{"id":20504,"date":"2025-01-08T09:00:54","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T09:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.netbet.co.uk\/blog\/?p=20504"},"modified":"2025-01-06T11:47:15","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T11:47:15","slug":"greatest-fa-cup-third-round-upsets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.netbet.co.uk\/blog\/2025\/01\/08\/greatest-fa-cup-third-round-upsets\/","title":{"rendered":"Greatest FA Cup Third Round Upsets"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

Every year, the FA Cup third round grips the attention of English football fans.<\/span><\/p>\n

Part of the reason why is that passage to the fourth round for teams in the Premier League is far from guaranteed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Down the years, plenty of sides in the top tier have been beaten by lower league opposition, sparking countless \u2018Magic of the Cup\u2019 references.<\/span><\/p>\n

With this in mind, NetBet – a trusted UK <\/span>betting<\/span><\/a> site with so many <\/span>football betting<\/span><\/a> options – has run the rule over some of the greatest FA Cup third round upsets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s begin\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Wrexham 2-1 Arsenal (1992)<\/b><\/h2>\n

We start with one of the all-time great giant killings, featuring record FA Cup winners Arsenal and Wrexham – who are now the centre of Hollywood attention.<\/span><\/p>\n

George Graham\u2019s Gunners, who were the reigning First Division champions, arrived at the Racecourse Ground expecting to cruise through to the next round.<\/span><\/p>\n

And when Alan Smith put them 1-0 ahead, the North Londoners looked well on their way to a routine victory over a side who were rooted to the bottom of the Fourth Division.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, a stunning free-kick equaliser from Mickey Thomas changed the course of proceedings, with Steve Watkin going on to score the famous winner.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sutton 2-1 Coventry (1989)<\/b><\/h2>\n

Coventry had won the FA Cup just 18 months prior to their meeting with non-league side Sutton.<\/span><\/p>\n

Did they expect to win with ease? Absolutely. Did that come to fruition? Absolutely not.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sutton, who were actually managed by a teacher, pulled off a scarcely believable win on home soil thanks to goals from Tony Rains and Matthew Hanlan.<\/span><\/p>\n

Coventry finished the 1988-89 First Division season in seventh, further highlighting the size of this upset.<\/span><\/p>\n

Manchester United 0-1 Leeds (2010)<\/b><\/h2>\n

Everyone knows the rivalry between United and Leeds is pretty intense, which is what makes this tie such a classic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leeds visited Old Trafford in 2010 as a League One side and no one really gave them a chance of upsetting Sir Alex Ferguson\u2019s star-studded Red Devils outfit.<\/span><\/p>\n

How wrong we all were. A superb finish from Jermaine Beckford was enough to claim victory against a starting XI containing Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and Gary Neville.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, Leeds fans still celebrate the victory to this very day and to be honest, who can blame them?<\/span><\/p>\n

Derby 1-3 Bristol Rovers (2002)<\/b><\/h2>\n

A match which saw FA Cup history made, as Bristol Rovers became the first fourth-tier side to beat Premier League opposition away from home in the competition.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yes, Derby finished the 2001-02 season in 19th place and were relegated, but take nothing away from the incredible achievement!<\/span><\/p>\n

A hat-trick from Nathan Ellington secured an incredible and deserved win for the Pirates at Pride Park.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fabrizio Ravanelli scored late on for the Rams, but the Italian\u2019s strike was merely a consolation and barely even drew a smile from the home crowd.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aston Villa 1-2 Stevenage (2023)<\/b><\/h2>\n

One of the most recent FA Cup third round upsets was also among the greatest seen in the rich history of the competition.<\/span><\/p>\n

Villa were experiencing a revival under the tutelage of Unai Emery, but they could not escape a giant killing.<\/span><\/p>\n

A goal from Morgan Sanson looked to have the hosts well on their way to victory, but a straight red card for Leander Dendoncker after a foul on Dean Campbell in the final 10 minutes changed everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

James Reid converted the resulting spot kick, before Campbell himself fired past Robin Olsen to send the League Two outfit into the fourth round against all the odds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Newport 2-1 Leicester (2019)<\/b><\/h2>\n

Less than three years after winning a maiden Premier League title, Leicester were humbled in the third round of the FA Cup.<\/span><\/p>\n

Funny how things work in football, eh?<\/span><\/p>\n

Jamille Matt put Newport in the lead at Rodney Parade, but the tie looked destined for a replay after Rachid Ghezzal\u2019s late strike.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, Padraig Amond was on hand to coolly convert from the penalty spot in the final five minutes of regular time and in the process, ensure Newport\u2019s spot in the FA Cup\u2019s 21st century history book.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hereford United 2-1 Newcastle (1972)<\/b><\/h2>\n

It feels only right to end with what many refer to as the original FA Cup third round upset.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hereford, who were a non-league side and stationed in the Southern League, did incredibly well to force a replay when they drew 2-2 at top-flight Newcastle.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Magpies even took the lead in the replay, until Ronnie Radford\u2019s world renowned long-range strike made it 1-1 and wrote him into FA Cup folklore.<\/span><\/p>\n

Radford\u2019s magnificent effort forced extra-time and that paved the way for Ricky George to net the winner and spark yet another pitch invasion.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When you choose NetBet Sport, you can enjoy a whole range of top-quality sports and markets. Whatever you choose, always remember to bet responsibly. Here at NetBet, player wellbeing is our number one priority \u2013 check out our\u00a0Responsible Gambling tips and tools page<\/a>\u00a0for more information. When the fun stops, stop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every year, the FA Cup third round grips the attention of English football fans. Part of the reason why is that passage to the fourth round for teams in the Premier League is far from guaranteed. Down the years, plenty of sides in the top tier have been beaten by lower league opposition, sparking countless […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":20683,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3292,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fa-cup","category-football"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGreatest FA Cup Third Round Upsets - NetBet UK<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The FA Cup third round holds a special place in the hearts of English football fans. 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