The spacious, accommodating Wembley Taphouse concourse on Friday night was a family-friendly environment. It was refreshing to see a melting pot of England spectators from different walks of life.
They started slowly at Burnley, settling into a 4-2-3-1 formation that suits them and pretty much every other team far better than Ruben Amorim's 3-4-2-1 before, midway through the first half, they started to play. The deployment of Bruno Fernandes close to the opposition goal, along with a wide player, Patrick Dorgu, playing on his natural side, meant Benjamin Sesko was, for the first time, provided with decent service.
Women's Super League leaders City cruised to a 6-0 win at third-tier Bournemouth, after Khadija Shaw opened the scoring with a thumping 19th-minute header. Three further goals - a Lauren Hemp drive and a double from Laura Coombs - settled the contest before half-time, with substitute Vivianne Miedema netting twice after the break as City stretched their unbeaten run to 16 games in all competitions.
The remaining 32 teams in the 2025/26 FA Cup will discover their fate in the fourth round when the draw is made by two former winners of the competition. Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole will decide the ties as a host of Premier League clubs aim to take another step towards this season's final. Liverpool legend Gerrard triumphed with Liverpool in 2001 and 2006, with Cole lifting the trophy as a Chelsea midfielder in 2007 and 2010.
