Soccer

FA Cup wrap: Non-league Maidstone shock Championship side Ipswich

‘It’s the magic of the FA Cup, we have to believe,’ says manager George Elokobi after shock fourth round cup upset

Liam Sole of Maidstone United celebrates victory following the FA Cup Fourth Round match between Ipswich Town and Maidstone United. Photograph: Stephen Pond/Getty Images
Liam Sole of Maidstone United celebrates victory following the FA Cup Fourth Round match between Ipswich Town and Maidstone United. Photograph: Stephen Pond/Getty Images
Sat Jan 27 2024 - 16:15
Ipswich Town 1 Maidstone 2

Sixth-tier Maidstone United stunned Ipswich Town with a 2-1 victory in the fourth round of the FA Cup at Portman Road on Saturday, knocking out a side 98 places above them in the football pyramid.

Lamar Reynolds and Sam Corne scored for Maidstone, the lowest ranked team left in the competition.

"It's the magic of the FA Cup, we have to believe," manager George Elokobi told ITV.

The Stones had their keeper Lucas Covolan to thank for keeping shot after shot out as Ipswich swarmed forward looking for goals.

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"I'm so happy I could help my team mates, I'm so proud of the team," said Covolan afterwards as he wiped away tears. "What we achieved is unbelievable, just brilliant. What a great day."

Jeremy Sarmiento scored for Ipswich Town, who are second in the Championship table.

Sheffield United 2 Brighton & Hove Albion 5

Joao Pedro’s hat-trick sent Brighton through to the FA Cup fifth round with a 5-2 win at Sheffield United.

Pedro scored twice from the spot and crashed in an 18-yard drive after Facundo Buonanotte’s fine goal had given the Seagulls an early lead, with Danny Welbeck scoring at the death to seal an emphatic victory.

The Blades had battled back from 2-0 down to level thanks to goals from Gus Hamer and Will Osula but they lost to the better team at Bramall Lane.

Both sides were beaten semi-finalists in last year’s competition but it is Roberto De Zerbi’s side who are dreaming of another cup run while United can concentrate on trying to avoid Premier League relegation.

Leeds United 1 Plymouth 1

Adam Randell’s second-half equaliser earned Plymouth an FA Cup fourth-round replay after they held Leeds to a 1-1 draw at Elland Road.

The Plymouth midfielder converted a rare chance for his side in the 73rd minute after Jaidon Anthony’s superb solo effort had put Leeds in front at half-time.

Leeds extended their unbeaten home record to 17 games in all competitions, but saw their five-game winning run halted.

Plymouth – 15th in the Championship – are still searching for their first win on the road this season, but are now unbeaten in four games under manager Ian Foster.

Leicester 3 Birmingham City 0

Jamie Vardy’s eighth goal of the season helped much-changed Leicester into the FA Cup fifth round with a 3-0 win against Birmingham.

Vardy broke the deadlock with a header from Marc Albrighton’s superb cross after 47 minutes before Yunus Akgun’s thunderbolt on 72 minutes sealed Leicester’s place in the fifth round.

Foxes midfielder Dennis Praet added a third goal with a cool finish after 88 minutes, with Birmingham made to rue a number of missed chances in the first half as Blues lost for the first time under new boss Tony Mowbray.

Everton 1 Luton Town 2

Substitute Cauley Woodrow scored the winner deep into added time as Luton reached the fifth round of the FA Cup for only the second time in 11 years with a 2-1 victory over Everton.

The additional five minutes indicated had already passed when a goalmouth scramble at a corner saw Woodrow convert from close range after Arnaut Danjuma’s clearance had rebounded off him.

It spared the blushes of Hatters goalkeeper Tim Krul, whose error looked like allowing the hosts to escape with a replay in a tie distinctly lacking in magic for the majority.

The Netherlands international let Jack Harrison’s long-range shot squirm from his grasp and trickle over the line to cancel out Vitalii Mykolenko’s contentious first-half own goal.

Everton’s back-up goalkeeper Joao Virginia, man of the match in their third-round replay victory over Crystal Palace 10 days ago, had kept them in the game with two crucial saves while Nathan Patterson also cleared a shot off the line.

Perhaps expectations should have been lowered for a tie between the Premier League’s 17th and 18th-placed teams, both of whom have their focus on avoiding relegation, but Everton failed to make home advantage count with an uninspiring performance.

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024