FA Cup: Maidstone upset Stevenage, Newcastle ease past Sunderland on a day of few upsets

Early kick-offs

National League South side Maidstone caused an early shock by beating Stevenage 1-0 to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup.

The lowest ranked team remaining in the competition from the sixth tier of the footballing pyramid sprang the only surprise among the early matches, beating the Sky Bet League One high-fliers at the Gallagher Stadium.

A Sam Corne penalty just before the break decided the game, and put the minnows in the hat for the fourth round for the first time in their history.

They will be joined by Newcastle, who hammered their rivals Sunderland 3-0 at the Stadium of Light. A Dan Ballard own goal got the ball rolling, before a second half brace from Alexander Isak sealed the deal.

It was a win that not only provided bragging rights, but also eased the pressure on Eddie Howe after a rough run of results.

Elsewhere in the early games, Ipswich got the better of League Two side Wimbledon 3-1, Coventry hit six past League One promotion chasers Oxford (6-2), and runaway league leaders Leicester beat fellow Championship side Millwall 3-2.

3pm kick-offs

There were no upsets in the 3pm matches, though there were a couple of draws involving teams in a lower division away at a team in higher division, meaning replays for them both.

National League side Eastleigh held League Two Newport 1-1 despite being reduced to 10-men in the first half.

A late Chris Maguire penalty levelled things up for the side from the fifth-tier, and they now get to host the Welsh side at the Silverlake Stadium, where they have already beaten League One Reading in the FA Cup.

Bristol Rovers of League One were the other side to earn a draw playing away at Championship Norwich, the game finishing 1-1 with both goals scored inside the first 20 minutes.

National League leaders Chesterfield were denied a replay in the dying minutes at Watford, with the Spireites leading from midway through the first half until the 76th minute only to concede again in the 95th minute, losing 2-1.

Three Premier League sides played at 3pm and all three won. It was straightforward for Sheffield United at Gillingham, the Blades winning 4-0.

Bournemouth and Brighton suffered scares against Championship opposition though.

The Cherries were 2-0 down at half-time against QPR but turned things around in the second half, while Brighton were 1-1 at the break against Stoke but score three times after it to win 4-2.

Blackburn were behind twice against lower-league Cambridge but a first half Sammie Szmodics hat-trick helped them on their way to a 5-2 win.

Fellow Championship sides Southampton and Plymouth made light work of League Two sides Walsall (4-0) and Sutton (3-1) respectively, while the all-Championship affaire between Hull and Birmingham ended 1-1.

5.30pm kick-offs

As with the 3pm games, there were no upsets in the late kick-offs.

Chelsea swept aside Preston with ease, routing the Championship side 4-0 at Stamford Bridge. Goals from Armando Broja, Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling and Enzo Fernandez continued the Blues good run of form and has them in great shape ahead of a Carabao Cup semi-final first leg in midweek.

Another Premier League versus Championship match went the way of the PL side, with Aston Villa getting the better of Middlesbrough at the Riverside thanks to a deflected effort from Matty Cash late on, with one goal enough for Unai Emery's side.

Sheffield Wednesday hammered Cardiff 4-0 at Hillsborough in an all-second-tier affair, though the scoreline doesn't quite tell the whole story. The Owls went in front after just two minutes, but a crazy five minutes followed in which Cardiff were awarded two penalties in the 4th and 7th minutes, with Wednesday goalkeeper Cameron Dawson saving both.

Finally, another Championship side Swansea booked their place in the fourth round with a routine 2-0 win over League Two Morecambe in Luke Williams' first game in charge since leaving Notts County for the Welsh side.

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