Empty stands and absent stars a sign of FA Cup's slow demise

After a gruelling festive fixture schedule saw four rounds of Premier League games crammed into 13 days either side of Christmas and new year, managers from the 20 top flight teams made a combined 136 changes.

Crystal Palace, Brighton and Aston Villa were the only Premier League sides to pay the penalty for resting first-team regulars against Championship opposition.

The 24 Championship sides made 171 alterations to their starting line-ups.

After a gruelling December with nine games across four competitions, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp made nine changes as the youthful Reds still beat Everton 1-0

Many fans also took the opportunity for a weekend break from football with attendances for Premier League and Championship clubs down over 150,000 on their previous home matches.

Cardiff narrowly avoided their lowest ever attendance since moving to the 33,000 capacity Cardiff City Stadium over a decade ago.