Manchester City forced to fight back to beat fourth tier club Cheltenham

FA Cup holders Arsenal was eliminated from the competition in the fourth round thanks to Gabriel’s own-goal in a 1-0 loss to Southampton, while Manchester City survived a scare to beat fourth-tier Cheltenham 3-1.

Cheltenham came close to one of the biggest shocks in the 150-year history of the FA Cup before Pep Guardiola's City team scored three late goals on Saturday (Sunday NZ time).

A long throw-in from Cheltenham captain Ben Tozer caused a mix-up in the City defence and Alfie May seized on a deflection to stab the ball into the net.

Ferran Torres added a third in stoppage time to ensure City moves on to play Swansea in the fifth round.

The game was briefly interrupted in the first half with the score at 0-0 because of a nearby fireworks display in Cheltenham's red and white colours. Even in defeat, Cheltenham's battling performance against one of the world's biggest clubs will likely become part of local folklore.

Foden was City’s most influential player, and the 20-year-old was full of praise for Cheltenham after them atch.

“We were a bit slow at times in the first half, but it was all down to them, they played really well and made it hard for us,’’ Foden told the BCC.

“They had a good shape. We’re really glad to get the win. In the end we got the goals. There’s no better feeling than scoring, I’m just enjoying it at the moment.”

Foden said he had told May – Cheltenham’s 27-year-old striker and goalscorer – that he was “a great player, their most influential player ... I said you had a great game and your team done well today.”

In the all-Premier League clash between Arsenal and Southampton, defender Gabriel Magãlhaes’ decision to try to block a shot from Saints’ Kyle Walker-Peters proved decisive for Arsenal losing their hold on the cup.

Arsenal has won the FA Cup a record 14 times and Arteta before kickoff called it “our favourite competition.” Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored both of the team's goals in the 2-1 win over Chelsea in last year's final, but he wasn't available Saturday due to what Arteta called “a personal matter.” Arteta said he couldn't yet predict when Aubameyang might return.

Southampton moves on to a fifth-round game away at Wolverhampton, which beat sixth-tier Chorley 1-0 on Friday.

Premier League clubs Brighton, West Ham and Sheffield United all won their fourth-round games against lower-league teams. Brighton edged out third-tier Blackpool 2-1, while West Ham cruised to a 4-0 win over Doncaster. Sheffield didn't win a game in any competition this season until January 9, but has now won three of its last four following Saturday's 2-1 win over Plymouth.

Other scores: (home teams named first): Barnsley 1 Norwich 0, Brighton 2 Blackpool 1, Millwall 0 Bristol City 3, Sheffield United 2 Plymouth 1, Swansea City 5 Nottingham Forest 1.

Premier League

Aston Villa returned to winning ways and climbed into the top 10 of the Premier League with a 2-0 victory against Newcastle on Saturday (Sunday).

Club-record signing Ollie Watkins scored for the first time in 10 matches to set Villa on its way to all three points with a 13th-minute strike, before Bertrand Traore doubled the lead shortly before halftime.

Villa moved up to eighth in the table while Newcastle have dropped to 16th spot after a sixth defeat in a eight-match winless EPL run.