African players in Europe: Salah Drives Liverpool Closer to Title

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah (R) scored his Premier League-leading 25th goal of the season in the win over Manchester City - AFP
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah (R) scored his Premier League-leading 25th goal of the season in the win over Manchester City - AFP
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African players in Europe: Salah Drives Liverpool Closer to Title

Liverpool star Mohamed Salah (R) scored his Premier League-leading 25th goal of the season in the win over Manchester City - AFP
Liverpool star Mohamed Salah (R) scored his Premier League-leading 25th goal of the season in the win over Manchester City - AFP

Egypt star Mohamed Salah scored one goal and created the other as Liverpool beat Manchester City 2-0 at the weekend, a win that pushed the Reds ever closer to the Premier League title.

Salah has scored 30 goals in all competitions this season, including nine in his last eight matches for leaders Liverpool.

Here, AFP Sport highlights African headline-makers in the top European leagues:

MOHAMED SALAH (Liverpool)

He was the catalyst of a victory that moved the table toppers a giant step closer to the title. Salah netted with a deflected strike from a clever corner routine in the 14th minute. The 32-year-old then showed his strength and desire by getting past City defender Josko Gvardiol before whipping over a cross that Dominik Szoboszlai converted.

BETO (Everton)

The Guinea-Bissau striker reached 10 goals in all competitions this term after scoring in a 2-2 draw with Manchester United. Beto struck for the fifth time in his last five appearances, firing past United goalkeeper Andre Onana in the 19th minute to put Everton ahead. Mali international Abdoulaye Doucoure was the other Everton scorer.

YOANE WISSA, BRYAN MBEUMO (Brentford)

Democratic Republic of Congo forward Wissa put the Bees on course for a 4-0 win at lowly Leicester, while Cameroon forward Mbeumo also scored. Wissa bagged the 17th-minute opener with a close-range finish before Mbeumo scored 10 minutes later with a fine finish. Mbeumo has 15 goals in all competitions this season, and Wissa 13.

ITALY - ADEMOLA LOOKMAN (ATALANTA)

The Nigerian international took his season's Serie A goals tally to 12 after a brace in the 5-0 demolition of Empoli, which kept his third-placed side within three points of leaders Inter Milan. Lookman scored two classy goals, but the forward seemed unconvinced about suggestions his spat with coach Gian Piero Gasperini was over. Gasperini angered Lookman after Tuesday's Champions League elimination by Club Brugge, calling his star attacker the worst penalty taker he had ever seen. Asked by Sky Sport if the row was behind him, Lookman shrugged his shoulders and said "finished?", fuelling rumours of a mid-year exit.

GERMANY - SERHOU GUIRASSY (Borussia Dortmund)

Sizzling Guirassy scored four goals as Borussia demolished Union Berlin 6-0 to keep their slim Bundesliga top-four hopes alive. The Guinea international put Dortmund two goals ahead before half-time through a header. His other three goals -- a left-foot rocket, a tap-in and another header -- came in nine second-half minutes.

AMINE ADLI (Bayer Leverkusen)

Making his first start since fracturing his leg in October, Adli scored and laid on an assist as Leverkusen won 2-0 at Holstein Kiel to keep in touch with leaders Bayern Munich. The Moroccan latched on to an inch-perfect pass and chipped the ball into the net just before half-time.

FRANCE - ACHRAF HAKIMI (Paris Saint-Germain)

The Morocco star, runner-up for the 2024 African footballer of the year prize, is having a tremendous season for PSG and scored twice in the Ligue 1 leaders' 3-2 win at Lyon. It is just the second time he has scored twice in one game for PSG since joining the club from Inter Milan in 2021.

MESCHACK ELIA (Nantes)

The DR Congo winger came off the bench to score a late goal which clinched a precious 3-1 win for struggling Nantes over Lens. It was a first goal for the former TP Mazembe player since joining Nantes from Swiss side Young Boys on loan this month.



Man City Favorites, but FA Cup Door Wide Open for Seven Others

A combination of file pictures created in London on March 28, 2025, shows Bournemouth's Spanish manager Andoni Iraola (L) looking on before the English Premier League football match between Fulham and Bournemouth at Craven Cottage in London on December 29, 2024 and Manchester City’s coach Pep Guardiola (R) attending a press conference at Alvalade stadium in Lisbon, on November 4, 2024. (AFP)
A combination of file pictures created in London on March 28, 2025, shows Bournemouth's Spanish manager Andoni Iraola (L) looking on before the English Premier League football match between Fulham and Bournemouth at Craven Cottage in London on December 29, 2024 and Manchester City’s coach Pep Guardiola (R) attending a press conference at Alvalade stadium in Lisbon, on November 4, 2024. (AFP)
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Man City Favorites, but FA Cup Door Wide Open for Seven Others

A combination of file pictures created in London on March 28, 2025, shows Bournemouth's Spanish manager Andoni Iraola (L) looking on before the English Premier League football match between Fulham and Bournemouth at Craven Cottage in London on December 29, 2024 and Manchester City’s coach Pep Guardiola (R) attending a press conference at Alvalade stadium in Lisbon, on November 4, 2024. (AFP)
A combination of file pictures created in London on March 28, 2025, shows Bournemouth's Spanish manager Andoni Iraola (L) looking on before the English Premier League football match between Fulham and Bournemouth at Craven Cottage in London on December 29, 2024 and Manchester City’s coach Pep Guardiola (R) attending a press conference at Alvalade stadium in Lisbon, on November 4, 2024. (AFP)

Manchester City are favorites to win this season's FA Cup and salvage something from a troubled season but the seven other clubs left in a wide-open draw may never have a better opportunity to win the trophy.

None of the five most successful clubs in FA Cup history -- Arsenal, holders Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool -- are in the quarter-finals.

City, who travel to Bournemouth on Sunday, won the Cup for a seventh time two years ago but of the other teams in this weekend's quarter-finals, the most recent winner is Nottingham Forest who went all the way in 1959.

The combined FA Cup triumphs of the eight clubs left is 18 -- the lowest since 1997 -- and seven of those were for Aston Villa who have not won it since 1957.

Second-tier Preston North End, who host Villa on Sunday, are statistically the third most successful FA Cup team left but 1938 was the last time they lifted the trophy.

Action begins on Saturday with a London derby between Fulham and Crystal Palace, two clubs who have never won the FA Cup or any major silverware for that matter.

Fulham reached the final in 1975 while Palace have made two finals, losing to Manchester United in 1990 and again in 2016.

A cracking atmosphere is expected at Craven Cottage as the evenly-matched Premier League rivals seek a semi-final spot.

Saturday's later game sees Brighton & Hove Albion, whose one FA Cup final appearance was in 1983, host Forest.

Like Forest, Brighton are also chasing European qualification through the Premier League and they will be keen to avenge a 7-0 league hammering against Nuno Espirito Santo's team at the beginning of February.

Brighton are unbeaten since then and Fabian Hurzeler's in-form side are tipped to make him the youngest manager to win the FA Cup since Stan Cullis, also 32, led Wolverhampton Wanderers to the trophy in 1949.

"In this phase of the season, we need to have the belief. And I have the biggest belief in this group -- the belief that they can win and that they can achieve a season everyone remembers," the German said on Friday.

Preston are bidding to become the first club outside the top flight to reach the FA Cup final since Cardiff City in 2008.

Sitting 14th in the Championship table, they will hope a passionate crowd at Deepdale will help them stun a Villa team who have reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2015 when they went on to reach the final and lose to Arsenal.

"We are in the quarter-finals and that's a bit of magic for the Cup," Preston midfielder Stefan Thordarson. "It's harder and harder but we have shown that teams like us can do it.

"It's up for grabs for anyone this year."

The quarter-finals conclude on Sunday with Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth hoping to shut off Manchester City's last remaining route to silverware this season at the Vitality Stadium.

Bournemouth, four points behind City in the Premier League in 10th spot, are in the quarter-finals for only the third time.

"I think we have a big opportunity this weekend, anyone who steps on the pitch has to be ready to give everything, and even that might not be enough to beat City," Iraola said.

"But the chance to play at Wembley -- for City it is less important as they play there a lot, but for us it is huge."

City are seeking a seventh successive semi-final.