The biggest FA Cup shocks of the 21st century

Manchester United will face Manchester City in the

A Football Report
The biggest FA Cup shocks of the 21st century

Manchester United will face Manchester City in the final of the 2024 FA Cup after the two sides won dramatic semifinal clashes.

It will be the second time in the competition’s history that the teams will face off against each other in the final, with the first coming just a year ago.

Betting odds for the FA Cup final

In terms of an FA Cup bet, City are the favourites to win the tournament for the second successive year as they currently sit at odds of 2/5 to lift the trophy at Wembley.

United on the other hand, are 9/2 outsiders to win the FA Cup for the first time since 2016, but they will have to be at their very best and hope Pep Guardiola’s men have an off day if the Red Devils are to have any chance of winning.

The Old Trafford side came so close to suffering an embarrassing defeat to second tier Coventry City, who pushed United all the way.

While they may be a Championship team, Coventry’s run to the last four is certainly a big shock, yet there have been a few other impressive runs in the tournament this century which surpass it.

There have been plenty of FA Cup shock runs this century

Non-league sides have enjoyed the odd famous run over the previous 24 years in the world famous competition.

Havant and Waterlooville reached the fourth round in the 2007/08 season, drawing Liverpool at Anfield. The club took the lead twice but ended up suffering a 5-2 defeat, going down fighting.

Conference side Crawley Town went a round further during the 2010/11 season, reaching the fifth round. Their reward was a clash against Man United at Old Trafford and they acquitted themselves well, losing 1-0 to bow out with dignity.

Perhaps the most impressive performance by a non-league side this century was by Lincoln City, who reached the quarter finals in 2016/17.

Three football league sides were defeated before Lincoln stunning Premier League outfit Burnley in the fifth round, securing a quarter final tie against Arsenal. They went on to lose 5-0, but just reaching that stage was incredible.

Despite being a football league side at the time, Bradford City’s 4-2 win over Chelsea during the 2014-15 season – which saw the Blues win both the Premier League and League Cup – was another major shock.

Wycombe Wanderers defeating Leicester City in the quarter finals in 2001 could certainly be heralded as one of the most impressive results in the 21st century, with the result sending the Second Division side into the last four.

While Coventry reaching the semi finals is impressive, this was a team who came within an inch of securing a place in the Premier League last season, suggesting they were a team good enough to feature in the top flight.

The upsets and shock runs mentioned have featured teams who had little to no chance of winning against their more established opponents but conjured up the magic of the FA Cup to seal their place in history.