Maidstone defeat Ipswich Town in huge FA Cup shock | OneFootball

Highlights

Maidstone United have stunned Ipswich Town in the fourth round of the FA Cup today. The non-league side were playing away from home but had too much for their Championship hosts, winning the game 2-1.

The Tractor Boys fell to Burnley at this stage last season after a replay but were fully expected to ease past their lowly opponents. After all, talented young manager Kieran McKenna has his men flying in the Championship this term, with Ipswich second in the division after 28 games.

Maidstone secure shock win

Lamar Reynolds scored beautiful chip

Maidstone – who are third in National League South – weren't willing to go down without a fight, however, and stunned the Portman Road faithful in the 43rd minute of the game when Lamar Reynolds raced through on goal. The 28-year-old forward showed remarkable composure to elegantly chip the ball over goalkeeper Christian Walton.

Ipswich got themselves level in the second half when Brighton loanee Jeremy Sarmiento's deflected effort made it 1-1 with 56 minutes on the clock. That parity lasted just 10 minutes, though.

Indeed, scoring their second goal with just their second shot of the game, Sam Corne showed a clinical touch when the opportunity arose – although there were question marks over a possible foul in the build-up (which couldn't be checked as VAR was not in use.

Maidstone goalkeeper Lucas Covolan had the game of his life – and had to be at his best in the remainder of the game – as Ipswich peppered the opposition goal with shot after shot (38 in total), hitting the woodwork on multiple occasions too.

As you can see from the stats below, it was a one-sided affair. But that only went and made things sweeter for neutrals, as they got to enjoy a perfect example of the sort of magic which truly makes the FA Cup so special.

Gary Lineker reacts to FA Cup upset

"Spectacular"

Before the events of today, no National League South or North side had reached the fifth round of the FA Cup since 2004, and are the lowest-ranked team to do so since Blyth Spartans in 1978. Understandably, the shock result has drawn a big response from the English football community.

For instance, Premier League legend Alan Shearer wrote on X: "Wow. What a performance and result from Maidstone." While fellow goalscoring icon and Match of the Day pundit Gary Lineker added: "What a performance from Maidstone United. Spectacular victory. Well played."

Ipswich Town will no doubt be devastated to go out against such lowly opposition, especially as the club are backed by many to be playing Premier League football next season. Manager McKenna is also extremely highly rated and has been tipped as a possible future Manchester United manager – but this certainly will be a big blemish on his CV.