Leicester expelled from FA Cup by League Two's Newport County
Fourth-tier Newport County will play in the fourth round of the FA Cup for the second straight season after topping Leicester City at Rodney Parade.
Padraig Amond's 85th-minute penalty sent the Exiles through with a 2-1 victory. Rachid Ghezzal scored three minutes before Amond's winner, wiping out Jamille Matt's 10th-minute header for the hosts.
The visitors were the second Premier League club to be eliminated from the third round by a League Two outfit after Fulham were dropped by Oldham Athletic earlier Sunday. Non-league Barnet also eliminated the Championship's Sheffield United in a riveting day of FA Cup action.
Leicester have been beaten by a fourth-tier side or lower in the FA Cup for the first time since 1979-80.
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 6, 2019
Newport knock out the Foxes. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/8BgQQvU85a
The Foxes were much-changed for the encounter, but Claude Puel still started five Premier League winners and £25-million striker Kelechi Iheanacho. Despite their high-profile party of footballers, Leicester largely attacked with the penetration of a frayed snippet of string.
Newport, meanwhile, grew in confidence. The Welsh outfit could also lean on last season's experiences: Mike Flynn's side beat Leeds United at the same stage of the 2017-18 edition, and were then narrowly eliminated in the fourth round over two meetings with Tottenham Hotspur.
Matt's early opener was converted when Robbie Willmott, who was playing for little-known Bishop's Stortford when Leicester finished atop the English pyramid, skinned Christian Fuchs down the right flank before lifting a cross into the middle.
Newport fought hard and were nearing another historic result in the competition when, after Joe Day made a great save to thwart substitute James Maddison, Ghezzal preyed on a weak clearance with a devastating hit from outside the box.
Parity was short-lived. Marc Albrighton deflected away a cross with his elbow to concede a late spot-kick, which led to jubilant scenes in south Wales.
"I played with (Leicester goalkeeper) Danny Ward at Morecambe, he faced a few of my penalties in training so I was hoping he wouldn't remember," Amond told BBC One post-match.
"It's brilliant to score the winner but just to win is the big one. Everyone's done brilliantly today and I think we fully deserved it."
The draw for the fourth round of the FA Cup will be conducted after Wolverhampton Wanderers and Liverpool squabble Monday.