The Giant Killers
Every F A cup slaying since 1888
The Giant Killers of
2017
2017
Lincoln City
Third Round Replay, Tuesday January 17th 2017, Sincil Bank, 9,054
Scorer: Nathan Arnold {90 + 1}
Ranked at the time 140
Lincoln: 1: Paul Farman, 2: Bradley Wood, 5: Luke Waterfall, 25: Sean Raggett, 3: Sam Habergham, 28: Nathan Arnold {Replaced by 7: Jack Muldoon 90 +3}, 30: Alex Wodyard, 8: Alan Power, 11: Terry Hawkridge {Replaced by 27: Jamie McCombe 90 +5}, 31: Theo Robinson {Replaced by 10: Adam Marriott 80}, 9: Matt Rhead. {Manager: Danny Cowley}
Fourth Round, Saturday January 28th 2017, Sincil Bank, 9,469
Scorers: Alan Power {57-pen}, Fikayo Tomori {own goal-62}, Theo Robinson {85}
Brighton: Richie Towell {24}
Ranked at the time 44
Lincoln City
On match day: 1st in National League [5th tier]
Final placing: Champions
Form: 12 home games unbeaten in all competitions
Pedigree: Lost League place in 2011
League places difference: 72
Brighton & Hove Albion
On match day: 1st in Championship [2nd tier]
Final placing: Runners up
Form: 1 defeat in 20 games in all competitions
Fielded six first team regulars, four reserves and one squad member. Factored team strength equal to a side 18th in the Championship.
Pedigree: Third tier Champions 2011
Fifth Round, Saturday February 18th 2017, Turf Moor, 19,185
Scorer: Sean Ragett {89}
Ranked at the time: 8
Burnley
On match day: 14th in Premier League [top flight]
Final placing: 16th
Form: 8 games unbeaten at home.
Fielded seven first team regulars, three reserves and one squad member. Factored team strength: equal to 3rd in Championship
Pedigree: Championship Runners Up 2014
Premier League relegated 2015
Championship Champions 2016
Lincoln City
On match day: 1st in National League [5th tier]
Form: 1 defeat in 8 in all competitions
Pedigree: Lost League place in 2011
League places difference: 79
Sutton United
Fourth Round, Saturday January 29th, 4,997
Scorer: Jamie Collins {53-Pen}
Ranked at the time: 24
Sutton United
On match day: 16th National League [fifth tier]
Final placing: 12th
Form: 3 unbeaten at home
Pedigree: National League South Champions 2016
League places difference: 84
Leeds United
On match day: 4th Championship [Second tier]
Final placing: 7th
Form: 1 defeat in 9 in all competitions
Fielded three first team regulars, three reserves and five squad payers. Factored team strength: Equal to 3rd in League One
Pedigree: Regular Championship lower half finishers
Millwall
Third Round, Saturday, January 7th 2017
Scorers: Steve Morison {26}, Shaun Cummings {49}, Shane Ferguson {90 +3}
Ranked at the time: 114
Millwall: 1: Jordan Archer, 17: Byron Webster, 2: Shaun Cummings, 4: Shaun Hutchinson, 5: Tony Craig, 10: Fred Onydinma {Replaced by 7: David Worrell-75}, 8: Ben Thompson, 6: Shaun Williams, 22: Aidan O'Brien {Replaced by 18: Shane Ferguson-54}, 9: Lee Gregory {Replaced by 16: Calum Butcher-84}, 20: Steve Morison. {Manager: Neil Harris}
Bournemouth: 23: Adam Federici, 47: Jordan Lee {Replaced by 14: Callum Wilson-45}, 20: Marc Wilson, 26: Tyrone Mings, 14: Brad Smith {Replaced by 3: Steve Cook-74}, 6: Andrew Surman, 22: Emerson Hyndman {Replaced by 4: Dan Gosling-56}, 7: Marc Pugh, 33: Jordan Ibe, 28: Lewis Grabban, 31: Lys Mousset. {Manager: Eddie Howe}
Fourth Round, Sunday, January 29th 2017: Attendance: 9,772
Scorer: Steve Morrison {85}
Millwall: 1: Jordan Archer, 2: Shaun Cummings, 17: Byron Webster, 24:Jake Cooper, 5: Tony Craig, 10: Fred Onydinma {Replaced by 14:Jed Wallace 72}, 8: Ben Thompson, 6: Shaun Williams, 22: Aidan O'Brien {Replaced by 18: Shane Ferguson-71}, 9: Lee Gregory {Replaced by 26:Nadjim Abdou 95} 20: Steve Morison. {Manager: Neil Harris}
Watford: 30:Costel Pantilimon {Replaced by 1:Heurelho Gomes 42}, 4:Younes Kaboul, 6:Adrian Mariappa, 3:Miguel Britos, 26:Brice Dja Djedje {Replaced by 22:Daryl Janmaat 69}, 16:Abdoulaye Doucoure, 23:Ben Watson, 17:Adiene Guedioura, 32:Brandon Mason, 33:Stefano Okaka, 19:Jerome Sinclair {Replaced by 9:Troy Deeney 77} {Manager:Walter Mazzarri}
Fifth Round, Saturday, February 18th 2017: 18,012
Scorer: Shaun Cummings {90 +2}
Eyebrows were raised when Eddie Howe named an entirely different eleven from Bournemouth's most recent League game, considering his Cherries side were suggesting they could achieve the club's first ever top ten finish in the Premier League. However this was no weakened side of unknowns that so plagued the cup a decade earlier. Howe's team contained several Internationals, a wealth of top flight experience and only two players that could be considered inexperienced in Jordan Lee and the French Under 21 International Lys Mousset. In an era when the Christmas schedule was clearly reaching breaking point, a cup tie at a League One side was surely a good place to try out the men who usually graced the subs bench every Saturday. The ploy backfired spectacularly in an awful display of disjointed play among players who clearly lacked match practice together as a team.
Millwall, by contrast retained the same eleven for the fifth consecutive game and, having gone unbeaten in those games, that coherence among their players would prove crucial as they dominated their visitors, restricting them to a handful of off target half chances when already two goals down.
Team reshuffling again came into debate in round four when Watford boss, Walter Mazzarri made seven changes to his side for the trip to The Den, though in this instance it only served to highlight the lunacy of a full midweek Premier League schedule being placed three days after the cup round. A trip to face Arsenal after the Millwall game no doubt had an impact on his selection. Like Bournemouth however it was still an experienced Watford side that could have few complaints at being dumped out in a manner every bit as impressive from Millwall as their third round result.
Millwall's reward in round five was a visit from Champions, Leicester. However, they were far from the invincibles they'd been in winning the title the previous year. Despite a host of changes by the Champions, Millwall were under the cosh for most of the tie, made even more difficult when Jake Cooper got sent off early in the second half. With the tie heading for a replay, the Champions threw on some of their bigger guns only for the Lions to win it with the last kick of the game.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Third Round, Saturday January 7th 2017. Att:21,479
Scorers: Hector Costa {29}, Matt Doherty {80}
Stoke: 33: Lee Grant. 8: Glen Johnson, 17: Ryan Shawcross, 15: Bruno Martins-Indi, 3: Erik Pieters, 14: Ibrahim Afellay, 21: Gianelli Imbula {Replaced by 45: Charlie Adam-45}, 22: Xherdan Shiqiri {Replced by 45:Julien Ngoy-72}, 27: Bojan Krkic {Replaced by 4:Joe Allen-45}, 10: Marko Arnautovis, 25: Peter Crouch. {Manager: Mark Hughes}
Wolves: 1: Carl Ikerne, 18: Dominic Iorfa {Replaced by 9:Nouha Dicko-77}, 30: Kortney Hause, 60: Mike Williamson, 2: Matt Doherty, 8: George Saville, 14: Lee Evans, 17: Helder Costa, 26: Bright Enobarkhare {Replaced by 4:David Edwards-71}, 10: Joe Mason, 22: Jon dadi Bodvarsson. {Manager: Paul Lambert}
Fourth Round, Saturday, January 28th 2017: Attendance: 52,469
Scorers: Richard Stearman {1}, Andreas Weimann {41}
Liverpool: Divock Origi {86}
Stoke reached the cup final for the only time in their history in 2011. That was also the last time Wolves managed to win a cup tie in any round. Two relegations, a promotion and three managers later, there was little sign they would break that long losing streak at the Britannia against a Stoke side tinkered with only slightly for the cup tie. Unfortunately for the home fans, their team quite simply didn't make their clear superiority on the day count as Carl Ikerne put in a superb performance in goal during a twenty minute spell of the second half where the Premier League side looked sure to find their equaliser. Wolves weathered the storm and sealed Stoke's fate ten minutes from time for their first cup exit in the third round for eight years. And to think it was Wolves and not Stoke who rang the changes to keep on eye on the League.
The manager, Paul Lambert, had only been in charge of the relegation haunted Wolves since November and a trip to Anfield to face an in form Liverpool seemed like the most unlikely place to produce another cupset. The Reds were unbeaten on their own patch for almost a year and started 2017 in scintillating form. Despite having no European competition to concern them, Liverpool faced a daunting month of intense Football, not helped by having to travel to Plymouth for a third round replay after a shot shy display by the younger members of the squad as Jurgen Klopp desperately tried to keep his players fresh for the schedule.
A week before the cup tie, Liverpool's superb home record was broken by a Swansea side rooted to the foot of the Premier League. A result that dealt a hammer blow to the Reds' title hopes. Four days later Klopp's men were unable to overturn a first leg League cup semi final deficit against Southampton as they slipped to consecutive home defeats.
Both sides rang the changes to utilise their squads for different reasons. Klopp made nine changes fro the side that missed out on a trip to Wembley three days earlier. Considering the hectic schedule Klopp's team were playing though, there were few sceptical voices at the inclusion of the four inexperienced youngsters, Randall, Gomez, Elajaria and Woodburn with less than a dozen first team appearances between them. The seven men around them more then supplied enough experience to fill the gap. For Lambert it was more of a case of still searching around for his best team as just four of the side that lost the previous week at Norwich would start. Six of the men who dismissed Stoke would not start at Anfield, though keeper, Ikerne was an enforced absence through suspension. The youngster, Harry Burgoyne stepped out onto the field expecting to be the busiest man on a ground where his team had won just twice since 1950.
It was his opposite number, Karius who was left hopelessly exposed within a minute of the kick off as a free kick was met at the far post by an unmarked Richard Stearman who head back across goal into the net. Despite dominating possession, Liverpool never created anything that looked like forcing an equaliser and, if anything, the confidence of the early goal saw Wolves get stronger and in the Benfica loanee, Helder Costa, they had a man who was able to torment the Liverpool rearguard. Costa almost created a goal of the season contender as he raced through the Liverpool middle with only a last ditch challenge preventing a second goal. Liverpool didn't heed the warning and from their own corner they were hit with a classic counter attack, finished expertly by Andy Weimann as a lacklustre Liverpool defence and stunned Kop crowd watched on.
The introduction of Phillipe Coutinho at half time was hardly surprising as Klopp unleashed him as the first of his three big guns to turn the game and while the experienced Brazilian added a bit of guile to Liverpool's game they continued to toil as they attacked their favoured end of the ground. Confident Wolves almost found themselves three up before Klopp introduced first Sturridge and then Can to give his team that vital bit of additional experience but time was very much against the home side when Origi finally offered them a lifeline. The goal sucked the energy out of the Wolves players and for the only time of the afternoon they experienced nervy moments as Liverpool pushed for an equaliser. Origi almost found it in the dying moments when steering the ball goalwards from close range to be denied by Burgoyne.
For Liverpool came the continuation of a miserable period of one win in nine games and a remarkable three straight home defeats while Wolves marched on to round five where Champions elect Chelsea were given a stern test before winning 2-0.
Liverpool: 1:Loris Karius, 56:Connor Randall {Replaced by 10:Phillipe Coutinho 45}, 12:Joe Gomez, 17:Ragnar Klavan, 18:Alberto Moreno, 53:Ovie Ejaria {Replaced by 23:Emri Can 74}, 23:Lucas Leiva, 5:Georginio Wijnaldum, 38:Ben Woodburn, 27:Divock Origi, 11:Roberto Firmino {Replaced by 15:Daniel Sturridge 65} {Manager: Jurgen Klopp}
Wolverhampton: 31: Harry Burgoyne, 16:Conor Coady, 5:Richard Stearman, 30:Kortney Hause, 2:Matt Doherty, 14:Lee Evans, 8:George Saville, 17:Helder Costa {replaced by 43:Connor Ronan 67}, 4:David Edwards, 63:Andreas Weimann {Replaced by 10:Joe Mason 77}, 9:Nouha Dicko {Replaced by 22:Jon Dadi Bodvarsson 71} {Manager:Paul Lambert}
Derby County
Third Round, Saturday, January 7th 2017: Attendance: 25,288
Scorers: Darren Bent {51}, Tom Ince {54}
West Bromwich Albion: Matt Phillips {35}
Derby's win at West Brom may not have sent shock waves around the world but it put the seal on a humdinger of a cup tie where the Championship side accepted their share of required luck to leave the Hawthorns with a cupset that their hosts didn't truly deserve to be on the wrong end of. West Brom were enjoying a good season by recent standards and dominated for long periods but couldn't take their chances, being suitably punished when the visitors enjoyed a good spell at the start of the second half.
West Brom: 1: Boaz Myhill, 25: Craig Dawson, 23: Gareth McAuley, 3: Jonas Olsson {Replaced by 22: Nacer Chadli-78}, 20: Brendan Galloway {Replaced by 4: Hal Robson-Kanu-68}, 5: Claudio Yacob, 24: Darren Fletcher, 10: Matt Phillips, 7: James Morrison, 14: James McLean, 9: Salomon Rondon. {Manager: Tony Pullis}
Derby: 1: Scott Carson, 12: Chris Baird, 6: Richard Keogh, 5: Jason Shakell, 26: Jamie Hanson, 17: Julian De Sart, 4: Craig Bryson, 15: Bradley Johnson, 10: Tom Ince, 11: Darren Bent, 20: Abdoul Camara. {Manager: Steve McLaren}
Fulham
Fourth Round, Sunday, January 29th 2017: Attendance: 15,143
Scorers: Sone Aluko {17}, Chris Martin {54}, Ryan Sessegnon {66}, Stefan Johansen {79}
Hull City: Goebel {49}
A year to the week since these sides last met in a Championship fixture, which Hull won 2-1 on their way to promotion to the Premier League, the Tigers returned for a cup tie largely overshadowed by events elsewhere on the same day. Hull came into the tie having won at Manchester United in the second leg of their League cup semi final three days earlier. Although sadly their victory was insufficient to win a place in the final. And curiously, in a weekend when a host of top flight and Championship managers were criticised for heavily employing their rotation systems, Hull manager, Silva retained a relatively solid line up. Though this was more down to the restrictions of Hull's off the field problems and the loss of key players in the transfer window.
This tie came down to a case of wasteful finishing from the visitors and clinical finishing from the hosts. The most memorable moment of the tie coming late on when Abel Hernandez's penalty was saved by Bettinelli only for the keeper to instantly give away another spot kick, bringing down Hernandez as he tried to score from the rebound. On a miserable day for the visitors, The Fulham keeper saved again from the second effort.
Fulham: 1:Marcus Bettinelli, 30:Ryan Sessignon, 13:Tim Ream, 26:Tomas Kalas, 4:Denis Odoi, 6:Kevin McDonald, 14:Stefan Johansen, 24:Sone Aluko {Replaced by 11:Floyd Ayite 80}, 10:Tom Cairney {Replaced by 2:Ryan Fredericks 88}, 20:Lucas Piazon, 25:Chris Martin {Replaced by 33:Athanasios Petsos 83} {Manager: Slavisa Jokanovic}
Hull: 16:Eldin Jakupovic, 14:Omar Elabdellaoui, 6:Curtis Davies {Replaced by 5:Harry Maguire 10}, 8:Tom Huddlestone, 3:Andrew Robertson, 40:Evandro Goebel {Replaced by 28:Josh Tymon 74}, 7:David Meyler {Replaced by 24:Oumar Niasse 62}, 50:Lazar Markovic, 20:Adama Diomande, 11:Sam Clucas, 9:Abel Hernandez. {Manager: Marco Silva}
Footnotes and Might have beens
Ninth tier Westfields defeated two teams two divisions their senior to qualify for the First round of the cup where victories over League sides were secured by Eastleigh, Solihull Moors, Macclesfield Town, Brackley Town and Barrow but it was seventh tier Stourbridge who caused the minor cup sensation, beating a Northampton side four divisions their senior in the second round. Lincoln and Sutton set records for Non-League Football as the first time in history two tier five teams played in the last sixteen while Lincoln went on to be the first fifth tier quarter finalist.
Derby took Champions Leicester to a replay but it was Millwall who ultimately claimed the 'officially' biggest scalp in the cup.
Champions elect, Chelsea put their neck on the block three times on the way to the final but won all three ties with at least a goal to spare, though Wolves did give them a tough tie.