FA: CUP Man City in FA Cup Stroll, Minnows Knock Out Leicester, Fulham

FA: CUP  Man City in FA Cup Stroll, Minnows Knock Out Leicester, Fulham

Premier League champions Manchester City began their FA Cup campaign with a 7-0 thrashing of Rotherham yesterday but Fulham, battling to avoid relegation from English football’s top-flight, were beaten 2-1 by fourth-tier Oldham.

Similarly, Newport County dumped 2016 Premier League champions Leicester City out of the competition at a raucous Rodney Parade thanks to Padraig Amond’s late penalty.

Barnet ensured there would be a non-league presence in the fourth round with a 1-0 win away to second-tier Championship club Sheffield United.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola may have made eight changes from the team that beat Premier League leaders Liverpool on Thursday but still fielded a strong side for the visit of Championship side Rotherham, with Raheem Sterling, Riyad Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus all starting as playmaker Kevin De Bruyne returned from injury.

Sterling made it 1-0 in the 12th minute and City then scored twice in the closing stages of the first half.

Phil Foden, the England Under-21 international, got on the end of a cross from Ilkay Gundogan in the 43rd minute to score his first home goal for City before Rotherham defender Semi Ajayi turned the ball into his own net.

Jesus made it 4-0 early in the second half before Mahrez, Nicolas Otamendi and Leroy Sane added further goals.

“We are going to try and do well in every competition we play in,” Guardiola told the BBC.

Turning to Foden, he added: “He missed some simple passes and he needs to be solid but he is young. When he attacks the central defenders he is incredible.”

On Saturday, FA Cup holders Chelsea cruised to a 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest in what seems certain to have been Cesc Fabregas’s final match for the Blues.

It was the same result as Manchester United beat Reading to make it five wins out of five under caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Arsenal, the record 13-times FA Cup winners, won 3-0 at Blackpool, West Ham beat Birmingham 2-0 and Everton defeated Lincoln 2-1.

Saturday also saw Championship club Bristol City beat top-flight basement club Huddersfield 1-0.

Elsewhere, in an all-Premier League clash, Brighton won 3-1 away to south coast rivals Bournemouth.

Second division Derby, managed by ex-England midfielder Frank Lampard, came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Premier League strugglers Southampton.

Newcastle were also held to a draw, 1-1 against second-tier Blackburn.

For Leicester, it was Jamille Matt’s perfectly placed header after a pulsating run and cross from Robbie Willmott gave the Exiles the advantage against a side 74 places above them in the football leagues.

Marc Albrighton hit the crossbar and Newport goalkeeper Joe Day produced a string of saves before Rachid Ghezzai smashed the Foxes level.

However, Amond’s 85th-minute penalty after Albrighton’s handball sent the crowd into raptures as Newport produced one of the greatest results in their history.

It is not an exaggeration to say Newport and Leicester are at completely opposite ends of the footballing scale. The year Leicester stunned the world under Claudio Ranieri to win the Premier League, Newport finished 22nd in League Two.

The enormity of the achievement was shown in scenes of jubilation at full-time as Newport’s players sank to their knees and punched the air in delight while their fans went wild.

Manager Michael Flynn hugged assistant Wayne Hatswell and his mentor, veteran manager Lennie Lawrence to celebrate a seismic result for the city.

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