FA Cup round-up - Bad day at the office for Premier League clubs

The FA Cup, a competition where heroes are made and Goliaths are slayed is one of the few competitions which has given us truly mesmerizing and memorable matches down the years. Unexpected and shocking twists and turns are a regular feature of this competition. Anything can happen in the FA Cup. This along with the Capital One Cup gives an opportunity for all clubs to play at the same level.The beauty of the FA Cup lies in its unpredictability as there are no favourites. The low-level clubs get a fantastic chance to rub shoulders with the big boys and occasionally capture some big name scalps in the process. Some who endured a difficult season always cherish winning it and there are others who are gunning for multiple trophies and just add this to their trophy cabinet.Following a Saturday of emotional extremes here’s a round-up of all the upsets from the day:

#1 Chelsea 2-4 Bradford City

The biggest story of last night was Chelsea, the Premier League leaders getting knocked out of the FA Cup by a side who are sixth in League One, Bradford City. The Bantams came into the match unfazed by the fact that they were facing the Blues at Stamford Bridge. They kept pushing at every opportunity and the game was deservedly theirs.

The Blues had the game fully under control with goals from Gary Cahill and Ramires, but they were very unconvincing on the night. On the other hand, Bradford showed great resolve and grit and took their chances superbly. Jose Mourinho said afterward that he was embarrassed by his side’s performance and rightly so because Chelsea didn’t look the side that have dominated teams so far this season.

Credit to Bradford for hanging in there and sending their fans into hysteria by qualifying for the fifth round and in the process handing Chelsea their first home loss this season.

#2 Manchester City 0-2 Middlesborough

In what was another unexpected casualty, City were dumped out of the Cup by Middlesborough, a club second in the Championship, whose primary objective is to return to the Premier League after a long absence.

Middlesborough really played well, and thus were rewarded with a place in the last 16. Goals from Patrick Bamford and Kike saw the visitors through. City had a few shots on target but the away side had to rely on their keeper Tomas Mejias to keep the home side at bay.

After some warm weather training in Abu Dhabi and a needless friendly against Hamburg, Manchester City looked lacklustre and struggled to adapt to the conditions. Middlesborough piled on the pressure and Chelsea loanee Bamford opened the scoring with Kike applying the icing on the cake.

Boro’s amazing win against the league champions was a testimony to the fact that anything can happen in the FA Cup.

#3 Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Leicester City

Not so big an upset, after all, as Tottenham lost to Premier League opposition in the form of Leicester City. High-flying Spurs were dealt a huge blow when they failed to progress to the fifth round of the competition for the third season in a row.

Leicester City produced a thrilling 2-1 victory to bring some much-needed relief to Nigel Pearson after the loss against Stoke had raised concerns over their Premier League safety. After Andros Townsend had given the hosts the lead with a penalty, Leicester struck back late in the game with goals from Ulloa and Schlupp to record a famous victory.

Following their well-deserved victory against Chelsea, Spurs have been struggling in the games after that. In yesterday’s match, the only bright spot was the goal from Townsend. Leicester looked to be heading for imminent defeat, but their resilience and pressure paid off and they left White Hart Lane full of joy.

#4 Southampton 2-3 Crystal Palace

Alan Pardew was at it again. The Crystal Palace boss now has four wins in four games after his side beat surprise Premier League top four contenders Southampton. This all-Premier League clash provided for an entertaining spectacle and it was also significant because Marouane Chamakh, back after a long-term injury, scored two goals to help Palace’s cause.

The Eagles progressed to the fifth round for the first time in five seasons. The game was significantly important for Pardew as he notched up his second win in the competition, having previously won only once with Newcastle.

While the first half was brisk and saw a flurry of goals, the second half was a cagey affair with Palace having to defend for all their life. Southampton pushed hard to force an equaliser but could not penetrate the Eagles’ backline. With this win, Palace and Pardew are three wins away from a dream final at Wembley.

#5 Blackburn Rovers 3-1 Swansea City

The problems go on piling up for the Swans. Having been absolutely hammered and outplayed by Chelsea in the Premier League, a loss to Blackburn in the FA Cup was the last thing they would have wanted. They led going into the break through a Gylfi Sigurdsson strike, but it was not enough as Blackburn roared back and gave their fans a lot to cheer about.

This was Swansea’s first loss to a lower league opposition that has led to a Cup exit since 2011. To add to Swansea’s woes, they finished the game with nine men, and among the two sent off, one was the goalscorer Sigurdsson.

Swansea looked a pale shadow of the team that notched an opening day victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Welsh outfit looked completely out of sorts and Blackburn capitalised on their weaknesses to claim a deserved victory and advance further forward in the competiton.