Max Dowman and Rio Ngumoha staked their claim for more game time while Fulham paid for a lack of ambition
Port Vale have only ever reached the last eight of the FA Cup once before in their entire history, in 1953-54, when they went one stage further, losing the semi-final at Villa Park 2-1 to West Brom thanks to a much-disputed winning goal. If only VAR had been present then, you might say. In their fifth-round victory over Sunderland this weekend, they were also unfortunate despite the presence of technology. Why was referee Anthony Taylor not asked to go and check the TV monitor when George Hall was cynically taken out by the Sunderland goalkeeper Melkor Ellberg, just outside the penalty area with the match on a knife-edge? Even if the striker’s run was going away from goal, he surely had the pace to have got a shot away. Let’s hope VAR give the remaining lower-division teams fair shrift when it comes to the rest of the competition. Peter Lansley
Match report: Port Vale 1-0 Sunderland
How do you keep a lid on the Max Dowman hype after this? Maybe by saying that the 16-year-old lacked ruthlessness in front of goal in Arsenal’s FA Cup win at League One Mansfield. He did, after all, miss two clearcut chances. But come on! Dowman, who is still to take his GCSEs, was thrilling in his comeback game after a serious ankle injury. There was a fearlessness about him as he imposed himself from a central midfield position; a determination to showcase his touch and dribbling ability, all of those lovely feints and turns. It was only his second start for the club and sixth appearance in total. Mikel Arteta knows he has to be careful but he could not help himself. “Max was exceptional,” he said. “When the ball is bouncing all over the place [on an uneven pitch] and you have people in your back, the way he handles time and space and the touches that he takes … it’s just incredible.” David Hytner
