Wigan Surprises Man City in FA Cup
The big shock of the FA Cup fifth round for Australian online sports betting enthusiasts was Monday’s surprise 1-0 win for third-tier club Wigan Athletic against one of the more fancied teams in this year’s tournament, Manchester City.
What made the defeat even bitterer for City, apart from the fact that the loss dashes any hopes they had of taking a record four trophies this season, was that they kept Wigan out for 78 minutes, despite playing half the match a man down.
In fact, throughout the second half, even after losing midfielder Fabian Delph to a red card in the 45th minute for a dangerous sliding tackle on Max Power, City retained 82 per cent of the ball possession.
But the overwork caused by Delph’s ill-discipline eventually told on them, and Wigan favourite Will Grigg took advantage of a mistake by Manchester substitute Kyle Walker in the 79th minute to knock in the winner.
The result puts Wigan through to the quarter-finals, where they will play Southampton, fresh from their 2-1 win over West Brom on Saturday.
Comfortable Man U Win Still Controversial
Manchester United, the team currently favourite in the odds to win this year’s FA Cup at online sports betting sites, had no problem securing a quarter-final in their fifth-round match against Huddersfield. The Red Devils won 2-0, although it could have been 3-0 but for technology.
The game produced one of English football’s first Video Assistant Referee (VAR) controversies, when a Man U goal was disallowed because an earlier pass was ruled fractionally offside – literally, a kneecap’s worth – by the VAR. No one’s disputing the accuracy of the technology, but the rules for its use do state that it can only overturn “clear and obvious” mistakes by the ref – not marginal calls like Saturday’s.
Following their successful fifth-round performances, Manchester United face Brighton in the QF, with Leicester City squaring up to Chelsea. The opponents for the fourth QF have not been decided yet, as both the Sheffield Wednesday vs Swansea City and Rochdale vs Tottenham Hotspur matches ended in draws: 0-0 and 2-2 respectively.
The four sides will replay their fifth-round matches next Tuesday and Wednesday, and the winners will face each other in the FA Cup QF.
More About Cameron Hollands
After working part time in one of Australia’s finest casinos to fund his journalism studies, Cameron Hollands discovered a passion for sports betting. A few years and many successful bets later, he is now putting his considerable experience to good use, and is a regular contributor for australiansportsbetting.net.
Cameron’s expert advice, insight into the sporting world and straightforward reporting style has earned him many fans, and he enjoys sharing his expertise with fellow punters.
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