Bristol City, from the Championship, caused an upset by defeating 10-man West Ham, securing their spot in the FA Cup fourth round.
In the third minute, Tommy Conway secured the victory by intercepting a short pass from Konstantinos Mavropanos, rounding Lukasz Fabianski, and calmly slotting the ball home.
Facing the absence of key players Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, and Mohammed Kudus, West Ham struggled to generate opportunities. Their closest chance came when Max O’Leary tipped over a Tomas Soucek effort.
In the 51st minute, David Moyes’ team was reduced to 10 men as Said Benrahma received a red card for kicking out at Joe Williams in response to a foul.
The intensity of the game persisted, with Bristol City’s Taylor Gardner-Hickman narrowly avoiding more severe punishment after seemingly swinging an arm at Aaron Cresswell and subsequently shoving him in the chest twice.
Bristol City will face either Premier League side Nottingham Forest or League One team Blackpool in the fourth round on Friday, 26 January, following their third-round replay on Wednesday.
“It is a blow [to go out],” Moyes told BBC Sport.
“We would have liked to have been in the cup but we have Europe to look forward to in March and we are in a good position in the league, but we are disappointed to go out.”
Moyes added he had “no problem” with Benrahma’s red card, but added it was “amazing they call this one of the biggest cup competitions but we don’t have VAR in all the games”.
“The atmosphere was phenomenal,” Bristol City boss Liam Manning told BBC Sport. “A special memory for me and the players.
“We showed real resilience, a good connection and level of organisation. At times it was challenging and we had to keep our emotions in check and we did a terrific job at that.
“I actually think we can improve and get a little bit better.”
West Ham’s lack of depth proves costly
With injuries sidelining Bowen and Paqueta from the original match nine days ago, and Kudus participating in the Africa Cup of Nations with Ghana, West Ham was expected to struggle in terms of offensive strength.
This expectation was further reinforced by the fact that their starting front three of Danny Ings, Maxwel Cornet, and Benrahma had yet to score in the current campaign.
The early goal, entirely preventable and likely to infuriate Moyes, put them at a disadvantage.
In the first half, Ings sent a shot wide after executing a skillful turn, while Cornet couldn’t convert a challenging opportunity from four yards out, following Soucek’s initial attempt.
The Hammers’ performance in the second half was subpar, with Soucek’s shot representing their sole on-target effort.
Benrahma’s loss of composure proved costly as West Ham struggled to mount a significant offensive threat against the disciplined and superior Bristol City side.
Moyes faced a shortage of alternatives on the bench, with two goalkeepers and five young players among the eight named. This once again underscores the urgency for West Ham to bolster their squad depth.
This marks the first occasion since the 2016-17 season that they have fallen short of reaching the fourth round, raising additional inquiries about Moyes’ role, especially considering that certain sections of the West Ham fanbase were already questioning his position prior to this premature exit.
Nevertheless, West Ham currently holds the sixth position in the Premier League and has a Europa League last-16 tie scheduled for March. There remains a significant amount at stake for them in the ongoing season.