From agony to ecstasy back to agony again, the extreme highs and lows of the FA Cup were brought into sharp focus for Ipswich Town.

And to make their roller-coaster ride even more white-knuckle, those peaks and troughs occurred inside an explosive last 25 minutes.

Three-down and seemingly dead and buried, the Blues produced a scintillating fightback by snatching THREE goals in just FOUR minutes.

But their audacious glory plot was foiled almost immediately as United sewed up a somewhat flattering victory at Bramall Lane.

Thomas Gaardsoe started Ipswich's goal flurry picking his spot with a right-foot shot from the edge of the area but it appeared nothing more than a consolation.

Just two minutes later, however, spirits in the camp rocketed through the roof when Tommy Miller having been tripped by Phil Jagielka slotted a coolly-taken penalty past Wilko de Vogt.

Unbelievably, just 120 seconds after that, it was 3-3.

Darren Ambrose lofted a superb ball over the defence for Darren Bent, who fired home after cutting inside Wayne Quinn.

The Blades had gone from cruise control to capitulation and yet somehow it was they who had the last laugh.

Having put themselves in a seemingly unassailable position thanks to two long-range efforts from Michael Brown the second a superb volley and a follow-up shot by Jagielka, they launched one last throw of the dice.

Wayne Allison headed on a throw and fellow substitute Paul Peschisolido unmarked in the box rifled his shot across goal and past Andy Marshall.

"I honestly don't know how we lost," said bemused Ipswich boss Joe Royle.

"I was scratching my head when we went three-down because our keeper hadn't had a save to make."

Published Monday, January 27, 2003

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