Epic eliminations of Man City and Chelsea: the biggest FA Cup upsets of the 21st century

Recently, we witnessed one of the biggest upsets of the month in English football—Liverpool was knocked out of the FA Cup by Championship underdog Plymouth. However, for this tournament, such results are far from unusual.

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Dailysports has compiled the most shocking FA Cup upsets of the 21st century.

2009/10 season: Manchester United – Leeds 0:1

Leeds is one of England’s greatest clubs. However, in the 2009/10 season, the Whites were playing in League One, the third tier of English football. Even during these tough times, they managed to pull off a stunning upset.

Manchester United, under Sir Alex Ferguson, was one of Europe’s top teams and a clear favorite in the FA Cup. An early exit was not part of their plans.

In the 19th minute, Jermaine Beckford capitalized on a one-on-one chance, and from then on, Leeds put up a heroic defensive display. Even substitutions like Ryan Giggs, Michael Owen, and Antonio Valencia couldn’t save United.

Leeds was eliminated in the next round by Tottenham.

2017/18 season: Nottingham Forest – Arsenal 4:2

Arsène Wenger’s final FA Cup match as a manager was not the farewell the legendary Frenchman had hoped for.

Arsenal’s first-round opponent was Nottingham Forest, who were struggling in the Championship, finishing the season in 17th place. From the start, things went wrong for the Gunners. Forest’s Eric Lichaj scored twice in the first half, and Wenger’s team failed to recover.

Nottingham Forest struck twice more in the second half on the counterattack, securing a shocking 4:2 victory. However, they were eliminated by Hull City in the next round.

2017/18 season: Wigan – Manchester City 1:0

Not long ago, Wigan was a solid Premier League side and even won the FA Cup once. But in the 2017/18 season, they were in League One, struggling with financial difficulties.

Despite these issues, Wigan reached the FA Cup Round of 16, where they faced Manchester City. It seemed their dream run would end here, but the Latics had other plans. Wigan held off City’s attacks, and just before halftime, Fabian Delph was sent off, giving them a crucial advantage.

In the 79th minute, City’s defensive lapse allowed Will Grigg—yes, the same Will Grigg from the famous Euro 2016 chant—to score. That night, he truly was on fire.

Wigan lost 0:2 to Southampton in the quarterfinals.

2014/15 season: Chelsea – Bradford 2:4

Petr Čech, César Azpilicueta, Ramires, Didier Drogba, Loïc Rémy, Mohamed Salah, and Gary Cahill played at Stamford Bridge against a League One mid-table side—what could possibly go wrong? Absolutely everything, even after Chelsea led 2:0.

Bradford produced one of the greatest performances in their history. The underdogs conceded two goals by the 38th minute, with Cahill and Ramires scoring for Chelsea. Nothing suggested a disaster for José Mourinho’s Premier League leaders.

However, just before halftime, Bradford pulled one back. After the break, they exploited Chelsea’s defensive gaps, scoring three more goals to complete an astonishing comeback.

Even bringing on Eden Hazard, Willian, and Cesc Fàbregas couldn’t save Chelsea. Bradford advanced to the Round of 16, where they lost 0:3 to Reading.

2012/13 season: Oldham – Liverpool 3:2

In 2013, Brendan Rodgers was still building the Liverpool team that would later challenge for the Premier League title. Even then, the Reds were a formidable side, making their 1/16 final defeat to a League One club a shocking result.

Rodgers rotated his defense and started backup goalkeeper Brad Jones, a decision that backfired. The troubles began in the 3rd minute when Martin Škrtel scored an own goal. Luis Suárez quickly equalized, but just before halftime, Jones made a critical mistake, allowing Matt Smith to tap the ball into an empty net.

Early in the second half, Reece Wabara scored Oldham’s third goal. Joe Allen pulled one back, but Liverpool couldn’t avoid elimination.

Oldham held Everton to a 2:2 draw in the next round but lost the replay.

2018/19 season: Newport County – Leicester 2:1

Newport County is one of four Welsh clubs playing in England’s Football League. Since 2014, they’ve been in League Two, occasionally finishing mid-table. However, in the FA Cup first round of 2018/19, they achieved something extraordinary.

One of the weakest clubs in the Football League eliminated Leicester, who had won the Premier League just two and a half years earlier. Newport took the lead in the 10th minute, and Leicester only equalized in the 82nd. Instead of pushing for a winner, the Foxes conceded a late penalty, allowing Newport to secure a famous 2:1 victory.

Newport continued their run, knocking out Middlesbrough before being stopped by Manchester City in the Round of 16.

For Claude Puel, this loss was one of the final straws—he was replaced by Brendan Rodgers in February.