FA Cup highlights: Coventry City 1-4 Ipswich Town
Ipswich Town booked their place in the FA Cup fifth round with some ease as they comfortably beat Frank Lampard's Coventry City.
Town boss Kieran McKenna made 11 changes for the meeting with their Championship hosts. But the Tractor Boys' second string made light of all the adjustments to win by a margin.
After getting off to a flier from a penalty awarded after 22 seconds, and converted by George Hirst, home defender Joel Latibeaudiere quickly levelled.
But Jack Clarke netted twice before the break - and former Aston Villa striker Jaden Philogene then added another for the Premier League strugglers, his first goal since his January window move.
And that put the 1978 Cup winners into round five for the first time since 2007 at the expense of last season's cruelly-beaten semi-finalists.
Coventry were briefly back on level terms after Joel Latibeaudiere's near post header
After a 10-minute delay to the start caused by various traffic incidents in and around Coventry, the hosts then got caught cold.
Almost straight from kick-off, in Ipswich's first attack, a penalty was awarded for Liam Kitching's challenge on Sammie Szmodics - and Hirst tucked away the penalty, sidefooting his spot-kick low and hard to Oliver Dovin's left.
Coventry were level by the eighth minute when Latibeaudiere glanced in a header at the near post from Jack Rudoni's right-wing corner - an early blow for debutant keeper Alex Palmer following his deadline day move from West Bromwich Albion.
Ipswich then wrested control with Clarke's quickfire double in the space of just nine minutes.
Fed by Hirst, Clarke initially looked to pass, but he took on the shot instead to neatly curl the ball into the far corner.
Then, two minutes after coming on for the injured Szmodics, Nathan Broadhead was the supply line for Clarke's 37th-minute second.
Coventry had their moments, more so after the break. But it was game over on 63 minutes when, straight from Coventry having a goal disallowed, Ipswich broke rapidly down the other end for Philogene to net the killer fourth from a tight angle.
And – 47 years on from their one FA Cup final victory and the golden memory of Roger Osborne having to be substituted after the emotion of his late winner - that had the hopeful 4,843 Ipswich fans in a 30,000 crowd roaring "We're Going To Wembley".
'Scoreline doesn't reflect the game' - Lampard
Coventry City boss Frank Lampard told BBC CWR:
"I don't think the scoreline reflects the overall performance. The scoreline won't tell you that - but we played well in big parts of the game.
"And it was great to have 30,000 here watching it. We've been on a good run but this was always going to be a tough couple of games against Leeds, who are top of the Championship, and a Premier League side in Ipswich.
"Ipswich have strengthened since they went up. And they didn't have midweek games either side of this game like we have.
"But we showed character to come back from that early penalty to level and we had as many chances as them but they just took theirs. Sometimes things happen that can influence games. They took advantage and we didn't take advantage. And we have to eradicate our errors."
Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk:
"A good result, some good goals and it's nice to be through. Let's see who we get now.
"The game could have turned when we conceded from our first set-piece. I was a bit disappointed with that.
"But George Hirst was a real handful for their two centre-halves and I'm pleased for Jack Clarke. He showed his qualities.
"The only real disappointment was losing Sam Szmodics. It was nice to have him back in but it's the same ankle that he's been off with, so we'll just have to get him assessed."
