Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer suggest a tweak in the current FA Cup knockouts provision by scrapping the extra-time rule and opting for direct penalties at the end of regulation 90 minutes.
While Wrexham’s FA Cup journey came to an end with last week’s defeat to Chelsea, the aftermath continues to haunt the Reds. The hangover from that loss was evident as they turned in a listless performance in the recent loss to Hull City.
Injuries to key players like Moore, Sheaf, and James have undoubtedly hurt Wrexham. But beyond the fitness concerns, the exhausting extra-time battle against Chelsea took an equally heavy toll on the squad.
Though Wrexham entered extra time excited for a massive Cupset, they returned empty-handed. Not only did Chelsea knock out the Reds, but the immense physical effort from the Wrexham players now affects their ongoing promotion charge.
While Wrexham are powerless to change what happened, they will surely appreciate the recent recommendation from Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer regarding FA Cup knockouts. The duo vowed to scrap the extra-time rule and go straight to a penalty shootout after regulation time.
Recently, the former England icons expressed this proposal on the Rest is Football Podcast. Gary Lineker said: “Yeah. I mean, extra time in these FA Cup ties. I always think, just go straight to penalties.”
Alan Shearer not only agreed with the tweak but also added, “I also think it gives the smaller clubs a little bit more of a chance.”
Direct penalty shootout FA Cup tweak makes complete sense
Ever since the replays in case of Cup knockout ties were revoked starting from the 2024/25 season, discussions have been going on about the idea of scrapping the extra-time rule as well.
The reason is that the extra-time arrangement favours bigger and better squad depths. While this luxury isn’t accessible to lower division sides, the current provision undermines the hard work done by underdogs completely.
Even if a bigger club rotates its lineup against a comparatively weaker side, the stronger side rarely loses. That’s because only they can bring in quality fresh legs to compete in extra time.
On the other hand, the weaker side is forced to field relatively less effective players during the crucial moments of the game. The situation becomes worse if the underdog side is facing an injury outbreak, which is exactly what happened with Wrexham against Chelsea.
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Though the result doesn’t show it, every supporter in attendance at the Racecourse will admit Wrexham were the better side in the regular 90 minutes. But with starters like Ben Sheaf, Matty James, and Issa Kabore injured, the Reds were forced to field fringe players towards the end.
On one hand, Chelsea introduced superstars like Marc Cucurella, Joao Felix, and Malo Gusto in the later stages of the game. On the other hand, Wrexham had to work with fringe players and injury returnees like Ryan Barnett and Lewis Brunt.
Add in Wrexham’s misery to have Brunt’s 3-3 equaliser ruled out by VAR, and the Reds missed out on a deserved penalty shootout against Chelsea.
Wrexham haven’t been the only side affected by Extra-Time rule
There’s no doubt that Wrexham came the closest to pulling off the biggest Cupset in the recent rounds of the 2025/26 FA Cup. However, the Reds haven’t been the only side affected by the extra-time rule.
Notably, the current provision has punished at least one underdog side in each of the latest Cup rounds. Take, for instance, when Burton came immensely close to knocking out West Ham in the 4th round.
League One side Burton Albion restricted Premier League side West Ham to a 0-0 draw in the regular 90 minutes. But just like Wrexham, they finished second best ultimately, thanks to the Hammers’ extensive squad depth.
As the game progressed towards the crucial stages, West Ham brought in star players in Crysencio Summerville and Axel Disasi. Summerville’s entry saw the Hammers going up 1-0 within 15 minutes of his introduction in the clash.
Eventually, the game ended at 0-1 in West Ham’s favour. While the Hammers knocked out Burton from the FA Cup, the League One side missed on a deserved chance to register a memorable Cupset here.
Here’s where the recent suggestion by Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer helps. Not only can removing the extra time keep the players fatigue-free, but it will make the Cup knockouts far more exciting for upsets.
The new provision could effectively reward the underdog sides for their exceptional display to contain a Premier League or Championship giant.
A direct penalty shootout at the end of regulation time places both sides on equal footing. Any mistake punishes the guilty side, while preserving the Cup’s magic of giving underdogs a genuine shot against England’s biggest clubs.
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