Top 10 FA Cup Shocks

jonjoward1998
Apr 23, 2025
6 min read

I've decided to do something different for this week's non-Premier League top 10 and with this weekend being an FA Cup weekend, I've decided to do another FA Cup related top 10.

This week's non-Premier League top 10 is FA Cup shocks.

If there is one thing we love about the FA Cup, it's the upsets because they're what makes the FA Cup so special.

We've seen many upsets in the FA Cup during it's long history at pretty much every stage of the competition including a Premier League side being knocked out by a team from either League 1 or League 2.

There have also been a few upsets from sides in non-league and on the odd occasion, they've knocked out a side from the Premier League and there are few upsets on the list that have come from non-league sides.

Anything can happen in the FA Cup as it has proven many times with the upsets that have taken place. Including the ones of the list.

And here it is:

Wrexham 2-1 Arsenal - 1992

Wimbledon 1-0 Liverpool - 1988

Chelsea 2-4 Bradford - 2015

Liverpool 1-2 Barnsley - 2008

Hereford 2-1 Newcastle - 1972

Burnley 0-1 Lincoln - 2017

Wigan 1-0 Man City - 2018

Nottingham Forest 4-2 Arsenal - 2018

Oldham 3-2 Liverpool - 2013

Norwich 0-1 Luton - 2013

Nottingham Forest 4-2 Arsenal

Arsenal were the holders of the cup heading into this game whilst Forest were at best a mid-table Championship side.

Forest were also a team without a manager and for them to shock a side like Arsenal in the way they did without a manager was just incredible.

Arsenal did make wholesale changes for this game as a lot of Premier League sides do in the cup competitions, but Forest still had to show up and put in a performance which they did.

Forest defender Eric Lichaj scored twice in this game with his second being the goal of the game as he hit it first time on the volley.

Liverpool 1-2 Barnsley

Barnsley went on a magical run to the semi finals in the cup in 2008 and their win over Liverpool at Anfield was their first giant killing.

Liverpool actually went ahead in the game through Dirk Kuyt when he connected with Xabi Alonso's knockback and were the dominant side in the first half.

But they wasted a lot of chances in the second half which Barnsley capitalised on by equalising at the start of the half before going on to score the winner in injury time.

Barnsley were resolute for the whole game by staying in it whilst Liverpool had all those chances and their resistance paid off as they went on to cause one major shock at one of the toughest grounds to go to.

This upset was the first of two they caused that season with the other being against Chelsea in the Quarter Finals.

Oldham 3-2 Liverpool

Oldham were massive underdogs heading into this cup tie not just because they were a couple of leagues below Liverpool, but because they were struggling in League 1 at the time.

They went ahead inside two minutes through Matt Smith's header before Luis Suarez equalised for Liverpool, and Smith would later add another one just before half time when he pounced on Brad Jones' error.

Oldham made sure of the victory when Reece Wabara headed home right at the start of the second half. Liverpool did score a consolation through Joe Allen to set up a nervy finish, but Oldham held on to earn one big upset.

Chelsea 2-4 Bradford

Chelsea were on course to win the Premier League at the time of this cup tie which made them massive favourites in this game.

They were cruising in the first half as they took a two goal lead through Gary Cahill and Ramires before Jon Stead pulled one back for Bradford just before half time.

What Bradford did in the second half was completely unexpected as they scored three times in the final 15 minutes of the game to cause one of the most unlikeliest of shocks.

Filipe Morais scored the equaliser in the 75th minute after latching onto a rebound before Andy Halliday completed the turn around towards the end with his strike on the edge of the box. Mark Yeates made sure of the victory with his goal in injury time after making his way into the Chelsea defence unnoticed.

Wimbledon 1-0 Liverpool

This shock probably wasn't as big as the ones below it due to it coming in a final. But it was still a big shock because of the size of both clubs and the quality of both teams.

Liverpool were massive favourites heading into the 1988 final as they went into it off the back of winning the First Division title with a strong side which included the likes of Peter Beardsley, John Aldridge, Alan Hansen and John Barnes.

But Wimbledon went on and defied the odds by frustrating them all game and winning the final courtesy of Lawrie Sanchez's looping header in the first half.

Liverpool did put a lot of pressure on Wimbledon in the second half after John Aldridge had his penalty saved by Dave Beasant in the Wimbledon goal, but Wimbledon continued to frustrate the reds and held on the win.

Wigan 1-0 Man City

Wigan beat City in the final back in 2013 but this win against them was a bigger shock as they were playing in a lower league.

The odds were very much against Wigan heading into this game as Man City were sweeping aside pretty much every team in the country and would go on to claim 100 points in the Premier League.

But the Latics went on and defied those odds as they got men behind the ball and proected their goal like their life depended on it before Will Grigg went up the other end to score the winning goal.

Fabian Delph's red card on the stroke of half time did play a part, but Wigan still had to produce a performance which they did by digging in and being incredibly difficult to beat.

Burnley 0-1 Lincoln

Lincoln were a non-league club when they knocked out Premier League Burnley in 2017 which made them the first non-league club to reach the Quarter Finals.

Burnley actually fielded a reasonably strong team featuring a number of their Premier League regulars, but they couldn't take the many chances as Lincoln kept them at bay and did well to stay in the game.

After dealing with a lot of Burnley pressure, Lincoln scored with their only shot on target when Sean Raggett headed home just before injury time to win the game and send them into the Quarter Finals.

They would go on to lose in the Quarter Finals to Arsenal before sealing promotion back to the Football League by winning the National League.

Norwich 0-1 Luton

This wouldn't be a shock if it happened this season as they're both playing in the same league. But it was back in 2013 as Luton were in non-league whilst Norwich were a mid-table Premier League club.

Luton became the first non-league team to knock out a Premier League side in the Premier League and they did it by being compact defensively and getting in the way over everything Norwich threw at them.

Norwich missed a lot of good chances on the day and those missed chances came back to bite them when Scott Rendall netted the winner towards the end.

Hereford 2-1 Newcastle

One of the most iconic upsets in FA Cup history.

Newcastle looked set to win the game when Malcolm Macdonald put them ahead in the 82nd minute through his header.

But a few minutes later, Ronnie Radford stepped up and scored one of the greatest FA Cup goals of all time when he hit the ball from 30 yards out to level the score and take the game to extra time.

Hereford would go on and win the game in extra time with Ricky George's low strike into the bottom corner winning them the game.

Hereford don't exist as a football club anymore after being liquidated in 2014. They never really hit the high spots during their time as a football club, but their old fans will never forget their win over Newcastle.

Wrexham 2-1 Arsenal

This shock had to be my no.1 because for me it's the greatest giant killing in FA Cup history.

The game was advertised as a potential cup upset as Wrexham were in the Fourth Division and Arsenal were of course in the First Division and one of the biggest clubs in the country.

Arsenal went in front just before half time when Alan Smith poked home Paul Merson's cross and they looked set to win the game heading into the final ten minutes.

But Wrexham soon equalised through a Mickey Thomas free kick before Steve Watkin put them ahead a couple of minutes later to turn the game on its head.

Arsenal did put a lot of pressure on Wrexham in the final minutes of the game, but Wrexham held on for the win to book their place in the next round.

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