Magic of the Cup
Biggest ever FA Cup giantkillings including Man Utd shock and famous final after Liverpool are humiliated by Plymouth
A number of the biggest upsets have happened in the final
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LIVERPOOL suffered a huge FA Cup upset as they crashed out of the FA Cup against Plymouth.
Ryan Hardie's 53rd-minute spot-kick proved decisive as the rock-bottom Championship side - 43 places below the Premier League leaders - were given a helping hand by Harvey Elliott's inexplicable handball.
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It was only the fourth time a team outside of the top flight has knocked out the leaders of the Premier League.
However, Argyle's historic win was the latest in a long-line of incredible FA Cup upsets.
Hereford 2-1 Newcastle - 1972
The quintessential classic FA Cup fairytale. And with good reason.
Non-league Hereford had already defied the odds by taking Newcastle to a replay in the FA Cup third round in 1972 with a 2-2 draw at St James' Park.
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But the replay set itself into the very foundations of English football as Ronnie Radford's stunning volley typified the magic of the oldest football cup competition in the world.
Radford's iconic volley from range was the equalising goal to send the match into extra time.
Super sub Ricky George stepped up to score the decisive goal to prompt jubilant scenes at Edgar Street.
The result still holds the record for the lowest ranked side to beat top flight opposition.
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Wimbledon 1-0 Liverpool - 1988
Another upset involving the Reds, the 1988 FA Cup final saw the "Crazy Gang" pull off one of the craziest results in English football history.
Liverpool were the dominant force of England in the 1980s, having won six league titles across the decade including the 1988 First Division title.
ITV forced to apologise as Plymouth hero says 'I f---ing love it' TWICE live on air after shocking Liverpool
But Lawrie Sanchez's solitary goal paid no mind to the respective history of the clubs, with Wimbledon only having been in the top flight for a total of 11 years in their history at the time.
It remains the Dons' only FA Cup triumph.
Wrexham 2-1 Arsenal, 1992
Back in 1992 there were a whopping 81 places in the English football pyramid which separated Wrexham and Arsenal in their FA Cup third round clash.
The Welsh minnows were struggling in the fourth division while Arsenal were the reigning English champions.
However, the Gunners had wet powder as 37-year-old Mickey Thomas hit a 25-yard free-kick to level the match in the 82nd minute after Alan Smith scored the opener before half-time.
Steve Watkin delivered the decisive shot two minutes later as he bundled home the winner, prompting a pitch invasion.
Bournemouth 2-0 Man Utd, 1984
While Man Utd were far from the peak of their powers in the mid 80s, third-division Bournemouth were still relative minnows next to former European Champions and reigning holders of the FA Cup.
But under the guidance of Harry Redknapp, Bournemouth conjured up a heroic 2-0 victory.
In a whirlwind five minutes, Milton Graham and Ian Thompson struck to send the Cherries into dreamland.
United fans stormed the pitch to try and halt the result, but the final whistle confirmed one of the most memorable giant killings of all time.
Wigan 1-0 Man City, 2013
When relegation threatened Wigan rocked up to Wembley for the FA Cup final against Manchester City, many saw a win for mega-spending City as a formality.
But Roberto Martinez's underdogs were not content at being resigned to the losers column of FA Cup finalists.
The Lactics' heroic performance finally paid its dividends when Ben Watson headed home an incredible winner in injury time to bag them their first ever FA Cup trophy.
A week later Wigan suffered relegation to the Championship, while it turned out to be the last time City would lose a major final before the 2021 Champions League final when they lost to Chelsea.
Sunderland 1-0 Leeds, 1973
Another final upset saw Sunderland stun a then-dominant Leeds team to become the first team outside of the First Division to win the FA Cup since West Brom in 1931.
Leeds were the reigning champions of the Cup while Sunderland competed in the second tier and had been trophyless for more than 50 years.
Yet 100,000 at the Old Wembley watched as Ian Porterfield's 32nd minute goal won the Black Cats the FA Cup.
The match also holds special recognition for a stunning save made by goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery to deny Peter Lorimer from 10 yards, with the stop drawing comparisons to Gordon Banks' stop for England against Brazil in the 1970 World Cup.
Chelsea 4-2 Bradford, 2015
Bradford conjured up one of the most surprising results in recent FA Cup memory when they rocked up to Stamford Bridge to batter Chelsea.
With 49 places separating them in the English pyramid, League One Bradford were not given much of a chance against Jose Mourinho's high-flying Blues.
The fourth-round clash started smoothly for the Premier League giants, who took a 2-0 lead.
A goal from Jon Stead before half-time gave Bradford hope, before a trio of late goals saw Bradford roar into a two-goal lead in what was an incredibly eventful set of fourth round games.
Newport County 2-1 Leicester, 2019
League Two Newport produced the shock of the season when they beat Leicester in the third round of the FA Cup back in 2019.
A staggering 74 places split the teams when they met in early January.
Yet Jamille Matt's goal after just 10 minutes set up what would be a monumental upset.
Rachid Ghezzal threatened to ruin the party with an 82nd minute goal before a late penalty from Padraig Amond sent Rodney Parade into pandemonium.
Sutton United 2-1 Coventry, 1989
Coventry had been the FA Cup holders just 18 months earlier.
Yet when the top flight side travelled south to face Sutton in the third round they were left feeling blue by non-league opposition.
Goals from Tony Rains and Matthew Hanlan set Sutton on their way to a huge upset at Gander Green Lane.
The Us remained the most recent non-league team to beat top flight opponents all the way until 2013 when Luton beat Norwich.
Stevenage 3-1 Newcastle, 2011
It was only Stevenage's first season in the EFL.
Yet that did not stop them from making Newcastle only the fourth Premier League team ever at the time to lose to fourth-tier opposition in 2011.
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Goals from Stacy Long, Michael Bostwick and Peter Winn sealed a famous victory.
Joey Barton had pulled one back for the Toon in injury time, but Cheick Tiote's sending off in the 71st minute seemed to confirm the direction of the match before the final whistle blew.
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