It’s FA Cup Fifth Round time this midweek and with this cup competition famous for throwing up the odd shock, we take a look at some of the biggest FA Cup Fifth Round upsets in recent years.
FA Cup Fifth Round 2023
We’ve 8 FA Cup fixtures to enjoy this midweek, with four games on each of Tuesday and Wednesday (28th Feb and 1st March).
There are nine Premier League teams left, but of that bunch the FA Cup Fifth Round draw has given us only two all-Premier League matchups.
Therefore, we’ve four English top-flight sides – that include Spurs and Manchester City, that could have a potential ‘banana skin’ FA Cup game.
FA Cup Fifth Round Upsets: Some Biggest FA Cup Fifth Round Shocks
1. MIDDLESBROUGH 1-0 TOTTENHAM (2022)
It was only last season that Spurs became the victims of one of the more recent FA Cup Fifth Round shocks. The London side had an away trip to Championship side Middlesbrough after seeing off Brighton easily 3-1 in the previous round.
But a gutsy Boro side made life hard for Spurs in this Tuesday night fixture to force extra-time. A star-studded Tottenham side that included Harry Kane playing the full game, were eventually broken down with a 107th minute goal by Boro’s Josh Coburn.
A nervy 13 minutes followed, but with the Riverside Stadium crowd behind Boro they managed to hold on. This win set up a FA Cup Quarter Final match with Chelsea, but they weren’t able to take another London scalp, with the Blues running out 2-0 winners.
2. BURNLEY 0-1 LINCOLN CITY (2017)
Non-league Lincoln City hit the FA Cup headlines in 2017 with their fantastic cup run. They’d beaten Brighton in the Fourth Round to set up an away trip to Burnley and against the odds scored an 89th winner to book their place in the Quarter-finals.
As a result, of the late Sean Raggett strike, Lincoln City became the first non-league side to get this far in over 100 years. The bubble burst, however, in the next round with a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal, who went onto win the FA Cup that year.
3. ARSENAL 0-1 BLACKBURN (2013)
Prolific FA Cup winners, Arsenal – who at the time of this game had 11 wins in his competition to their name – came unstuck at home to Blackburn in 2013.
Former Gunner David Bentley was in the Blackburn side that beat the Gunners 1-0 at the Emirates this year. The game was stuck at 0-0 for a long period, but the breakthrough came in the 72nd minute with a Colin Kazim-Richards goal, which turned out to be the only strike of the game.
The 1995 Premier League winners, Blackburn, ended up losing to Millwall in the next round.
4. LIVERPOOL 1-2 BARNSLEY (2008)
Liverpool stuttered into the FA Cup Fifth Round after struggles against Luton and Waterlooville in earlier games to set up a match at home to Barnsley.
Of course, the Premier League side with home advantage were expected to get the job done, but maybe the writing was on the wall from their previous struggles in this event that season.
Liverpool fans will blame a Champions League match vs Inter Milan the following week as a distracting. Liverpool even took the lead in the game with a Dirk Kuyt goal and looked set to kick on during the second half.
Barnsley, however, had other ideas and with goals in the second period from Stephen Foster and captain Brian Howard.
The Tykes continued that good form too – they also beat Chelsea in the sixth round 1-0 to reach the semi-final. But ended up losing that to Cardiff 1-0.
5. PORTSMOUTH 1-0 LIVERPOOL (2004)
Liverpool fans – look away now – as the 8-time FA Cup winners feature again.
Four years prior to their Barnsley loss, the Reds also lost at this stage of the competition away at Portsmouth.
The match needed a replay after a 1-1 draw at Anfield, but with home advantage Pompey caused the upset with a 1-0 win. It was Richard Hughes that got the only goal of the game.
The FA Cup dream, however, was short lived with a 5-1 home thumping to Arsenal.
6. TRANMERE 4-3 SOUTHAMPTON (2001)
One of the most memorable FA Cup Fifth Round comebacks of all time. After a 0-0 draw at St Mary’s the replay was a thriller.
Southampton, from the Premier League, were coasting with a 3-0 halftime lead, but what followed in the next 45 minutes was nothing short of remarkable.
A monster collapse saw the Saints’ 3-0 advantage whittled away with four – yes 4! – goals in just 24 minutes. The star of the show was former FA Cup winner with Everton Paul Rideout, firing in a hat-trick.
They faced Liverpool in the Quarter-finals, but lost that game 4-2, to the eventual winners that year.
7. BARNSLEY 3-2 MANCHESTER UNITED (1998)
Barnsley make their second FA Cup Fifth Round shock appearance – this time with a thrilling 3-2 home win over Manchester United. It’s another game that needed a reply after a 1-1 draw in the first clash, but Barnsley made no mistake in the second meeting.
The Tykes took a 2-0 lead with goals from John Hendrie and Scott Jones. Teddy Sheringham pulled one back, but another Jones goal game them back a 2 goal lead. A late Andy Cole strike (81st min) set up a great end, but Barnsley got over the line.
Newcastle were waiting for Tykes in the Quarter-finals and put an end to the Barnsley run with a 3-1 win.
2023 FA Cup Fifth Round Draw
The FA Cup fifth round is set to be played on Tuesday 28th February and Wednesday 1st March.
- Southampton vs Grimsby
- Leicester vs Blackburn
- Stoke City vs Brighton
- Sheff Utd vs Tottenham
- Fulham vs Leeds
- Bristol City vs Man City
- Man Utd vs West Ham
- Burnley vs Fleetwood
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