Fourth-tier Newport County are to take on English Premier League champions Manchester City in the fifth round of the FA Cup after shocking Championship high-flyers Middlesbrough 2-0 on Tuesday.
Robbie Willmott and Padraig Amond scored brilliant second-half goals for the Welsh side to secure a plum tie at home to Pep Guardiola’s side on Feb. 16.
Newport were more than worthy of their win as they dominated from start to finish under torrential rain at Rodney Parade and on a mud bath of a pitch that City will not relish.
Photo: AFP
“It’s nothing more than we deserved tonight, we were absolutely outstanding,” Newport manager Mike Flynn said. “They can match Championship players. I don’t know what it is with them. We can play like that, but not every week in League Two.”
A penalty appeal for handball by Middlesbrough midfielder Adam Clayton was waved away and 40-year-old Greek goalkeeper Dimitrios Konstantopoulos made a string of saves to keep Tony Pulis’ side level at halftime.
However, Konstantopoulos could not keep out Willmott’s strike from outside the penalty area two minutes into the second half and Amond fired a well-worked corner into the top corner 23 minutes from time to send Newport into the round-of-16 for the first time in 70 years.
“They were the better team, they ran all over us. It was men against boys. Forget the conditions, you have to match people and that’s the real disappointment,” Pulis said. “Give them credit, they were fantastic tonight and they deserve their win.”
Wolverhampton Wanderers survived another scare from League One Shrewsbury Town to set up a fifth-round visit to Bristol City with a 3-2 win at Molineux.
But for Matt Doherty’s stoppage-time equalizer, Shrewsbury would have knocked out the side that sit seventh in the Premier League when they first met in a 2-2.
The Irish wingback opened the scoring for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men and then leveled just before halftime after goals from James Bolton and Josh Laurent had put the Shrews 2-1 in front.
Ivan Cavaleiro then completed the Wolves comeback in the second half.
Brentford travel to Swansea City for an all-Championship tie after seeing off non-league outfit Barnet 3-1, while Steve McClaren’s Queens Park Rangers are to host Watford next after goals from Nahki Wells and Matt Smith beat Portsmouth 2-0.
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