Cardiff and West Bromwich Albion completed a stunning performance by the English Championship's upstarts as they booked their places in the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday.
After Barnsley had led the way with a sensational 1-0 victory over holders Chelsea on Saturday, Cardiff followed suit with a shock 2-0 win at Premier League side Middlesbrough.
Albion gave English soccer's second tier a third representative in the last four when they romped to a 5-1 win at League One Bristol Rovers thanks in large part to Ishmael Miller's hat-trick.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Millwall were the last team from outside the Premier League to reach the FA Cup final in 2004.
For the first time in over a century there is only one top-flight club, Portsmouth, in the semis and there is a real possibility that the final could be contested by two Championship clubs.
But Cardiff manager Dave Jones insisted the champagne was still on ice despite his side's first appearance in the semi-finals for 81 years.
"Someone asked for champagne -- for what? We have just got through to the next round," he said. "We have not done anything yet."
"We haven't won it, we have not got to the final and we have got to get prepared. Why would we be drinking champagne?" Jones said.
Between them Chelsea and Manchester United have won four of the last five Premier League titles, boast some of the world's finest players and bank balances and in midweek marched into the Champions League quarter-finals.
But those resources weren't enough to protect them from the FA Cup's ability to throw up jaw-dropping results.
Barnsley's hero was Kayode Odejayi.
The Nigerian striker's last goal had come back in September, but he was in the right place to head past Carlo Cudicini in the 66th minute and send the Tykes into the semi-finals for the first time since 1912.
United fared little better, with Portsmouth winning at Old Trafford for the first time in 51 years thanks to Sulley Muntari's second half penalty.
Sir Alex Ferguson launched a typically furious tirade at the officials after referee Martin Atkinson's controversial display.
Atkinson turned down United's appeals for a spot-kick when Sylvain Distin shoulder-charged Cristiano Ronaldo, then rubbed salt into the wound by giving a penalty and sending off goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak for his foul on Milan Baros.
"It's absolutely ridiculous. I cannot explain it. Managers get sacked because of things like that and he's going to referee a game next week," Ferguson said.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
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