When Manchester United met Portsmouth in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, there was only one expected winner with nobody seeing an upset on the cards. It was unprecedented and unthinkable that there would be none of the top teams in the final but that was to be the case.

Many people were adamant that the shine of the FA Cup, the most watched domestic cup competition in the world, would be lost without the bright lights of Manchester United, Chelsea and Co but for me it only highlighted the glory that there is to be had.

It wasn’t even a case of Manchester United fielding a weaker team at Old Trafford as the side that faced Pompey was near enough full strength. Pompey refused to buckle in that tie and won it with a Sulley Muntari penalty before going on to beat West Bromwich Albion in the semis. Cardiff perhaps had a more leisurely trip to the final, although they did see off Premier League Middlesbrough, winning 2-0 at the Riverside in the quarter-finals.

‘The FA Cup is a fantastic competition. We should celebrate the fact that the winner was not one of the Big Four and that none of them even reached the final’

The FA Cup is a fantastic competition. We should celebrate the fact that the winner was not one of the Big Four and that none of them even reached the final.

Portsmouth and Cardiff fans most likely enjoyed that final much more than those of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Liverpool would have, as it’s not something that they will get to experience too often. It was 69 years since Portsmouth’s last FA Cup final victory.

If the top teams are going to be disrespectful and under-estimate the ability of the lower teams – for instance, Barnsley knocking out Liverpool and then going on to top that feat by knocking out holders Chelsea – then maybe the Premier League aristocrats should just pull out of the competition. They could then leave it to the teams that actually still see it as cup worth winning and who pay it some respect.