LONDON - English premier soccer league side Fulham were knocked out of the FA Cup by League One (third division) Bristol Rovers on Tuesday as all three of the night's third-round replays went to penalties.
Fulham, second-last in the Premier League, failed to impose themselves on their supposed
inferiors during 120 goalless minutes on a heavy pitch, just as they struggled in the 2-2 Craven Cottage draw in the original match.
Fulham, who have not won in their last 13 games, had defender Dejan Sefanovic sent off in extra time and went down 5-3 on penalties.
In the fourth round this weekend Rovers will visit Barnet, who upset League One Swindon after they finished 1-1 after extra time.
Swindon contrived to miss the four penalties they took in the shootout, allowing the League Two (fourth division) side to advance by scoring two.
Derby County, bottom of the Premier League, scraped into a fourth-round home game with Preston North End after they finished level at 1-1 after extra time against Sheffield Wednesday at a sodden Hillsborough.
Steve Watson shot Wednesday into a 10th-minute lead and they were the better side for most of the first half.
Kenny Miller equalised for Derby with a nice curler two minutes after the restart but both teams looked short of ideas as the game went into the extra 30 minutes and Derby, with only one league win to their name this season, won the shootout 4-2.
- REUTERS
