Dean Campbell and Jamie Reid’s dramatic late goals fired League Two Stevenage to a stunning Emirates FA Cup giant-killing against ten-man Aston Villa.
Unai Emery’s in-form Premier League hosts led 1-0 with just two minutes of normal time remaining before Reid’s penalty looked to have earned Steve Evans’ visitors a memorable third round replay.
But with Villa down to ten after Leander Dendoncker’s 85th-minute red card for fouling Campbell in the box, the Boro midfielder rifled home in stoppage-time to cap an unforgettable day for the fourth-tier visitors.
Morgan Sanson’s first goal for the club had hauled Villa into the lead in the first half.
But high-flying Stevenage, who sit second in the League Two table, launched a rousing second-half rally as Reid and Campbell completed a remarkable late turnaround to book a round four date at Stoke City.
Elsewhere on Sunday, there was more last-gasp drama in Wales as Sonny Perkins’ late leveller salvaged Leeds United a replay in a pulsating 2-2 draw against ten-man Cardiff City.
Perkins netted deep in stoppage-time to help the Premier League visitors avoid a major shock after the second-tier Bluebirds had surged into a 2-0 half-time lead.
Jaden Philogene and Sheyi Ojo grabbed the goals in a seven-minute blitz that looked to put Matt Hudson’s hosts on the brink of another major upset on third round weekend.
But Rodrigo pulled one back midway through the second period before Cardiff defender Joel Bagan was then sent off for a handball with ten minutes remaining.
And Perkins’ capped a heart-thumping finale as his eleventh-hour intervention helped Jesse Marsch’s top-flight visitors scramble into the hat for round four.
The winners of the Elland Road replay will face either National League Boreham Wood or League One Accrington Stanley, who drew 1-1 24 hours earlier on a thrilling weekend of action.
Riyad Mahrez’s double helped Manchester City breeze past Chelsea 4-0 in the day’s only all-Premier League tie.
Mahrez, Phil Foden and a Julian Alvarez penalty did the first-half damage as the visitors were left shell-shocked visitors at the Etihad Stadium.
Chelsea were runners-up of last year’s competition after going down in a penalty shoot-out against eight-time winners Liverpool, who drew 2-2 against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield on Saturday night.
But they were dumped out at the first hurdle this season as Mahrez’s second-half penalty put the seal on a dominant display from Pep Guardiola’s 2019 champions.
Earlier in the day, there was more late drama as Andy Williams’ 95th-minute penalty propelled Walsall to a 2-1 win at fellow League Two side Stockport County.
Paddy Madden’s 88th-minute equaliser looked to have snatched the hosts a replay after Danny Johnson had given Walsall the lead just after the hour mark.
But Madden’s foul on Liam Kinsella just moments later gave Williams the opportunity to catapult Michael Flynn’s travelling side into the fourth round.
Stoke City and Derby County both comfortably progressed as they secured 3-0 wins against Hartlepool United and Barnsley.
A pair of own goals proved costly for Pools as Euan Murray and Rollin Menayese both diverted past goalkeeper Ben Killip.
They came either side of a tidy Jacob Brown finish as Alex Neil’s visitors teed up a clash against Stevenage’s third-round heroes at home.
James Collins, Tom Barkhuizen, and Jason Knight all netted for Derby as they eased past their fellow League One club Barnsley and set up a fourth round tie against Premier League West Ham United, who beat Brentford 1-0 on Saturday.
David Wagner was unable to celebrate his first game as Norwich City manager with a win as the Canaries slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Blackburn Rovers.
Jack Vale capitalised on an under-hit Grant Hanley backpass to emulate the visitors’ league win at the same opponent last month and inflict former Huddersfield Town boss Wagner, who replaced Dean Smith in the Carrow Road hotseat this week, with an opening game defeat.
And in another all-Championship affair, Bristol City earned a replay at Swansea City after Antoine Semenyo’s 75th-minute leveller.
Joel Piroe had fired the visitors into an early lead before Ghana striker Semenyo nodded home late on to secure his side a return trip to South Wales.
Source: The Football Association