FA Cup fourth round: Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea and more set for weekend action
FA Cup fourth-round fixtures dominate the domestic calendar this weekend, with heavyweight clubs and lower-league hopefuls in the frame. Several ties offer momentum shifts and potential cup shocks, while managers will weigh squad rotation as busy league campaigns continue.
Weekend roundup and fixtures (all times ET)
Friday’s action set the tone as Chelsea cruised to a 4-0 victory at Hull and Wrexham edged Ipswich 1-0. Saturday produced shocks and solidity in equal measure: Mansfield beat Burnley 2-1, Manchester City progressed with a 2-0 win over Salford City, Liverpool dispatched Brighton 3-0 and Newcastle defeated Aston Villa 3-1. Other results included Norwich 3-1 West Brom and Southampton edging Leicester on penalties after extra time.
Key scheduled ties for Sunday (times converted to Eastern Time):
- Birmingham vs Leeds — 7: 00 AM ET
- Grimsby vs Wolves — 8: 30 AM ET
- Oxford United vs Sunderland — 9: 00 AM ET
- Stoke vs Fulham — 9: 00 AM ET
- Arsenal vs Wigan Athletic — 11: 30 AM ET
Monday’s late fixture sees Macclesfield host Brentford at 2: 30 PM ET, a tie that carries genuine giant-killing narrative.
Arsenal v Wigan — a reset for the Gunners and minutes for Gabriel Jesus
Arsenal return to FA Cup duty at home on Sunday at 11: 30 AM ET. The tie arrives after a testing week in the title race and injury setbacks. The squad will be keen to use this competition to refocus: a recent knock to Kai Havertz and the continued absence of Mikel Merino mean opportunities for other forwards to stake a claim.
Gabriel Jesus is a player under the microscope. Back from a lengthy layoff, he has shown glimpses — four goals and an assist from limited minutes — but needs sustained playing time to regain full rhythm. The manager may view the Wigan tie as an ideal stage for Jesus to build match sharpness, especially with competition for forward slots intensifying.
Wigan arrive as proud cup participants, having pulled off a shock at Preston in the previous round, but their League One form has declined and the club recently changed managerial leadership. Expect the visitors to adopt a low-possession, counter-oriented approach that looks to frustrate and threaten on the break. For Arsenal, the challenge is clinical forward play and maintaining control without risking unnecessary rotation destabilising their momentum.
Macclesfield’s fairy-tale run and other storylines to watch
Monday’s Macclesfield vs Brentford tie (2: 30 PM ET) encapsulates the romance of the FA Cup. Macclesfield stunned holders in an earlier round and arrive in electric form domestically, boasting a remarkable scoring run and a potent frontman in D’Mani Mellor, who has been prolific in recent weeks. The gulf on paper is huge — more than a century of league places separates the clubs — but cup nights on small pitches have a habit of shrinking that gap.
Elsewhere, ties such as Grimsby vs Wolves and Birmingham vs Leeds will test how Premier League and Championship clubs manage congested schedules. Some managers will see these games as chances to rotate; for lower-tier visitors and hosts, they are opportunities to make statements and deliver memorable upsets.
As the weekend unfolds, expect a mix of routine progressions for heavyweights and the occasional classic FA Cup shock. Teams balancing title races, relegation fights and European commitments must decide how much priority the cup receives — and that calculus will shape which narratives dominate the next round.
