FA Cup Team of Week: Delph, Monreal, Gestede and Coquelin Star in 6th Round
Welcome to a special-edition FA Cup Team of the Week, where we round up the best performances across the sixth round and develop a working XI—in this case, a 3-5-2 with wing-backs.
With the quarter-finals throwing up two 0-0 draws and one clean sheet victory at Villa Park, it was tough to find attackers worthy of this sacred ground. Aston Villa's Fabian Delph drives the midfield, but who joins him?
If you spotted another strong performance elsewhere, drop his name in the comments below and start the conversation!
GK: Shay Given, Aston Villa
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Shay Given doesn't get many chances to impress nowadays, but he's used Aston Villa's FA Cup run to great effect, reminding us all that he's still alive and, literally, kicking.
The claret and blue club had him to thank in the previous round when dispatching Leicester City, and he again made several key stops to preserve a clean sheet in Villa's 2-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. Rushing out to meet West Brom's Saido Berahino and stop a one vs. one was perhaps his finest moment.
RB: Craig Dawson, West Bromwich Albion
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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain only made it through 51 minutes of Arsenal's FA Cup tie with Manchester United, and that's not quite enough to win a spot in our Team of the Week.
The other right-sided options were slim—Antonio Valencia lost the game for United, Leandro Bacuna struggled for Aston Villa, and the rest were uninspiring in their performances—but Craig Dawson gets the nod for a strong first half at Villa Park.
He had stand-in left-back Matthew Lowton on toast for a full 45 minutes and should have had an assist to his name after a number of inviting forays and crosses were squandered by Brown Ideye and Co.
CB: Alex Baptiste, Blackburn Rovers
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Alex Baptiste was a resounding success at Anfield on Sunday, landing in our Team of the Week here and landing in the winners column in our post-match analysis after recording a clean sheet against an explosive Liverpool side.
He was a magnet for the ball, commanded well at the back and played an all-round impressive game next to stalwart Matthew Kilgallon. He even went closest to a goal for the Rovers, heading a bullet toward the top corner only for Liverpool Simon Mignolet to claw it away.
CB: Michael Hector, Reading
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Reading had to dig in against Bradford City, and the 0-0 draw was not a pretty game the Royals. They won less in the air, less on the ground and conceded more possession to the League One club, per WhoScored.com.
But Michael Hector, at the heart of the Reading defence, shone in most departments. We've seen in the past how Bradford's height and strength can cause chaos in the penalty area—hello, Paul Lambert's Aston Villa!—but Hector stood strong and deflected their every effort.
CB: Ciaran Clark, Aston Villa
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Ciaran Clark enjoyed an immense second-half showing against West Bromwich Albion in the 2-0 victory, heading and punting every ball clear to stifle an attempted comeback from the away side.
He and his defensive line had a few wobbles initially with Saido Berahino's movement, but the Irishman in particular recovered and shone at the heart of the line.
Decisive, commanding and ruthless.
LB: Nacho Monreal, Arsenal
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With positional rival Kieran Gibbs looking on from the stands, Nacho Monreal again showed his prowess from the left-back spot for Arsenal in their 2-1 away win over Manchester United. He beats out Bradford City's James Meredith for the spot in our Team of the Week.
It wasn't just his goal that propelled him into our selection—though it was beautifully taken after some stunning work from his colleagues—but also his strong all-round game. Angel Di Maria gave him a few issues early on, granted, but the Argentinian is also one of the finest players in the world.
All said and done, Monreal came out looking rather stellar at Old Trafford.
DM: Francis Coquelin, Arsenal
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Once again, Francis Coquelin impressed in the heart of Arsenal's midfield as they earned an impressive victory at Old Trafford.
It's been a while since Manchester United bothered to show up for a football match, so it was fantastic to see Angel Di Maria, Ashley Young and Marouane Fellaini causing problems in an attacking sense. Unfortunately, Coquelin was there to snuff out most of the attacks, giving his midfield a much-needed combative edge.
The Frenchman is having a true breakout season.
CM: Fabian Delph, Aston Villa
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Fabian Delph put in a stunning, Man of the Match performance as Aston Villa defeated West Bromwich Albion in the FA Cup quarter-finals. He was the heart, soul and drive of a much-improved midfield.
The former Leeds United man played well in the first half when not one of his other teammates did and then geed them up for the second period—playing a true captain's role—and spearheaded a brilliant overall showing.
His incisive runs and ability to carry the ball paid dividends, and he scored the opening goal of the game to put Villa ahead. A thumping effort.
CM: Corry Evans, Blackburn Rovers
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The Lancashire Telegraph was impressed with the sheer amount of ground Corry Evans covered in Blackburn Rovers' midfield on Sunday, and to be honest, so were we. He never stopped running, harassing and putting Liverpool off.
We're talking about a Reds side that has been smashing lower Premier League teams with lopsided scorelines and convincing performances. To hold them to an uninventive, monotonous dross—not unlike their drab early-season showings—is a real achievement.
Evans partnered Lee Williamson and provided true protection for Gary Bowyer's back line.
FWD: Scott Sinclair, Aston Villa
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Scott Sinclair missed a fair few chances for Aston Villa on Saturday, but he netted the one that counted late on to seal the game in his team's favour.
He was a constant menace running with the ball at his feet, and he appears to be finding his sharpness after a long, long spell in the wilderness. His electric counter and finish late on in front of the Holte End sparked jubilant scenes at Villa Park.
The Manchester City man, on loan in the Midlands, could be a shrewd signing if he re-finds top form.
CF: Rudy Gestede, Blackburn Rovers
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The only rival to Rudy Gestede here was Gabby Agbonlahor, who came close to selection after spearheading a second half full of attacking play for Aston Villa.
But the Blackburn Rovers target man pips him after an all-action performance that showed he might just be Premier League class—especially in the first half, when he manhandled Liverpool's defence and caused goalkeeper Simon Mignolet no end of trouble.
He slowed down in the second period after getting through a tremendous amount of yards chasing, but the gloss hasn't faded from an impactful, thought-provoking performance.
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