Game in Numbers: QPR’s shoot-out record and Arsenal’s ‘25’ problem

game in numbers qpr's shootout record and arsenal's 25 problem blanks disappear the 139 fa cup third round matches played over the past four seasons including replays have produced only two 0-0 queens park rangers who knocked out rotherham united are the first team to contest four penalty shootouts in one season as a club in the top two division qpr have taken part in three carabao cup shootouts this season arsenal's number up before this season arsenal's only fa cup third round elimination in the past 25 years and their only exit in any round at a lower division ground in those 25 years had come at nottingham forest city ground then yesterday their 25th game of the season brought defeat by a forest side 25 places below them in the league watched by 25 000 fans at the city ground two of the weekend's biggest fa cup surprises were created by wood and forest magpies misery newcastle united knocked out by cambridge united have not won a major trophy since their opponents became a league club in 1970 as of 1969 newcastle led chelsea in trophies by 11 to 2 but since then chelsea have lifted 23 to newcastle's none no top flight team since knotts county in 1903 had recorded a logic defying 12-game run in all competitions that featured 10 defeats but wins by at least three goals in the other two matches yet claudio ranieri has produced exactly that in his first 12 fixtures in charge of watford knowing their place the fa cup score line that the dw stadium fitted the league positions of the two teams wigan athletic 3 blackburn rovers 2. blackburn were among three lancashire bee clubs who took the lead against lower division opponents yet lost burnley did the same against huddersfield town as did blackpool against haroldpool united 11 teams came from behind to win in the fa cup third round compared with only three last year it is the eighth season in a row that burnley have lost at least one domestic cup tie to a lower division side with six such defeats at home in that period blue ferguson thomas tuchel took chelsea to two finals last season and has them still competing in three cups this season for if you include next month's club world cup in the uae as he approaches his first anniversary but he has still managed in fewer matches involving chelsea than sir alex ferguson did when in charge of manchester united the scot leads the german 72 to 63. the same applies to seven other roman abramovichera managers at chelsea maurizio sarri avram grant gus hirink rafael benitez roberto di matteo andre villas boas and luis felipe scolari united are playing on three consecutive mondays for the first time since christmas 1983. tonight's match against aston villa completes the sequence