FA Cup news

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.

Guide to the FA Cup fifth round draw, including when it is, how to watch it live, the teams involved and more

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.

How to watch the FA Cup match between Macclesfield and Brentford, as well as kick-off time and team news.

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.

GOAL reviews the major takeaways from Americans playing in Europe, including more McKennie magic

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.

How to watch the FA Cup match between Arsenal and Wigan, as well as kick-off time and team news.

How to watch the FA Cup match between Birmingham and Leeds, as well as kick-off time and team news

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.