Ipswich Town beat Coventry City 4-1 at the CBS Arena to secure their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in 18 years.

The Blues took an early lead through George Hirst's penalty, although their opponents levelled through Joel Latibeaudiere. However, a brace from Jack Clarke and a second-half strike from Jaden Philogene saw Kieran McKenna's men ease into the next stage of the competition.

Town went straight at the game from the off, with Coventry getting the game underway. They chased down the ball as Jack Taylor won possession, playing a pass over the top for Hirst, who wheeled away down the left. The striker squared the ball for Sammie Szmodics, who was bundled over inside the box by Liam Kitching in the box.

George Hirst scored a penalty at the very start of the match (Image: Ross Halls)

Referee Ben Toner was quick to point to the spot, giving Ipswich a penalty in the 20th second of the match. Hirst stepped up around a minute later, firing low past Oliver Dovin and into the bottom corner.

It didn’t take long for Coventry to respond, however, as Conor Townsend was forced to knock the ball behind for a corner following a shanked clearance from Luke Woolfenden. Jack Rudoni’s delivery found the head of Latibeaudiere, who flicked it into the net to equalise in the eighth minute.

Ben Godfrey’s positioning opened space for the Sky Blues to attack down the left, with Rudoni playing Brandon Thomas-Asante into the box in the 14th minute. He worked the ball around Alex Palmer, who brought him down for what would have been a clear penalty if it wasn’t for the linesman’s offside flag.

Sammie Szmodics pulled up with a knock shortly after Town retook the lead (Image: Ross Halls)

Although the hosts looked more threatening, Ipswich were able to use Jaden Philogene as an outlet down the right. His cross was cleared out for a corner in the 22nd minute, but Kalvin Phillips’ subsequent delivery gave Szmodics no real chance of hitting the target.

The Blues began to find their feet after a sticky period. A ball over the top to Hirst played him into a tight area, but he was able to turn and pick out Jack Clarke, who danced into the box before firing a pinpoint low strike past Dovin, putting his side ahead with an excellent goal in the 28th minute.

There was bad news to follow, however, as Szmodics went down with a knock in the 35th minute. Having only just returned to training after his ankle injury, this was a big blow, with Nathan Broadhead replacing him.

Jack Clarke's second goal put the Blues 3-1 up before half time (Image: Ross Halls)

That being said, the Wales international had an immediate impact, chasing down a loose ball and playing Clarke into space. The winger was closed down immediately, but still managed to slide the goal past Dovin to grab his brace, putting Ipswich 3-1 up in the 37th minute.

A two-goal lead is always dangerous, however, and a sloppy pass from Kalvin Phillips presented Tatsuhiro Sakamoto with a chance to claw one back. Palmer got down just in time to push it wide, allowing Town to clear the resulting corner.

Although Coventry began to grow in confidence after the break, Ipswich had good opportunities to wrap up the game. Hirst came close to picking up the ball inside the box in the 53rd minute, but Luis Binks stopped him with a well-timed tackle. Three minutes later, Philogene tested Dovin from a tight angle, forcing a good save.

Jaden Philogene's first Ipswich goal put the tie to bed (Image: Ross Halls)

Frank Lampard's side thought they got themselves back into the game in the 61st minute as Thomas-Asante headed past Palmer, but it was quickly disallowed for offside.

Two minutes later, however, Town wrapped up the win, with Broadhead winning the ball in midfield and driving forward. He played Clarke into space down the left, where he squared the ball for Philogene instead of trying for a hat-trick, allowing the January signing to score his first goal in an Ipswich shirt.

Coventry did have some late sights of goal, but Palmer was able to deal with them, further sapping the life out of the home crowd. In the end, it was a comfortable victory for the Blues, one which sends them into the fifth round for the first time since 2006/07.

Coventry XI: 3-5-1-1: Dovin; Thomas, Binks, Kitching; Latibeaudiere (Burroughs 88'), Allen (Raphael 75'), Eccles, Rudoni (Torp 62'), Dasilva; Sakamoto; Thomas-Asante (Bassette 62')

Town XI: 4-2-3-1: Palmer; Godfrey, Woolfenden, Burgess, Townsend; Phillips (Luongo 67'), Taylor (Cajuste 79'), Philogene (Johnson 79'), Szmodics (Broadhead 35’), Clarke; Hirst (Delap 79')

Attendance: 30,055