FA Cup Team of the Week: Bradford, Bolton & Middlesbrough Stars Rewarded
The FA Cup fourth round was a sight to behold for lower-league or "Cupset" fans. Very few of the perceived "favourite" teams won, with many Premier League outfits being dumped out by supposedly lesser sides.
Bradford City, Middlesbrough and Bolton Wanderers stars dominate our selection for FA Cup Team of the Week as we honour the players who defied expectations and bucked the trend. There's a sprinkling of Premier League quality in there from Aston Villa, Arsenal, Stoke City and Crystal Palace too.
Disagree with our selection? Add names you feel merit inclusion in the comments below!
GK: Adam Bogdan, Bolton Wanderers
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Bolton Wanderers earned a replay from their trip to Anfield, drawing 0-0 with Liverpool thanks to a sturdy defensive performance.
Adam Bogdan, who has come into his own as Jussi Jaaskelainen's replacement in goal over the last few years, put in a remarkable display to keep an admittedly lacklustre Reds side at bay.
He made nine saves, per WhoScored.com, as he defied Philippe Coutinho, Raheem Sterling and Adam Lallana over and over again.
Cambridge United's Chris Dunn could easily have featured here; it was a shootout (or the goalkeeper equivalent) between the two.
DEF: Ciaran Clark, Aston Villa
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Aston Villa's defence had to contend against Bournemouth's attacking fluency for a tough 90 minutes on Sunday at Villa Park, but Ciaran Clark, reinstated after a red card against Leicester City, performed brilliantly and led the line with aplomb.
Eunan O'Kane, Harry Arter and Co. threatened constantly in an end-to-end game, so the stand-in skipper had to be in top form to deny the Cherries and protect Shay Given's goal.
Clark couldn't keep the clean sheet for his side, but his defensive efforts went a long way toward preserving Villa's 2-1 victory.
DEF: Matt Mills, Bolton Wanderers
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Matt Mills has carved out a career based on being in the right place at the right time, and that was evident once again as Bolton Wanderers kept a clean sheet against Liverpool.
He hacked anything close to him clear and troubled the Reds in the penalty box at the other end. It was desperate at times, but he came away with a number of key blocks and tackles to his name.
DEF: Andrew Davies, Bradford City
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Andrew Davies' career trajectory hasn't quite gone as many expected, but nevertheless, he'll revel in the limelight after influencing an incredible Bradford City at Stamford Bridge.
The former Southampton and Stoke City man, now plying his trade in League One, showcased his brute strength and strong instincts at the back to keep Loic Remy at bay, and he even scored to spark a 4-2 comeback victory.
MID: Glenn Whelan, Stoke City
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Rochdale's strong effort against an established Premier League club, in addition to the Bojan golazo from outside the box, will take centre stage in the Stoke City headlines on Tuesday after their 2-1 victory over the League One side.
But the Potters had a very reliable figure milling around in central midfield on Monday evening, cleaning up, distributing and categorically helping Mark Hughes' men into the fifth-round draw.
Glenn Whelan has become part of the furniture at the Brittania Stadium and is often forgotten, but he's a very useful presence to have.
MID: Tomas Rosicky, Arsenal
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Tomas Rosicky was in Hollywood mode against Brighton, ripping a poor Championship defence to shreds with no-look passes and volleyed goals on the way to a 3-2 victory for the Gunners.
He made the difference in the final third, serving up Mesut Ozil for Arsenal's second goal before firing the third in himself from outside the box. It was the least he deserved from an absolutely exceptional performance.
The Czech has really come alive this month.
MID: Carles Gil, Aston Villa
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Carles Gil looks just the player Aston Villa need: incisive, positive and ready to create chances. Better yet, he opened the scoring on Sunday with an absolutely sensational goal on his full debut against Bournemouth.
Many thought Villa would lose to the Cherries—after all, the Championship side is top of the table and look good for promotion—but Gil's quality made the difference in an end-to-end game that finished 2-1 to the Villans.
AM: Patrick Bamford, Middlesbrough
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It should come as no surprise to hear a Chelsea loanee is excelling, and that's certainly the case with Patrick Bamford.
The 21-year-old has 10 goals in all competitions for Middlesbrough this season, per WhoScored.com, and bagged his most important to date at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Man City manager Manuel Pellegrini rotated in the likes of Aleksandar Kolarov and Dedryck Boyata to face a perceived "weaker" side, but Bamford's red-hot streak continued as Boro won 2-0.
FWD: Marouane Chamakh, Crystal Palace
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Crystal Palace pulled off one of the upsets of the week at St. Mary's Stadium, beating Southampton 3-2 despite falling behind to an early Graziano Pelle goal.
Yaya Sanogo debuted and started, likely garnering most of the attention, but it was the reliable stalwart Marouane Chamakh who caused the Saints most of their issues and scored two goals.
He's emerged as a hard-working runner and creator, as well as a goalscorer, in the absence of consistent output in the box. Days like these do him absolutely no harm in the eyes of newly appointed manager Alan Pardew.
FWD: Lee Tomlin, Middlesbrough
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Lee Tomlin gave Man City's Vincent Kompany the runaround on Saturday. Granted, that happens a little more often than it used to what with the Belgian's dreadful form this season, but Tomlin's performance at the Etihad Stadium in his side's 2-0 upset win was nothing short of superb.
His turn and shot—fired against the inside of the post and out for a goal-kick in one of those rare, near-physics-defying moments in football—left Kompany looking lost and confused five yards back.
FWD: Jon Stead, Bradford City
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If it existed, Jon Stead would take home Bleacher Report's Performance of the Week trophy after inspiring Bradford City during a heroic victory over Chelsea this weekend.
He scored one for himself, then laid two more on a plate for team-mates as the Bantams came from two down at Stamford Bridge to win 4-2 against Jose Mourinho's men. There were impressive performers up and down the country this weekend, but none quite so impressive as Stead.
