Man City Beat Salford, Newcastle Knock Out Villa, Mansfield Town Stun Burnley in FA Cup

Mansfield Town's English midfielder #25 Louis Reed (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal during the English FA Cup fourth round football match between Burnley and Mansfield Town at Turf Moor in Burnley, northwest England on February 14, 2026. (AFP)
Mansfield Town's English midfielder #25 Louis Reed (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal during the English FA Cup fourth round football match between Burnley and Mansfield Town at Turf Moor in Burnley, northwest England on February 14, 2026. (AFP)
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Man City Beat Salford, Newcastle Knock Out Villa, Mansfield Town Stun Burnley in FA Cup

Mansfield Town's English midfielder #25 Louis Reed (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal during the English FA Cup fourth round football match between Burnley and Mansfield Town at Turf Moor in Burnley, northwest England on February 14, 2026. (AFP)
Mansfield Town's English midfielder #25 Louis Reed (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal during the English FA Cup fourth round football match between Burnley and Mansfield Town at Turf Moor in Burnley, northwest England on February 14, 2026. (AFP)

Manchester City beat League Two Salford City 2-0 in the FA Cup to move into the fifth round on Saturday as January signing Marc Guehi scored his first goal for the Premier League club while Burnley were stunned 2-1 by League One side Mansfield Town.

Sandro Tonali's double inspired Newcastle United to a 3-1 comeback win over 10-man Aston Villa, while Mohamed Salah scored as Liverpool beat Brighton and Hove Albion 3-0.

West Ham United needed extra time to beat Burton Albion 1-0 while Norwich City claimed a 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion.

Manchester City had thrashed Salford 8-0 in the third round last year and Pep Guardiola's second-string side did not take long to take the lead as Alfie Dorrington turned in Rayan Ait-Nouri's dangerous cross for an own goal in the sixth minute.

Omar Marmoush thought he had scored City's second, but his celebrations were cut short when the offside flag went up.

Replays showed the Egyptian was onside but Video Assistant Referees and Semi-Automated Offside Technology are not in use until the fifth round of the competition, with Guardiola ‌seen wagging his finger ‌at the linesman.

TRAFFORD TO CITY'S RESCUE

City dominated for most of the half but Salford nearly ‌equalized late ⁠on and the ⁠home side had James Trafford to thank as the keeper denied Ben Woodburn with a sharp save when his shot looked destined for the top corner.

"We had to work really hard. They did really well, defended really well and they had belief that grew through the game. We got there in the end and got the good win," Trafford told the BBC.

Salford continued to probe after the restart as Trafford once again came to the rescue and Guardiola had seen enough, bringing on the cavalry in the form of Antoine Semenyo, Guehi and Nico O'Reilly.

The home side doubled their lead in the 81st minute when Matty Young palmed away Rayan Cherki's cross into the box and the ball fell ⁠to Guehi, who tapped in from close range.

Guehi was with Crystal Palace last month when the ‌holders were knocked out by non-league Macclesfield in one of the FA Cup's greatest ‌upsets, but the new rules meant he was no longer cup-tied and able to play for City.

BURNLEY KNOCKED OUT, WEST HAM THROUGH

Burnley were beaten 2-1 ‌at home by Mansfield thanks to skipper Louis Reed's second-half free kick as the third-tier side eliminated a top-flight club for ‌the first time since 1969.

Josh Laurent had given Burnley the lead in the first half while Rhys Oates equalized early in the second before Reed's glorious free kick sailed into the top corner to spark wild celebrations in the away end.

"Soon as it left my boot, I felt it going in. I have been working on them throughout the week," Reed said.

"The lads said, 'This is your moment, go and take it'. Thankfully, I did!"

In Saturday's ‌early kickoff, West Ham, who are also battling relegation alongside Burnley, needed an extra-time goal from the in-form Crysencio Summerville to see off Burton as they claimed a 1-0 victory at ⁠the Pirelli Stadium.

Summerville made a solo ⁠run from the left wing, cutting in before curling his effort into the top corner for his sixth goal in seven games across all competitions.

But West Ham were made to sweat after Freddie Potts was sent off, with Burton coming close to an equalizer twice in the dying stages.

TONALI INSPIRES NEWCASTLE COMEBACK

Newcastle overcame Villa in an incident-packed encounter at Villa Park.

Tammy Abraham appeared to be offside when he bagged a controversial opener for Villa before home goalkeeper Marco Bizot was sent off for fouling Jacob Murphy before halftime.

The Magpies rallied after the break. Tonali scored twice, including a sublime long-range effort, to turn the tie and substitute Nick Woltemade added a third.

"The officials don't make any decision on purpose, it's just what they think at the time, but without VAR, I thought there were a lot of errors today," Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said.

SALAH PENALTY SEALS LIVERPOOL WIN

Liverpool delivered a commanding win over Brighton as Curtis Jones struck first with a composed finish before Dominik Szoboszlai hammered home a second, capping a slick team move.

Mohamed Salah sealed the result by converting a penalty after being fouled by Pascal Gross.

"It's very nice to have him on the scoresheet again (Salah), but he also helps the team a lot defensively, and that is something very positive," Liverpool coach Arne Slot told reporters.

The FA Cup fifth round draw is on Monday.



Italy’s Winter Olympics Dream: A Record 22nd Medal Seals Its Best-Ever Games

 Silver medalists Italy's Michela Moioli and Lorenzo Sommariva hold an Italian flag as they celebrate after the mixed team snowboard cross finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP)
Silver medalists Italy's Michela Moioli and Lorenzo Sommariva hold an Italian flag as they celebrate after the mixed team snowboard cross finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP)
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Italy’s Winter Olympics Dream: A Record 22nd Medal Seals Its Best-Ever Games

 Silver medalists Italy's Michela Moioli and Lorenzo Sommariva hold an Italian flag as they celebrate after the mixed team snowboard cross finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP)
Silver medalists Italy's Michela Moioli and Lorenzo Sommariva hold an Italian flag as they celebrate after the mixed team snowboard cross finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. (AP)

Now it’s official: host nation Italy is having its best ever Winter Olympics.

Italy picked up four medals in quick succession on Sunday — two golds, a silver and a bronze — to take its current total to 22 and surpass its previous best medal haul of 20, set more than 30 years ago, at the Lillehammer Games in 1994.

And there are still seven days left of competition.

Italy's cross-country team set Sunday off with bronze in the men's 4 x 7.5-kilometer relay before Federica Brignone won an incredible second gold medal at her home Games with victory in the giant slalom, barely a month after returning to racing following a horrific injury last year.

Less than an hour later, Michela Moioli and Lorenzo Sommariva finished second in the mixed team snowboard cross to pick up Italy’s 21st medal at the Milan Cortina Games and break its previous mark.

And shortly after that, Lisa Vittozzi won gold in the 10-kilometer pursuit biathlon race.

The total is more than the target of 19 medals set by Italian Olympic Committee president Luciano Buonfiglio before the Games began.

The breakdown so far? Eight gold medals, four silver and 10 bronze.

In Lillehammer, Italy finished fourth in the final medal table — behind Russia, host nation Norway and Germany. At Milan Cortina, the Azzurri have consistently been in the top two.

At the last Winter Olympics, in Beijing, Italy won 17 medals. It fared worse the last time it hosted the Games, collecting 11 in Turin in 2006.

The signs that Italy could do something special at its home games were there right from Day 3, when the Azzurri had a record-breaking day on home snow and ice with a haul of six medals, the most the nation had ever won in a single day at the Winter Olympics.

“What an incredible day: six medals in 24 hours at the Winter Olympics will go down in history,” local organizing committee president Giovanni Malagò said. “And what’s also incredible is the multidisciplinary nature of the medals, we have become a country that is capable of being competitive in sports where we have never been.

“That is fundamental in the Olympic program and in the final medal table ... I have always been of the opinion that the strength of a country can be seen in how many medals in different sports you manage to earn, not necessarily the number of golds.”

The stories behind some of the medals have added to the feel-good moment sweeping the country.

The 35-year-old Brignone skied through the pain to win gold in the women’s super-G on Thursday, following a year spent largely in rehab after breaking multiple bones in her leg.

Arianna Fontana, the most decorated short track speedskater of all time, won her 12th and 13th medals, equaling fencer Edoardo Mangiarotti’s record for most Olympic medals by an Italian athlete — a mark that has stood since 1960.

“We’re getting to see the Italian team do incredibly well ... I’ve been very fortunate to have gotten to witness Federica’s and Arianna’s golds, which were just incredible,” International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry said on Friday. “Their stories of resilience and fight and everything good in humanity was really showcased.

“Both athletes I have so much respect for ... Arianna is now the most decorated Italian athlete, summer or winter Olympian. And to do that at home, it’s so cool. I’m so excited for her. And you could feel in the stadium yesterday, last night, just the passion and the love and the respect.”


Leeds Survive Birmingham Scare to Reach FA Cup Fifth Round

Soccer Football - FA Cup - Fourth Round - Birmingham City v Leeds United - St Andrew's Knighthead Park, Birmingham, Britain - February 15, 2026 Leeds United's Sean Longstaff scores a penalty during the penalty shootout. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - FA Cup - Fourth Round - Birmingham City v Leeds United - St Andrew's Knighthead Park, Birmingham, Britain - February 15, 2026 Leeds United's Sean Longstaff scores a penalty during the penalty shootout. (Reuters)
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Leeds Survive Birmingham Scare to Reach FA Cup Fifth Round

Soccer Football - FA Cup - Fourth Round - Birmingham City v Leeds United - St Andrew's Knighthead Park, Birmingham, Britain - February 15, 2026 Leeds United's Sean Longstaff scores a penalty during the penalty shootout. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - FA Cup - Fourth Round - Birmingham City v Leeds United - St Andrew's Knighthead Park, Birmingham, Britain - February 15, 2026 Leeds United's Sean Longstaff scores a penalty during the penalty shootout. (Reuters)

Leeds survived an FA Cup scare to reach the fifth round with a penalty shoot-out victory against second-tier Birmingham on Sunday.

Birmingham substitute Patrick Roberts snatched an 89th-minute equalizer at St Andrew's to cancel out Lukas Nmecha's 49th-minute opener for Leeds.

With a feisty fourth round tie level at 1-1 after extra time, Leeds won the shoot-out 4-2.

Joel Piroe, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Brenden Aaronson and Sean Longstaff all converted their penalties for Daniel Farke's team.

Tommy Doyle's effort was saved by Leeds goalkeeper Lucas Perri before Roberts fired over the crossbar.

Battling to avoid relegation from the Premier League, Leeds are one win away from reaching the quarter-finals for the first time since 2002-03.

Wolves also avoided an upset as they won 1-0 at fourth-division Grimsby.

Grimsby stunned Manchester United in the League Cup earlier this season.

But Wolves avoided similar embarrassment thanks to Santiago Bueno's 60th-minute goal from the visitors' first shot on target on a mud-caked pitch at Blundell Park.

Grimsby didn't manage to force Wolves 'keeper Sam Johnstone into a save until Andy Cook's header in the 90th minute.

It was Wolves' first away win since beating Manchester United in April.

Mired in a miserable season that has left them bottom of the Premier League and almost certain to be relegated, Rob Edwards' side can still salvage some pride in the FA Cup.


Bayern’s Neuer Sidelined with Calf Injury

Manuel Neuer of Munich reacts ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich 05 in Dortmund, Germany, 14 February 2026. (EPA)
Manuel Neuer of Munich reacts ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich 05 in Dortmund, Germany, 14 February 2026. (EPA)
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Bayern’s Neuer Sidelined with Calf Injury

Manuel Neuer of Munich reacts ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich 05 in Dortmund, Germany, 14 February 2026. (EPA)
Manuel Neuer of Munich reacts ahead of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich 05 in Dortmund, Germany, 14 February 2026. (EPA)

Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is set for a spell on the sidelines after tearing his calf muscle, the Bundesliga club announced on Sunday.

Neuer, 39, was subbed off at half-time in Saturday's 3-0 win at Werder Bremen which helped Bayern restore their six-point lead over Borussia Dortmund atop the Bundesliga table.

Bayern sporting director Max Eberl initially said Neuer's substitution was a "precautionary measure" and the injury was "nothing dramatic".

A scan on Sunday, however, showed the tear was more serious than initially expected.

"Bayern Munich will have to do without Manuel Neuer for the time being," the league leaders said in a statement without indicating how long their captain would be out.

German media reported Neuer was in doubt for Bayern's trip to Dortmund at the end of February and would miss next Saturday's clash with Eintracht Frankfurt.

The veteran goalkeeper turns 40 in March and has been plagued by calf problems recently, missing 10 matches last season with a similar injury.

Bayern were 11 points clear in the German league at Christmas but Dortmund have drawn six points behind the leaders after a six-match winning run.