Nottingham Forest produced one of the triumphs of the Third Round with an impressive 5-0 win over Premier League side West Ham.
Forest's victory earned them a home Fourth Round tie with Ipswich or Preston and a decent chance of further progression.
Nottm Forest 5-0 West Ham
The FA Cup with Budweiser
Third Round Proper
Sunday 5 January 2014
The City Ground
Jamie Paterson was the hero of the day with a second-half hat-trick - his first goals for the club - after Djamel Abdoun opened the scoring with a coolly taken first-half spot-kick. And Andy Reid wrapped things up with a neat finish in injury time.
Sam Allardyce fielded a team full of West Ham youngsters, supplemented by England Under-21 midfielder Ravel Morrison and captain Stewart Downing, while Forest started the match as underdogs and hoped to cause an FA Cup upset in front of their fans at the County Ground.
After a bright start Abdoun put his side ahead with a cheeky penalty after just 12 minutes, showing Nikica Jelavic how the famous Panenka penalty should be done after the Everton forward missed a similar effort against QPR on Saturday.
Forest were awarded the penalty after George Moncur had a nightmare start the match. The Hammers prospect failed to clear his lines and then, in a rush to rectify his error, he brought down Paterson in the penalty box after the Forest star produced a delightful Cruyff turn.
West Ham were stunned but the mercurial Morrison went closest to levelling for Allardyce’s side before the interval when he hit a dipping free-kick that was saved well by Karl Darlow.
Video highlights of the game at the City Ground.
Billy Davies’ Forest were in control for the whole of the opening period and they almost doubled their lead through towering target-man Greg Halford.
The Forest striker, more familiar playing in defence but thrown in to the forward line due to a shortage of attackers, got his head to a perfect cross from the left flank but it was straight at West Ham keeper Adrian.
Moments before the break, Forest had another stellar chance to double the deficit. Reid, the home side’s most impressive playmaker, slid Eric Lichaj in to the box but his tame shot was well saved again by Adrian.
When the half-time whistle finally come from referee Martin Atkinson it was at the relief of West Ham who had been out-fought and over-awed by an effervescent Forest side.
On 58 minutes Sebastian Lletget tried to get his side back in the tie with strike on the half-volley that Darlow again did well to save but West Ham kept up the pressure with former Manchester United man Morrison trying an audacious shot from an almost impossible angle that Darlow did well to block.
The resilient Forest goalkeeper was repaid for his fine form by his forwards on 66 minutes when Paterson struck for the second but by no means the last time.
Halford posed a threat to the West Ham defence, following a long drive forward, and when the loose ball dropped down to Paterson he latched on to it and rifled a shot across goal that the West Ham keeper could only get a hand to.
And with 12 minutes remaining Paterson strolled past a host of West Ham defenders before stroking a right-footed shot past the beleaguered West Ham keeper. The forward was substituted before the end and was awarded the Budweiser Man of the Match award.
There was still time for Reid to remind everyone of his previous Premier League pedigree when he smashed home from close range in injury time to leave top-flight West Ham looking red faced and Forest fans jubilant with a place in the hat for the Fourth Round.
