Manchester City and Chelsea advance in the FA Cup with hard-fought wins, while Arsenal edge past Mansfield to stay in the hunt for a historic quadruple
MANCHESTER City delivered a brutal lesson to Newcastle United, cruising to a 3-1 victory at St James’ Park to secure their place in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Pep Guardiola made 10 changes to his starting line-up but still oversaw a dominant performance, with Savinho and a Omar Marmoush double completing a comeback after Harvey Barnes’ opener for the hosts.
Guardiola hailed the display as City’s best at Newcastle during his tenure. “This is the best performance we have played in this stadium since my decade here,” he told the BBC.
Chelsea survived a major scare to join them in the last eight, eventually overcoming a spirited Wrexham 4-2 after extra time at the Racecourse Ground.
The Hollywood-owned Welsh side, watched by co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, twice took the lead through Sam Smith and Callum Doyle, but Chelsea fought back each time.
The tie turned when Wrexham’s George Dobson was sent off in stoppage time, with Alejandro Garnacho and Joao Pedro scoring in extra time to seal the win.
Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior admitted his side were pushed to their limits. “I thought Wrexham were magnificent — magnificent in their energy, how brave they were and how they played,” he said.
Earlier, Premier League leaders Arsenal kept their quest for an unprecedented quadruple alive with a 2-1 win away at third-tier Mansfield Town.
Noni Madueke put the Gunners ahead before half-time, but Will Evans equalised for the League One strugglers soon after the break.
Substitute Eberechi Eze proved to be the match-winner, thumping home the decisive goal minutes after being introduced by manager Mikel Arteta.
