Sports
Man City in narrow FA escape, Arsenal crash out

Manchester City received a huge FA Cup scare from fourth-tier Cheltenham before a late blitz gave them a 3-1 win on Saturday after Southampton dumped holders Arsenal out of the competition.
Six-time winners City were minutes away from exiting at the fourth-round stage before goals from Phil Foden, Gabriel Jesus and Ferran Torres broke the hearts of the brave League Two side.
City boss Pep Guardiola made 10 changes for the trip to the southwest of England but his side was still packed with internationals.
The home team — 72 places below City in the football pyramid — produced a stirring defensive display but also sporadically threatened at the other end of the pitch.
Jesus hit the post shortly after the restart as City upped the tempo following a goalless first half but it was the home team who broke the deadlock.
The visitors failed to deal with the outstanding Ben Tozer’s long throw and Alfie May fired in from close range just before the hour mark.
Guardiola threw on Ilkay Gundogan and Joao Cancelo in a desperate bid to find a way back into the game and was rewarded in the 81st minute when Foden volleyed in Cancelo’s cross.
Three minutes later Jesus made amends for his earlier miss and Torres made it 3-1 with the final kick of the game, turning in Gundogan’s low cross.
“We came here with humility and had the quality to make the difference,” said Guardiola.
“They used their quality in the box, they are taller and better than us there and we showed clips on how to solve it. It is difficult to control that.”
The Catalan had warm words for Foden, who is the club’s top-scorer in all competitions this season.
“Phil Foden is in a great moment and with great confidence,” he added. “He is clinical in front of goal.”
Cheltenham boss Michael Duff said he was “super proud” of his players, bemoaning the fact the match had to be played behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s a shame because (with fans) the place would’ve been bouncing,” he said. “Would that have seen us through in the last 10 minutes? I’m not so sure — but the key is to enjoy it.”
Earlier, Arsenal, who have won the competition a record 14 times, went down 1-0 at Southampton courtesy of a Gabriel own goal.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta made seven changes from his team’s 3-0 league win against Newcastle on Monday, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and midfielder Emile Smith Rowe both absent.
Southampton, FA Cup winners in 1976, earned a well-deserved lead in the 24th minute when Kyle Walker-Peters’ ball across the six-yard area was inadvertently turned in by Gabriel.
The visitors went close to an equaliser through Eddie Nketiah’s deflected shot but were forced to leave empty-handed.
“We had a dream to do it again like last year (win the FA Cup) and the dream today is over,” said Arteta.
“I am as well disappointed with the way we conceded the goal in an area where we know we shouldn’t be doing that. At the same time I cannot fault the effort of the players.”
West Ham, who will face either Manchester or Liverpool in the next round, crushed third-tier Doncaster 4-0 despite multiple changes from manager David Moyes while fellow Premier League sides Brighton and Sheffield United also progressed.
Pablo Fornals gave impressive West Ham an early lead at home to Doncaster as they dominated the League One side from the kick-off.
Andriy Yarmolenko doubled the lead before a second-half own goal from Andy Butler and a late strike from debutant Oladapo Afolayan.
Goals from Yves Bissouma and Steven Alzate were enough to seal a 2-1 win for Brighton against League One Blackpool.
Chris Basham and Billy Sharp scored for Premier League strugglers Sheffield United against League One opponents Plymouth.
Elsewhere, Swansea thumped fellow Championship side Nottingham Forest 5-1, while Bristol City beat Millwall 3-0. Barnsley beat Championship leaders Norwich 1-0.
On Sunday, Premier League leaders Manchester United face Liverpool in the tie of the round, while Chelsea host Luton.
Sports
Ancelotti says mission accomplished as Real Madrid reach cup final

Ancelotti says mission accomplished as Real Madrid reach cup final
It was mission accomplished, said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti after his side fought back from two-goals behind to snatch a rip-roaring 4-4 draw on Tuesday for a 5-4 aggregate win that put them through against Real Sociedad to the Copa del Rey final.
Ancelotti brushed off questions about a sub-par performance by Real Madrid and praised his players’ effort in what he considered a highly entertaining encounter.
“We have achieved our goal today which was to reach the final and there is not much time to think about it,” Ancelotti told a press conference.
“It was an entertaining game with some mistakes and a lot of good things. It was fun and we are in the final.
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“I never saw ourselves out of it because anything can happen at the Bernabeu. When we have to come from behind, we never give up. We never give up, especially at home, with the fans by our side.”
Ancelotti said David Alaba was not to blame after he deflected two balls into his own goal, calling it “bad luck” by the Austrian defender, but urged his defence to play with better focus moving forward.
“It’s not good to concede four goals in a game,” Ancelotti said.
“Right now we are a team that has a lot of effectiveness up-front, but little balance.
“However, we can’t ignore what we did in attack, scoring four goals against Real is not that easy. I think we are doing quite well.”
Real Madrid, who have won the Spanish Cup only once in over a decade, will play either Barcelona or Atletico Madrid in a mouth-watering final in Seville next month.
Atletico fought back to hold Barca to a thrilling 4-4 draw ahead of Wednesday’s second-leg in Madrid.
Ancelotti says mission accomplished as Real Madrid reach cup final
Sports
Saka’s stunning return powers Arsenal to victory over Fulham

Saka’s stunning return powers Arsenal to victory over Fulham
Arsenal secured a crucial 2-1 victory over Fulham at the Emirates Stadium, with Bukayo Saka making a triumphant return from injury to score the decisive goal.
The match saw the Gunners dominate possession, but it was Fulham who came closest to scoring in the opening stages.
Arsenal struggled to break down their resolute defence early on, with Gabriel Martinelli having a goal ruled out for offside and several opportunities narrowly missed.
In the 37th minute, Mikel Merino gave Arsenal the lead, collecting a pass from Ethan Nwaneri to strike a low shot past Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno. The first half ended with Fulham unable to find an equaliser, despite a couple of dangerous moments.
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The turning point came just after the hour mark when Arsenal doubled their advantage. Gabriel Martinelli delivered a perfect cross, and Saka, making his return to action, rose to head home a brilliant goal. The Gunners were cruising with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
However, Fulham responded on added time when Rodrigo Muniz capitalised on a deflected shot to pull one back for the visitors. Despite the late pressure, Arsenal’s defence held firm, and the match finished 2-1 in their favour.
Saka’s return was a key moment, not only for the goal but also for the confidence he brought to the team, sealing another vital three points for Arsenal in their quest for the title.
Saka’s stunning return powers Arsenal to victory over Fulham
Sports
Maguire, Yoro set for Man United return

Maguire, Yoro set for Man United return
Manchester United manager, Ruben Amorim has confirmed that defenders, Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro are available to play against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Tuesday.
The Red Devils boss issued fitness updates on the injured players in the squad including England left-back Luke Shaw, who Amorim says he has returned to training but is still building his fitness before a return to first-team action.
Leny Yoro has suffered repeated injuries this season after arriving at the club from Lille in the summer.
The 19-year-old has been out since March 9 when he picked up a foot injury during United’s draw with Arsenal.
Maguire has been unavailable with a calf injury since the end of February.
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Amorin confirmed that Luke Shaw returned to training on Friday but also noted that the left-back is still working on his fitness before a return to first-team action.
“Luke [Shaw] is not ready yet. We are starting to do some drills with the team but we are building Luke,” Amorim said.
The Red Devils manager also issued injury updates on Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo, Johnny Evans, and Lisandro Martinez.
“Mason Mount is feeling better but he was on the bench in the last game, Kobbie [Mainoo] is almost ready, Jonny [Evans] is recovering, [Lisandro Martínez] is out. [Harry] Maguire is also ready to go to the game and [Leny] Yoro, yes,” Amorim added.
Maguire, Yoro set for Man United return
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