Arsenal vs Manchester United moved to Friday night as TV broadcasters announce FA Cup games
All-Premier League clash moved in order to be shown by the BBC, but leaves United fans facing the prospect of being stranded for the night
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Manchester United’s FA Cup fourth round standout tie with Arsenal has been moved to Friday night after television broadcasters took their pick of the next batch of fixtures, leaving fans with the difficult task of returning home in the late hours.
The two Premier League sides were drawn together in the marquee fixture of the fourth round, pitting the two most successful sides in FA Cup history against each other in a repeat of their March 2015 encounter, the last time that they met in the competition.
With 25 FA Cup triumphs between them, fans were left relishing the encounter when it was drawn out of the hat last Monday night, but United fans now face the prospect of a late-night trip home – plus the requirement to take the day off work – in order to see their team in action.
With the match selected by the BBC, it has been moved to a 7:55pm kick-off on Friday 25 January, meaning that any fans travelling from Manchester will need to catch the 4.20pm departure from Manchester Piccadilly in order to get to the Emirates on time.
Within 30 minutes of the announcement being made, the last train out of London Euston back to Manchester in the form of the 11pm departure had already sold out, meaning any fans looking to get home on the same night need to attempt to catch the 9:15pm train – which requires fans to leave the match early in the second half.
The move of the crunch fixture is yet another slap in the face of the loyal fans to have to trek up and down the country at ridiculous hours in order to meet the demands of TV scheduling.
The other matches to be shown by the BBC are Millwall’s home clash with Everton, which kicks off at 5:30pm, and Chelsea’s encounter with either Sheffield Wednesday or Luton Town that is at the unusual time of 6pm on Sunday evening at Stamford Bridge.
BT Sport meanwhile will show four games across the weekend, with the Saturday 12:30pm kick-off featuring Accrington Stanley and either Derby County or Southampton, with the late 7:45pm game seeing AFC Wimbledon host West Ham.
Sunday’s 4pm match sees Crystal palace and Tottenham Hotspur meet in a London derby, while Monday night’s game gives non-league Barnet centre stage as they host Brentford at The Hive.
FA Cup fourth round fixtures
Friday
Arsenal vs Manchester United – 19:45
Saturday
Accrington Stanley vs Derby County or Southampton – 12:30
Swansea vs Gillingham
Shrewsbury or Stoke vs Wolves
Brighton vs West Brom
Bristol City vs Bolton
Doncaster vs Oldham
Newcastle or Blackburn vs Watford
Middlesbrough vs Newport
Manchester City vs Burnley
Portsmouth vs QPR
Millwall vs Everton – 5:20pm
AFC Wimbledon vs West Ham – 7:45pm
Sunday
Crystal Palace vs Tottenham – 4pm
Chelsea vs Sheffield Wednesday or Luton Town – 6pm
Monday
Barnet vs Brentford – 7:45pm
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments