FA Cup Fourth Round Review: Mansfield Shock Turf Moor, Neto Goes Full Hat-Trick Mode, and the Cup Gets Serious

This is the kind of upset that doesn’t feel like “a moment” — it feels like a takeover. Burnley led, had chances to put distance between themselves and trouble, and still ended up watching Mansfield grow into the tie until it became theirs. Sky’s report framed it as a “stunning comeback”, capped by Louis Reed’s late free-kick that completed the turnaround. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Not every underdog tale ends with a giant-killing, but the best ones still leave a mark. Macclesfield pushed Brentford into an uncomfortable night and were undone by the cruellest detail: a 70th-minute own goal from Sam Heathcote after a Keane Lewis-Potter cross. The Guardian’s match report captured the mood perfectly — admiration, heartbreak, and a sense that the “magic” was real even without the perfect ending. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Wolves didn’t get a “comfortable” cup day — they got a Cup test. The official report described it as a tough, scrappy tie in difficult conditions, decided by Santiago Bueno’s second-half finish. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was exactly the kind of win that keeps a run alive. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Sunderland progressed thanks to Habib Diarra’s spot-kick — and the word doing the rounds afterwards was “controversial”. Sky’s report leaned into the debate, while Oxford’s own recap confirmed Diarra’s penalty as the winner at the Kassam. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

Wrexham’s win wasn’t chaos — it was control. Sky reported Josh Windass as the first-half match-winner, sending Wrexham into the fifth round and adding another chapter to the club’s modern Cup story. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

Stoke struck first through Jun-Ho Bae, but Fulham flipped the tie: Kevin levelled and Harrison Reed landed the late winner to send Marco Silva’s side through again. It was a classic Cup shift — one moment you’re cruising, the next you’re chasing the game emotionally. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

Arsenal scored all four goals inside 27 minutes — the cleanest way to kill a Cup story. Noni Madueke opened it, Gabriel Martinelli doubled it, a Jack Hunt own goal added the third, and Gabriel Jesus made it four before the game could even become emotionally risky. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}

Liverpool’s 3–0 was built like a proper Cup favourite performance: Curtis Jones broke the deadlock on 42 minutes, Dominik Szoboszlai doubled it after the break, and Mohamed Salah sealed it with a 68th-minute penalty. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}

Chelsea didn’t edge it — they flattened it. Sky’s report highlighted a Pedro Neto hat-trick, plus three assists from Liam Delap, as Chelsea powered into the fifth round. Chelsea’s own analysis leaned on the “collective” nature of it, but the headline is simple: Neto went nuclear. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}

City’s win was defined by “efficiency” more than spectacle: an early own goal (Alfie Dorrington, 6’) and a late first City goal for Marc Guéhi to confirm the result. The Guardian even quoted Guardiola calling it “boring” — which, in Cup terms, is basically a compliment. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}

Leeds had to do it the hard way: 120 minutes, then a shootout. The Guardian described it as Leeds “scraping through” on penalties, while Leeds’ own match report confirmed the 4–2 shootout win. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}

West Ham crawled over the line: Crysencio Summerville scored in extra time (95’), and the game picked up extra chaos when the Hammers went down to ten men after a red card in extra time. It was a “progress first” kind of day. :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}

Southampton and Leicester played a tie that felt like it could swing on one tired mistake — and it did. Sky’s live listing credits Cyle Larin’s first-half goal (and penalty), Oliver Skipp’s equaliser, then a James Bree header in extra time (109’) as the match-winner. The Observer called Bree’s header “the difference” in a 2–1 extra-time win. :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}

Newcastle’s comeback win came wrapped in noise: no VAR (used only from Round Five), major decision debates, and a match that became as much about the referee as the goals. The Guardian reported Newcastle “overcame” baffling calls, while Newcastle’s own recap confirmed the 3–1 comeback against ten-man Villa. :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14}

Arsenal’s early blitz is the blueprint: score, remove belief, manage the tie. :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15} But when you don’t start fast, you invite the Cup into your house — and that’s how Burnley ended up in trouble, and how Brentford had to fight deep into the second half to finally separate from Macclesfield. :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16}

Fulham’s winner and Southampton’s extra-time header both landed the same way: not just as goals, but as mood killers. When the opponent has already pictured “replay” or “pens”, conceding late feels like the floor falling away. :contentReference[oaicite:17]{index=17}

Hat-trick: Pedro Neto in a 4–0 away win. :contentReference[oaicite:18]{index=18}
Shock: Mansfield win 2–1 at Burnley. :contentReference[oaicite:19]{index=19}
Cruel decider: Macclesfield’s run ends via a Heathcote own goal. :contentReference[oaicite:20]{index=20}
Shootout survivor: Leeds win 4–2 on pens at Birmingham. :contentReference[oaicite:21]{index=21}
Fastest “tie killed” vibe: Arsenal 4–0 with four inside 27 minutes. :contentReference[oaicite:22]{index=22}

This weekend basically hands you categories: “Hat-tricks”, “Late winners”, “Extra-time deciders”, “Penalty shootouts”, “Shocks”, and “Big three-goal statements”. And because the answers are clean, players feel clever, not confused.