FA Cup: 5 instances where the underdogs stunned the favourites

This weekend sees the third round of the FA Cup - the world’s oldest ever association football tournament - get underway. And it is this stage which attracts the eyes of football fans worldwide as the Premier League and Championship teams make their entry into the competition. The knockout nature of this tournament and the tendency of Premier League managers to field second-string sides is what gives lower-league teams the opportunity to register a shock result which is relished in that club’s history for years and years to come. Such an occurence – as many pundits like to term it – is down to the ‘magic of the Cup', which makes it such an exciting competition to follow.We look at five recent instances where the script was torn apart by the underdogs to claim an unlikely result!

#1 Cambridge United 0-0 Manchester United - 4th Round (2015)

For a city renowned around the globe for its University, it was high time the football club associated with it found themselves a place in Cambridge folklore. They had the opportunity to do just that when they were drawn against Premier League giants and 11-time FA Cup winners Manchester United in the fourth round of last year’s edition of the FA Cup.

An enthralling encounter saw Cambridge United terrify the United defence with their set-piece play – players crowding David De Gea’s six-yard box, hoping to win that decisive header. Defensively, they were resolute as well, throwing bodies in the way of shots and preventing the likes of Radamel Falcao, Robin van Persie and Angel Di Maria from breaking them down.

The goalkeeper, Chris Dunn, was in terrific form too, saving brilliantly from Di Maria and Falcao. He also made crucial clearances to keep his clean sheet intact. United’s failure to find the back of the net made it as embarrassing a result for them as it was memorable for Cambridge United – a 0-0 draw earning the League Two side a lucrative replay at Old Trafford.

Despite the inevitable thrashing handed out to the minnows – 76 places below Louis van Gaal’s side in the Football League ladder – in the replay, a starting XI which cost exactly nothing holding a starting XI worth nearly £180m is a headline result in itself. And manager Richard Money even admitted it being the ‘best moment of his life’.

#2 Norwich City 0-1 Luton Town - 4th Round (2013)

Until 26 January 2013, no non-league (5th division onwards) side had ever usurped top-division opposition in the Premier League era. Luton Town bridged that gap when they visited Carrow Road to face relegation-threatened Norwich City in a fourth round tie.

Expectedly, the home side had the better chances. Leon Barnett and Grant Holt missed a couple of glorious opportunities for the Canaries. A monumental display in defence from Luton Town paid dividends in the 81st minute, when Scott Rendell – who had come on as a substitute just 7 minutes earlier – pounced on fellow substitute JJ O’Donnell whizzing ball from the left-wing and beat goalkeeper Declan Rudd at the near post to send his side into delirium.

As the game approached full-time, Luton soaked up all the high pressure from the Canaries. Hungarian centre-back Janos Kovacs playing probably the best game of his career with a first-class performance – dealing with cross after cross and hacking the ball away to safety on multiple occasions.

Referee Andre Marriner’s final whistle sparked scenes of unmatched jubilation from a side playing their fourth season in the fifth division of English Football – a victory made even sweeter by the fact that it was achieved in front of the Premier League side’s own fans.

#3 Chelsea 2-4 Bradford City - 4th Round (2015)

High-flying Premier League leaders Chelsea could not have anticipated the amazing comeback staged by League One side Bradford City when the two sides faced off in the FA Cup last season at Stamford Bridge. Goals from Gary Cahill and Ramires sent Jose Mourinho’s side 2-0 up in 38 minutes.

Game over? Not quite yet! Manager Phil Parkinson and his Bradford side had other ideas.

An unstoppable 18-yard strike by Jon Stead brought Bradford back into the game just before half-time. A 75th minute finish by Filipe Morais into an open goal levelled matters, before Andy Halliday sent shockwaves reverberating across Stamford Bridge with a magnificent strike past Petr Cech to give the underdogs the lead.

The tie was sealed in injury-time when Mark Yeates slotted in a fourth from a delicious defence-opening move to cap off a famous afternoon for the Bantams and foil Mourinho’s ambitions of achieving a quadruple that particular season.

The Portugese later conceded that the result was nothing short of a ‘disgrace’ to Chelsea Football Club, but nonetheless accepted that it was a brilliant attacking display by the third-division side and their victory was nothing short of deserved.

#4 Manchester United 0-1 Leeds United - 3rd Round (2010)

Chelsea’s shock defet was preceded by another Premier League vs League One tie four years earlier at Old Trafford, where it was Leeds United’s turn to grab a major FA Cup scalp by dumping Manchester United out of the competition in front of their own supporters. Obviously, it was the home-side who built all the pressure in the early stages, dominating possession and making crisp passes across midfield.

However, they were leaving gaps at the back – paying the ultimate price of conceding a goal after 19 minutes when Johnny Howson delivered a 50-yard long ball which was met by striker Jermaine Beckford, who beat Wes Brown with his pace and calmly side-footed past an approaching Tomasz Kuczszak into the bottom corner of the net to silence the 75,000 fans at Old Trafford.

United were guilty of missing a host of chances with Wayne Rooney agonizingly shooting wide. Danny Welbeck and Johnny Evans also missed the target.

The Red Devils' pressure proved fruitless in the end, the 0-1 result marking Sir Alex Ferguson’s first defeat to lower-league opposition in the FA Cup and their first defeat in the third round of the competition.

However, it was a day to cherish for third-division Leeds United, who temporarily put their financial woes aside to register a massive result against the then 18-time Premier League holders.

#5 Manchester City 0-1 Wigan Athletic - Final (2013)

Despite Manchester City losing the title race to Manchester United with four games to spare, it was no surprise to see them odds-on favourites to come out comfortable winners in what looked like an FA Cup final mismatch between the Cityzens and Wigan Athletic, who were battling relegation at that stage and had conceded twice as many goals as City in the league.

However, the events that panned out over 90 minutes was nowhere close to mainstream. Man-of-the-match Callum McManaman threatened to expose the City defence on a number of occasions in the first half, his pace up-front creating havoc for Roberto Mancini’s men. Stand-in goalkeeper Joel Robles was brilliant in goal, a trailing leg save to deny Carlos Tevez and a wonderful save to keep a smashing Samir Nasri shot out reflecting a performance worthy of an FA Cup final.

City’s attempt to take control of the game was made all the more difficult when Pablo Zabaleta became a victim of McManaman’s pace in the 84th minute – catching him on the leg with a slide tackle and receiving a second booking to reduce his side to 10 men. Mancini’s men were almost unbelievably playing to stay in the Cup since then.

But Wigan’s sprited display finally reaped the just reward in stoppage time – a Shaun Maloney corner-kick perfectly headed over Joe Hart by the gingerly haired Ben Watson (who now plays for Watford) to break the deadlock and put the Latics on the verge on a major, major upset.

City were unable to find that equaliser, and the full-time whistle was met with unprecedented emotions of joy from the Wigan fans, the players, Roberto Martinez and their owner, Dave Whelan. Although Wigan were sadly relegated from the Premier League four days later, this victory will forever be etched in Latics history, made all the more cherishable by the fact that it came against a club who were head and shoulders above them as far as financial resources and player profiles were concerned.