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New York Times
26-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Liverpool's Anfield plans: Can it expand again and do new stadiums pose a threat?
In mid-February, we invited requests from our readers for articles they might like to see on The Athletic as part of our latest Inspired By You series. Several Liverpool subscribers, including Drew F, asked for a piece on Anfield and whether Everton's new stadium across the city will affect the club's plans. This is what our Gregg Evans came up with. Keith Wyness, the former Everton chief executive, used to say that he hated the autumn 'because when the leaves started to fall off the trees, I could start to see Anfield from my office window at Goodison Park.' That would have been about 20 years ago, when Merseyside's big two clubs were both competing in the higher echelons of the Premier League. For those now in charge at Everton, taking in that view of Anfield would no doubt spark a similar feeling — albeit for different reasons. Advertisement Outside matchdays, it's eerily quiet in the area around Goodison but five minutes across the park, the streets of Anfield are a hive of activity, with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of visitors arriving to take the stadium tour and visit Liverpool's on-site megastore. Yet times are changing. Everton are about to leave their historic home for a new 52,888-seat arena two miles away on Liverpool's waterfront. Down the M62 motorway, Manchester United — Liverpool's historic arch-rivals — recently announced plans to build the biggest stadium in the UK, an 'iconic' new £2billion 100,000-seater close to their current Old Trafford home. So where do these projects leave Anfield, which is still the largest stadium in the city at 61,000 and the most iconic venue in the Premier League, but for how long? The Athletic breaks down the key questions. Anfield has been transformed since Fenway Sports Group (FSG) bought Liverpool in 2010. Where houses were once tucked tightly up to all sections of the ground, now there are wide walkways on either side of the newly-built Anfield Road Stand (which opened in 2023) and Main Stand (expanded in 2016), with those largely derelict and run-down properties outside, some of which were previously owned by the club, no longer standing. It still looks and feels like the older version of Anfield, and many of the surrounding features remain, but there are 15,000 more seats and a modern, regenerated look to the place now — something underlined by how the Kop, the stadium's most famous stand, is these days dwarfed by other sections of the ground. FSG spent more than £210million ($272m at the current exchange rate) enlarging the Main Stand and Anfield Road Stand and improving facilities throughout the stadium. Debate rumbles on about the reasons for Anfield's occasionally flat atmosphere during games but that's a wider issue in football not exclusive to Liverpool. In July last year, Liverpool's CEO Billy Hogan told The Athletic there were 'no plans for further expansion of the stadium', and that remains the case. When FSG took control of the club from Tom Hicks and George Gillett and set out plans to rebuild Anfield rather than pursue previous plans to build (in Hicks' words) a new 'futuristic, imaginative and very exciting' stadium on Stanley Park, the aim was clear. Advertisement Liverpool had to find a way to compete with Manchester United, who had increased revenue through their own Old Trafford expansion and were still considered the team to beat. FSG felt the best way forward was to modernise the ground where it could rather than start afresh — a decision underpinned by the fact the club revealed losses of almost £50million in 2012, including a 'huge amount' written off on the new stadium project. Rebuilding the Main Stand (taking its capacity from 12,000 to 20,500) and expanding the Anfield Road Stand (from 9,000 to 16,000) enabled the stadium to welcome 60,000-plus crowds for the first time since the terracing days of the early 1950s, but further expansion on the other two sides of the ground — the Kop and the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand — are not seen as viable at this stage. The principal reason is a lack of room behind them, as they both back onto housing. The community on Skerries Road, which runs behind the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand, often become nervous when talk of further expansion around Anfield is mentioned, so Hogan's comments last year were welcome. Expanding Anfield again could not happen without knocking down houses and relocating those residents and Liverpool have already been through that previously with the other rebuilds. Extending the Kop is even more difficult as Walton Breck Road, which is a major A-road within the city, runs behind it. Even building over the road would require knocking down other buildings. It is simply too complicated. Liverpool already finds themselves in a position of strength regarding their home ground. According to Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy, Anfield ranks top among all UK stadiums with 59 per cent of home country supporters rating it as a 'great' venue. Fans can even abseil down it if they wish. Advertisement Hugo Hensley, head of sports services at Brand Finance, tells The Athletic: 'That Anfield is ahead of Manchester City and Arsenal, who have reasonably new stadiums, and Tottenham, who've got their billion-dollar stadium, shows that is still has amazing respect and reputation. 'For Anfield to drive greater value for the business, Liverpool need to consider what else can be owned by the club around the venue. That's something that's slightly weaker than others (stadiums) because it wasn't part of the thinking when it was built.' The best stadiums now are 365-day-a-year operations hosting concerts, conferences and other non-football events. Tapping into that remains essential, even with the limit of staging up to six non-football events at Anfield per season that's been agreed with the local council. Music acts consider location, cost and accessibility as key factors when deciding which venues to hire for gigs. Overseas artists will typically split the UK up with a north-south divide, so Liverpool and Manchester are often competing against each other for hosting such shows, given they are separated by only 30 miles, with both being well-established music-loving cities. Anfield is relatively inaccessible by train — the nearest mainline station, Liverpool Lime Street, is over two miles away — but only half an hour's drive from the city's airport. The club have huge artists contacting them to discuss concert opportunities at Anfield, and after hosting Taylor Swift and Pink last year, Lana Del Rey, Dua Lipa and Bruce Springsteen are scheduled to play gigs there this summer. Everton's new stadium, which is almost fully operational and has already been named a venue for the 2028 European Championship, ahead of Anfield, may become another rival in this sector in due course. Everton's new American owners at The Friedkin Group (TFG) are keen to explore the potential of transforming the surrounding dockside area into an entertainment district, even if there are still significant issues with local transport infrastructure. Advertisement Manchester United's proposed new ground next to Old Trafford is still a long way from being realised, with many questions unanswered around how it will be funded, but if it were to be built, that may also pose questions over whether Liverpool's home is big and lucrative enough to keep pace. FSG, however, believes Anfield — a modern stadium in a historic setting — will maintain its appeal. The way it reshaped Fenway Park, the home of its Boston Red Sox baseball team, and the surrounding area of the U.S. city into something of a heritage site, is probably the template Liverpool will adopt. Liverpool made £101million from matchday revenue last season, fourth-best in the Premier League. Manchester United generated the highest figure (£137m) with Arsenal (£131m) and Tottenham (£105m), two London clubs clearly reaping the benefits of having a new(ish) multi-purpose stadium, not far behind. As the graph below shows, Liverpool are well off the top two but will be encouraged to know revenue is likely to increase when their next set of accounts are released early next year, following the return of Champions League football, as well as having a full season of home matches at the expanded Anfield. Tottenham have more than tripled their matchday revenues from a decade ago to £103million, with further boosts to their commercial income thanks to all the other events they can host at their new stadium (including NFL games) and increased daily footfall, but Liverpool have not fallen too far behind. Liverpool made £308million in commercial revenue during the 2023-24 season, with strong growth in partnerships and retail. This was a period where there were no concerts at the stadium, because of the continuing work on the Anfield Road Stand. It means that the millions earned from hosting three dates on the Taylor Swift tour last in June will be added to the next set of accounts and give a further boost to the commercial income. How much Liverpool's matchday revenue continues to grow in the years ahead will be an important component of their ability to compete with their Premier League rivals, although not the most vital. Advertisement The long-term plans that FSG set out when it bought the club are now keeping Liverpool ahead of Chelsea, who generated £80million in matchday revenue last season and are now faced with a stadium conundrum of their own as they weigh up whether to rebuild Stamford Bridge (where the 41,000 capacity now looks small) or relocate. In isolation, they are reasonably competitive, albeit there is an ongoing campaign across the division for fans to push for lower ticket costs. Liverpool still set a number of £9 adult tickets aside each season for local residents to encourage support from within the community but, in general, admission costs for an adult are between £39 and £61 a game. The price of adult season tickets ranges from £713 to £904. Compare that to Arsenal, who are the second-most expensive behind fellow Londoners Fulham with matchday tickets at between £30 and £161, and the difference is clear. The cheapest ticket on the Kop is £39 and the most expensive is £45 – the same as when FSG took over. FSG has frozen ticket prices eight times in the past 10 seasons, most recently in February, in contrast to many other Premier League clubs. The bigger problem for a lot of Liverpool supporters in terms of tickets is getting hold of one, even with the stadium now holding over 60,000. Although Liverpool have just over 27,000 season-ticket holders — a relatively low percentage of the ground's overall capacity, in comparison to many clubs — there are over 250,000 members and more than 30,000 names on a waiting list for tickets. It's too early to predict but the work of the supporters' union Spirit of Shankly continues to apply pressure on the club about prices. Liverpool, however, have pointed to an 80 per cent increase in Anfield matchday operating costs since the 2016-17 season, so that may eventually force their hand if price rises follow at some stage.
New York Times
21-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Champions League last-16 draw analysed: Liverpool-PSG tops bill alongside Madrid derby and Bayern-Leverkusen
The Champions League's new format may have given every team only two possible opponents in the round-of-16 draw but that has done little to dampen the excitement now that we know the eight ties. Liverpool's prize for topping the league-phase table is a humdinger of a showdown with French giants Paris Saint-Germain. Other high-profile ties include a Madrid derby, with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid meeting over two legs, and a heavyweight clash between Germany's leading lights Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen. Advertisement On top of that, we also now know the potential quarter-final and semi-final pairings, allowing us to map out the route to the final in Munich on May 31. Gregg Evans, Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero, Seb Stafford-Bloor, James McNicholas, Anantaajith Raghuraman and Mark Carey analyse the draw's main talking points. The Premier League leaders are returning to Paris for the first time since losing to Real Madrid in the 2022 Champions League final. This eye-catching match-up already looks like the blockbuster tie of the next round and will be one of Liverpool's toughest tests of the season. Arne Slot's side topped the league-phase table after winning seven of their eight games, but they have hardly benefited from that early qualification. Not only have they landed one of the strongest opponents left in the competition — PSG beat fellow French side Brest 10-0 over two legs in the knockout-phase play-offs after landing arguably the toughest set of league-phase fixtures — Liverpool haven't enjoyed a break from playing either. They drew 2-2 in the Premier League against Aston Villa on Wednesday, a fixture that had been rearranged to avoid a clash with Liverpool's Carabao Cup final. They have shown incredible resolve this season to get through a hectic period without any noticeable drop-off but are now facing another run of high-pressure outings. In the league phase, they beat the Spanish (Real Madrid) and German (Bayer Leverkusen) champions, so will fancy their chances against the Ligue 1 leaders, PSG. Big European nights at Anfield are rarely easy for visiting sides but Luis Enrique's team appear to be growing into the competition. Their potential route to the final Gregg Evans There was bound to be intrigue for Real Madrid, given their possible round-of-16 opponents were city rivals Atletico or a Bayer Leverkusen team managed by their former midfielder Xabi Alonso, who is regularly linked with his old side. It will be another Madrid derby on the grandest of stages in the last 16 — though some might have wanted to see this game later in the competition. Atletico have become European mainstays under coach Diego Simeone but the memory of those two lost Champions League finals against Real in 2014 and 2016 still stings. That was part of a remarkable four-season run in which Real knocked Atletico out of the competition each time. Advertisement Real turned on the style in their play-off win against Manchester City, with Kylian Mbappe's hat-trick showing how he has reached top form in his debut season as a galactico. Carlo Ancelotti appears to have found more balance among his star-studded front four, even if injuries have left them short in defence. Atletico will still fancy their chances of finally beating the 15-time winners in their favourite competition. Spending almost €200million (£165m; $209m) in last summer's transfer market has facilitated a title challenge in La Liga and there was little to separate the sides in a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu this month. Former Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez scored Atletico's opener there and will again be a danger man. Make it through and a quarter-final against Arsenal or PSV awaits. There will be much more at stake than just city pride here. Their potential route to the final Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero This is not what Bayern would have wanted. They hold an eight-point lead over Leverkusen at the top of the Bundesliga but have not won any of the six games against last season's German champions since Xabi Alonso took over as coach in the autumn of 2022. Most recently, Bayern were dominated by Leverkusen in the BayArena and while Vincent Kompany's side held on for an important 0-0 draw, they were led on a merry dance that night by Florian Wirtz, who is playing better than anyone in Germany. That said, Leverkusen will not be eagerly anticipating these games, either. Bayern's form is mediocre and they were fortunate to squeeze past Celtic in the play-off round — a bundled 94th-minute goal from Alphonso Davies was the difference — but Alonso's players have rarely produced their very best in Europe. If they play like they did against Atletico Madrid in the league phase or as naively as they did at Anfield in their 4-0 defeat against Liverpool, Bayern will be too much, too. Jamal Musiala is, on form, every bit Wirtz's equal. Davies should be fully fit again for the first leg, making a huge difference to Bayern's left side, and Harry Kane, Joao Palhinha, Josip Stanisic and Hiroki Ito should be in a better physical condition than they are currently. So, bad news for both teams, really, but good for everyone else — it should be a fascinating couple of games. GO DEEPER Are Bayern Munich really any good? Their potential route to the final Seb Stafford-Bloor It's a familiar opponent for Arsenal in the round of 16. They have faced PSV 10 times in competitive action and will now have done so in each of the last three seasons. They've only been drawn together once in a knockout tie, which PSV won in 2007. Arsenal will be favourites against Peter Bosz's team, who trail Ajax by two points at the top of the Dutch Eredivisie. Drawing PSV means no Feyenoord and no potential reunion with their incoming head coach Robin van Persie, a former Arsenal forward. Advertisement After that, Arsenal's path to the final becomes much more difficult. They are on the loaded side of the draw, with one of the two Madrid teams in their potential quarter-final. If they made it to the semi-final, they would face Liverpool, PSG, Aston Villa or Club Brugge. If Arsenal are to end their long wait for a Champions League trophy, they won't be able to go about it the easy way. Their potential route to the final James McNicholas If either of these legs comes close to replicating Barcelona's recent trip to the Estadio da Luz in January, then we are in for one of the best ties of the last 16. A last-minute winner from Raphinha saw Barcelona break Benfica's hearts to win 5-4 after trailing 4-3 going into stoppage time. It was a breathless encounter in the pouring Lisbon rain, featuring calamitous defending, controversial decisions, and moments of pure quality in 100 minutes (reflected in their match stats below). Benfica left-back Alvaro Carreras stood out for his attacking performance in January's clash, delivering a delicious cross for Vangelis Pavlidis for Benfica's opener. What was equally notable was how Carreras, 21, kept fellow Spaniard Lamine Yamal quiet for long periods. Look out for that battle when the pair meet in March. Barcelona's attacking talent, with the firepower of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Yamal, is unquestionable but Benfica exposed Hansi Flick's high defensive line — and it is likely to be a key tactic again. Benfica have played their part in some Champions League humdingers this season. As well as their nine-goal thriller against Barcelona, there was the late 3-2 comeback against Monaco in November before a dramatic 3-3 second-leg draw against Monaco allowed them to edge through 4-3 on aggregate in the play-off round. Expect goals, drama, and two teams going toe-to-toe in both legs. Their potential route to the final Mark Carey Villa will have mixed feelings about this tie. With Unai Emery in the dugout and the talent they have following the additions of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio, there should be optimism. Yet, Bruges was the location of one of their flattest performances of the season. The 1-0 defeat is best remembered for Tyrone Mings' brain fade as he picked up the ball from an Emiliano Martinez goal kick to gift the hosts a penalty that Hans Vanaken converted. Villa ended that night with one on target, struggling to break down a disciplined Club Brugge team. Advertisement For all their attacking options, Villa have struggled at the back, keeping one clean sheet in their last 16 games. Despite finishing the league phase in 24th, Club Brugge put five past Atalanta in the knockout round play-offs and will be brimming with confidence. Vanaken, striker Ferran Jutgla and wingers Chemsdine Talbi and Christos Tzolis all carry considerable threat up top. Should Villa successfully navigate this tricky tie, the going only gets tougher in the quarter-finals, where they will meet the winners of Liverpool vs PSG. Their potential route to the final Anantaajith Raghuraman Amid the hype that will accompany many of the high-profile match-ups, Feyenoord-Inter has the potential to be an engaging tie. The Eredivisie side are under caretaker management following Brian Priske's sacking this month but, as The Athletic reported this week, are expected to hire former player Van Persie. Van Persie started the two prior meetings between these clubs in the 2001-02 UEFA Cup (now Europa League) semi-finals. Feyenoord won the tie 3-2 on aggregate, with Van Persie assisting Pierre van Hooijdonk in the second leg in Rotterdam after his team beat Inter 1-0 at San Siro. Managing against Simone Inzaghi's tactically fluid team will pose a whole new challenge, though. Inter ended the league phase with the best defensive record, conceding just once in eight games, most notably shutting out Arsenal. Feyenoord were exciting in attack, racking up 18 goals, including three each against Bayern and Manchester City, despite finishing 19th. Something's got to give. Feyenoord made it into the round of 16 after defeating Milan 2-1 on aggregate in the knockout round, adding another layer of interest. Their potential route to the final Anantaajith Raghuraman GO DEEPER Is Bellingham Europe's most 'clutch' player? This is as gentle a game as Dortmund could have hoped for. Given their disastrous away form — two wins in the Bundesliga away from home all season — Dortmund's trip to France will be perilous, particularly for a side short on the substance necessary to grind out results on big European nights. Nevertheless, Niko Kovac has only been in position for a few weeks and another fortnight should give him the hours on the training pitches to toughen this team. Advertisement They are a shadow of their usual selves, but this Dortmund team still possess the attacking menace to be too much for Lille. Julian Brandt, Marcel Sabitzer, Karim Adeyemi and Emre Can are hopelessly out of form, but Serhou Guirassy and Jamie Gittens are dangerous players who should pose a big challenge for Lille in the Dortmund leg, at least. Their potential route to the final GO DEEPER What is Niko Kovac walking in to at Borussia Dortmund? Seb Stafford-Bloor (Top photos: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah, left, and PSG's Ousmane Dembele; Getty Images)
New York Times
06-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Liverpool 4 Tottenham 0 (Agg: 4-1) – Salah's perfect penalty helps Slot's team reach Carabao Cup final
Mohamed Salah scored his 26th goal of the season as Liverpool overturned Tottenham Hotspur's first-leg advantage to ease through their Carabao Cup semi-final and set up a final against Newcastle United at Wembley. The Egypt attacker has been in sensational form and made no mistake from the penalty spot at Anfield after Cody Gakpo had opened the scoring in the 34th minute. Advertisement Tottenham had a 1-0 lead from the first leg on January 8 courtesy of a late goal from Lucas Bergvall, but Ange Postecoglou's side never got going and failed to register a chance of note until Son Heung-min struck the crossbar with 12 minutes to go. Shortly before that, Dominik Szoboszlai had made it 3-0 to Arne Slot's side — 3-1 on aggregate — after a well-worked move. Virgil van Dijk, who scored the winner in last season's final against Chelsea, then added a fourth with a powerful header in the 81st minute. Newcastle booked their spot at Wembley on Wednesday as they beat Arsenal 2-0 at St James' Park to secure a 4-0 aggregate win against Mikel Arteta's side. The final will take place at Wembley on Sunday, March 16. Gregg Evans and Jay Harris analyse the key talking points… It may still feel a little early for Anfield to start getting excited, but this Liverpool team has the makings of an all-conquering side. The League Cup is the nearest route to a trophy and Liverpool, as the holders, have made their intentions clear by charging to the final at Wembley on March 16. History tells us that more time is needed before a season can be fully defined but Slot's team are not letting up in their pursuit of glory. Six points clear at the top of the Premier League and with a game in hand, Liverpool are in control of their destiny. Already it feels like a case of when they are going to be crowned champions, rather than if. That they are through to the last 16 of the Champions League is also an impressive achievement given the tough run of fixtures they faced. This was supposed to be a season of transition but Slot hasn't flinched since moving to Merseyside and his team are pumped-up, playing wonderful attacking football and suffocating opponents through their relentless running. Advertisement Curtis Jones was the heartbeat in the middle of the park, but even the fringe players stepped up to make a difference. Conor Bradley returned back to top form with an aggressive, powerful display at right-back and Darwin Nunez, a crowd favourite, worked tirelessly to torment the Tottenham backline. No team wants to face Liverpool in this form. Gregg Evans This is a huge week for Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou and they have failed the first test. As they have struggled with a crippling injury crisis over the last few weeks, the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final represented the light at the end of the tunnel. If they could overcome Liverpool and reach the final at Wembley, then all of the pain would have been worth it. With Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke back in the starting XI for a potential final against Newcastle, they would have been filled with hope at lifting a trophy for the first time since 2008. Instead, they have barely three days to lick their wounds from this humbling defeat before they face Aston Villa in an FA Cup fourth-round tie. Liverpool suffocated Spurs and prevented them from gaining any type of grip within the game. Tottenham's slightly passive approach was understandable in the first half when they were holding onto a lead and considering that Richarlison looked sluggish even before he came off injured just before half-time. However, it will be particularly frustrating for Spurs fans that they failed to threaten Caoimhin Kelleher after Salah's penalty gave Liverpool the lead on aggregate. Spurs have to switch their focus to the FA Cup and Europa League now. They just have to make sure that this crushing defeat does not completely shatter their already brittle confidence. Jay Harris There he stood, calm as you like, without a worry in the world. It was up to Salah to convert what at the time was a crucial penalty, in front of The Kop, to put Liverpool ahead in the tie, and could you have asked for a more clinical spot kick? Not only did he send Kinsky the wrong way, he also slammed in his kick with such pace and precision that no goalkeeper in the world was keeping it out. Mohamed Salah converts the penalty to put Liverpool ahead in the tie! 🔴 — Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) February 6, 2025 Salah's record from the spot this season is impressive. He's scored eight times and missed just the one against Real Madrid in the Champions League. His form for Liverpool is also a major reason why the team are competing for the quadruple. At Anfield alone he has scored 12 goals and registered eight assists in just 17 appearances. Advertisement It's no wonder they call him the Egyptian King. Gregg Evans Back on the left wing this season and in a rich vein of form. Gakpo is turning into Liverpool's Mr Reliable, stepping up when it matters with the goals that are supercharging their season. It didn't take Slot long to recognise that Gakpo's best work is produced when he's cutting in from the left rather than occupying a central role. Admittedly it was a slow start to the season. The Dutchman failed to score in 12 of the first 13 games he featured in under Slot, but since the back end of October, he's hit top form. Gakpo levels the tie! 🔴 He becomes the top scorer in this year's Carabao Cup 🥇 — Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) February 6, 2025 Now with 16 goals in all competitions, he's already equalled last season's tally and crucially for Liverpool, he's popping up when it matters the most. His opener at Anfield made him the first Liverpool player to score five goals in a single season in the League Cup since Robbie Fowler in 2000-01. He is also now the competition's top goalscorer and was a key part in Liverpool progressing to the final. Gregg Evans Tottenham's biggest problem was their inability to hold onto the ball. When they regained possession, Liverpool forced Djed Spence and Archie Gray to play backwards to the goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky. With a limited number of passing options, Kinsky would hit the ball long where Virgil van Dijk would inevitably win the aerial duel with Richarlison or Dejan Kulusevski. Spence has been exceptional over the last few weeks, and deservedly won the man of the match award against Brentford on Sunday, but he was guilty of trying to dribble past too many opponents at times on Thursday evening. Maybe that is why Ange Postecoglou switched him to right wing in the second half where he had a smaller chance of losing the ball in dangerous positions for Spurs but could use his speed to beat Andrew Robertson. Spurs had limited success on the rare occasions they tried to play the ball forward through midfield too. For example, new signing Kevin Danso surged past Darwin Nunez in the 29th minute and passed the ball to Dejan Kulusevski on the touchline. Kulusevski was crowded out, lost the ball and within 30 seconds Dominik Szoboszlai scored but the flag went up for offside. Advertisement Spurs were completely trapped in their own half no matter what they tried. They finally paid the price towards the end of the first half when Yves Bissouma could have made a simple pass to Pape Sarr. It went behind his team-mate, Liverpool recovered the ball and charged into the space behind Tottenham's vacant midfield. Salah's cross dropped to Gakpo who did the damage. It is no surprise that Sarr and Bissouma were hauled off for Pedro Porro and Lucas Bergvall just 10 minutes into the second half, although they have both struggled with injuries recently and were clearly not 100 per cent. Jay Harris We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference. We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference. Sunday, February 9: Plymouth Argyle (Away), FA Cup fourth round, 3pm GMT, time in ET Sunday, February 9: Aston Villa (Away), FA Cup fourth round, 5.35pm GMT, 12.35pm in ET ()
