FA Cup opens up with latest big four casualty

It was no secret that Stoke would seek to rough up Arsenal when they clashed in the FA Cup fourth round on Sunday.

So for Arsene Wenger to play the extremely talented, but physically brittle kids against the likes of Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth, was asking for trouble.
And they got it.

Wenger can have no real complaints about the result, Stoke had the better of things throughout the match and as the young Gunners tired, the Potters finished strongly to seal a convincing 3-1 win.

The Arsenal boss will remain as stubborn as ever when to comes to putting faith in his young players. But with Manchester United and Liverpool already out, this was surely a great chance to end the Gunners well publicised five year trophy drought. They may well be performing well in the league and the Champions League, but those competitions are harder to win.

By treating the FA Cup like the Carling Cup the Gunners have put all their eggs in one Premier/Champions League basket. It remains to be seen whether that gamble will come off.

As it is, with three of the big four already out, the competition has really opened up to sides looking to emulate Portsmouth's win in 2008, when the top Premier League teams were humbled by the likes of Barnsley and Cardiff.

Chelsea will undoubtedly remain favourites in the FA Cup betting and they are looking to lift the trophy for the second time in a row and the sixth occasion in their history. But the likes of Birmingham, Aston Villa, Fulham and big spending Manchester City will all hope for a clear run into at least the semi-finals. Indeed those four clubs have been kept apart in the last 16 draw.

The Championship will definitely be represented in the last eight with Reading and West Brom facing off while League One could also have two participants if Southampton can beat South Coast rivals Portsmouth and Leeds overcome Spurs and then Bolton.

With three of the Premier League giants out critics may say the competition has lost its importance, while others would argue that the giant killing is a sign of its good health.

Either way for the clubs involved that road to Wembley has just become that little bit clearer.
Meanwhile, Arsenal's Premier League titles odds currently make them third favourites behind Chelsea and Manchester United.