Newcastle United, Luton Town win as sixth-tier Maidstone United stun Ipswich Town in the FA Cup
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Luton Town's Cauley Woodrow celebrates scoring their second goal against Everton.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
LONDON – Sean Longstaff and Dan Burn scored as Newcastle United knocked Fulham out of the FA Cup with a 2-0 fourth-round victory and sixth-tier Maidstone United stunned Championship high-fliers Ipswich Town on Jan 27.
Cauley Woodrow netted a last-gasp goal as Luton Town won 2-1 at Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion crushed Sheffield United 5-2 in the other all-English Premier League clashes.
Newcastle, runners-up in last season’s League Cup, will play in the FA Cup fifth round for only the second time in 18 years.
“It would be incredible to (reach Wembley) in the FA Cup. The (League) Cup whetted the appetite for us – it was an incredible day, the scenes beforehand, the support we had. Hopefully, we can go a long way in this competition this year,” manager Eddie Howe told ITV.
Longstaff scored in the 39th minute at Craven Cottage, pivoting to plant a shot into the net after Fulham struggled to clear a corner. Fulham players screamed for a handball in the build-up, but the goal stood.
Burn doubled Newcastle’s lead in the 61st minute after goalkeeper Marek Rodak did well to push away Sven Botman’s header, but the ball fell to the left-back to fire home.
“It has been such a long time since the club have won something. We’ve made a big thing over the last two seasons about that and we have four games to either get to the final or win it, so let’s see who we get in the next round and hopefully we can push on,” Burn said.
Luton’s Woodrow, who broke his hand during the match, smashed a close-range shot past goalkeeper Joao Virginia in the 96th minute to seal their 2-1 victory in front of a stunned Goodison Park crowd.
“To be fair, I don’t really remember much. It just fell to me and I managed to tap it in. It was a tough game and at the end it was like a basketball match,” Woodrow told the BBC.
Vitaliy Mykolenko’s 39th-minute own goal had put Luton ahead before Jack Harrison cheered the Everton faithful with an equaliser in the 55th minute, hammering in a low shot that Luton goalkeeper Tim Krul allowed to let slip through his hands.
“We believe we can go anywhere and win. We were confident coming into the game. I didn’t enjoy many cup runs as a player. We will enjoy this, it does mean a lot and it is important that we enjoy these moments,” Luton manager Rob Edwards said.
Joao Pedro netted a hat-trick, including two goals from the penalty spot, to lead Brighton to an emphatic win at Sheffield United.
Leicester City knocked out Championship rivals Birmingham City 3-0 thanks to goals by Jamie Vardy, Yunus Akgun and Dennis Praet.
Adam Randell scored the equaliser for Plymouth Argyle to force a replay with fellow Championship side Leeds United after a 1-1 draw.
Meanwhile, Maidstone shocked Ipswich, who are second in the Championship table behind Leicester, with a 2-1 victory at Portman Road, knocking out a side 98 places above them in the English football pyramid. Maidstone are the lowest-ranked team left in the competition.
“It’s the magic of the FA Cup, we have to believe,” Maidstone manager George Elokobi told ITV. REUTERS
