FA Cup Fourth Round-Up: Prem Sides Avoid Cupsets ... Just

Leeds, Sunderland, Wolves and Fulham All Scrape into Round 5

Every year, the latter rounds of the FA Cup offer no shortage of drama, ranging from penalty shootout pandemonium and dramatic late turnarounds to David and Goliath-style giant killings.

However, while Sunday’s FA Cup fixtures were predictably packed with action, one major feature that will have left many fans disappointed was the lack of any ‘cupsets’ - smaller sides upsetting the odds and knocking out a more illustrious name.

Four Premier League sides travelled to lower league stadiums hoping to master a hostile away crowd, and by the skin of their teeth, all of them managed it. Let’s take you through how Leeds, Wolves, Sunderland and Fulham plotted their path into the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Leeds Through Despite Late Leveller

Sunday’s early kick-off saw Leeds travel to St Andrews, home of high-flying Championship side Birmingham, with the home outfit unbeaten in their last eight games across all competitions, and it didn’t take long for Daniel Farke’s men to register that they were in for a serious contest.

Wearing their stunning 1970s-inspired “penguin” kit, the Midlands side quickly made their intentions known when Jay Stansfield saw his goal-bound effort brilliantly tipped onto the post 10 minutes in by Lucas Perri.

Birmingham were utterly dominant across the first half, and only some last-ditch defending, more excellent saves by Perri and Demarai Gray’s 20th-minute attempt being blocked by his own teammate kept Leeds level going into halftime.

Farke clearly gave his team an earful at halftime, because they came into the second period looking like a new side and were rewarded for their renewed vigour with a goal, courtesy of an excellent Lukas Nmecha finish as he caught Ryan Allsop out at his near post.

But the goal forced Birmingham to come out of their shell even further, and for the rest of the game, the Leeds end was bombarded with shots. Stansfield, Ibrahim Osman and Priske all had superb opportunities to level the tie, but wasteful finishing saw the clock tick all the way up to the 89th minute without alteration to the scoreboard.

Fortunately, Patrick Roberts was on hand to spark immense scenes amongst the home fans - after a corner was only half clear, the winger took the ball in his stride, leathered a left-footed shot at goal and, via a deflection, rippled the net, dragging his side back into the game.

LIMBS OF THE VERY BEST KIND 🔵🔵🔵pic.twitter.com/dh7ZA3EmCZ

— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC) February 15, 2026

Both teams could have won it in normal time – Dominic Calvert-Lewin saw his shot brilliantly blocked over the bar, while at the other end, there were scenes of agony and Osman hit the post and saw the follow-up from Fujimoto superbly blocked by Jaka Bijol, with no regard for his own well-being. Neither side managed to find the breakthrough, and the game headed into an extra half an hour.

An uneventful half an hour, it must be said – aside from a vicious Calvert-Lewin effort being beaten away by Allsop, very little happened, with both sides fearful of letting their level status slip away, and eventually, the referee blew his whistle once again. This meant only one thing – penalties.

All of the first four were scored – Stansfield, Joel Piroe, Marvin Ducksch and Calvert-Lewin all took them expertly. Then it was the turn of Tommy Doyle, who, despite striking the ball well, saw his effort saved by an athletic dive from Perri, and when Brendan Aaronson converted the next spot kick, Leeds had the initiative.

Second-half hero Roberts then compounded Doyle’s failed attempt by missing the target completely, spraying his shot over the bar, and giving Leeds the opportunity to wrap the tie up once and for all – Sean Longstaff duly obliged, planting his penalty in the top corner to the sound of Birmingham despair and Leeds delight.

Sunderland Solid but Unspectacular, Wolves Win

Unexpected Premier League overachievers Sunderland and bottom-of-the-table Wolves both kicked off next, with the Black Cats visiting 23rd-ranked Championship side Oxford United and the Premier League’s bottom side going to Grimsby Town, the side who slayed Manchester United in the Carabao Cup earlier in the season.

Both were clear favourites despite playing on the road, and Sunderland quickly showed why – after a period of earlier dominance, Dennis Cirkin was brought down in the box, allowing Habib Diarra the perfect opportunity to give the Premier League representatives the lead. He made no mistake, slotting the ball into the corner, and Sunderland were on their way.

Oxford were by no means toothless – Christ Makosso somehow missed a header from point-blank range late in the first half and then again missed from close range late in the second thanks to a remarkable Robin Roefs save, but Sunderland were always in control.

Nordi Mukiele in particular was a menace in the second half and was unfortunate not to score, while Wilson Isidor, Romaine Mundle and Eliezer Mayenda saw all attempts saved by Matt Ingram in the Oxford goal. No further goals followed, though, and Sunderland, without too many problems, booked their place in the fifth round alongside Leeds.

Wolves' game with Grimsby was played on one of the muddiest playing surfaces seen in years – 10 minutes in, and it was as if the goalkeepers had never taken to the pitch in fluorescent shirts, instead opting for a more bespoke black shade of getup.

Look at the goulmouth in the Grimsby vs Wolves game😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/7waO4eDR6w

— The 44 ⚽️ (@The_Forty_Four) February 15, 2026

The quality of the pitch undoubtedly hindered the quality of the game, with both sides settling into a disjointed, messy, scrappy game of few chances. However, Grimsby very nearly made their home advantage count early on, as after just one minute, Charles Vernam curled an effort agonisingly wide of Sam Johnstone’s far post.

However, their first-half threat was limited, and despite sitting treacherously far from safety in the league, Wolves started to show the superior quality, with Tolu Arokodare blazing over from close range and Joao Gomes hitting the crossbar from a free kick. However, the first half remained goalless, and Wolves fans could be forgiven for getting a little nervous about what the second period had in store.

That anxiety would only have been amplified when January signing Adam Armstrong was gifted a 1v1 opportunity by Grimsby keeper Jackson Smith, only to completely waste the opportunity by firing over from very close range.

Fortunately for the travelling fans, their nerves were allayed relatively quickly as, 15 minutes into the second half, a perfect Joao Gomes cutback was shinned home by centre back Santiago Bueno – a fortuitous finish no doubt, but a goal all the same.

Grimsby came back with vigour – with one minute left of normal time, a glorious opportunity fell to Andy Cook, but he could only nod his close-range headed opportunity straight at Sam Johnstone.

Only Wolves' fifth victory of the season in all competitions 🐺

Santiago Bueno gives them the win over Grimsby on a very muddy pitch 😅#BBCFootball #GTFC #WWFC #FACup pic.twitter.com/QaV0f4GF35

— BBC 5 Live Sport (@5liveSport) February 15, 2026

Then, with less than three minutes of added time remaining, Tyler Sellars-Fleming found himself with only Sam Johnstone between him and the net. Shaping to take his shot, his eyes lit up – this was his moment.

But Santiago Bueno, hero at one end, quickly became a hero at the other, coming from nowhere to make a superb block, preserving Wolves' perilous lead, and just guiding them into the next round.

Fighting Fulham into Round Five

While Wolves and Sunderland were busy securing one-goal wins for themselves, Fulham had the dangerous task of facing a wounded Stoke side, one in very poor form after being early Championship front-runners.

Suffering three consecutive defeats in the league, the Cottagers needed some momentum badly, and their lack of confidence quickly became clear. After firing an early warning shot from a distance, Potters star man Sorba Thomas cleverly cut the ball back into the path of Jun-Ho Bae, who, after one touch, blasted the ball into the net, leaving Benjamin Lecomte no chance.

20 minutes in, and Fulham were at risk of embarrassing themselves. They responded well, though – five minutes later, only a brilliant save by Tommy Simkin denied Kevin a superb curling effort, and the Stoke stopper was forced into action again to deny the Brazilian once more when a square ball to Antonee Robinson was the obvious option.

Half-time came and went, and Fulham desperately needed a hero to save their FA Cup campaign, and Lecomte did indeed perform some heroics down the other end to brilliantly tip a Lamine Cisse effort onto the post, and three minutes later that save proved crucial.

Pouncing on a loose ball in the area, Kevin buried the ball into the bottom corner 55 minutes in – their danger man on the day, the Brazilian always looked like he had a goal in him. More importantly though, Fulham had momentum on their side and slowly began to turn the screw.

Eventually, the pressure told – having made a number of excellent saves, Simkin’s composure deserted him six minutes from the end of normal time – attempting to pass into midfield, he instead gifted the ball to Harrison Reed who, after picking his spot, rolled it into the corner, giving his side the lead for the first time in the tie.

Harrison Reed pounces on the loose pass to put Fulham in front at Stoke 💪

📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/evHux9As4G

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 15, 2026

The London side's game management from here on out was impeccable – they denied Stoke any sniff of a late leveller, and after five minutes of added time, they joined their Premier League cohorts in the last 16.