Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson has delivered his verdict on plans to expand the Championship play-off structure. As things stand, four teams in the second tier of English football secure tickets to the lottery that boasts a place in the Premier League as its top prize. It has been suggested that six sides could enter the mix from the 2026-27 campaign.
Wayne Rooney watched on incognito as his son, Kai, made his first Old Trafford appearance for Manchester United. The Red Devils' Under-18s took on Derby in the fourth round of the FA Youth Cup at the Theatre of Dreams on Friday night and claimed a 2-1 win to book their place in the next round. Darren Fletcher's side are one of the favourites to go the distance in the competition this season.
Manchester United continue to count the cost of their on-field struggles, with it being reported that the Red Devils face another £50 million ($67m) hole in their accounts for 2025-26. With no European football on the agenda this season, the Premier League heavyweights have crashed out of both domestic cup competitions at the earliest opportunity.
Hugo Ekitike has etched his name into Liverpool history alongside King Kenny Dalglish after a goalscoring return to action. The French forward came off the bench against Barnsley to complete a unique scoring set in his debut season. He has now found the net in five different competitions this term, a feat only achieved once before by the legendary Scot back in the 1977-78 campaign.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has moved to quell fears surrounding Rio Ngumoha after the teenage sensation was forced off during the FA Cup victory over Barnsley. The 17-year-old winger produced another dazzling display at Anfield before limping off in the second half, but the Dutch boss insists the issue is nothing more sinister than fatigue as the youngster adapts to senior football.
Liverpool’s passage to the fourth round of the FA Cup was marred by a moment of controversial flair from Dominik Szoboszlai, who has been fiercely criticised by Barnsley head coach Conor Hourihane for a "disrespectful" piece of skill inside his own penalty area. The Hungarian’s casual backheel gifted the visitors a route back into the game, sparking anger from the opposition dugout and earning a stern rebuke from his own manager, Arne Slot.
Dominik Szoboszlai masterminded and nearly undid Liverpool's 4-1 win over League One side Barnsley to progress to round four of the FA Cup. The Hungarian scored a screamer, gifted the Tykes a goal, and was fortunate to not concede a penalty on Monday night. But classy goals from Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitike got him out of trouble.
Macclesfield FC will welcome the Premier League's Brentford to their Moss Rose home in the next round of the 2025-26 FA Cup after the fourth round draw handed the non-league side another glamorous tie against top flight opposition. The Silkmen sensationally beat holders Crystal Palace in the third round to complete one of the greatest FA Cup shocks of all-time.
Macclesfield boss John Rooney is hoping to upset more Premier League opposition after dumping FA Cup holders Crystal Palace out of the competition. The non-league side produced arguably the biggest upset in FA Cup history with their 2-1 win over Oliver Glasner's team at the weekend. The National League North club are 117 places below the Eagles but were more than a match for them, and now Wayne Rooney's brother wants another eye-catching tie in the fourth round.
The toxic atmosphere engulfing Manchester United reached a new nadir on Sunday as director of football Jason Wilcox was subjected to a barrage of boos and abuse from furious supporters upon his arrival at Old Trafford, foreshadowing a disastrous afternoon that saw the Red Devils crash out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle for the first time in over a decade.
Arne Slot has vowed that he will not be making the same mistake twice at Liverpool, with the Reds boss taking valuable lessons from an FA Cup giant-killing in 2025. Some 12 months ago, the then-runaway Premier League leaders suffered a humbling third-round defeat to Plymouth - who were bottom of the Championship at the time. They are now preparing to face Barnsley in 2026 and will avoid any sweeping changes.
On the weekend that the Bundesliga returned after its winter hiatus and two of Serie A's top three met in a crucial clash in the fight for the Scudetto, much of Europe was focused on cup competitions of varying degrees of importance. England and France played host to the latest rounds of their domestic tournaments while Spain and Turkey followed France's lead from earlier in the week in crowning their Super Cup champions.
Manchester United wonderkid Shea Lacey has apologised for the petulant red card that he picked up in an FA Cup clash with Brighton. The talented teenager feels as though he "let everybody down" when being dismissed towards the end of a forgettable 2-1 defeat for the Red Devils that has seen them hit a 111-year low. Lacey picked up two yellow cards in the space of three minutes.
Everything you need to know about the 2025-26 FA Cup fourth round draw, including when it is, how to watch it live for free, ball numbers for teams and more.
Danny Welbeck has joked that revealing the secrets behind his incredible longevity might attract the attention of "drug testers" after he returned to haunt Manchester United once again. The 35-year-old striker rolled back the years to score a stunner as Brighton dumped his former club out of the FA Cup, sparking fresh talk of a shock England World Cup recall.
Manchester United suffered more humiliation on the back of their FA Cup third-round defeat to Brighton, with it being revealed that Bruno Fernandes’ X account was hacked. The Portuguese playmaker, who is club captain at Old Trafford, played the full 90 minutes of the 2-1 loss to the Seagulls. Bizarre posts appeared on one of his social channels a few hours later, including an anti-INEOS message, but he was not responsible for their sharing.
GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including concern over Pepi after an injury and Folarin Balogun getting on the scoresheet.
Darren Fletcher has hinted he will not be given the Manchester United job for the remainder of the season after his side were dumped out of the FA Cup in the third round by Brighton. The former United midfielder has failed to win either of his games since being named interim boss following Ruben Amorim's sacking on Monday, having overseen a 2-2 draw at relegation-threatened Burnley on Wednesday.
Manchester United triggered an extraordinary 111-year low after they were beaten by a Danny Welbeck-inspired Brighton and Hove Albion in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday evening. The ex-Red Devils striker came back to haunt his former paymasters, who were reduced to ten men late on when academy graduate Shea Lacey was sent off at Old Trafford.
Manchester United wonderkid Shea Lacey picked up the first red card of his career in petulant circumstances as the Red Devils suffered more frustration against Brighton in the FA Cup. Old Trafford was left stunned by another abject performance from a star-studded cast, with teenage winger Lacey compounding their misery when he was dismissed in the final minute of the 90.
Ryan Reynolds was once again spotted picking grass from the Racecourse Ground pitch prior to Wrexham claiming a Premier League scalp in the 2025-26 FA Cup. The Red Dragons prevailed on penalties at the end of an epic third-round clash with Nottingham Forest, and one of their Hollywood co-owners made sure that he had a memento to take back to the United States.
Danny Welbeck haunted Manchester United yet again as Brighton became only the third team in 43 years to knock the Red Devils out of the FA Cup in the third round. Welbeck played his part in the Seagulls taking the lead at Old Trafford and then doubled their advantage with a second-half piledriver.
West Ham defender Konstantinos Mavropanos had to be stretchered from the field after suffering a worrying head injury in the Hammers’ FA Cup third-round clash with Queens Park Rangers. The former Arsenal centre-half formed part of a nasty collision late in the first half, leading to him requiring lengthy treatment on the field and urgent medical attention off it.
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