LONDON, March 9: Holders Chelsea and Premier League champions Manchester United were bundled out of the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday in one of the most dramatic days in the competition’s recent history (also partly reported in Sunday’s edition).
Chelsea lost 1-0 at Championship (second division) side Barnsley, who reached the last four for the first time in nearly 100 years thanks to striker Kayode Odejayi’s 66th-minute header.
Earlier, Portsmouth won 1-0 at Old Trafford as Ghanaian Sulley Muntari’s second-half penalty sealed their first victory at United for 51 years.
After years of domination by England’s so-called big four clubs going back to 1996, this year’s FA Cup has produced several stunning upsets and the possibility of a team outside the Premier League winning the trophy.
Sunday’s quarter-finals feature Premier League strugglers Middlesbrough at home to Championship team Cardiff City and League One (third division) Bristol Rovers at home to Championship high-flyers West Bromwich Albion.
Nigerian journeyman Odejayi, formerly with minor league Forest Green, was the hero for Barnsley on a bumpy Oakwell pitch.
He had already caused Chelsea captain John Terry a host of problems before outleaping keeper Carlo Cudicini to head the only goal.
Chelsea launched a wave of desperate attacks in the final minutes with Terry shooting wildly over and several efforts being blocked. But the hosts hung on to spark wild celebrations.
Results:
FA Cup quarter-finals:
Barnsley 1 Chelsea 0
Manchester United 0 Portsmouth 1
—Reuters
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