Saturday showed the FA Cup has become an afterthought

Sometimes in football, you get moments where you can recall exactly where you were when you heard the news. When Eric Cantona announced he was retiring from football. When Luis Suarez bit someone, again. When Dennis Bergkamp scored that fluke against Newcastle. All of these moments spark a moment of deja vu to be conjured up at the merest provocation.

There are similar events in the world - assassinations, the release of political prisoners, and the end of world wars, for example - but these are obviously not quite as significant. As days of football import go, however, this Saturday was a disappointment, the FA Cup fifth-round fixtures failing to provide any such moments. In the end, the utter absence of surprise summed up the problems facing the tournament.

The early kick-off, between Arsenal and Hull, highlighted the greatest problem. Thanks to the Champions League and the Premier League, the FA Cup is now an afterthought, as it has been since the turn of the millennium.

Because of prize money, the glamour of European competition and the extensive coverage from the start to the end of the season, the Champions League is simply a better tournament. It has better players, there are more of the biggest stars in the world and more games in which to enjoy watching them. Winning the Champions League means the clubs earn fantastic amounts of money – even participating in it has the same effect. No wonder players, fans, managers and owners focus their attention on Europe.

This is why Arsenal were happy to rest players ahead of their match against Barcelona. Their hopes are slim, but the vast attraction of Europe meant Arsene Wenger simply needed to avoid injuries to key players, and could use the match to get Danny Welbeck closer to match fitness. Because of the number of reserves featured, it was inevitable they would be blunted. That lack of urgency would have been felt by the players, who would hardly have been busting their brains to impress their manager.

It wasn’t just Arsenal, though. Hull’s players were similarly afflicted. Though an experienced XI, albeit one which also featured a 16-year-old, it was clearly a second-string team. As they pursue promotion for next season, when the supermassive Premier League TV deal kicks in, there was no reason for Steve Bruce’s Championship leaders to expend their resources on the cup. While Hull’s players will be pleased with their result at Emirates Stadium, few will swap that success for guaranteed promotion come May.

The game at Vicarage Road also showed how Premier League money has skewed the competition. Nordin Amrabat has barely played for Watford since his winter transfer, but he started against Leeds United, with Odion Ighalo on the bench. Costel Pantilimon was in goal, with the superior Heurelho Gomes allowed to have a kip. It wasn’t the weakest side Quique Sanchez Flores might have named, but two key players missed most or all of the game.

It was enough to get past Leeds, managed by the quite perplexing Steve Evans and owned by the vastly impossibly perplexing Massimo Cellino, but as they are in the bottom half of the Championship, it should have been. The manner in which Watford played within themselves, though, suggests that their manager was not desperate to win.

This was echoed in the words of Flores, who acknowledged the most important thing from this match was that there would be no replay. The club, understandably, decided the FA Cup isn’t essential.

At least the last game of the day, though, showed what appeal remains. Everton have yet to find their level in the league, disappointing and thrilling at different times. As a result, they sit in 11th, unlikely to qualify for Europe, almost certain not to be dragged into relegation bother. Bournemouth were clearly weakened by Eddie Howe, who doesn’t have the luxury of trying to win the cup - he has to make sure that his team stays in the top flight.

Roberto Martinez, a surprisingly chippy man when the mood takes him, is often keen to talk up his approach to football. He certainly makes the game easy on the eye, but he still can’t really organise a defence long enough to consistently impress. His erratic league performances with Everton don’t have his job in danger, but if he were to secure the FA Cup, then he would have something to point to that his predecessor, David Moyes, couldn’t. And a second triumph personally, having won with Wigan in 2013.

On Saturday, Martinez benefited from an opponent that had no real desire to push for victory, and duly won. This being a Martinez side, Everton still gave away a daft penalty when James McCarthy flung out an arm at the ball for no good reason, but Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku helped out in the second half.

You can expect similar cynicism over the coming days, with Chelsea playing Manchester City, but both being distracted by the Champions League. It is also hard to see why Spurs would want to risk their best shot at the title in the Premier League’s history when they face Crystal Palace in the fifth round on Sunday.

However, Manchester United have no option but to name their full-strength side against Shrewsbury on Monday now that the Premier League is out of reach. The FA Cup is suffering from the allure of riches elsewhere, but there remains just enough at play to demand attention. Thanks, Louis.