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

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