London: The magic of the FA Cup was on full display as underdog Wrexham A.F.C. pushed giants Chelsea F.C. to the brink before eventually losing 4-2 after extra time in a thrilling fifth-round encounter.
At the historic Racecourse Ground, Wrexham produced a performance that nearly delivered another famous cup upset in front of their Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Despite being a club that was playing non-league football just three years ago, Wrexham led twice during the match and held their own against the reigning Club World Cup champions.
Sam Smith opened the scoring in the 18th minute, sparking wild celebrations among the home crowd. Chelsea equalized in bizarre fashion before halftime when Alejandro Garnacho’s effort was cleared off the line but rebounded off goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo and into the net.
Wrexham regained the lead in the 78th minute through Callum Doyle’s clever back-heeled flick before Josh Acheampong quickly restored parity for the visitors.
The match swung decisively in extra time after Wrexham were reduced to 10 men following George Dobson’s red card. Garnacho struck in the 96th minute before João Pedro sealed the win late on.
Wrexham nearly forced another twist when substitute Lewis Brunt headed home what seemed like an equalizer, only for VAR to rule him fractionally offside. Despite the defeat, the performance was hailed as another milestone for the rapidly rising Welsh club.
Arsenal keep quadruple dream alive
Elsewhere, Arsenal F.C. survived a scare against Mansfield Town F.C. to win 2-1 and reach the quarterfinals.
Noni Madueke put Arsenal ahead with a curling strike before Mansfield stunned the visitors early in the second half through substitute Will Evans. But substitute Eberechi Eze made the difference, blasting a spectacular shot into the top corner just minutes after coming on.
The victory keeps Mikel Arteta’s side on course for an extraordinary season, with Arsenal also competing in the UEFA Champions League and the EFL Cup final.
Marmoush punishes Newcastle again
Meanwhile, Manchester City F.C. continued their pursuit of multiple trophies with a 3-1 comeback win over Newcastle United F.C. at St James’ Park.
Newcastle took the lead through Harvey Barnes, but City responded with an equalizer from Savinho before halftime.
Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush then took control of the contest, scoring twice in the second half to continue his remarkable scoring streak against Newcastle. Marmoush has now netted seven goals in five appearances against Eddie Howe’s side since joining City.
With the result, Pep Guardiola’s team remains firmly in contention across multiple competitions, while Arsenal and Chelsea also move a step closer to Wembley as the FA Cup quarterfinal lineup begins to take shape.
Source: Sportsnet, ESPN
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