Anfield and Vegas, get ready to welcome Havant & Waterlooville. Last night the Blue Square South side beat Swansea City, the Coca-Cola League One leaders, who are 83 places above them in the football pyramid, to earn a fourth-round tie away to Liverpool. The bonus will be an end-of-season trip to Las Vegas, promised to them by Derek Pope, their owner, as a reward for this most dramatic of victories.

The part-timers — the last non-League side in the Cup — led 3-0 after 37 minutes, but Swansea pulled one back and had a penalty saved by Kevin Scriven before half-time. They narrowed the gap further early in the second half, but a fourth goal from Tom Jordan, a substitute who has announced his intention to leave the Hampshire club, sealed the win. He might fancy delaying his departure until after the trip to Merseyside.

“Unbelievable,” Shaun Gale, the Havant manager, said. “To go 3-0 up was dreamland, but it was dangerous and we showed real character. I am proud to be their manager. It has been a fairytale and it continues. The lads are in tears — they’re going to Anfield.”

After the bruising nature of the 1-1 draw in the first match between the teams at the Liberty Stadium ten days ago, it was a spectacle to gladden the heart of Brian Barwick, the FA chief executive, who called it “fantastic for the competition”. Havant attacked the visiting team from the first whistle and were aided by unconvincing displays from the Swansea defenders and goalkeeper. “Maybe they underestimated us,” Gale said. “They couldn’t deal with our set-pieces.”

Swansea’s tormentor was Brett Poate, whose delivery of the dead ball was decisive. He had been sent off in the first match for a crude two-footed challenge, but the Blue Square South team are subject to local association rules, under which suspensions take effect 14 days after the offence, allowing him to play last night, although he will miss the match against Liverpool.

After only four minutes his corner kick from the right was half-cleared, but he was able to swing the ball back in and it skidded in off the head of Gary Monk, the Swansea captain.

Twenty minutes later Poate curled in another corner and Dorus De Vries’s attempt to punch clear only knocked the ball down to the feet of Jamie Collins, the captain, who scored his third goal of the season. He had said at the weekend that if he scored and Havant went through, he would not care if he never scored again.

After 37 minutes, it was 3-0 as De Vries failed to cut out Richard Pacquette’s angled shot from the right and Rocky Baptiste, a Liverpool fan who grew up within sight of Wembley stadium, popped up at the far post to poke the ball in. “It’s got to be the most important goal I’ve ever scored,” he said. “You can imagine what it means to me.”

Swansea desperately needed to interrupt the home side’s momentum and they did so two minutes later when Guillem Bauza’s shot found the top corner with the help of a deflection. And they should have reduced the arrears again after 41 minutes when Jay Smith brought down Bauza, but Scriven, the goalkeeper, leapt to his right to beat away Leon Britton’s penalty kick. “A fantastic save,” Gale said. “That probably turned the game.”

Swansea pulled another goal back three minutes after the break as Bauza’s touch diverted Andy Robinson’s low cross onto the foot of a post, and Jason Scotland, the Trinidad & Tobago forward, converted the rebound.

But back came Havant; Poate slung in another free kick and Jordan, the son of Joe, the former Scotland forward, headed past De Vries.

Swansea were not finished and they struck the frame of Scriven’s goal three more times, making it seven efforts that they had put against the woodwork over the two matches, but it was Havant’s night. “If someone offered me a million pounds not to lead the team out at Anfield, I’d probably turn them down,” Collins said. “To play in front of the Kop is something money can’t buy.”

Havant & Waterlooville (4-4-2): K Scriven – J Gregory, J Smith (sub: T Jordan, 46min), P Warner, B Poate – M Harkin, C Oatway (sub: S Wilkinson, 43), J Collins, A Potter – R Pacquette (sub: J Slabber, 77), R Baptiste. Substitutes not used: T Taylor, T Taggart. Booked: Collins, Potter, Warner.

Swansea City (4-4-2): D De Vries – A Rangel, G Monk, D Lawrence, M Painter (sub: D Duffy, 77) – P Anderson (sub: T Butler, 51), L Britton, D Pratley, A Robinson – J Scotland, G Bauza. Substitutes not used: K Austin, K O’Leary, D Knight. Booked: Butler, Pratley.

Referee: A D’Urso.

A tale of three cities

So, it’s Liverpool versus Havant & Waterlooville in the fourth round. It may look a bit of a mismatch on the football field, but how do the Hampshire towns stack up against the Merseyside city in other ways?

Icons

The Beatles v Fred Dinenage Arguably the greatest band of all time versus the former presenter of How? and now Meridian Tonight, who lives near Waterlooville. Sort of.
Winner Liverpool (just)

Built environment

Liverpool boasts landmarks such as the Albert Dock, the Liver Building, two cathedrals, the site of The Cavern. Leigh Park, which is near to Havant, was once the second-largest council estate in Europe.
Winner Liverpool

Sport

Everton and Liverpool have won countless trophies and play in two of the country’s great arenas. Havant & Waterlooville play in the Blue Square South, at Westleigh Park. Havant hockey club have won the national league. And cricket is said to have been invented at nearby Hambledon. But not actually in Havant.
Winner Liverpool

Imprint on national consciousness

Liverpool is always in the media because of what is happening there in sport or music, or as the setting for television programmes from Z Cars through Boys from the Blackstuff to Brookside. Havant is on the railway timetable, between Warblington and Bedhampton.
Winner Liverpool

Crime

At 0.51 robberies per thousand people per year, Havant is well below the national average of 1.85. In Liverpool it is 3.9. With 27 violent incidents against a person per year per thousand people, Havant is well above the national figure of 20. In Liverpool, though, it’s 37.
Winner Havant

Culture

Liverpool is European Capital of Culture 2008 and famous for poets, comedians and musicians. Havant Museum boasts the Vokes Collection of Sporting Firearms. And Havant produced the parchment on which the Magna Carta was signed.
Winner Liverpool

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