Stoke City 3-1 Wrexham
STEPHEN IRELAND SCORED twice in the closing minutes of Stoke City’s FA Cup tie against Wrexham to ensure the Potters didn’t suffer an upset at the Britannia Stadium today.
The non-league visitors had taken a shock lead on 73 minutes through Marc Carrington’s header before Ireland replaced Geoff Cameron.
Marko Arnautovice drew the Premier League club level with ten minutes remaining before Ireland added a late double with two powerful drives.
Aston Villa 1-0 Blackpool
Christian Benteke scored a 90th-minute winner to earn goal-shy Aston Villa a 1-0 victory over Blackpool in the FA Cup third round on Sunday.
Villa have managed just 11 goals in 20 Premier League matches this season, scoring only one in their last five, and looked set for a replay at Bloomfield Road after struggling to break down one of the most porous defences in the Championship.
However, Benteke rifled home from the edge of the penalty area late on to give the home side an unconvincing win at Villa Park.
Southampton 1-1 Ipswich Town
Southampton will face an FA Cup third-round replay after being held to a 1-1 draw by Ipswich Town at St Mary’s.
Darren Ambrose fired the Championship side ahead after 19 minutes but they were unable to hold onto the lead. Morgan Schneiderlin levelled things for the hosts with an opportunistic finish three minutes after the half hour.
The Premier League side dominated the final hour of play but were unable to find a way through a resolute Ipswich defence, with goalkeeper Dean Gerken making a string of impressive saves.
Graziano Pelle and Shane Long were both guilty of wasting chances in the Town penalty area, while Mick McCarthy’s team soaked up waves of pressure. They were able to hang on, meaning the sides will meet again at Portman Road to contest a place in the fourth-round.