The Greatest Shock in FA Cup history?

Many people go on about how the FA Cup has lost it’s magic over the years, but anybody who witnessed this weekend’s 4th round would find it hard to agree. The weekend started off with Cambridge getting a draw against Manchester United on Friday evening, before Blackburn Rovers knocked out Premier League outfit Swansea. And then it got even better. Not only did Middlesbrough beat Man City 2-0 at the Etihad but League One Bradford City knocked out Premier League leaders Chelsea, and even that doesn’t show the credit they deserve. Not only did they beat them, they came from 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to beat Jose Mourinho’s 4-2.

So where does this rank in the history of FA Cup shocks? There may have been some lower league teams in contention for this title, but does anything beat coming back from 2-0 down, away from home, at the Premier League leaders? We don’t think so, but here are some other shocks that come into contention:

1. Sutton 2 Coventry 1, 3rd round, 1989

2. Hereford 2 Newcastle 1, 3rd round, 1972

3. Sunderland 1 Leeds 0, Final,  1973

4. Wrexham 2 Arsenal 1, 3rd round, 1992

5. Bournemouth 2 Manchester United 0, 3rd Round, 1984

Wrexham beating the Division One champions certainly gives this tie a close run in terms of ‘The Greatest Shock in FA Cup history’ and many people may have thought this would be hard to beat.  The victories from non-league Hereford and Sutton would certainly be considered by some as the greatest cup shocks in history. However, whilst these were fantastic achievements, Bradford were not only away from home, but they came from 2-0 down against one of the best teams in the world which surely makes it more of a shock, as well as being further into the competition. And with the competition as open as it may ever be, will we see any more upsets in the next round, and will a surprise side lift the trophy come May?