BLACKPOOL BELIED their poor Sky Bet Championship form to beat Nottingham Forest 4-1 and dump the Premier League side out of the FA Cup.
Ireland U21 international Andy Lyons completed 90 minutes on his debut for the Championship side, while CJ Hamilton was among the scorers.
The Seasiders, in the second-tier’s relegation zone after a nine-game winless run, led at half-time through Marvin Ekpiteta’s close-range finish.
Michael Appleton’s side then soaked up Forest’s second-half pressure and added further goals through Ian Poveda, Hamilton and substitute Jerry Yates before Ryan Yates headed a late consolation for the visitors.
Forest boss Steve Cooper made 11 changes for the third-round tie and was left stunned as his new-look line-up failed to convert a host of chances before being punished on the counter by the Championship strugglers.
Elsewhere, Promise Omochere’s winner sent Fleetwood into the fourth round of the FA Cup for the first time with a 2-1 win at home to QPR.
Fleetwood had to come from behind but Omochere rifled in midway through the second half to knock the Sky Bet Championship side out.
Sam Field had broken the deadlock for QPR on 37 minutes, bundling in after Lyndon Dykes had helped on Ilias Chair’s ball into the box.
But the lead lasted three minutes as the unmarked Toto Nsiala headed in Danny Andrew’s corner to draw Fleetwood level.
The hosts had created the better chances before the goals, with former Ireland underage international Cian Hayes dragging an early effort wide and Omochere inches away from turning in Hayes’ dangerous ball across goal.
Admiral Muskwe should have sent the Cod Army into the break with a lead, but he blazed over in stoppage time after Carlos Mendes Gomes had sent him clear of the defence.
Muskwe fluffed a fantastic chance five minutes into the second half, when Rangers goalkeeper Seny Dieng parried Omochere’s shot straight to him. With the open goal gaping in front of him, he completely miscued his tap-in.
But Omochere produced a fine finish on the turn to give Fleetwood a deserved win and create one of the shocks of the third round.
Dundalk native Jimmy Dunne started the game for QPR and Sinclair Armstrong came off the bench.
Evan Ferguson started and produced another influential performance as Brighton eased past Sky Bet Championship Middlesbrough to reach the FA Cup fourth round.
World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister, a half-time replacement for Adam Lallana at the Riverside Stadium, produced deft 58th-minute and 80th-minute finishes to cement a comfortable 5-1 victory for the Premier League side.
First-half goals from Pascal Gross and Lallana either side of Chuba Akpom’s equaliser – his 14th of the season – had set the visitors on their way.
Substitute Deniz Undav added a late fifth on a day when Michael Carrick’s promotion hopefuls were given a taste of what awaits them should they make it out of the second tier this season.
The Meath native was key to the opening goal, as skipper Gross made the breakthrough with just eight minutes gone when, after the unmarked Solly March had run on to Ferguson’s intelligent pass to force Zack Steffen to save, he followed up and slotted into the empty net.
Two goals from Morocco winger Anass Zaroury gave Championship leaders Burnley a 3-1 lead at Bournemouth but Dominic Solanke scored just after half-time to narrow the deficit.
However, Manuel Benson scored his second of the game to restore Burnley’s two-goal cushion and they advanced to the next round with a 4-2 win.
In addition, Aaron Connolly made his Hull debut off the bench in the 61st minute, while Sean McLoughlin started but the Irish duo could not inspire their side to victory.
Layvin Kurzawa and Daniel James secured Fulham’s place in the FA Cup fourth round at the expense of Hull as Marco Silva gained victory over his former employers.
Kurzawa was one of seven changes to Premier League Fulham’s line-up and was left with a simple 37th-minute finish after Matt Ingram parried Harry Wilson’s shot, while James secured a 2-0 win at the death.
Their Championship hosts also shuffled their pack but were left to rue Harvey Vale fluffing his lines early on, on his first home start, as they faded after beginning brightly at the MKM Stadium.
Silva, whose first managerial job in England was at Hull in a brief stint in 2017, rested a number of first-team players that have helped Fulham into seventh in the top flight after three straight wins.
Meanwhile, former Ireland U21 international Danny Mandroiu scored his third League One goal since signing for Lincoln from Shamrock Rovers, but he still ended up on the losing side amid a 2-1 defeat to Charlton.
Finally, in League Two, Irish pair Stephen McLoughlin and Stephen Quinn were among the goals as Mansfield lost 3-2 against Barrow.
English FA Cup results on Saturday:
Third round
Blackpool 4 (Ekpiteta 17, Poveda-Ocampo 64, Hamilton 71, Yates 87) Nottingham Forest 1 (Yates 90+2)
Boreham Wood 1 (Ndlovu 78) Accrington Stanley 1 (Astley 6)
Bournemouth 2 (Christie 12, Solanke 48) Burnley 4 (Benson 6, 57, Zaroury 39, 43)
Chesterfield 3 (Williams 7, Dobra 36, 41) West Brom 3 (Thomas-Asante 2, 90+3, Ahearne-Grant 17)
Crystal Palace 1 (Edouard 14) Southampton 2 (Ward-Prowse 37, Armstrong 68)
Fleetwood 2 (Nsiala 40, Omochere 67) QPR 1 (Field 37)
Gillingham 0 Leicester 1 (Iheanacho 56)
Hull 0 Fulham 2 (Kurzawa 37, James 90+4)
Ipswich 4 (Humphreys 43, Chaplin 74-pen, Ladapo 79, Burns 87-pen) Rotherham 1 (Washington 47-pen)
Middlesbrough 1 (Akpom 13) Brighton 5 (Gross 8, Lallana 29, Mac Allister 58, 80, Undav 88)
Millwall 0 Sheffield United 2 (Jebbison 23, Bogle 36)
Preston 3 (Lees 60-og, Diaby 73, Browne 85) Huddersfield 1 (Kamberi 57)
Reading 2 (Abrefa 45+3, Long 90+3) Watford 0
Shrewsbury 1 (Pennington 81) Sunderland 2 (Stewart 90+2, O’Nien 90+4)
Tottenham 1 (Kane 50) Portsmouth 0
Additional reporting by Paul Fennessy
