The enigma of the FA cup lies in its unpredictability - on any given day a club in its ashes can upset the very best of the Premier League. Be it Newcastle United, who was the casualty at the hand of the non-league division club Hereford United in 1972 or the second division Sunderland, who had already defeated Manchester United and Arsenal, overcoming Leeds in the 197 final or Barnsley knocking out both Liverpool and Chelsea in the 2008 season, overs the years, there have been many such instances when a high-flying club was brought to an abrupt landing by teams that had little recognition. It is this feature of the cup that attracts millions of viewers all around the world. Here's a look back at the upsets that the FA cup has witnessed in the recent past.

Bournemouth 2-0 Manchester United
FA Cup third round, 1984
Dean Court was the setting of this dramatic encounter in which a buoyant Bournemouth, a Third Division club, then managed by Harry Redknapp brought United's love affair with the Cup to end that year. It wasn't the most attractive tie but the home team displayed great determination as they got the better of the Red Devils. Goals by Milton Graham and Ian Thompson ensured the early exit of the top division club.

"We don't get many days like this in Bournemouth," said an ecstatic Cherries' manager Harry Redknapp after the match.

This is part 2 of a 5 part series on the FA Cup. This article talks about the importance of the FA Cup in the modern football world. To read about part 1 which focussed on the History of the World's Oldest football tournament please click here.

The rich club footballing culture, and the fondness that the fans have developed over the years towards the clubs they support, have ensured that the reputation of the FA Cup as a premier sporting event in England stayed put. The defeat of the mighty Leeds United to a second division Sunderland in the 1973 cup final epitomizes what the FA Cup stands for - the unpredictability, and the fact that, on any given day, status and stature mean nothing.

The oldest professional football knockout competition in the world, The FA Cup pits the giants of the top division against the minnows of the lower leagues, as all the Association clubs from England and Wales fight it out for the top honors. The competition, with its rich history and tradition, is one of England's greatest sporting institutions. If the grand scale of the tournament in itself generates tremendous interest, the Cup finals provide a grandeur spectacle. Since its inception 138 years ago, it has had football enthusiasts, not only from England, but from all over the world, sit back and revel season after season.

A goalkeeper invokes in us a wide spectrum of emotions, ranging from the spectacular to the abysmal. After all, which football fan doesn't like a flying goalkeeper making saves; which are surreal, at the very least? In the light of the extremes in which goalkeepers are evaluated and remembered, it is hardly a surprise that their specimens have hogged a fair bit of limelight in football folklore.

In the history of professional football, numerous goalkeepers have threatened to touch immortality, but only a handful have actually come close. The following ten great names are different from the rest of the goalkeeping gentry by the mere fact that they knocked on the door to immortality day in and day out.