Crawley Town pulled off a memorable cup upset with a 2-0 win over Fulham - here are the 5 biggest upsets in the Football League Cup's history - including Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United

Crawley supporters invaded the pitch at full-time after goals from Tom Nichols and James Balagizi secured the West Sussex’s side place in the third round.

The fans who did spill onto the pitch were told there was “no justification” for the pitch invasion by the footballing authorities.

The English Football League (EFL) said in a statement: “The EFL condemns the actions taken by a number of individuals leading up to, during and following the unacceptable mass pitch incursion at the end of Crawley Town’s Carabao Cup tie against Fulham,” read an EFL statement.

“EFL clubs, their employees, the Football Supporters’ Association, and the game’s wider stakeholders, have made a collective commitment to ensure that the safety of all those involved in the game is not compromised by anti-social and criminal behaviour.

“Everyone associated with staging and attending football matches has a responsibility to meet that commitment and should also be fully aware that it is against the law to enter the pitch at any time without permission and doing so could result in a club ban and criminal record for the perpetrators.

“It is vital that those playing the game can do so safe in the knowledge that they will not be subjected to violent, threatening, or anti-social behaviour going forward.

“Whilst acknowledging the occasion of Crawley’s victory against a Premier League opponent, there can be no justification to enter the pitch without authority.”

Despite the controversy, it was a memorable night for Crawley Town, who are no strangers to surprise cup upsets, after beating Premier League Leeds United 3-0 in the FA Cup third round, just over 18 months ago.

No British knockout tournament is complete without a traditional upset or too.

So with this in mind, the team at betting.com have discovered five of the most shocking defeats to have happened in the history of the League Cup.

1. MK Dons 4-0 Manchester United (2014)

Following a losing start at home to Swansea in the league, new Manchester United manger was Louis van Gaal hoped to kickstart his tenure as Red Devils boss with a positive performance and victory against third-tier club MK Dons, in the third round of the then-called Capital One Cup.

However, United’s poor start to the season continued after falling to a shock 4-0 defeat. Sound familiar?

Manchester United were swept away by an astonishing performance from a young Dele Alli, whose clever build-up play led to two goals a piece for strikers Will Grigg and Benik Afobe.

Despite being knocked out of the tournament in the fourth round by Sheffield United, the Dons went on to have a memorable season – finishing second in the league and achieving promotion to the Championship.

2. Bradford City 1-1 Arsenal [3-2 on Penalties] (2012)

This was an Arsenal side still reeling from a surprising 2-1 defeat to Birmingham City in the previous season’s League Cup final.

A quarter-final away at then League Two side Bradford City was seen by many as the first step in an easy route to the final and a shot at restoring glory.

However, Phil Parkinson’s Bradford City had other ideas, holding the Premier League club to a 1-1 draw before dumping them out via a penalty shoot-out.

Bradford City would cause more surprises in this tournament, defeating Aston Villa in the semi-final to reach the final against Swansea City - a side who caused a few shocks of their own by knocking out Chelsea in their semi-final.

There were no surprises in the final, however, as the Premier League’s Swansea City eventually defeated Bradford City 5-0.

3. Liverpool 2-2 Northampton Town [2-4 on Penalties] (2010)

On paper, a third-round home tie against then League Two side Northampton Town must have seemed like easy pickings for Liverpool and their new boss Roy Hodgson.

Albeit far from the strength that the Jurgen Klopp Liverpool side of today possesses, this Liverpool squad still featured the likes of Daniel Agger, Jonjo Shelvey and David N’Gog.

However, a second-half equaliser from Northampton’s Billy McKay brought the game to extra-time, where Michael Jacobs would again level the scoring, taking the match to penalties and an eventual shock defeat for Liverpool at Anfield.

Sadly, Northampton Town would not progress much further, losing 3-1 to Ipswich Town in the fourth round.

4. Colchester United 0-0 Tottenham Hotspur [4-3 on Penalties] (2019)

By 2019, you’d expect the footballing world to become familiar with the tradition of a lower league side knocking a ‘big six’ club out of the League Cup on penalties.

However, nobody had warned Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham Hotspur side, as the Premier League side's hunt for a major trophy took another devastating blow.

Defeat to this League Two side provided extra shock value given that this Spurs team had reached the Champions League final just a few months prior.

Colchester would go on to reach the quarter-final stage of the 2019/20 League Cup, eventually knocked out by a 3-0 defeat away at Manchester United.

5. Manchester United 0-3 York City (1995)

League Cup upsets have been taking place for years, and back in 1995, Manchester United fell victim to a 3-0 defeat at home to York City, who at the time played in the third tier.

This Manchester United side led by Sir Alex Ferguson and featuring the likes of David Beckham, Phill Neville and Ryan Giggs was on the verge of its glory years - however, this second-round defeat was anything but glorious.

Paul Barnes was the York City hero that night, scoring twice in a game that would go down as one of the greatest in the club’s history.