardo Fuller was on hand to convert Sidibe’s cross and their passage was secured when Dean Whitehead calmly finished the tie.

Arsenal can now focus on their league push with games against all their major rivals in the next few weeks but this defeat will be a let down.

With Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal out, is the FA Cup open for a surprise winner?

How far can Stoke City go in the FA Cup?

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Two penalties, a fallen giant and the player of the moment grabbing two goals. The FA Cup match between Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United was everything that a football fan could ever want from the famous competition.

Spurs are very much still in the hunt for fourth place and that Champions League qualification spot but they aren’t going to turn down the chance of a May trip to Wembley. They may rather wait until the following season because everyone knows that it’s lucky for Spurs when the year ends in 1…but get it whilst its going is a good motto for life.

Spurs may have thought they were due to open the scoring from the spot but yet again, Jermain Defoe was the player to miss. The forward can be deadly in front of goal but his touch quite often goes missing from the 12 yard spot. With the World Cup looming, English fans will be hoping that other players will be ready to step up to the plate when it matters.

Spurs weren’t to be denied and took the lead on the stroke of half-time. There was a stroke of good fortune about Peter Crouch’s goal but the tall forward reacted quickly to the rebound that came at him with pace.

This half-time lead should have been the catalyst for Spurs to ease to victory but Leeds came roaring back. Within 7 minutes of the second half, Beckford was on hand to bundle the ball home and have the Leeds fans dreaming of another Premier League scalp.

If Beckford is the man of the moment, Roman Pavlyuchenko has been the forgotten man of the season but he looked to have grabbed the winner with his strike on 75 minutes. Some lucky Spurs fans was the lucky recipient of the players gloves as he threw them into the crowd but Spurs were unable to hold onto their passage into the next round.

It was deep deep into injury time when Matt Dawson put a ludicrous challenge in that the referee decided was worthy of a penalty kick. Spurs fans will argue that Dawson took some of the ball but as a defender, you should not be taking that sort of risk in injury time.

Beckford picked himself up and fired the ball past the despairing dive of Gomes to draw Leeds level and earn his side a replay on the 2nd of February.

Leeds will think that they have every chance of progressing at Elland Road and it should be a fascinating match once again.

Leeds fans, can you get past Spurs?

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Aston Villa booked one Wembley trip this week and sailed past Brighton in the FA Cup, so it is inevitable that some of their fans would start to think of a dream Wembley double.

When this happens though, the players and manager are usually quick to distance themselves from such talk and will try to play down such enthusiasm.

For once, Martin O’Neill is sidestepping his usual cautious approach and has acknowledged what many of the Villains will be thinking;

“Can we reach two cup finals this season? We are certainly going to try. We’ve reached one already and now we’re in the fifth round of the FA Cup.”

“Of course, you need some luck with the draw and a lot of things can happen in cup matches which are one-off games.”

“But if the quality players we’ve got here stay fit, there is no reason why we shouldn’t try and achieve the double.”

Martin O’Neill knows about cup finals. The man has a European Cup medal and knows all about League Cup finals from his playing days at Nottingham Forest and his managerial stint at Leicester.

Don’t forget his spell at Celtic had numerous Cup final day-outs as well:

4 Scottish Cup finals in 5 years
2 League Cup finals
1 Uefa Cup final

6 finals in 5 seasons is a healthy return in anyone’s eyes so if a manager knows what it takes to get a team to the final, it is Martin O’Neill.

You also have to consider that Manchester United and Liverpool are already out, two teams you would fancy to be in with a shout of taking the trophy.

There are many big teams still in the hunt for the FA Cup but you have to say that Aston Villa are in with a chance.

As MON says, the luck of the Cup can make form and logic go out of the window and the optimism may be tempered by how the 5th round draw goes…but for now, Villa fans should allow themselves to have a day-dream of what may just be a glorious season.

Villa fans, can you make it a double date for Wembley?

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One of the secrets about being a great striker is having great timing. It is hard to argue about the timing of Nicolas Anelka and his return to the Chelsea first team squad.

The striker has recovered from a calf injury and he should come straight back into the team for the FA Cup home tie against Watford. This should give the striker the chance to get 90 minutes under his belt before the EPL resumes. He may be subbed earlier if the game is going well but the important thing is for Anelka to get some game time.

Chelsea need Anelka back because of the African Cup of Nations.

The main star at Stamford Bridge is Didier Drogba, who is in action for the Ivory Coast on Monday. Drogba’s team have two friendly matches in Tanzania this week before the action starts for real.

If Drogba was the only player missing from the Chelsea team, it wouldn’t be so bad but the team have another three players away.

Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Jon Obi Mikel and Solomon Kalou are all involved with the African Cup of Nations tournament and could be away for the whole of January.

Chelsea are further strengthened with the return of Florent Malouda and should have enough in their locker to defeat Watford.

It will be a day for the Watford squad to enjoy but the money earned from the tie could give the club a hand. Watford have been in extreme financial difficulties of late so any income not budgeted for is definitely a boost.

Can Anelka compensate for the loss of Drogba?

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When you are 7th in the league and 12 points behind the leaders, you are not likely to be in with a chance of winning the title. Equally, when you have been dumped out of the Champions League, it is hard to raise your spirits for a tilt at the Europa League.

Given that Arsenal’s youngsters put paid to any hopes in the League Cup, Liverpool have to focus on the FA Cup. The last time Liverpool picked up any silverware was due to a Stevie Gerrard (of course) inspired win against West Ham United in Cardiff back in 2006. Even though last season was highly enjoyable for the Scousers, they still ended it with nothing to show for it.

It is not as though Liverpool will not be looking to progress in the league. Champions League qualification is crucial for the club, for financial and prestigious reasons. The money speaks for itself but if Liverpool do not have Champions League football, will Gerrard or Torres be happy to stick around?

However, the fans will demand a trophy because 4 years without one is too long for a club like Liverpool but they aren’t the only ones. All the talk in England is of the Top 4 but half of these four teams have went a few years without winning anything, Arsenal being the other.

This shows you the way that Champions League qualification has actually managed to overshadow winning a domestic trophy.

It may just be the time for a change though and if Liverpool are unable to life the FA Cup, the grumblings of another barren year may be too much for the Anfield faithful.

Would you back Liverpool to win the FA Cup?

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If they come through them relatively unscathed, they will have passed another huge test but as Martin O’Neill knows, the tests do not stop coming for top teams. If Villa want to be a top team, they better get used to the pressure.

Villa’s next four games are:

Sunday 27th Dec: EPL: Away to Arsenal

Tuesday 5th Jan: League Cup: Away to Blackburn

6 points up for grabs and two cup ties, not season ending but potentially season defining.

The game at the Emirates will be a true test of Villa’s ability to mix it with the top teams. That is a bit unfair considering they have already won at Anfield and Old Trafford, as well as defeating Chelsea at home but if Villa can secure the scalp of the last remaining big four team, is there any reason to ever look back?

Villa are behind Arsenal only because of goal difference but the London club do hold a game in hand over their Midlands rivals. With Robin van Persie still unavailable, it is a good time to be taking on Arsenal but they have shown they can get goals from other areas.

Even if this match doesn’t go the way of Villa, the visit of Liverpool gives them the opportunity to create daylight between themselves and their Merseyside rivals.

Rafa Benitez is confident enough to guarantee a top four finish to his fans but a Villa win would see them, at worst, 8 points better off and full of confidence. Having already triumphed at Anfield, Villa have to fancy themselves to defeat Liverpool, who will be missing Mascherano through suspension (and injury).

A minimum of four points would set Villa up nicely for their Cup epic against Blackburn Rovers, the first two games in a three match battle.

Martin O’Neill has to consider the FA Cup a top priority for his club. Champions League is obviously the place to be, as O’Neill knows full well from his time in Glasgow but some silverware wouldn’t go amiss.

The League Cup would be a great addition but anyone that had a heart would want to win the FA Cup.

With the first leg of the League Cup semi-final following so close to the FA Cup tie, there could be some interesting team selections.

It may be that Rovers boss Sam Allardyce will prefer to keep his team fresh for the Ewood Park semi-final, potentially giving Villa the upper hand in the League Cup tie.

Martin O’Neill knows what it takes to win domestic cups in Scotland and England but even he must be worrying how far his squad can go. The memories of last season are likely to be preying on his mind at times;

“I think it’s very much the case of same again. We are hanging in but we’re playing well, with plenty of confidence. We are managing to win games when we go behind and when we get in front too.”

Trophies are never won in January but they can be lost and Martin O’Neill will be looking to keep his side in the hunt by the time the weather turns for the better.

Villa fans, are you going to keep this run going?

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