Mileta Rajovic and Tom Dele-Bashiru spared Watford blushes as the Hornets edged to a 2-1 FA Cup third-round victory over Chesterfield.

Defeat was a cruel blow for the non-league side, who deserved at least a replay against their higher-placed opponents

The Championship side gave a first start to Rhys Healey, while Chesterfield made five changes – Liam Mandeville, Ryheem Sheckleford, Joe Quigley, Ollie Banks and goalkeeper Ryan Boot coming in for the National League leaders.

Watford almost took a fifth-minute lead when Yaser Asprilla intercepted a back pass from Branden Horton, but his effort was blocked by Sheckleford.

Backed by 3984 visiting supporters, Chesterfield were able to comfortably keep their EFL opponents at bay.

Indeed, they were able to create some pressure of their own, forcing a number of corners.

Yet they were almost undone on 24 minutes when Ismael Kone found space to bear down on goal – but his shot was saved by Boot.

The National League side then stunned their hosts on 27 minutes. A cross from the byline by Sheckleford found the head of Quigley, who directed a simple header into the net.

The goal visibly gave Chesterfield confidence, who started to move the ball around with authority, while Watford struggled to muster much of a meaningful response.

It could have been even better for the visitors less than 40 seconds after the restart, when keeper Daniel Bachmann had to save from Banks, following a move involving Sheckleford.

Watford started to get on the front foot to put their non-league opponents under pressure. However, their final delivery was lacking the quality needed to unlock the Chesterfield back line.

Chances for the hosts remained at a premium though, as the away side seemed content to soak up any advances.

Needing a drastic change in their fortunes, Watford made three substitutions – Giorgi Chakvetadze, Healey and Matheus Martins making way for Imran Louza, Rajovic and debutant Jorge Hurtado respectively.

It was one of the replacements in Rajovic that broke the Chesterfield resistance on 76 minutes, when he headed in a cross from Asprilla – to the clear relief of the majority of the Vicarage Road crowd.

The difference in the energy levels of both sides was apparent, as the Championship side looked to finish the game off while Chesterfield were looking to hang on.

Yet the non-league side could have won with seven minutes remaining, when sub Ryan Colclough headed over from less than six yards out following a header from Ash Palmer across the face of goal.

Boot was forced to palm away a fierce Dele-Bashiru effort with two minutes remaining.

But the keeper was beaten by Dele-Bashiru in the fourth minute of stoppage time to break Chesterfield hearts.

Bournemouth produced a stunning second-half comeback to beat QPR 3-2 and reach the fourth round of the FA Cup.

The Championship strugglers scored two goals in quick succession before the break through Sinclair Armstrong and Lyndon Dykes at Loftus Road.

But the Cherries came out after half-time firing and goals from Marcus Tavernier, Kieffer Moore and Justin Kluivert secured their seventh win in nine matches in all competitions.

QPR looked to strike early in the 10th minute. Andre Dozzell turned his man in midfield and combined with Dykes before his cross was too high for the striker to get on the end of.

The hosts continued their positive start in the 15th minute when Dykes forced Mark Travers into action.

Paul Smyth showed blistering pace to beat his marker and his cross onto the head of Dykes was denied by the acrobatic Travers, who got down quickly at his right post.

The Cherries started to warm into the tie and they went close after 21 minutes when Philip Billing’s driven shot across goal narrowly missed the target.

Bournemouth struggled up to that point but a moment of brilliance from Billing to retrieve the ball off Luis Sinisterra, dribble and get a shot off highlighted their Premier League quality.

But it was the Championship side who scored first after 40 minutes.

A searching ball forward found Armstrong with his back facing Bournemouth’s goal on halfway. The striker turned Marcos Senesi with ease and glided through on goal where he produced a placed finish into the bottom-right corner.

And straight after the restart in the 42nd minute Dykes got the goal he deserved and Rangers stormed into a 2-0 lead.

The attacker cut inside from the left and his long-range effort took a heavy deflection off Max Aarons, whose poor positioning saw the ball loop over the helpless Travers and into the net.

Bournemouth flew out of the blocks in the second half and grabbed a goal through Tavernier in the 48th minute.

Both sides scrapped for the loose ball in QPR’s box after a set-piece but it fell nicely to Tavernier, whose effort took another heavy deflection before it bounced past Asmir Begovic.

Bournemouth equalised in the 58th minute through Moore.

Alex Scott’s inswinging corner was whipped into the danger zone and Moore beat Begovic in the air to nod his side back into the game from six yards.

The visitors completed the turnaround after 69 minutes through Kluivert.

Billing, who had been outstanding all game, turned the ball over in QPR’s defensive third before he picked out Kluivert at the back post.

Kluivert, son of former Barcelona and Netherlands striker Patrick Kluivert, showed how clinical he can be when he finished first time to seal victory for Bournemouth.

League One Bristol Rovers were more than a match for Championship outfit Norwich as they came away from Carrow Road with a well-deserved 1-1 draw.

The hosts took an early lead through Ashley Barnes but, roared on by 1,300 travelling fans, Rovers were quickly back on level terms thanks to a smart finish from Grant Ward.

The FA Cup third-round tie was an even game after that, with both sides having their chances, but that proved to be the end of scoring and Norwich were booed off at the end as the visitors claimed a replay at the Memorial Ground later this month.

Rovers made a positive start but found themselves behind after just 12 minutes as the hosts made their first genuine attack count.

A lapse from defender Tristan Crama allowed Onel Hernandez to get to the byline on the right and the City wide man crossed for Barnes to sidefoot into an unguarded net from close range.

Despite the setback, Rovers continued to take the game to their higher-ranked opponents and were deservedly back on terms within five minutes.

Keeper George Long did well to block an effort from Harvey Vale and young defender Kellen Fisher should have dealt with the loose ball but his weak clearance fell at the feet of Ward, who coolly picked out the top corner from around 12 yards.

The visitors might have got their noses in front three minutes before the break when Long was forced into an excellent reaction stop to deny Jevani Brown before Luke Thomas fired the rebound against an upright.

Both sides went close early in the second period, with Vale’s goalbound effort being blocked by Fisher before substitute Adam Idah just failed to get on the end of an inviting cross from Hernandez.

Norwich went close again when Idah fired inches wide after being picked out in the box by Liam Gibbs.

The hosts were looking the more likely winners as an entertaining tie entered its final quarter, with Barnes firing a presentable chance well over in the closing stages, but Rovers held out for a deserved replay.

Sheffield United cruised through to the FA Cup fourth round with a dominant 4-0 victory against League Two side Gillingham at Priestfield.

Danish striker Will Osula scored his first two goals for the Blades to put the Premier League’s bottom side in control at half-time before James McAtee’s quick-fire double late on earned last year’s semi-finalists their first away win in all competitions this season.

Blades manager Chris Wilder made five changes to his starting line-up for the game, but his side delivered an assured performance to avoid an upset and progress to round four with ease.

Osula’s opener came following a United break on 14 minutes, with his low effort going through the legs of Gills goalkeeper Jake Turner.

Turner’s fumble shortly after almost allowed Cameron Archer, one of those players who came into the United team for this game, to double the Yorkshire side’s advantage.

The Gills’ last FA Cup victory against top-tier opposition came five years ago against Cardiff, who also sat bottom of the Premier League upon their visit to Kent.

However, in front of a season-best crowd of 8,801, their afternoon went from bad to worse when Osula capitalised on Turner’s poor parry from Femi Seriki’s shot to side-foot home for his second six minutes before half-time.

Oli Hawkins wasted a brilliant chance for the Gills, League Two’s lowest scorers with just 21 goals in 25 games, when he miscued a header from Connor Mahoney’s corner 10 minutes after the break.

The Blades were also increasingly wasteful in front of goal, with McAtee and Archer flashing efforts over the bar, before the latter’s deflected shot on 63 minutes called Turner into action.

Gillingham’s best spell saw Mahoney test Wes Foderingham from distance, before Hawkins again failed to work the United goalkeeper with another header.

The hosts looked to have pulled themselves back into the tie 12 minutes from time when Max Ehmer’s glanced header crashed off the inside of the post, but the ball went back into play instead of over the line.

McAtee ended any doubts about the result on 83 minutes, as he beat the offside trap to meet Ollie Norwood’s pass and fire past the luckless Turner.

He completed the scoring with the best goal of the tie with three minutes remaining, blazing into the top corner from 20 yards after Gustavo Hamer’s short corner caught Gillingham napping.

Wilder sent new signing Ben Brereton Diaz on for his debut 20 minutes from time, but the Villarreal loanee was denied a first Blades goal by Turner in the final minute.

Sammie Szmodics scored a first-half hat-trick as Blackburn avoided an upset by overcoming League One outfit Cambridge 5-2 in the FA Cup third round.

In the first meeting between the sides in exactly 31 years, Blackburn found themselves behind when Jack Lankester’s early curling finish put Neil Harris’ team in front.

Szmodics swept in an equaliser in the 23rd minute but parity was brief as Sullay Kaikai volleyed in his second of the season to put Cambridge ahead again.

Blackburn’s superior firepower was the difference, though, typified by Szmodics, the Championship’s leading marksman, who lashed in a second equaliser in the 37th minute before completing his hat-trick in stoppage time, volleying in his 19th of the campaign.

Arnor Sigurdsson’s seventh of the season midway through the second half, and Harry Leonard’s late header, ensured welcome respite from Rovers’ league form.

Cambridge’s aggressive start was rewarded in the sixth minute when Jubril Okedina picked out Lankester in the area and he cut inside onto his left foot before curling brilliantly into the top corner.

Szmodics went close 10 minutes later when Jack Stevens superbly tipped his shot away but Blackburn’s continued pressure eventually told when Szmodics confidently swept Hayden Carter’s near-post cross into the bottom corner.

United came roaring back and restored their lead in the 26th minute when James Brophy’s cross was cushioned by Lankester into the path of Kaikai who emphatically rifled home a volley from 12 yards.

Blackburn restored parity again in the 37th minute when Sigurdsson pounced on a loose pass before threading to Szmodics, who hammered a left-footed shot beyond Stevens from close range.

Szmodics still had time to complete his hat-trick before the break with the best finish of the lot, finding the bottom corner with a first-time volley to convert Callum Brittain’s pinpoint cross.

Andrew Moran’s left-footed shot cannoned off the crossbar just after the break, before Kaikai’s mazy run at the other end found Adam May who shot straight at Leopold Wahlstedt.

Stevens in the Cambridge goal produced another impressive sprawling save, this time to thwart Sigurdsson’s low, curling effort.

But the Iceland international could not be denied when Cambridge failed to clear their lines and Carter showed remarkable poise to find Sigurdsson six yards out.

Leonard somehow volleyed wide from close range but made up for it in the 81st minute, rising highest to head home Harry Pickering’s left-wing centre.

Sigurdsson forced a remarkable reflex save from Stevens late on, while Szmodics rattled the post, but that would have been harsh on Cambridge who battled valiantly.

Hull required an 87th-minute equaliser to keep their FA Cup hopes alive and seal a 1-1 draw against managerless Birmingham at the MKM Stadium.

Matty Jacob bagged the equaliser, marking his first start for the Tigers with a memorable moment to set up a third-round replay at St Andrew’s later this month.

Lukas Jutkiewicz put the Blues in front inside the opening 18 minutes of the contest with a glancing header and for much of the contest it looked as though the Blues, coached by interim boss Steve Spooner, would be able to get life after the sacked Wayne Rooney off to a winning start.

But, they could not withstand the pressure from the home side, meaning this tie will have to be settled in the second city.

After what has been a challenging week at St Andrew’s, it was the visitors who started the quickest in East Yorkshire as Jutkiewicz stung the palms of Ryan Allsop inside the first 10 minutes.

The veteran striker really should have scored four minutes later, pushing an effort wide of the Tigers’ goal after seeing Koji Miyoshi capitalise on an error from Sean McLoughlin to create the opportunity.

However, Jutkiewicz kept knocking on the door and in the 18th minute, he found his goal. Getting away from his man on the right wing, Cody Drameh picked out the 34-year-old with an inch perfect cross and Jutkiewicz did the rest with his deft header nestling into the bottom corner of Hull’s net.

Birmingham almost doubled their advantage a minute later as Siriki Dembele burst into the hosts’ box before rattling the crossbar.

Hull dominated possession for much of the first half, but they struggled to find attacking rhythm and despite their best efforts, they reached half-time without troubling Neil Etheridge in the Blues goal.

The 59th minute introduction of new boy Billy Sharp, signed on a free transfer after a stint in the MLS, seemed to breathe life into the Tigers’ attack and Aaron Connolly went close to finding an equaliser on a couple of occasions.

After dominating possession once more in the second half, Liam Rosenior’s side finally found their goal as Jacob, fresh from his league debut at Hillsborough on New Year’s Day, nipped in at the near post to poke the ball home after seeing Etheridge fail to handle Connolly’s initial effort.

Birmingham came close to a last-minute winner through Jay Stansfield, but Allsop got down well to pull off what was perhaps the save of the game.

Ian Foster’s reign as Plymouth head coach started with a tricky 3-1 FA Cup third round home win over League Two strugglers Sutton.

Argyle relied on 14-goal top scorer Morgan Whittaker, with a stoppage-time deflected looping strike on the run, to seal victory, a day after appointing 47-year-old Foster.

Argyle took an 18th-minute lead through on-loan Wolves midfielder Luke Cundle, who scored on the rebound as Sutton keeper Dean Bouzanis could only parry Callum Wright’s thundering strike from the edge of the box.

The goal came after a period of Sutton pressure but was superbly crafted by playmaker Whittaker’s cross-field ball to Freddie Issaka on the left.

Issaka then passed to striker Ryan Hardie, who teed up Wright.

Sutton had an opportunity to reply from a 25th-minute free-kick but when the ball fell to Dominic Gape his downward strike spun just wide of Argyle’s crowded goalmouth.

Cundle came close to doubling his tally on the half hour but his measured shot from 20 yards was deflected just around a post by a defender running out to block the incoming strike.

Joe Kizzi’s header was easily saved by Argyle’s Northern Ireland international keeper Conor Hazard after 32 minutes and at the other end Bouzanis was equal to Adam Randell’s long-range effort.

Bouzanis made a better stop, at his near post, to deny Whittaker as he cut in from the right, beat his marker, and let fly from close range.

As half-time approached, Cundle teed up Wright but the attacking midfielder dragged his 20-yard shot wide of goal.

Sutton levelled after 50 minutes as striker Lee Angol went solo, cutting inside from the right before letting fly with a crisp finish to beat Hazard at full stretch in the far corner.

Whittaker came within a whisker of putting Argyle back ahead, with a superb curling shot from the right which skimmed just past the far post with Bouzanis well beaten.

At the other end Argyle defender Brendan Galloway needed to head clear off the goal-line as a cutback cross from the left was deflected past Hazard and towards goal.

Scottish striker Hardie broke free at the other end, but his shot was parried away by a combination of keeper Bouzanis and a defender.

Argyle regained the lead from a 68th-minute Hardie penalty, driven down the middle, and to which keeper Bouzanis got a hand, following a foul by Josh Coley on Whittaker, as he went for the return from a nifty Joe Edwards one-two.

Sutton sub Craig Eastmond tried his luck from 20 yards but fired wide after 77 minutes.

Argyle had second penalty appeals waved away by referee Will Finnie as Whittaker was fouled homing in on goal from Cundle’s incisive pass.

Minutes later he struck his 14th goal of the season to send Argyle into the fourth-round draw.

Joao Pedro scored twice late on as Brighton avoided an FA Cup upset at Championship side Stoke with a 4-2 comeback win.

The hosts – who had not beaten top-flight opposition in the competition since they reached the final in 2011 – had held the lead for 35 first-half minutes courtesy of Jan Paul Van Hecke’s own goal, after which Steven Schumacher’s team were the better side.

However, Brighton’s Ecuador left-back Pervis Estupinan let fly from 20 yards in the final minute of six added on before the interval and captain Lewis Dunk headed last season’s semi-finalists ahead just after the break.

Dunk’s raised arm conceded the penalty from which Lewis Baker equalised and it needed Pedro’s 14th and 15th goals of the season to see the Premier League team through in the final 19 minutes.

Schumacher is only five matches into his reign in the Potteries and this was his first defeat – although he has had four draws – but the way his players took the game to opponents 32 places above them offers hope for the 19th-placed second-tier club.

After Pedro’s early deflected shot looped just wide of the post the momentum was all Stoke’s with Mehdi Leris forcing the first save from Bart Verbruggen, one of four changes made by Roberto De Zerbi.

It was from that right-hand channel that Stoke took the lead as Dunk’s intended pass for Pedro was intercepted by Ki-Jana Hoever, stepping out from centre-back, and he slid in South Korean midfielder Bae Jun-ho, whose low cross was turned in by Van Hecke.

The 21-year-old Hoever, performing a hybrid role as the third centre-back stepping into midfield, was at the heart of all Stoke’s best play and twice set up Wesley, who curled wide and headed straight at Verbruggen.

But just seconds from the break goalkeeper Daniel Iversen, making his debut after signing on loan from Leicester 24 hours earlier having not played for the Foxes, was beaten by Estupinan’s drive and the advantage swung to Brighton.

Dunk had been a threat from set-pieces and he headed home Billy Gilmour’s far-post cross just moments after Daniel Johnson and Sead Haksabanovic both got in each other’s way as they ran onto Hoever’s inviting cutback.

Stoke responded with Wouter Burger’s 25-yard shot, turned behind by Verbruggen, and from the resulting corner substitute Luke McNally’s header hit the raised arm of Dunk, who knew little about it but had no VAR to save him and Baker drove home from the spot.

At that point the game could have gone either way but Brighton’s greater experience told as Pedro headed in Pascal Gross’ cross and then converted Van Hecke’ square pass as the visitors made it past the third round for the seventh time in eight seasons.

Ryan Fraser had a hand in three goals as Southampton swatted aside League Two Walsall in the FA Cup with a professional 4-0 victory.

Winger Fraser produced two fine finishes and set up Sekou Mara as Saints eased to a 19th match unbeaten – one off a club record 20 games without a loss in all competitions.

Che Adams jumped off the bench to slide in a fourth to confirm Southampton’s progress to the fourth round and avoid a copy of last year’s exit to fourth-tier opposition.

Saints grabbed the lead in the sixth minute through Fraser and it felt like Walsall were in for a battering.

Newcastle loanee Fraser’s run off the left flank was spotted by centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis and the former Bournemouth man fired in.

Mara headed a free header over from teenage debutant Jayden Meghoma’s cross before Carlos Alcaraz and Sam Amo-Ameyaw tried their luck from range without accuracy.

The barrage on the Saddlers’ goal continued as French striker Mara blazed over from six yards when presented with an open goal.

But Walsall weathered that storm and found chances of their own.

Tom Knowles out-thought Meghoma before lashing wide and Isaac Hutchinson tested Joe Lumley from the edge of the area, although a pass to Douglas James-Taylor on the overlap might have been a better option.

Will Smallbone should have hit the target when teed up by Fraser while Walsall keeper Jackson Smith recovered just before Mara tapped in after he had parried Alcaraz’s piledriver.

The Saddlers came out for the second half with renewed confidence having kept their Championship promotion rivals to just one and twice caught out the lackadaisical hosts.

Knowles picked up Mason Holgate’s wayward throw-in but he smashed over on the angle before Holgate’s loose pass was nicked by Jack Earing but he curled a one-on-one wide.

They were made to rue those misses when Mara made it 2-0 to calm any fears of last season’s exit to Grimsby.

The France Under-21 international swivelled and found the roof of the net after fine wing play from Fraser in the 58th minute for his fourth goal since arriving at the beginning of last season.

Fraser killed off any chance of an upset in the 68th minute when he brilliantly slotted into the bottom corner after being slid through by Alcaraz.

James-Taylor arrowed a shot towards the bottom corner but Lumley prevented the start of a comeback before Adams made it four.

The striker showed strength after being laid on by Alcaraz before displaying his finishing ability to slot past Smith.

Fraser almost completed a hat-trick in stoppage time but Smith blocked his drilled shot.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has urged his players to use their FA Cup derby victory over Sunderland as a springboard for the second half of the season.

The Magpies ended a run of seven defeats in eight games in all competitions with a resounding 3-0 third-round win at the Stadium of Light on Saturday to get the better of their arch-rivals for the first time in 10 attempts dating back to 2011.

A place in the fourth round presents the prospect of a run in a competition which has assumed ever greater importance for the club following their exits from the Champions League and Carabao Cup in December.

A post shared by Newcastle United FC (@nufc)

Asked if they could use the win as a launchpad, head coach Howe said: “Well, hopefully. That’s how we have to look at it.

“Naturally when you don’t win for a period of time, confidence can be affected. Our players are the same as any others.

“Today will have done them the world of good. We’ve not just won the game, but we’ve performed well, we’ve scored goals, we’ve kept a clean sheet so all round, it’s a very good day.”

Victory over the Black Cats was significant – it was a first in the FA Cup under Howe after third-round exits at the hands of League One sides Cambridge and Sheffield Wednesday in the last two seasons.

Asked about the prospect of a cup run, Howe said: “We’d love that. The third round has not been kind to us the last couple of years, two difficult moments for us.

“But as I said in the build-up to the game, those moments actually helped us grow. Now we stand here and we know we needed to win today, so we’re delighted to do that and yes, we’d love a run in the FA Cup. It’s an important competition now for us.”

The hosts frustrated Newcastle until 10 minutes before the break, when defender Dan Ballard turned Joelinton’s cross into his own net, and they contributed further to their own downfall when Miguel Almiron robbed Pierre Ekwah to set up Alexander Isak for the second before Ballard handed the Sweden international the chance to double his tally from the penalty spot after barging Anthony Gordon to the ground.

Asked about the white-hot derby atmosphere, Howe said: “I don’t think it was too dissimilar to Milan, to PSG and other places we’ve been this year, so I think those experiences probably helped us.”

A post shared by Sunderland AFC (@sunderlandafcofficial)

Opposite number Michael Beale was philosophical after a defeat he hopes can help aid his side’s bid for promotion from the Sky Bet Championship.

He said: “Let’s be honest, there was a gap between the two teams when we arrived at the stadium today and at the end of the day, we’ve tried to close that gap over 90 minutes and we weren’t able to do that.

“My young team must really be honest with themselves, the staff, the players, everyone at the football club about today because then I think we’ll improve and we can use it in our Championship form for the games we’ve got coming up.

“But the big thing for us is being honest and not hiding away from the fact there is a gap.”

Maidstone matchwinner Sam Corne is dreaming of drawing a Premier League club in the FA Cup fourth round after knocking Stevenage out.

Sixth-tier Stones are the lowest side left in the competition and all eyes now turn to Monday night’s draw after they stunned Boro, who sit 69 places above them on the football pyramid.

Corne’s goal was enough to see Maidstone reach the fourth round for the first time since their reformation in 1992.

Opposition boss Steve Evans went into the Maidstone dressing room to congratulate the history-makers on their achievement.

“Each and every player was excellent,” beamed Corne.

“We had to dig deep and I think we edged it. You don’t get many opportunities like this. It’s probably the biggest achievement ever for me.

“Hopefully we get a good draw now. It would be nice to get a big team away. We’ve made at home a bit of a fortress so maybe we’ll take a Premier League team here.

“Previously I wanted a big Premier League club away, maybe a Tottenham or even a City. But maybe getting (Erling) Haaland to the Gallagher isn’t such a bad shout either.”

Corne netted the winner from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time.

“It was nerve-racking walking up to take the penalty,” he said.

“We spoke about it in the dressing room, about what side I may go and I changed it. Luckily enough it paid off!

“It was a relief for sure. Just as I was about to take it I decided to go the other side. It was a great moment.

“It gave us something to hold on to and we held on really well.

“We rode our luck and when they missed their opportunities I thought it could be our day.”

Evans was left to rue Stevenage’s missed chances after seeing top-scorer Jamie Reid and Kane Hemmings both hit the woodwork within seconds of one another.

He said: “I’ve just been in their dressing room. I’ve said they’ve been a credit to their football club and themselves and I hope they get their ample rewards in the draw, I really do.

“For us, I don’t think we gave enough respect on the pitch. The second half we can’t have that momentum, dominance and all those chances. I can’t believe we’ve missed four or five of them but we have and we’ve paid the price.

“It didn’t look like we would score in a month of Sundays.

“We have to live with this now. We’ve been on the opposite end of it. We’ll get back to the training ground and forget about it.

“I don’t know if it was a penalty, it certainly looked it. But you give them something to hold on to and you cannot miss the simplest of chances you can imagine.”

Mark Robins praised the quality of his Coventry side after they blew away League One Oxford 6-2 in the FA Cup third round.

Joel Latibeaudiere, Ben Sheaf and Kasey Palmer’s goals were followed by a brace from Matty Godden as Coventry made it through to the fourth round for just the second time in six seasons.

Mark Harris had earlier equalised to make the score 1-1 before Tyler Goodrham’s consolation late in the piece.

“I thought we were really good, we did a really professional job,” said Robins. “There was some unbelievable quality there.

“The goals came at a good time and we sort of blew them away in the first bit. What we didn’t do well enough at times was that you’ve got to make them feel the speed and the quality.

“You’ve got to try and make them feel that all of the time. On the back of the games we’ve played, it is understandable that there is a little bit of fatigue left over but that’s not an excuse.

“You’ve got to give everything you’ve got until you can’t anymore and then I can make the changes.

“But other than that, I thought there were some good rotations, some good movement in all areas of the pitch.

“The quality of Kasey (Palmer) showed for the third goal, both in terms of picking the ball up and driving with it, and then picking that shot out, was Kas-esque, exactly what he can do.

“3-1 makes it a little bit more comfortable but we’ve got to keep going for the jugular and that was the only frustrating bit because we seemed a little bit content to ‘tick’ the ball over, which is fine, but we’ve got to make sure we keep going for the jugular, keep going for the goals.”

Oxford head coach Des Buckingham admitted his team had been beaten by the better side as they were knocked out at the third-round stage for the second season in succession.

Buckingham also provided an update on winger Stanley Mills, who was taken off on a stretcher following a serious-looking injury.

He said: “I think we’ve come to a very good Coventry City side, they’re top of the form table in the Championship and they’re a strong team.

“They ran away with it in the second half. That’s the quality they have. We’ve got to be better, of course, but we’ve got to recognise where they are and where we are and what we’ve got available at the moment.

“Not the result we wanted. It’s never a scoreline you want to see. But we’ve got to refocus quickly now for AFC Wimbledon on Tuesday and we will do.

“There’s no surprise that since the draw’s been made they’ve gone from 15th to eighth. They will certainly be in and around it.

“It gives us a taste of what Championship football is. We’re not a million miles away, I know the scoreline makes it look silly to say that.

“Our focus and our priority is the league and we need to make sure we’re as good as we can be heading into the second half of the season.

“Stan is in the best hands he can be, the medical staff have been wonderful and really looked after him. He’s been taken off to hospital and he’s got his dad with him, we hope he’s OK but it’s too soon to say.”

Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna welcomed the distraction of the FA Cup as his side booked their place in the fourth round with a 3-1 win at AFC Wimbledon.

The Championship promotion-chasers were good value for their win at Plough Lane, as second-half goals from Axel Tuanzebe and Jack Taylor distanced 10-man Dons.

Having beaten Wolves and faced Fulham in the EFL Cup, McKenna wants another taste of the big time.

He said: “We’ve had a couple of Premier League teams this year and that gave us some good challenges. A big draw would be nice. We want to go far in the competition if we can.”

The Tractor Boys are firmly focused on reaching the promised land, sitting second in the Championship, but McKenna still sees value in a cup run.

“We’re coming out of a really busy period, but in the second half of the season the schedule isn’t as intense in the Championship in terms of midweek games, so we welcome the extra game,” he said.

Josh Davison put through his own net to give Ipswich the lead after eight minutes, but the hosts soon pulled level as Jake Reeves converted a penalty.

Tuanzebe restored the visitors’ lead after 40 minutes and Wimbledon’s prospects of mounting a second comeback were dented when Harry Pell, going up for an aerial challenge with George Edmundson, was shown a second yellow just before the hour mark.

His manager Johnnie Jackson railed against the decision, saying: “I feel like we’ve been robbed of an opportunity. Does Pell deserve to take no further part in the game because of that?

“He’s got eyes on the ball, he’s not looking at anything else but the ball, he doesn’t swing with his elbow at all. You can’t swing for a header without your arms coming up. I’m not saying he hasn’t been caught, but that’s football. It’s a poor decision.”

Taylor made it three in the final minute of normal time to send Ipswich into the fourth round for the second season running.

McKenna said: “It was a tough cup tie, but it was always going to be. It was everything you expect from an FA Cup tie – it wasn’t all our way.

“We certainly had chances to score more goals than we did, but we didn’t get the two-goal margin to make it 100 per cent comfortable until late in the game.”

Jackson added: “We competed with a top team in Ipswich, stayed in the game the whole 90 minutes, and I think we can feel a little bit hard done by.

“Even with 10 men, we’re pushing, forcing their keeper into saves. I don’t feel like that tells the story.”

Leicester manager Enzo Maresca was impressed with the way his young team grew into what was a “tricky” FA Cup tie at Millwall as the Championship leaders moved into the fourth round with a 3-2 victory.

Maresca made seven changes from the line-up that defeated Huddersfield on New Year’s Day with Marc Albrighton, Ricardo Pereira and Conor Coady the only experienced players in from the start.

The Foxes rode their luck at times in the first half, when their more clinical finishing was the difference, but Leicester gained more control after the break as the strength in depth of their squad was emphasised.

Maresca said: “It was a tricky game in terms of many reasons, probably the main reason is because we made many changes.

“We had a very young first XI – we had seven of our 11 players born after 2000 – so it was a tricky game, but overall we created many chances, we scored three goals and we could have scored more.

“Probably in the first half we conceded too much because we were pressing not in the perfect way.

“The second half was much better off the ball and also on the ball, we improved a lot.”

On Albrighton’s influence in what was a rare start, Maresca added: “He is fantastic, he works every day, he’s very professional, he’s a good guy who helps everyone.

“I love Marc and I’m a bit sad that I could not give him more chances, but he completely understands.”

It was Albrighton who created Leicester’s opening goal after 16 minutes when his terrific cross was headed in by Cesare Casadei at the back post.

Pereira then gave the Foxes a 2-0 lead at half-time with a fine finish before Millwall briefly put themselves back in the game through Duncan Watmore’s close-range effort.

Tom Cannon’s third strike of the week restored Leicester’s two-cushion and although Zian Flemming halved that again with four minutes left, time ran out for the Lions.

Millwall boss Joe Edwards said: “I was pleased today with how much we created from our possession.

“We’ve spoken a lot since I’ve been here that we want to have more of the ball, but the big thing is about what we’re doing when we’ve got it, and I thought the stand-out positive for us was we played out a lot.

“The outcome of it was we were playing through Leicester into the final third a lot.

“We’ve had other games where we’ve started to look like a team that’s got a clear idea in possession but not really created much, so to have that many shots is a positive.

“The flip side of that is that we made a couple of minor errors around our own box.”

Ipswich booked their place in the FA Cup fourth round after goals either side of half-time saw them defeat a spirited 10-man AFC Wimbledon 3-1.

An own goal from Josh Davison and further strikes from Axel Tuanzebe and Jack Taylor saw the Tractor Boys past their League Two opponents.

AFC Wimbledon captain Jake Reeves made it 1-1 from the penalty spot after 17 minutes but the Championship high-flyers were good value for their win, with Dons midfielder Harry Pell sent off just before the hour mark.

Kieran McKenna’s side came into the game having stuttered in their promotion push, facing a Wimbledon side who themselves had endured an inconsistent run in League Two.

Ipswich opened the scoring after eight minutes with their first goal since Boxing Day.

Taylor’s corner found the run of team-mate Nathan Broadhead, whose first-time volley had looked to be bobbling wide – but in an attempt to clear, Wimbledon’s Alex Pearce stuck out a foot and sent the ball past his own goalkeeper to put the away side in front.

Wimbledon were undeterred by the early setback and won a penalty in the 17th minute after Taylor’s handball – Reeves, now in his third spell at Wimbledon, powered a superb penalty into the net in front of the travelling support to even the scoreline.

Despite Wimbledon’s energy and commitment, Ipswich enjoyed the better chances; Broadhead side-footed well over the bar after breaking through the Wimbledon defence, and Freddie Ladapo fired straight at Alex Bass.

Five minutes before half-time, Ipswich’s pressure told; Broadhead forced a good save from Bass, and during a scramble from the resulting corner, Tuanzebe headed the away side back in front.

Wimbledon attempted to equalise before the break when Connor Lemonheigh-Evans found himself with a yard of space in the Ipswich box, but fired straight into the side-netting.

Only minutes into the second half, Ipswich almost made it 3-1 when Broadhead teed up Cameron Humphreys, whose shot was deflected on to a post.

Just before the hour mark, Pell’s dismissal for a second yellow card could have deflated Wimbledon, but Johnnie Jackson’s side kept on creating chances.

After 70 minutes, Taylor conceded possession inside his own final third, allowing Armani Little to fire a vicious volley on goal, only to be thwarted by Christian Walton.

As Wimbledon tired, Ipswich continued to create opportunities – Tuanzebe had a goal disallowed for being offside, but in the 90th minute, Wes Burns’ shot from the right-hand side was palmed out by Bass into the path of Taylor, who fired home.