2016–17 FA Cup explained

FA Cup
Year:2016–17
Other Titles:Football Association Challenge Cup
Country:England
Guernsey
Wales
Dates:5 August – 19 October 2016 (qualifying competition)
4 November 2016 – 27 May 2017 (main competition)
Num Teams:736 (overall)
644 (qualifying competition)
124 (main competition)
Champions:Arsenal
Count:13
Runner-Up:Chelsea
Matches:156
Goals:490
Attendance:1977797
Top Goal Scorer:Adam Morgan
Son Heung-min
(6 goals each)
Prevseason:2015–16
Nextseason:2017–18

The 2016–17 FA Cup (also known as the FA Challenge Cup) was the 136th edition of the oldest recognised football tournament in the world. It was sponsored by Emirates, and known as The Emirates FA Cup for sponsorship purposes. 736 clubs were accepted into the tournament,[1] and it began with the extra preliminary round on 6 August 2016, and concluded with the final on 27 May 2017.[2] The winner qualified for the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League group stage.

Premier League side Manchester United were the defending champions, but were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Chelsea.

Arsenal won a record 13th title following a 2–1 win over Chelsea in the final, winning their third FA Cup in 4 seasons.

The tournament was also notable for the performance of Lincoln City from Level 5, who became the first non-league club to reach the quarter-finals since 1914.[3]

This edition of the FA Cup was the first in which quarter-final matches were played to a result on the day, instead of being subject to replay in case of a draw. However, all four matches were settled without the need for extra time.[4] [5] [6]

Teams

Round Clubs
remaining
Clubs
involved
Winners from
previous round
New entries
this round
Leagues entering
at this round
124 80 32 48 EFL League One
EFL League Two
84 40 40 none none
64 64 20 44 Premier League
EFL Championship
32 32 32 none none
16 16 16 none none
8 8 8 none none
4 4 4 none none
2 2 2 none none

Prize fund

Round No. of Clubs
receive fund
Prize fund
per club
Extra preliminary round winners 184 £1,500
Preliminary round winners 160 £1,925
First round qualifying winners 116 £3,000
Second round qualifying winners 80 £4,500
Third round qualifying winners 40 £7,500
Fourth round qualifying winners 32 £12,500
First round proper winners 40 £18,000
Second round proper winners 20 £27,000
Third round proper winners 32 £67,500
Fourth round proper winners 16 £90,000
Fifth round proper winners 8 £180,000
Quarter-final winners 4 £360,000
2 £450,000
2 £900,000
1 £900,000
1 £1,800,000
Total £15,132,000

Round and draw dates

The schedule was as follows.

PhaseRoundDraw dateMatch date
Qualifying rounds Extra preliminary round8 July 20166 August 2016
Preliminary round20 August 2016
First round qualifying15 August 20163 September 2016
Second round qualifying5 September 201617 September 2016
Third round qualifying19 September 20161 October 2016
Fourth round qualifying3 October 201615 October 2016
Main tournamentFirst round proper17 October 20165 November 2016
Second round proper7 November 20163 December 2016
Third round proper5 December 20167 January 2017
Fourth round proper9 January 201728 January 2017
Fifth round proper30 January 201718 February 2017
Quarter-finals19 February 201711 March 2017
Semi-finals13 March 201722 and 23 April 2017
Final27 May 2017

Qualifying rounds

See main article: article and 2016–17 FA Cup qualifying rounds. The qualifying competition began with the extra preliminary round on 6 August 2016. All of the competing teams that are not members of either the Premier League or English Football League had to compete in the qualifying rounds to secure a place in the First round proper. The final (fourth) qualifying round was played over the weekend of 15 October.

First round proper

The first round draw took place on 17 October and was broadcast live on BBC Two and BT Sport.[7] All 40 first round proper ties were played on the weekend of 5 November. 32 teams from the qualifying competition joined the 48 teams from League One and League Two to compete in this round. The round included one team from Level 9 still in the competition, Westfields, who were the lowest-ranked team in this round.[8]

Second round proper

The second round draw took place on 7 November at Haig Avenue, home of Southport F.C., immediately prior to the Southport-Fleetwood tie, and was broadcast live on BT Sport. The round included one team from Level 7 still in the competition, Stourbridge, who were the lowest-ranked team in this round.[9]

Third round proper

A total of 64 clubs played in the third round; 20 winners of the second round, and 44 teams from Premier League and EFL Championship entering in this round. The draw was held on 5 December 2016 at the BT Tower and was broadcast live on BT Sport and BBC Two.[10] The matches were played across the weekend of 6–9 January 2017.[11] [12] The round included five non-league teams, including one team from Level 7 still in the competition, Stourbridge, who were the lowest-ranked team in this round.

Fourth round proper

A total of 32 teams played in the fourth round, all winners of the third round. The draw took place at the BT Tower on 9 January 2017.[13] [14] [15] The round included two teams from Level 5 who were still in the competition: Lincoln City, leading the National League on the night of their third round replay and Sutton United, fifteenth on the same night and therefore the lowest-ranked team to play in this round.

Fifth round proper

A total of 16 clubs played in the fifth round, all winners of the fourth round. The draw was held on 30 January 2017,[16] and the matches were played across the weekend of 18–20 February 2017.[17] [18] The round included the two teams from Level 5 that were still in the competition: Lincoln City and Sutton United, whose fourth round victories ensured the first ever fifth round with two non-league sides remaining. Lincoln City were in this round for the first time in 115 years and Sutton United for the first time in their history.[19]

Quarter-finals

A total of eight clubs played in the quarter-finals, all winners of the fifth round. The draw was held on 19 February 2017 at Ewood Park, home of Blackburn Rovers F.C., immediately following the Blackburn Rovers v Manchester United match.[20] Matches were played between 11 and 13 March 2017.

In a break from tradition, the FA officially renamed the stage the 'Quarter-finals', the name that had been used colloquially to describe what was previously called the sixth round proper.[21] Changes to previous rules meant that tied matches would have gone to extra-time and potentially a penalty shootout at this stage rather than to a replay, and that a fourth substitute would have been permitted in extra time. The round included Lincoln City from Level 5, who became the first non-league club to reach the quarter-finals since 1914.[3]

Semi-finals

The four winners of the quarter-finals progressed to the semi-finals. The semi-final draw took place at Stamford Bridge on 13 March following the quarter-final tie between Chelsea and Manchester United.[22] The semi-finals were played at Wembley Stadium on 22 and 23 April 2017.[23] [24]

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Final

See main article: article and 2017 FA Cup final.

Bracket

The following is the bracket which the FA Cup resembled. Numbers in parentheses next to the match score represent the results of a replay, except for the quarter-finals stage onwards. Numbers in parentheses next to the replay score represents the results of a penalty shoot-out except for the quarter-finals stage onwards.

Top goalscorers

[25]

RankPlayerClubGoals
1 Adam MorganCurzon Ashton6
Son Heung-minTottenham Hotspur
3 Sergio AgüeroManchester City5
Kane HemmingsOxford United
Mikael MandronEastleigh
Theo RobinsonaLincoln City
Theo WalcottArsenal

a Theo Robinson moved to Southend United during the January transfer window with Lincoln still in the cup.

Broadcasting rights

The domestic broadcasting rights for the competition were held by the BBC and subscription channel BT Sport. The BBC held the rights since 2014–15, while BT Sport since 2013–14. The FA Cup Final was required to be broadcast live on UK terrestrial television under the Ofcom code of protected sporting events.

The following matches were broadcast live on UK television:

RoundBT SportBBC
First round proper[26] Merstham v Oxford United
Southport v Fleetwood Town
Brackley Town v Gillingham (Replay)
Dover Athletic v Cambridge United (Replay)
Eastleigh v Swindon Town
Second round proper[27] Lincoln City v Oldham Athletic
Curzon Ashton v AFC Wimbledon
Peterborough United v Notts County (Replay)
Newport County v Plymouth Argyle (Replay)
Macclesfield Town v Oxford United
Third round proper[28] Manchester United v Reading
Preston North End v Arsenal
Liverpool v Plymouth Argyle
Cambridge United v Leeds United
Plymouth Argyle v Liverpool (Replay)
West Ham United v Manchester City
Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa
Cardiff City v Fulham (BBC Wales)
Lincoln City v Ipswich Town (Replay)
Fourth round proper[29] [30] Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Southampton v Arsenal
Sutton United v Leeds United
Derby County v Leicester City
Millwall v Watford
Manchester United v Wigan Athletic
Leicester City v Derby County (Replay)
Fifth round proper[31] Burnley v Lincoln City
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Chelsea
Blackburn Rovers v Manchester United
Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur
Sutton United v Arsenal
Manchester City v Huddersfield Town (Replay)
Quarter-finals[32] Middlesbrough v Manchester City
Arsenal v Lincoln City
Tottenham Hotspur v Millwall
Chelsea v Manchester United
Semi-finals[33] Arsenal v Manchester CityChelsea v Tottenham Hotspur
Final[34] Arsenal v Chelsea

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: FA Competitions clubs accepted and early round draws . thefa.com . 8 July 2016.
  2. Web site: The Emirates FA Cup Round Dates, 2016–17 . . 1 September 2016.
  3. Web site: Lincoln City reach Emirates FA Cup quarter final after victory over Premier League Burnley. 18 February 2017. 18 February 2017. The FA.
  4. No replays in the 2017 Emirates FA Cup quarter-finals . The Football Association . 26 May 2016 . 25 June 2016.
  5. News: FA Cup quarter-final replays scrapped . 2024-01-07 . BBC Sport . en-GB.
  6. News: Dobson . Mark . 2016-05-26 . FA Cup goes to sudden death format for quarter-finals . 2024-01-07 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  7. Web site: The Emirates FA Cup first round draw numbers confirmed. thefa.com. The Football Association. 14 October 2016. 18 October 2016.
  8. Web site: Draw completed for first round of The Emirates FA Cup. thefa.com. The Football Association. 17 October 2016. 18 October 2016.
  9. Web site: Twenty ties set in Emirates FA Cup second round draw from Southport. thefa.com. The Football Association. 7 November 2016. 7 November 2016.
  10. Web site: Emirates FA Cup third round draw numbers . thefa.com . The Football Association . 2 December 2016 . 5 December 2016.
  11. Web site: The Emirates FA Cup third round draw has been made . thefa.com . The Football Association . 5 December 2016 . 5 December 2016.
  12. Web site: FA Cup third round: League Two Newport or Plymouth to visit Liverpool. 5 December 2016. BBC Sport. 6 December 2016.
  13. Web site: The Emirates FA Cup Results. thefa.com. The Football Association. 9 Jan 2017. 9 Jan 2017.
  14. Web site: Emirates FA Cup fourth round Draw Takes Place on Monday Evening. The FA. 9 January 2017.
  15. Web site: Fixtures: Fourth round proper. The FA. 9 January 2017.
  16. Web site: Emirates FA Cup Fifth-Round Draw Details Confirmed. 27 January 2017. 28 January 2017. The FA.
  17. Web site: Non-League Sutton to face Arsenal in Emirates FA Cup fifth round. 30 January 2017. 30 January 2017. The FA.
  18. Web site: FA Cup fifth-round draw: Sutton Utd face Arsenal, Blackburn host Man Utd. 30 January 2017. BBC Sport. 31 January 2017.
  19. Web site: Sutton United 1–0 Leeds United. 25 March 2018. 25 March 2018. www.bbc.co.uk.
  20. Web site: Emirates FA Cup Quarter-Final Draw Details Confirmed. 17 February 2017. 17 February 2017. The FA.
  21. Web site: Gibson. Sean. Why are there four substitutes and no replays in the FA Cup quarter-finals? A guide to the new rules. Daily Telegraph. 10 March 2017.
  22. Web site: The Emirates FA Cup Semi-Final Draw to take place on Monday as draw details confirmed. 10 March 2017. 11 March 2017. The FA.
  23. Web site: Tottenham Hotspur to play Chelsea and Arsenal meet Manchester City in last four. 13 March 2017. 14 March 2017. The FA.
  24. Web site: FA Cup semi-final draw: Chelsea v Tottenham, Arsenal v Man City. 13 March 2017. BBC Sport. 14 March 2017.
  25. Web site: FA Cup Top Scorers . BBC Sport. 12 March 2017.
  26. Web site: FA Cup first round: BBC Two to show Eastleigh v Swindon Town clash. BBC Sport. Oct 20, 2016.
  27. Web site: Emirates FA Cup second round replay schedule confirmed. thefa.com. The Football Association. 7 December 2016. 8 December 2016.
  28. Web site: BBC and BT Sport will show six FA Cup third round ties. thefa.com. The Football Association. 8 December 2016. 8 December 2016.
  29. Web site: Six Emirates FA Cup fourth round Ties Selected For Live Broadcast. thefa.com. The Football Association. 13 January 2017. 13 January 2017.
  30. Web site: FA Cup 4th round replay. BBC Sport. 30 January 2017.
  31. Web site: Five Emirates FA Cup fifth round Ties Live on BBC One and BT Sport. thefa.com. The Football Association. 1 February 2017. 1 February 2017.
  32. Web site: Quarter final confirmed. The Football Association. www.thefa.com. 22 February 2017.
  33. Web site: Semi-Final TV Schedule, Live Stream, Odds and Predictions. Bleacher Report. 22 April 2017.
  34. Web site: Final details confirmed. The Football Association. www.thefa.com. 25 April 2017. 25 April 2017.