Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham have all been dumped out, opening the FA Cup up for the remaining 11 Premier League teams to battle for the famous old gong.
But for which of those clubs does it Mean More? We’ve ranked them by how much they should give a damn.
11) Ipswich Town
Monday’s trip to Nottingham Forest may well be a welcome break from what has been a horror run in the Premier League for Kieran McKenna’s side, which has seen them pick up just one point in their last seven games, in which they’ve shipped 22 goals. But retaining top-flight status has to be the priority.
10) Nottingham Forest
A trip to Wembley would be lovely. A trip to the Bernabeu would be better.
9) Wolves
Vitor Pereira’s side will in all likelihood have enough to stay in the Premier League given their five-point buffer and superior footballers, so there’s no need to field a weakened side against Bournemouth on Saturday ahead of the visit of Everton the week after, but the FA Cup will feel more like a free hit and a way to keep things ticking over rather than an opportunity that can’t be spurned.
8) Bournemouth
We’re not even sure the Vitality Stadium will meet the UEFA guidelines to host Champions League nights, but that raises the delightful prospect of them having to play those games at St Mary’s if Andoni Iraola does the unthinkable and leads them into the qualification spots.
That looked far more likely before consecutive defeats to Brighton and Wolves, which has likely further focused their attention on that keenly fought race rather than the FA Cup.
7) Brighton
Three hugely impressive wins on the bounce for Fabian Hurzeler’s side after their fallow period reached its zenith with that embarrassing 7-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest means Brighton are now very much in the Champions League mix. A tangible reward for their incredible progression over the last few years now isn’t as important as it felt a couple of weeks ago.
6) Manchester City
Probably going to win it because Pep Guardiola doesn’t really do potless seasons, with his only blank drawn in his first with City back in 2016/17. It would also be fun to see them lift the trophy before Richard Masters rips it from their grasp as the FFP hammer renders this glory and all others null and void.
Champions League football is a far greater need but we’re finding it hard to imagine them failing to qualify.
5) Aston Villa
They’re a very strange team at the moment, with their last seven Premier League games featuring just one win over Chelsea, very respectable draws against Arsenal and Liverpool, and crushing defeats to Wolves and Crystal Palace.
There was also a sense of panic to their January business – decent though it seems – as Unai Emery struggles to get his team fighting on multiple fronts.
They will be very keen to get back into the Champions League, but are currently in the actual Champions League – facing Club Brugge in the last 16 – which must be the priority despite the obsession with qualifying often weirdly outstripping performances when competing in it.
FA Cup glory will be a distant third in the pecking order.
4) Newcastle United
Eddie Howe’s got more plates to spin than most with the Carabao Cup final to come and the need for Champions League football increasing with every goal Alexander Isak scores under the watchful eyes of European giants offering that enticing option next season.
But it’s been 70 years and with the best team in Europe standing in their way of Carabao Cup glory and given the sides who have already been knocked out, the FA Cup may weirdly be their best bet to end the drought.
READ MORE: Newcastle second-worst Champions League contender as clear qualification favourite emerges
3) Manchester United
FA Cup glory saved Erik ten Hag and further f***ed Manchester United in the long run, but we can’t see Ruben Amorim going all the way this season being anything but a positive.
Winning the Europa League will be higher up their list of priorities, with the Champions League football that brings offering more PSR wiggle room to fix his broken squad than another season of Europa League football would, but the FA Cup – which grants entry into that lesser competition – should now be seen as more important than the Premier League, where a lower mid-table finish is the best they can hope for with relegation disappointingly now very unlikely.
2) Fulham
No domestic cup final since 1975. No domestic cup win ever.
They’re also remarkably in the hunt for Champions League football, but do they really think that’s going to happen? Our guess is Fulham fans will be very, very disappointed if Marco Silva doesn’t go all out to win the FA Cup.
1) Crystal Palace
Palace have never won a domestic trophy in their 120-year history and they’re the only team in the Not Going To Be Relegated Aren’t Qualifying For Europe sweet spot. It’s time to exorcise the Wembley dancing demons.
