Saturday 7 March 2015 10:25, UK
The FA Cup has thrown up some remarkable stories this season but it hasn't just been the fans in the stands celebrating and commiserating.
EithadPunters and bookmakers alike have also endured their fair share of rollercoaster moments, with the upsets of the fourth round providing a real peak in the drama.
Sky Bet have provided us with extraordinary insight via their ‘Cash Out’ records, with the action from Saturday, January 26 leaving brave punters around the country weighing up what to do with their accumulators when Liverpool looked to avoid a similar fate as Tottenham, Manchester City and Chelsea.
Taking on the top two
Cashing out must have been tempting for the punter who backed Chelsea and Manchester City both to lose to lower-league opposition moments after Andy Halliday fired Bradford ahead at Stamford Bridge with 12 tense minutes remaining. However, they were able to join Bantams fans in celebrating when Mark Yeates made it 4-2 and Kike doubled Middlesbrough’s lead at the Etihad in extra-time, landing a £100-backed 290/1 double.
Fantastic four-fold
It was not only the top two upset on that stunning Saturday, with Tottenham and Southampton also crashing out having been odds-on before kick-off. One Sky Bet customer had predicted such, with Leicester and Crystal Palace joining Derby (beat Chesterfield 2-0) and West Brom (won 2-1 at Birmingham) to make up a four-fold win. That accumulator paid out a whopping £36,825.05 from just £2 staked.
Cash out kings
Such upsets built up some significant run ups for the late kick-off at the Anfield, with Bolton looking to dump Liverpool out. However, it was too much for two punters to take as they cashed out their accumulators for £15.8k and £8.2k from £2.50 and £1 bets. They were wise to do so as a stalemate was played out, but Brendan Rodgers’ men progressed courtesy of a late turnaround in the replay at the Macron Stadium.
Punter out-foxed
It was not all glory for the punters, with one customer missing out on an extra £64,000 as they cashed out their four-fold accumulator early. With Leicester back on level terms at Tottenham and Bradford, Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace already winning, they opted to take their money and run, with £1.9k banked. It was an understandable move given Spurs’ record of snatching late wins this season, having salvaged more points from losing positions than any other Premier League side, but that will have served as little comfort when Jeffrey Schlupp volleyed home in stoppage time.
