FA Cup 3rd round draw: Arsenal face Sunderland while Tottenham host Leicester City
FA Cup holders Arsenal will face Sam Allardyce's Sunderland in the third round of the competition
Arsenal begin the defence of their FA Cup crown by hosting Sunderland at the Emirates next month. The Gunners, who have won the competition for the past two seasons, play the Black Cats in the third round on the weekend of 8, 9 and 10 January.
Arsenal's 4-0 thrashing of Aston Villa in May's FA Cup final was a record twelfth victory for the north London club (one more than Manchester United), and victory this season would equal the achievement of Blackburn Rovers, the only club to have won three consecutive titles.
They achieved their hat-trick between 1884 and 1886, although the tournament wasn't quite what it is today with Rovers beating the likes of Clitheroe, Darwen Old Wanderers and Oswaldtwistle Rovers en route to the final.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
There are five all-Premier League ties, with the pick of the bunch the visit of leaders Leicester (who have never won the cup despite appearing in four finals) to Tottenham, while Liverpool face a possible banana skin with a trip to League Two outfit Exeter.
Liverpool's Merseyside neighbours, Everton, will host the winner of the second round replay between part-timers Whitehawk and Dagenham & Redbridge of League Two.
Brighton-based Whitehawk play in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football, and manager Steve King told the BBC he'd been hoping for Liverpool: "I wanted the Reds but I got the Blues. But we ain't got the blues.''
Before the thrill of a trip to Goodison Park, however, Whitehawk have to win their replay. "It's a tough game to get through against Dagenham & Redbridge," admitted King, "because both teams will want to play that massive tie."
The draw in full
1 Watford v Newcastle United
2 West Bromwich Albion v Bristol City
3 West Ham United v Wolverhampton Wanderers
4 Salford City or Hartlepool United v Derby County
5 Exeter City v Liverpool
6 Tottenham Hotspur v Leicester City
7 Colchester United v Charlton Athletic
8 Peterborough United v Preston North End
9 Northampton Town v MK Dons
10 Arsenal v Sunderland
11 Newport County v Blackburn Rovers
12 Ipswich Town v Portsmouth
13 Birmingham City v AFC Bournemouth
14 Wycombe Wanderers v Aston Villa
15 Sheffield Wednesday v Fulham
16 Oxford United v Swansea City
17 Brentford v Chesterfield or Walsall
18 Bury v Bradford City
19 Manchester United v Sheffield United
20 Everton v Dagenham & Redbridge or Whitehawk
21 Southampton v Crystal Palace
22 Eastleigh v Bolton Wanderers
23 Nottingham Forest v Queens Park Rangers
24 Carlisle United v Yeovil Town
25 Chelsea v Leyton Orient or Scunthorpe United
26 Doncaster Rovers v Stoke City
27 Leeds United v Rotherham United
28 Cardiff City v Grimsby Town or Shrewsbury Town
29 Huddersfield Town v Reading
30 Middlesbrough v Burnley
31 Norwich City v Manchester City
32 Hull City v Brighton & Hove Albion
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
6 refillable travel containers that are as stylish as they are sustainable
Pack well and carry on with these leak-proof options
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
How the transgender community is bracing for Trump
The Explainer After a campaign full of bigotry and promises to roll back hard-earned rights, genderqueer people are grappling with an incoming administration prepared to make good on overtly transphobic rhetoric
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - November 12, 2024
Cartoons Tuesday's cartoons - judgemental looks, Europe's bumpy ride, and more
By The Week US Published
-
English football and the etiquette of leaving the stadium early
Talking Point The belief that 'true fans stay to the end' does not always apply
By The Week UK Published
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictions
feature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
By Mike Starling Last updated
-
Pros and cons of VAR in football
Pros and Cons String of mistakes has put new technology under the microscope
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Can Arsenal really win the Premier League title?
feature How the pundits reacted after the Gunners’ late 3-2 victory over Man Utd
By Mike Starling Published
-
Tottenham vs. Arsenal predictions: race for the Premier League top four
feature Expect a ‘seismic’ north London derby with Champions League qualification on the line
By Mike Starling Published
-
Mesut Ozil’s Arsenal exile: footballing reasons or political?
In Depth German playmaker questions the club’s loyalty after omission from the Premier League squad
By Mike Starling Published
-
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: Arsenal seal their biggest signing in years
In Depth Gunners fans and club legends celebrate the skipper’s new three-year deal
By Mike Starling Published
-
Premier League 2020-21 predictions and odds: champions, top four, relegation
The Week Recommends A look at what the football media has to say ahead of the new season
By Mike Starling Published