Liverpool booked their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup with an emphatic 3-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield, with Mohamed Salah operating at his devastating best.
The Reds struck first through Curtis Jones, featuring at right-back, before Dominik Szoboszlai doubled the advantage after the break with a thumping finish following a sumptuous assist from Salah.
The Egyptian was instrumental throughout the tie and fittingly capped his performance by winning and converting a penalty to seal a commanding win over the Seagulls.
Liverpool played with a level of confidence and control that they have rarely shown consistently so far this season, despite Brighton threatening throughout.
While Brighton registered 17 shots to Liverpool’s 13, eight of these were from outside the box and only one was a big chance.
The result is yet another disappointment for Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler, whose team have now won just two of their last 15 matches, raising the pressure on the German as the season enters its final stretch.
For Liverpool boss Arne Slot, however, this was an emboldening performance from his side.
His side displayed a fluency and ruthlessness that has too often been absent this season.
Slot will hope that this is not yet another false dawn and that his star forward is now back to his elite best as they seek to salvage the season with a serious cup run.
Newcastle complete comeback over Villa amid referee mire
VAR was at the forefront of the conversation following Newcastle’s 3-1 comeback victory over Aston Villa – despite it not being in use.
Villa led early on, and the match turned chaotic after goalkeeper Marco Bizot was sent off, reducing the hosts to ten men.
Yet, referee Chris Kavanagh found himself under heavy scrutiny for several key decisions in the game.
Tammy Abraham was allowed to gather a Douglas Luiz free-kick in an offside position before scoring, while a clear handball by Lucas Digne inside the area resulted only in a free-kick on the edge of the box rather than a penalty.
Newcastle capitalised on the set-piece as Sandro Tonali fired home the equaliser – the first of his two goals on the night – before Nick Woltemade put the result beyond doubt with a composed finish in the 88th minute.
Digne also escaped with just a yellow card for a challenge on Jacob Murphy that left the Newcastle winger with cuts on his shin.
The Magpies completed an impressive comeback in the second half from 1-0 down to win 3-1 despite a number of major referring errors that threatened to derail the game for Eddie Howe’s men.
After the match, Magpies boss Eddie Howe suggested referees may have grown overly reliant on VAR technology.
“When VAR is there, there is a tendency to think, ‘I won’t give that because VAR will check it.’ Then your decision-making isn’t as sharp,” he said, while admitting he values the raw emotion of goals that stand without review.
Ironically, a match played without VAR reignited the wider conversation about its place in football, highlighting how many fans feel torn between wanting the accuracy it can offer and preserving the game’s natural flow and emotion.
Guardiola ‘unimpressed’ by City win
Elsewhere, Manchester City progressed with a 2-0 victory over local rivals Salford City, co-owned by Gary Neville and David Beckham.
Marc Guehi opened his account for City to seal the win on the day, making the game 2-0 after leading from the 6th minute through a Salford own goal.
The League Two outfit proved stubborn opponents and made the tie less than easy for City, restricting them to low-quality chances throughout the game.
Manager Pep Guardiola was far from satisfied by the performance from his team, describing them as “boring”.
“One of our players had to put the ball on the opposite side and it happened only after 2-0,” he said.
“We didn’t read the spaces well enough. We spent too much time in the process.”
Despite making it through to the next round, Guardiola made clear that the standards at City remain high no matter the opponent.
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Mansfield stun Burnley in giant-killing
The round’s shock arrived at Turf Moor, where Mansfield Town defeated Burnley 2-1.
Burnley had led through Josh Laurent, but Mansfield fought back before Louis Reed’s 80th-minute free-kick sealed a famous victory – making this their deepest run in the competition since 1975.
For Burnley, languishing 19th in the Premier League, the defeat compounds a bleak campaign.
With survival looking unlikely, the FA Cup represented a glimmer of hope for the fans, who now have nothing but a relegation battle to focus on.
West Ham edge past Burton after extra-time
West Ham United needed extra time to overcome Burton Albion 1-0, with Crysencio Summerville netting the decisive 95th-minute winner.
Freddie Potts’ late 101st minute red card ensured a nervy finale, but the Hammers held on to continue an encouraging upturn in form.
Since the arrival of new first-team staff coach Paco Jemez, West Ham have won five of their last seven matches.
This revival will give the Hammers hope of Premier League survival, who are now only three points off Nottingham Forest in 17th.
Elsewhere in the FA Cup
Norwich eased past West Brom 3-1 at Carrow Road, while Southampton overcame Leicester City 2-1 in extra time in a close contest between the two Championship sides.
All victors now await Monday’s fifth-round draw as the road to Wembley quickly gathers pace.
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