The magic of the FA Cup struck again at the weekend as a host of Premier League and Championship clubs were knocked out in the third round by teams lower down the football pyramid.
National League Barnet were the big winners as Shaq Coulthirst’s first half penalty led the 14/1 (15.0) Bees past Sheffield United of the Championship on Sunday afternoon.
This edition marks the first time Barnet have made the fourth round since 2008 when they lost to Bristol Rovers, and will now have their sights firmly set on reaching the last 16 for the first time ever.
Premier League Leicester City also fell to lower league opposition as Newport County – who were 8/1 (9.0) with William Hill – won 2-1 at Rodney Parade thanks to an 85th minute penalty from Padraig Amond.
This is the second season in a row that the Welsh outfit have qualified for the fourth round after they saw off Championship Leeds United 12 months ago.
Also defying 8/1 (9.0) odds were Oldham Athletic, who recovered from a goal down to stun Fulham 2-1 at Craven Cottage, with Aleksandar Mitrovic missing a penalty when the score was tied at one goal each.
The other Premier League side to be upset was struggling Cardiff City, who fell 1-0 at Gillingham after naming a heavily-rotated side for the clash at Priestfield Stadium.
The League One side were out at 4/1 (5.0), just slightly longer than 3/1 (4.0) Portsmouth who beat Championship high-flyers Norwich City 1-0 with a 94th minute goal.
Ipswich’s dire FA Cup form continued as they made it nine years without a win in the tournament with a 1-0 loss at 7/5 (2.40) Accrington Stanley.
Elsewhere in Europe, Real Madrid’s inconsistency came to the fore as they lost 2-0 at home to Real Sociedad with the visitors available at 17/2 (9.50) before the match.
William Hill