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The FA Cup often provides some of the biggest shocks in Football and Saturday's game at Anfield nearly produced one of the all-time upsets when Havant and Waterlooville took on the might of Liverpool. Not only did they take the lead once but they did it twice following a stunning Lucas strike for Liverpool.
If they could have only held out until half time on level terms then if nothing else the Premier League team would have had a restless interval. It was not to be though and a Benayoun hat-trick put paid to the part-timers.
It was, though, a valiant effort given the difference in league positions and status and they will remember this day for the rest of their lives whilst the chairman will be counting the money all the way to the bank.
Elsewhere, all matches were decided without replays and surprisingly only six Premier League teams went into the fifth round draw on Monday.
The best result for the minnows came from Preston who thumped a miserable Derby 4-1 away from home. Paul Jewel is yet to win a game since taking over at the league's bottom club and he is at a loss to understand his team's performances.
He said: "It beggars belief some of the stuff that goes on out there. We make a mistake and fall apart. That's what happens to the team. They seem to be a totally different team of players on match days to those seen in training."
This honest appraisal does not bode well for the squad who if they survive the transfer window will probably not get through the summer as Derby players unless things pick up during the rest of the season.
Meanwhile, Sven Goran-Erikisson's dream of taking Manchester City to Wembley was shattered when Bryan Robson's Sheffield United won comfortably on Sunday 2-1.
City are in danger of letting a promising start to the season drift away to mid table mediocrity with no cup interest to break the monotony. It is the away form that needs addressing and Eriksson knows he has to find a solution, and quickly.
That only six teams have gone though from the top flight looks at first glance promising for the romance of the cup, but on closer inspection it's not quite that rosy as all the big four have gone through.
Unless they have drawn each other or do so later in the competition then it is likely history will repeat itself and two of the four will contest the May showcase final at Wembley. We should not be surprised though as the quality of these squads is so far advanced of their counterparts it is at times embarrassing.
Even Spurs who had a fantastic win against Arsenal last week, and who took the lead at Old Trafford, could not cope with the talent in United's forward line and lost 3-1 in a game they could have really hoped for better things. However, Rooney, Tevez and Ronaldo are such a potent force that any side which does not have their first team out will struggle over 90 minutes.
Kevin Keegan is still waiting for his first goal in charge at Newcastle as Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 win at the Emirates and Chelsea won comfortably 2-1 at Wigan bar a few scares in the last five minutes.
How these 'lesser' teams find a way to break the stranglehold they have is difficult to assess but it is probably down to attitude as much as ability that will hold the key. Belief is as much part of success as physical ability is, which individuals such as Tiger Woods and Roger Federer would testify to. And whilst all these clubs are accepting their place within the football hierarchy then the challenge will remain a hopeful one rather than a realistic chance of winning.
With the Champions League starting again and players returning from the African Nations Cup in the next four weeks, this is when the season gets going for the top sides.
Up to this point it is only a matter of positioning and staying in contention that concerns them along with ensuring the best players are injury free and arriving in peak form for the most important games.
Spurs, Wigan and Newcastle all missed their chance last weekend and in this environment you must take them if dreams of glory are to become a reality ... but each year that goes by the likelihood of this happening is becoming increasingly smaller.
