LONDON — It is the oldest competition in soccer, and the essence of the F.A. Cup still thrives after 145 years: that on any given day, a team from the lower tiers can knock out a club from the highest one.
So it happened again on Saturday, when Reading came from a goal down to eliminate West Bromwich Albion, 3-1, to advance to the F.A. Cup quarterfinals. But what made the biggest news was the reappearance of another thing that the English gave to the soccer world — crowd violence — when Chris Brunt, a West Brom player, was hit just below his left eye with a coin thrown from the stands.