Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has broken his silence following a wave of criticism on social media after a video emerged of him refusing to sign an autograph for a supporter outside the Emirates Stadium. The incident took place as the Spaniard was in his car following the Gunners' victory over Wigan Athletic and he has taken the chance to tell his side of the story.
One regular weekend of refereeing, that's all we ask for. Will never happen. At least not in the current climate - because if the fourth round of the FA Cup taught us anything, it's that the absence of VAR definitely doesn't mean an absence of controversy. The first half of the Aston Villa-Newcastle game alone made a compelling case for the continued use of technology for offside decisions and penalty claims.
The draw for the fifth round of the 2025-26 FA Cup took place on Monday and produced some intriguing ties ahead of the next round of games in the competition. Chelsea have been drawn to face Wrexham, while Manchester City face a tricky test against Eddie Howe's Newcastle United and Premier League leaders Arsenal are away to League One side Mansfield Town.
Chelsea's players have come in for heavy criticism after being filmed walking straight past a group of excited young Hull City mascots before the FA Cup fourth-round tie between the two clubs. Blues stars including club captain Reece James, Estevao Willian and Joao Pedro can be seen passing by the children without acknowledging them, with the incident sparking widespread outrage on social media.
Though the Premier League took a week off to allow for the FA Cup, there were still plenty of storylines to follow within England, while title races around the rest of Europe continue to take plenty of twists and turns.
Mikel Arteta found himself caught up in an awkward encounter with an autograph-hunting supporter following Arsenal’s FA Cup fourth-round win over Wigan. The Gunners boss was looking to head home with his family after that encounter, but was spotted in his car by eagle-eyed fans. Despite making it clear that he had no intention of granting shirt-signing requests, one individual persevered.
Mikel Arteta deployed Bukayo Saka in a central role for Arsenal against Wigan in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday and saw his team cruise to a emphatic 4-0 win. The Arsenal boss spoke about his decision to swap Saka from his usual role out wide, admitting it is something that he had wanted to try and is now a tactic that he could look to use more often.
Mikel Arteta has confirmed the reason behind Martin Odegaard's absence from the matchday squad for Arsenal's FA Cup win over Wigan on Sunday. The Gunners eased past the Latics on home turf to breeze into the next round of the competition but Odegaard sat out the resounding home victory as the Norwegian's stop-start season continues.
Eberechi Eze bounced back from his midweek nightmare at Brentford to help Arsenal set a new FA Cup record as they thumped Wigan 4-0 to cruise into the fifth round. Eze, whose form has been the subject of much scrutiny having been hauled off at half-time by Mikel Arteta during Thursday night's 1-1 draw at the Gtech Stadium, produced two superb early assists as the Gunners became the first Premier League side in history to score four times in the opening 30 minutes of an FA Cup tie.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has heaped praise on Mohamed Salah for his starring role in their 3-0 win against Brighton in the FA Cup on Saturday evening. Strikes from Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai saw the Reds build a commanding 2-0 lead, before Salah, who ran the show, capped off proceedings from the penalty spot.
Wayne Rooney launched a scathing attack on the standard of officiating in the FA Cup on Saturday, as Newcastle United overcame Aston Villa 3-1 in the fourth round despite multiple game-changing decisions going against them in the absence of VAR. The former Manchester United striker was particularly critical of a decision which saw a free kick given for a Lucas Digne handball which was clearly 'three yards inside' the penalty area.
Liverpool are by no means back to their best. And nor is Mohamed Salah. But there were enough positive signs from both in Saturday night's 3-0 FA Cup fourth-round win over Brighton to suggest that this most trying of seasons might actually end on a positive note for the Reds. Arne Slot's men were actually quite flat in the first half, perhaps exhausted from the effort required to end Sunderland's unbeaten home record in the Premier League in midweek, but they still went into the interval ahead thanks to Curtis Jones' close-range finish from Milos Kerkez's cross.
Manchester City may have secured their passage into the FA Cup fifth round, but manager Pep Guardiola was left far from impressed by what he witnessed at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Despite a 2-0 victory over League Two outfit Salford City, the Catalan coach offered a scathing assessment of his side's display, labelling the performance "flat and slow and not good." It was a result that got the job done, but the manner of the victory left much to be desired for the reigning Premier League champions.
Cole Palmer spent Valentine's Day in Dubai with girlfriend Olivia Holder while Chelsea cruised past Hull City in the FA Cup, running out 4-0 winners. The England attacker was rested and did not travel with the squad, instead taking a short mid-season break before returning to training ahead of the Premier League run-in under new head coach Liam Rosenior.
It's just as well Manchester City once again spent big during the January transfer window, as Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo were needed off the bench to help Pep Guardiola's men overcome Salford City in a surprisingly competitive FA Cup fourth-round clash at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon. Despite being gifted an early lead through Alfie Dorrington's own goal, City struggled horribly to break down their League Two opponents, while at the same time giving the visitors a couple of clear sights of goal.
Wrexham celebrated five years with Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac at the helm of the club by beating Ipswich Town in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Phil Parkinson's side won 1-0 on Friday night to make it into the fifth phase of the famous competition for the first time since 1997. Josh Windass was the hero for the hosts, scoring the only goal of the game against their fellow Championship promotion hopefuls.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has revealed just why he loves the FA Cup as he prepares to face League Two side Salford City in the fourth round of the competition on Saturday. The 55-year-old, who has won the competition twice with Manchester City, has revealed he 'loves' the atmosphere generated by fans of lower-league clubs and the chants that fill their stadiums.
Every football team needs an anthem and Salford City have embraced one that puts their town at its very core - here is all you need to know about the club's walkout song.
Chelsea striker Liam Delap has opened up on his horror miss for the Blues against Hull City in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday night. The striker thought he had opened the scoring after blocking an attempted clearance from goalkeeper Dillon Phillips. Delap even started to celebrate before watching on as the ball struck the underside of the crossbar and then bounced away from goal.
Hull City have confirmed arrests have been made after discriminatory chanting was heard during the 4-0 FA Cup defeat to Chelsea on Friday night. The Championship club's public address system sounded a warning to supporters to cease during the first half, warning supporters that chanting of a discriminatory nature is a criminal offence.
Chelsea thumped Hull City 4-0 to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup on Friday evening. Pedro Neto scored a hat-trick, including a goal directly from a corner, and Estevao also hit the back of the net as the Blues thumped Liam Rosenior's old employers.
Wigan Athletic interim manager Glenn Whelan has admitted he has taken Premier League advice ahead of this weekend's FA Cup tie against Arsenal. The Latics are hoping to pull off a remarkable scalp when they take on the top-flight leaders.
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