FA Cup: AFC Wimbledon revive Crazy Gang memories

AFC Wimbledon revived memories of their Crazy Gang heyday as they knocked Premier League side West Ham out of the FA Cup.

Scott Wagstaff celebrates an FA Cup double for AFC Wimbledon. Picture: AFP

AFC Wimbledon revived memories of their Crazy Gang heyday as they knocked Premier League side West Ham out of the FA Cup with a 4-2 win in the fourth round.

Wimbledon may be bottom of League One, and 58 places adrift of the Hammers, but that didn’t stop them being 3-0 up early in the second half, with Scott Wagstaff scoring twice after Kwesi Appiah’s opener.

Hammers substitutes Lucas Perez and Felipe Anderson scored to make it 3-2, before Wimbledon’s Toby Sibbick, not even born when the club won the 1988 FA Cup final against Liverpool, headed in the winner two minutes from time.

The Hammers were not the only top-flight side beaten by lower league opposition, with Everton losing 3-2 to Millwall in controversial fashion earlier in the day.

Shrewsbury, who play in the same division as Wimbledon, came close to a Cup shock of their own before Wolves scored a 93rd-minute equaliser to rescue a 2-2 draw at New Meadow.

Meanwhile, Manchester City’s quest for four trophies continued with a 5-0 thrashing of Burnley.

AFC Wimbledon, formed by fans angry when the old Wimbledon FC was effectively relocated from south London to Milton Keynes, took a deserved lead in the 34th minute through Appiah’s deflected shot from the edge of the box. And they were 2-0 up before the break.

Wagstaff ran all the way to the edge of the box unopposed after dispossessing Pedro Obiang on halfway before calmly slotting his shot past Hammers keeper Adrian. Then just seconds into the second half, Wagstaff made it 3-0 when, following an Appiah cross, he scored from 12m.

Perez pulled one back in the 57th minute and before Anderson’s free-kick raised hope of a Hammers equaliser. But teenage substitute Sibbick then headed in an excellent cross from Anthony Wordsworth to put the result beyond doubt.

Everton twice led at The Den, but were left to rue the lack of VAR at the game as Millwall’s second goal, from Jake Cooper, was allowed to stand despite coming off the defender’s arm.

Marco Silva’s men only had themselves to blame after dire defending saw them concede from three set pieces.

City boss Pep Guardiola labelled talk of a quadruple as “fantasy” earlier in the week but, after this weekend’s performance, Burnley manager Sean Dyche said: “Who is going to stop them winning everything if they are in that mood?”

AFP