EPL clubs in FA Cup upsets
English Premier League side Leicester City were handed a huge FA shock as lowly Newport County bridged a gap of 74 places on the league ladder to dump them out of the English FA Cup yesterday.
Padraig Amond’s 85th-minute penalty fired the Welsh side into the fourth round as 2-1 winners after Mark Albrighton was guilty of a needless handball in the area.
The penalty came just three minutes after Rachid Ghezzal had levelled for Leicester, who had trailed since Newport’s opener, which was headed in by Jamille Matt from Robbie Willmott’s cross after just 10 minutes.
Newport play in League Two, English football’s fourth tier.
County manager Michael Flynn told BBC Sport the upset was ‘‘unbelievable’’.
‘‘My voice has gone. I’m so proud of the players. They were excellent from start to finish – the amount of work they did off the ball and the chances we created as well.
‘‘Let’s not say that we just hung on – we created quite a few chances.’’
Newport’s success followed another giantkilling earlier when Premier League strugglers Fulham were upended 2-1 by fourthtier side Oldham.
The Londoners took the lead against Oldham, three divisions below them in the league, through Denis Odoi.
Sam Surridge equalised with a penalty but Fulham missed a penalty through Aleksandar Mitrovic, who was brought on as a substitute to take the kick, before Callum Lang snatched the winner two minutes from time.
‘‘It is one you have to savour. I am the most proud man in Oldham, I can’t believe it,’’ Oldham boss Pete Wild said.
Non-league Barnet caused an equally big shock as they won 1-0 at Sheffield United – 84 places higher than them in the English football pyramid – Shaquile Coulthirst scoring the only goal from the penalty spot on 21 minutes.
It was an emotional afternoon for caretaker manager Darren Currie, who led Barnet to their 1-0 win over Sheffield United – the club where his uncle, Tony, is regarded as a football great and has a stand named after him at the stadium at Bramall Lane.
‘‘Naturally he’ll be hurting,’’ Darren Currie said. ‘‘He wants his team to go through, but he’s proud of me and what I’ve done today.’’
Barnet will be the only nonleague side in the fourth round. They are in 15th place in the fifthtier National League.
There were no problems for Premier League champions Manchester City, though, as they hammered Rotherham United 7-0 to join Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United in the hat.
Premier League side Watford won 2-0 at non-league Woking, Championship leaders Leeds United went down 2-1 at Queens Park Rangers but Millwall and Doncaster Rovers both advanced to the fourth round.
– AP, Stuff