MANCHESTER: Manchester City routed fourth-division Salford City 8-0 in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday.
Salford, which are co-owned by Manchester United icons David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary and Phil Neville and Nicky Butt, were humbled by Pep Guardiola’s four-time defending Premier League champion at Etihad Stadium.
Rising talent James McAtee struck a second-half hat trick, and City prospects Divin Mubama and Nico O’Reilly also scored.
Liverpool, Chelsea, Brighton, Bournemouth and Leicester also booked their place in the next round with big wins.
Quad chasing
Liverpool’s bid to win an unprecedented quadruple was still on after a 4-0 victory over Accrington Stanley.
The Premier League and Champions League leader were also into the semifinals of the English League Cup.
Fourth-division Accrington were never expected to prevent Arne Slot’s team from advancing to the fourth round and Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jayden Danns and Federico Chiesa scored for Liverpool at Anfield.
Rio Ngumoha, aged 16, became Liverpool’s second youngest debutant.
Big wins
Chelsea won 5-0 against fourth-division Morecambe at Stamford Bridge. Tosin Adarabioyo and Joao Felix scored two goals each for the eight-time winner.
Leicester were fighting relegation but thrashed second-tier Queens Park Rangers 6-2 for only their second win under manager Ruud van Nistelrooy. The Dutch coach hadn’t won since his first game in charge at the start of December against West Ham.
James Justin scored twice and Jamie Vardy converted a second-half penalty.
Georginio Rutter scored twice in Brighton’s 4-0 win at Norwich. Norwich’s American striker Josh Sargent went on as a 79th-minute substitute after recovering from groin surgery that had sidelined him since Oct. 27.
Bournemouth’s Dango Ouattara struck a double in a 5-1 victory against West Brom.
Forest advances
Sitting third in the Premier League, Forest notched their seventh straight win by beating Luton 2-0. Ryan Yates and Ramon Sosa scored.
Wolverhampton advanced 2-1 at second-division Bristol City.
Plymouth shock
Plymouth are in danger of being relegated to the third division and last month parted ways with manager Wayne Rooney. But they turned giant-killer with a late winner against Brentford.
Morgan Whittaker’s 82nd-minute strike ended Plymouth’s 11-game winless run and secured a famous Cup upset.
Former Manchester United prospect Demetri Mitchell scored twice to help third-division Exeter beat second-division Oxford 3-1.
Man City win 8-0 against Salford City in the FA Cup and Liverpool rout Accrington Stanley
https://arab.news/26gtx
Man City win 8-0 against Salford City in the FA Cup and Liverpool rout Accrington Stanley
- Rising talent James McAtee struck a second-half hat trick, and City prospects Divin Mubama and Nico O’Reilly also scored
- Liverpool, Chelsea, Brighton, Bournemouth and Leicester also booked their place in the next round with big wins
World No. 5 Elena Rybakina to headline strong field at 2026 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open
- The 2022 Wimbledon champion joins defending champion Belinda Bencic and Spanish favorite Paula Badosa for the event from Jan. 31 to Feb. 7
- Rising stars Victoria Mboko and Alexandra Eala continue breakthrough journeys at WTA 500 platform
ABU DHABI: One of the strongest fields in its history has been unveiled for this year’s Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion and world No. 5 Elena Rybakina will head an exciting line-up featuring Grand Slam winners, Olympic medalists and the sport’s most exciting rising stars when the WTA 500 tournament returns to the International Tennis Centre, Zayed Sports City, from Jan. 31 to Feb. 7.
The Kazakh powerhouse, who won the tournament in 2024, has established herself as one of the game’s elite competitors. Since her triumph at Wimbledon, she has reached the 2023 Australian Open final and secured multiple WTA 500 and 1000 titles, including the 2025 WTA Finals Riyadh where she brushed aside World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.
“I really enjoyed my time in Abu Dhabi last year,” said Rybakina, who was defeated in the semi-finals by Bencic. “The city’s support for tennis is amazing, and reaching the semifinals was a solid way to begin 2025. This year, I’m coming back with the goal of going all the way again. The competition will be fierce, but that’s what makes it exciting.”
Rybakina will be joined by Belinda Bencic, who returns to defend her unbeaten record at the event. The Swiss Olympic gold medalist has lifted the trophy in both 2023 and 2025 and remains the only player never to have lost a match at the tournament.
Spanish favorite Paula Badosa adds further depth to the elite contingent. A former world No. 2 and Indian Wells champion, Badosa brings explosive power and fierce competitiveness to a field that promises compelling matches throughout the week.
The tournament’s commitment to the next generation is underlined by the confirmation of two of 2025’s most compelling breakthrough stars. Canadian sensation Victoria Mboko, who rocketed from outside the world’s top 300 at the start of 2025 to inside the top 20 following titles in Montreal and Hong Kong, continues her remarkable rise on the WTA Tour.
Joining her is Filipina star Alexandra Eala, who returns to Abu Dhabi following her 2024 debut. The 20-year-old former US Open girls’ champion has continued her steady climb through the rankings and remains the highest-ranked Filipino player in tour history.
Czech duo Barbora Krejcikova, a multiple Grand Slam champion in both singles and doubles, and Marketa Vondrousova, the 2023 Wimbledon champion, bring proven track records while American rising star Emma Navarro, Denmark’s Clara Tauson and Canada’s Leylah Fernandez — the 2023 French Open finalist — add further depth to an already formidable lineup.
The field also features former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, who captured the 2025 doubles title in Abu Dhabi alongside Ellen Perez. Chinese star Qinwen Zheng, Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska and 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin round out a top 20 that promises world-class tennis from the opening qualifiers through to the championship weekend.
Further elite talent includes Ekaterina Alexandrova and Liudmila Samsonova, Belgium’s Elise Mertens, Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, American McCartney Kessler and Australian Maya Joint.
Nigel Gupta, MARI tournament director, said: “The 2026 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open field represents everything this tournament has become — a compelling blend of Grand Slam champions, Olympic medalists and the sport’s most exciting emerging talent. Elena Rybakina’s arrival as our top seed adds tremendous star power, while Belinda’s pursuit of a third title and the inclusion of breakthrough stars like Victoria Mboko and Alexandra Eala demonstrate our commitment to showcasing both today’s champions and tomorrow’s legends. This is shaping up to be our strongest edition yet.”
