Little known FA Cup penalty rule which can ban a player from spot-kick
Newcastle United may have had a minor scare in their FA Cup third-round clash with Bromley on Sunday, but Eddie Howe's side ultimately eased into round four after a convincing performance against the League Two side.
Goals from Lewis Miley, Anthony Gordon and Will Osula earned United a 3-1 victory and a fourth-round tie at Birmingham City as the Magpies recovered from the shock of Cameron Congreve's well-taken opener. Ending the long silverware drought is a big priority for Howe and Co this season, with a return to Wembley already close in the Carabao Cup.
While they will take nothing for granted, Newcastle hold a two-goal lead over Arsenal heading into February's semi-final second-leg at St James' Park, when United will be favourites to meet either Tottenham or Liverpool in the final. Mikel Arteta's Gunners saw their chances of FA Cup success disappear at the Emirates on Sunday when they lost on penalties to Premier League rivals Manchester United.
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The dramatic spot-kicks also exposed a rarely-seen FA Cup rule, and one that Newcastle will need to be aware of as they progress in this season's competitions. Arsenal defender William Saliba was banned from taking a penalty in the shoot-out as the Gunners exited at the third-round stage.
This is because FA Cup rules state that both sides must have the same number of penalty takers for a shoot-out, and as Manchester United's Diogo Dalot had been sent off in normal time, that meant Arsenal had to nominate a player to step down. The unlucky man was Saliba, although in the end, only five penalty takers were needed.
Kai Havertz's effort was saved by Altay Bayındır in the Manchester United goal, with Joshua Zirkzee converting the winning spot-kick to send Ruben Amorim's side through. They will now face Leicester City at Old Trafford in the fourth round.
