European soccer weekend review: Liverpool KO turns FA Cup upside down

This weekend, the magic of the FA Cup was akin to the sorcery of an episode of “Stranger Things.” It was an Upside Down in which the biggest teams in England’s grandest division fell victim to — or survived narrow escapes — against seemingly no-hopers from the lower leagues.

In Germany, Borussia Dortmund weren’t the beneficiaries of the patented “new manager bounce,” with the Schwarzgelben falling in Niko Kovač’s debut in the dugout.

Meanwhile in LaLiga, Barcelona took advantage of the stalemate in the Madrid derby on Saturday to close in on the league’s leading pair with a victory that now sees the top three clubs in Spain separated by just two points.

Luis Miguel Echegaray, Sam Marsden and Constantin Eckner make observations from across Europe to bring you up to speed on what you might have missed this weekend.

Top takeaway: Drama of the Cup on full display

The FA Cup’s fourth round gave us plenty of dramatic highlights this weekend and delivered various narratives from across the board. From six-goal thrillers and penalty shootouts in a Championship matchup to absolute bangers that caused mayhem in the stands, there was something for everyone.

Let’s begin with the struggles from the top of the Premier League table. If Nottingham Forest lose to Exeter City on Tuesday, that will mean the current top four (Liverpool, Arsenal, Forest and Chelsea) of England’s top flight will be out of the competition. The Premier League sides that are still in don’t look dominant, so there’s a chance — not a great chance but a chance nonetheless — that a team from the lower leagues could reach the final. It’s highly improbable, but never say never.

Plymouth Argyle earned a historic victory over Arne Slot’s Liverpool, Leyton Orient led against Manchester City for 40 minutes before eventually losing and Tom Brady’s Birmingham City fought extremely hard before succumbing to Newcastle United. We’ll see if League Two’s Doncaster Rovers can create more magic on Monday against Crystal Palace.

In an all-Premier League affair on Sunday, Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio made their Aston Villa debuts as Unai Emery’s side won 2-1 against Tottenham Hotspur. Villa are now in the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in 10 years.

The oldest knockout competition in the world seldom disappoints.

Best match: Plymouth Argyle 1-0 Liverpool

Plymouth Argyle are at the very bottom of the Championship. They have conceded more goals than any other team in the top four divisions of English football (63), and what did they do on Sunday? They won 1-0 against the leaders of the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.

It was a magnificent, historic victory in front of their fans at Home Park. It was Liverpool’s first defeat in the competition to lower-league opposition while topping the table since 1984. Sure, Slot rotated his team and there’s an argument to make that he was perhaps slightly arrogant in his selection as the clearly had an eye on Wednesday’s Merseyside derby, but you can’t take anything away from Argyle, who quite simply became warriors against arguably the best team in Europe.

“We all came here today with a dream and we have done it,” goal scorer Ryan Hardie said to ITV. “I don’t know what to say.”

You don’t need to say anything, Ryan. Just savor the moment.

Best goal: Stefan Ortega (own-goal) vs. Orient

This might prove to be a controversial take because Tomoki Iwata’s screamer for Birmingham against Newcastle was a majestic cannon of a half volley that nearly broke the, net so it really deserves a mention, so does Kaoru Mitoma’s delightful finish for Brighton & Hove Albion against Chelsea. The FA Cup is all about David-over-Goliath moments of glory that have the power to electrify an entire stadium with a single opportunity, though, and that’s exactly what Jamie Donley’s 50-yard shot did for Leyton Orient against Man City.

It was the 16th minute at Gaughan Group Stadium and both teams were at a stalemate when the Spurs loanee saw Ortega off his line and attempted an audacious attempt. The ball bounced back off the bar and proceeded to hit the German goalkeeper before going into the net. It was a ridiculous moment and one that provided nothing but joy for the League One side. City won 2-1 in the end, but thanks to that opening goal, Orient fans went into pandemonium and experienced a moment they’ll never forget.

MVP of the weekend: Nikola Katic, Plymuoth Argyle

There were many outstanding candidates who contributed to Argyle’s historic win against Liverpool. In fact, all of them deserve a mention. Ultimately, though, the MVP title has to go to the Bosnia and Herzegovina defender who was an absolute wall against the Premier League leaders. He made 17 clearances, 11 of which were headers. Katić, who arrived last month on loan from FC Zurich, also lost a tooth in a collision. He just picked himself up and kept going, eventually leading his side to the win and a clean sheet. If that doesn’t win the MVP award, I don’t know what does. — Echegaray

Top takeaway: Barça take advantage of Madrid derby stalemate

Barcelona have dragged themselves back into the title race in Spain almost as quickly as they appeared to have ruled themselves out of it during the back end of 2024. A 10-point lead at the top of LaLiga at the start of November had become a seven-point deficit heading into February. After Sunday’s 4-1 win over Sevilla, though, Barça are now just two points behind leaders Real Madrid and one adrift of Atlético Madrid in second.

Saturday’s stalemate in the Madrid derby had opened the door for Barça to close the gap on the leaders. They did not miss their opportunity.

Speaking after that 1-1 draw at the Bernabéu, Atlético coach Diego Simeone had branded Barcelona “the best team” in the league. Results in 2025 provide him with plenty of evidence. After swatting aside Sevilla at the Sanchez Pizjuán, Hansi Flick’s side are now unbeaten in 11 games this calendar year. They have scored four or more times in seven of those matches.

It was not always straightforward in Seville, but Barça overcame everything that was thrown at them: conceding so soon after they had opened the scoring, losing defender Ronald Araújo to injury and seeing Fermín López sent off on the hour mark.

López had only come on at half-time, heading Barça back in front in the 46th minute as part of a wild 15-minute cameo. Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha were also on target, netting their 31st and 24th goals of the campaign, respectively, with Eric García completing the scoring late on and breathing new life into the battle to win LaLiga.

Best match: Celta Vigo 3-2 Real Betis

Antony’s first goal since joining Real Betis on loan from Manchester United could not earn his new side a win as they surrendered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 against Celta Vigo. The Brazilian, who was also named man of the match for the second successive game since moving to Spain, opened the scoring before Diego Llorente doubled Betis’ lead, but Manuel Pellegrini’s side crumbled after the break. A belter from Fran Beltrán got Celta back in the game in the 63rd minute and youngsters Javi Rodríguez and Williot Swedberg completed a stunning turnaround at Balaídos.

Best goal: Raphinha at Sevilla

Raphinha is enjoying an incredible season, and his strike in Barça’s win over Sevilla was the pick of the weekend in Spain. The Brazilian created space on the edge of the box and found a gap in the Sevilla defence to arrow a brilliant effort with his weaker right foot into the bottom corner. It made it 3-1 on the night and took the game away from the hosts.

MVP of the weekend: Oihan Sancet, Athletic Club

Attacking midfielder Sancet netted a hat trick as Athletic kept their Champions League push on track by beating Girona 3-0 at San Mamés. Sancet opened the scoring with a penalty, headed in the second and then completed his treble with a dinked finish late on. The 24-year-old now has 11 goals in LaLiga this season and will be hoping his performances will help him add to his four Spain caps in the not-too-distant future. — Marsden

Top takeaway: Kovač’s Dortmund debut results in another defeat

Borussia Dortmund have once again experienced a tumultuous couple of weeks.

Following the dismissal of Nuri Şahin, the Schwarzgelben hired Niko Kovač shortly before the end of the transfer window. As a result, two Deadline Day signings arrived, with CEO for sport Lars Ricken and the rest of the club’s decision makers wanting to ensure that any additions to the squad were aligned with the new manager. Then Ricken fired technical director Sven Mislintat this week in light of internal power struggles between Mislintat and sporting director Sebastian Kehl.

The atmosphere inside Dortmund’s headquarters must be harmonious. And it could be about to get even worse considering that the team didn’t benefit from the “new manager bounce” so many teams with newly installed coaches experience.

The duel with VfB Stuttgart on Saturday was always going to be a thankless task for Kovač considering Dortmund lost the away game 5-1 in September. What was more concerning than the 2-1 scoreline in favour of Stuttgart was the way Dortmund approached the game: there was hardly any difference to the days with Şahin at the helm.

Dortmund’s slow buildup once again created the illusion of dominance against compactly defending opponents, but Kovač’s team were very vulnerable to any kind of pressing attacks. Paired with individual mistakes, Dortmund found themselves on the losing end against a competent side.

Best match: TSG Hoffenheim 0-4 Union Berlin

Hoffenheim may argue that this was the worst game of the weekend. In a clash between two clubs in crisis, Union managed to win for the second time since Steffen Baumgart took over as manager on Dec. 30. Funnily enough, Union’s four goals accounted for 50% of all goals scored in the five Saturday afternoon games.

Best goal: Vincenzo Grifo vs. Heidenheim

The deciding goal between SC Freiburg and Heidenheim came as the result of a textbook transition attack. Ritsu Doan started it by beating his marker down the right flank. Once the Japan forward arrived inside the box, he played a one-two with Eren Dinkci before turning a few times to hold on to the ball until Grifo was in position to pick up an accurate cross, heading the ball home from close range.

MVP of the weekend: Benedict Hollerbach, Union Berlin

The 23-year-old was outstanding in Union’s win over Heidenheim, scoring twice and setting up two more goal-scoring chances. — Eckner

What else you missed this weekend

Giménez scores a beauty in league debut for Milan

On Saturday, Mexico’s Santiago Giménez scored a great goal for AC Milan, helping the Rossoneri win 2-0 against Empoli and keep up in Serie A’s race for European football next season. The game had two red cards (one for Fikayo Tomori and the other for Empoli’s Luca Marianucci, who was sent off for kicking Giménez) and two assists from Christian Pulisic. It was a good win for the club and a taster for Milan fans of what they can look forward to from their new El Tri striker.

As someone who primarily covers the English game, Milan’s gain in acquiring Giménez is Arsenal’s loss. The Gunners have needed a striker for a long time and their tunnel vision failed them. Milan paid €35 million for the former Feyenoord man, a doable price for the north London club, but alas, they did what they always do: failed to look outside of their bubble and hesitated to act. Against Empoli, Giménez showed many clubs across Europe who don’t know much about him why he’s worth every penny, and most notably, why Milan secured a tremendous deal for his services. — Echegaray

Ligue 1 is once again a one-horse race

Little more than halfway through the 2024-25 season, Paris Saint-Germain’s lead in the Ligue 1 is already in the double digits.

PSG hosted third-placed AS Monaco on Friday in what was supposed to be a top-of-the-table matchup. Instead of a close affair, though, the game was a rout as Luis Enrique’s side scored early on their way to a 4-1 win. Monaco were able to keep the scoreline close until the second half, when goals by former Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Ousmane Dembélé decided the game.

Dembélé’s two goals means that the 27-year-old has scored 16 goals in his past 11 games. His career has been an absolute rollercoaster up until this point, and we are seemingly in a phase in which Dembélé is on the rise once again. In other good news for PSG, manager Luis Enrique has extended his contract until 2027, while six players also signed new deals, with Vitinha, Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes committing to the club until 2029.

For a while, especially after the departure of Kylian Mbappé and Neymar, it seemed as if Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s ambitious project was collapsing. Thanks to funding from Qatar, though, Paris will continue to be a major force in European football. — Eckner

Galatasaray match suspended over ref protest

Galatasaray’s game against Adana Demirspor in the Turkish Süper Lig was suspended after 30 minutes on Sunday when the visiting team walked off the pitch. It was not immediately clear at the time why, but the club’s president, Murat Sancak, has since told T24 it was in relation to refereeing in the country.

Gala led 1-0 when the Demirspor players walked, Álvaro Morata converting an early penalty that had been theatrically won by Dries Mertens. Sancak said his team were protesting against Turkey’s referees committee and the country’s football federation.

Demirspor are bottom of the league with just five points from 21 matches. Gala are top, three clear of Fenerbahçe with a game in hand. — Marsden