Saturday’s briefing: Potter suffers losing start as Moyes set for Everton return | OneFootball

Graham Potter lost his first game as West Ham boss as Aston Villa staged a second-half recovery to knock the Hammers out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 victory.

Wycombe joined Villa in the fourth-round draw by upsetting Sky Bet Championship side Portsmouth on Friday night.

Elsewhere, David Moyes was reportedly on the verge of returning to Everton over a decade after leaving for Manchester United.

Dementia was also back on football’s agenda after the diagnosis of former Hull and Bradford striker Dean Windass was made public.

Villa fightback ruins Potter’s Hammers start

Graham Potter was heading for the perfect start as West Ham boss until Aston Villa delivered a double FA Cup whammy.

Lucas Paqueta stroked home a ninth-minute opener and there were plenty of positive signs for Potter, announced as Julen Lopetegui’s successor on Thursday, as the Hammers dominated the first half.

But Villa turned things around in the space of five minutes during the final quarter.

Amadou Onana bundled home from a corner incorrectly awarded instead of a West Ham goal-kick, and Morgan Rogers also converted from close range as Potter’s return to management after 21 months ended in defeat.

Wanderers give Pompey the runaround

Wycombe produced the first third-round FA Cup upset by eliminating Portsmouth at Adams Park.

First-half goals from Brandon Hanlan and Sonny Bradley put the League One promotion chasers through at the expense of Championship side Portsmouth.

Winning the cup under Harry Redknapp in 2008 must seem an awful long time ago for Pompey fans.

Moyes closes in on Everton return

Everton have reportedly agreed a deal for David Moyes to return as manager 12 years after he left to join Manchester United.

Moyes was targeted by Everton’s new owners, the Friedkin Group, after they abruptly parted company with Sean Dyche just hours before Thursday night’s FA Cup third-round win over Peterborough.

It looks as if they have got their man with Moyes now set usher in a new era for the club when they kick off at their new Bramley Moore Dock Stadium next season.

A two-and-a-half year deal has reportedly been agreed and the 61-year-old Scot – who was in charge of Everton between 2002 and 2013 – could be in the dugout against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Wednesday.

No VAR suits Spurs boss Postecoglou

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has welcomed the lack of VAR for Sunday’s FA Cup third-round tie at Tamworth.

Postecoglou witnessed history in English football on Wednesday when – for the first time – referee Stuart Attwell explained a VAR decision to fans inside the stadium during a 1-0 first-leg win over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

The Spurs boss was unimpressed with that development in the game and is glad the technology will be absent from his side’s David and Goliath tie this weekend – fifth-tier Tamworth being 96 rungs lower than Tottenham on the football ladder.

“My answer is yes. You asked me if I was relieved (at no VAR) and I said yes,” Postecoglou said. “I have just to be careful about how much I talk about it and I would rather talk about football to be honest.”

Rush happy to milk Stanley’s trip to Liverpool

Accrington meet the cream of the Premier League on Saturday in a third-round FA Cup tie against Liverpool that will jog memories thanks to a TV advert.

A cult Milk Marketing Board advert from 1989 portrayed two young Scouse boys in Liverpool kits coming in from a kickabout to make themselves drinks. One wants lemonade the other – much to his friend’s disgust – pours himself a glass of milk.

“It’s what Ian Rush drinks… and he said if I didn’t drink lots of milk, when I grow up I’d only be good enough to play for Accrington Stanley,” says the first boy.

“Accrington Stanley, who are they?” asked the second lad. “Exactly!” is the cutting response.

The ad has become part of Accrington folklore and Rush, speaking ahead of the League Two strugglers’ tie with the Premier League leaders at Anfield, said: “The younger generation probably have never heard of me – I’m Liverpool’s record goalscorer but I’m more known by them for the milk advert than for being a top goalscorer.”

Dementia in sharp focus after Windass diagnosis

Dean Windass’ dementia diagnosis was revealed as campaigners sought to bring political pressure to bear on football to tackle neurodegenerative disease among former players.

Windass, 55, whose goal sealed Hull’s promotion to the Premier League in 2008, posted on X: “Seriously I am ok was delighted to find out I had a brain. Just hope other families get the help what they want for the people they have lost.”

The Football Families for Justice (FFJ) campaign has the support of former England captain David Beckham, and is now seeking to secure an amendment to the Football Governance Bill which would give the independent regulator the power to make it a statutory duty on the football authorities to develop a comprehensive dementia strategy, including a care fund agreed with affected players and their families.

The FA Cup gets into full swing on Saturday with 17 third-round ties set to be played across the country.

While Accrington, Morecambe and Salford will be dreaming of causing seismic shocks at Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City respectively, the fall of Premier League giants is more likely elsewhere.

Wolves face a tough trip to in-form Championship side Bristol City, Brighton head to Norwich and out-of-sorts Leicester will be wary of QPR, despite having home advantage. There also is a romantic all-Yorkshire affair with Leeds hosting Harrogate, of League Two.