FA Cup: 3rd round (Watford 2- Chelsea 2 and Southampton 0 – Newcastle 3)
Posted by Pierre Igot in: FootballJanuary 3rd, 2004 • 7:18 am
The Canadian sports channel Sportsnet have a nice surprise for us this week-end. While they usually don’t show any FA Cup games and we only get the later stages via pay-per-view, this year they decided to give us a treat for the New Year and broadcast no less than four different FA Cup 3 round games featuring top teams.
So today we got to watch Watford against Chelsea and Southampton against Newcastle. The former was a thriller, in part due to the awful state of the Watford pitch and to a wrongful decision by the linesman that gave Watford the opening goal. To even things out, Watford were denied a penalty decision in the second half. Twice Watford were able to take the lead, and twice Chelsea came back. The game could easily have been won by either team, but the 2-2 draw was a fair result and means that there will be a replay game in 10 days, adding to an already busy game schedule. The replay will take place at Stamford Bridge and Watford won’t be given much of a chance.
The Southampton vs. Newcastle game was a much more one-sided affair, and Southampton were never really able to get into the game. Dyer was superb and scored a brace, and Robert was his usual (well, when he’s in the mood) killer self, scoring the other goal.
Tomorrow, we actually get three FA Cup games on Canadian TV: Manchester vs. Aston Villa and Arsenal vs. Leeds on Sportsnet and Yeovil vs. Liverpool on FoxSportsWorld Canada. Thanks for the treat, Sportsnet!