Martin Glenn defends FA Cup as host of Premier League clubs field weakened sides

Football Association chief executive Martin Glenn has defended the FA Cup after a host of Premier League clubs let their star players sit out the third round.

A number of sides altered much of their starting line-ups in a move which some deemed to be disrespectful to the world's oldest cup competition.

Plymouth held Liverpool to a draw at Anfield after Reds boss Jurgen Klopp named the youngest-ever starting XI in the club's history - while Bournemouth changed their entire team as they slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Sky Bet League One side Millwall.

Both Manchester clubs made nine alterations apiece, although City thrashed West Ham 5-0 and United eased passed Reading with a 4-0 success.

Despite that, Glenn told BBC Radio 5 Live on Sunday that top-flight clubs still value the competition.

"Rotation is a good thing," he told Sportsweek.

"Giving a chance for young players to get real game experience is not a bad thing. It doesn't upset me. The Premier League teams really understand the value the FA Cup brings them.

"You'll get more viewings of your club on free to air television than you will on paid satellite. It's good for them because they get noticed and everyone wants to get to Wembley for a special occasion.

"People want to do well in the cup, but the positive side is that all of these bigger clubs have big squads, you want to give people game time and that's really important."

While some sides could be accused of indifference towards the competition following a host of changes, supporters up and down the country also showed deference by staying away, with some attendance figures dwindling.

The sparsity at Hull, where just 6,608 spectators watched new boss Marco Silva win his first game at the helm with a 2-0 victory over Premier League rivals Swansea, may have been down to a protest against the club's owners - but the lack of crowd at the KCOM Stadium was by no means in isolation.

Barely 5,000 people turned out to see Fulham win at Cardiff, with less than 12,500 attending Norwich's last-gasp draw at home to Southampton at what is a usually-packed Carrow Road.

Sunderland have averaged crowds of over 40,000 so far this season but less than 18,000 saw the Black Cats' goalless stalemate with Burnley.

Current holders Manchester United, 12-time winners Arsenal and sides of the calibre of Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham will be joined in the hat for round four by the likes of National League outfit Lincoln City, who twice led Ipswich before being held to a draw.

Sutton secured a goalless draw at home to AFC Wimbledon to force a replay and make the draw, while small upsets for Oxford and Derby, as well as Millwall's aforementioned win over Eddie Howe's much-changed Cherries, means there were a number of small third-round shocks.