Manchester United survived a huge FA Cup fright to win 4-2 at Newport after the Welsh minnows levelled having been two goals down.
Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo – with his first United goal – struck inside the opening 13 minutes and safe passage into the fifth round seemed inevitable.
But Newport shook Rodney Parade to its rafters as Bryn Morris and Will Evans levelled and made light of the 76 rungs between the two clubs on the football ladder.
United’s troubled season was in danger of sinking to a new low, but a last-16 date at Bristol City or Nottingham Forest was eventually secured as Antony scored for the first time since last April and Rasmus Hojlund sealed matters in stoppage time.
The first competitive game between the two clubs had been billed as the biggest in Newport’s history, with just over 9,000 crammed into modest surrounds for a tie expected to earn the League Two club around £400,000.
But County’s recent cup pedigree – wins over Leicester and Leeds, as well as holding Tottenham to a Rodney Parade draw in 2018 – and a seven-game unbeaten run put United on notice they could not expect a smooth ride by the banks of the River Usk.
Erik ten Hag could almost feel the breath of home supporters standing just yards behind him and there was little space on the pitch either during a frantic opening.
There was no Marcus Rashford in the United squad with the England striker having reported ill on Friday after reportedly spending the previous evening at a Belfast nightclub.
Ten Hag said before kick-off that Rashford’s absence was an “internal matter” and that he would “deal with it”.
Turkey goalkeeper Altay Bayindir came in for his debut with regular number one Andre Onana at the Africa Cup of Nations.
But United were stronger – at least on paper – for some time with Casemiro, Lisandro Martinez and Luke Shaw back in the starting line-up, while Harry Maguire was on the bench after suffering a groin injury on December 12.
Newport named the same side which had accounted for Eastleigh in round three with the presence of former farmer Evans, their United-supporting 18-goal marksman, presenting the kind of charming storyline the FA Cup tends to supply.
Fernandes did his best to remove the romance after seven minutes when receiving a ball from Shaw and finding Antony.
The Brazilian played an instant return and Fernandes drilled a shot of rare purity past Nick Townsend within the blink of an eye.
County fans, raucous at kick-off, were silenced and left despairing again as Diogo Dalot motored down the right to set up 18-year-old Mainoo, who carefully caressed his finish into the bottom corner.
Alejandro Garnacho might have made it worse but rattled the crossbar and Antony drifted in from the right flank to force Townsend to tip over.
Newport kept Bayindir honest with efforts from Evans and Ryan Delaney, but Morris’ 36th-minute thunderbolt really came out of the blue.
Morris, at Grimsby when the Mariners reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup last season, chested the ball down and unleashed from 25 yards to beat Bayindir with the help of a deflection off Martinez.
Townsend denied Fernandes with the final kick of the first half and the importance of that save was underlined within two minutes of the restart.
Adam Lewis crossed and Evans stole in front of Raphael Varane to level with an outstretched foot.
With it becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish who was the Premier League side, and Ten Hag being reminded of his employment prospects in the morning, Bayindir held Delaney’s header under his own bar.
Harry Charsley drove wide, but United re-took the lead after 68 minutes as Shaw curled on to a post and Antony slotted the rebound.
Maguire was sent on late to preserve United’s slender lead before Hojlund extended his scoring streak by pouncing on a loose ball and drilling home.
Chelsea Women 0-2 Barcelona Femeni (1-2 agg): Holders reach Champions League final again
Women's Champions League holders Barcelona overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit to reach a fourth straight final on Saturday, beating 10-player Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Emma Hayes' hopes of ending her glittering spell with the Blues by lifting the Champions League trophy were dashed in heartbreaking fashion in front of a sell-out crowd in West London.
Barca went ahead through Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati 26 minutes in, the diminutive Spaniard seeing her shot deflect off Kadeisha Buchanan to beat Hannah Hampton.
The hosts pushed for a response as Sjoeke Nuksen struck the post, but their position worsened just before the hour mark as Buchanan was perhaps harshly shown a second yellow card for her tackle on Salma Paralluelo.
Barca penned their hosts back from there and Bonmati was decisive again as they inched ahead with 15 minutes to play, drawing a foul from Ashley Lawrence and allowing Fridolina Rolfo to convert from the penalty spot.
Jonatan Giraldez's team have won two of the last three editions of the Champions League, also losing in the final to Lyon in 2021-22. They could be reunited with Les Lyonnaises in next month's final in Bilbao, as they hold a 3-2 lead over Paris Saint-Germain at the halfway stage of the other semi-final.
Data Debrief: Bonmati caps trademark Barca performance
Aided by Buchanan's red card, Barcelona showcased their mastery of possession-based football at Stamford Bridge, enjoying 67.8 per cent of the possession and completing over twice as many passes as Chelsea (583 to 224).
Bonmati was at the centre of everything for the Blaugrana, playing a key role in both goals as well as laying on two chances for team-mates and playing 31 passes in the final third – no Chelsea player recorded more than 11.
Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 Stuttgart: Last-gasp equaliser preserves champions' unbeaten run
Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen scored a last-gasp equaliser through Robert Andrich to come from two goals down and rescue a 2-2 draw against Stuttgart on Saturday.
The late drama ensured the hosts extended their record unbeaten run to 46 matches across all competitions.
Leverkusen – who play Roma in the Europa League semi-finals, are also through to the DFB-Pokal final and have already secured their first-ever league title – have now scored 16 goals in stoppage time in all competitions this season.
After a low-key first half, Leverkusen were quickly 2-0 behind after the break with Chris Fuhrich drilling in on the rebound after keeper Lukas Hradecky had palmed a shot on to the post in the 47th minute.
Deniz Undav doubled the visitors' lead 10 minutes later before Leverkusen launched their comeback attempt with Amine Adli beating keeper Alexander Nubel with a low drive in the 61st.
Nubel made three sensational saves to protect Stuttgart's slim lead, but Andrich came to the rescue deep in stoppage time to extend their impressive undefeated run.
Stuttgart are third in the table on 64 points, five behind second-placed Bayern Munich. Leverkusen are top on 81 with three matches remaining.
Everton 1-0 Brentford: Toffees join Bees in ensuring Premier League status
Everton made mathematically certain of remaining in the Premier League on Saturday as Idrissa Gueye's goal handed them a 1-0 home win over Brentford, who are also safe after Luton Town's earlier loss to Wolves.
Luton's 2-1 defeat at Molineux meant Brentford's slim fears of relegation were behind them before kick-off, while Everton knew a third straight victory would also secure their place in the top flight for next season.
The Toffees' old wastefulness was on show in the first half, but Gueye powered home 15 minutes into the second period to hand them a third Goodison Park triumph in the space of six days.
The result saw Sean Dyche's men climb above their visitors to go 15th in the table, one place and point clear of Brentford, who can also plan ahead for 2024-25 in the top flight after pulling clear of danger.
Everton were without Dominic Calvert-Lewin through illness and Beto due to the head injury he suffered against Nottingham Forest. Their absences were felt when the first chance fell their way after six minutes, Youssef Chermiti failing to get a touch on McNeil's tempting cross.
Mathias Jensen had Brentford's first sight of goal 20 minutes in following good work from Vitaly Janelt, but in-form defender Jarrad Branthwaite denied him with a huge block.
The best opportunity of a low-key opening period, though, fell to Abdoulaye Doucoure, who sent an awkward volley spinning well wide after finding space on the stroke of half-time.
Brentford should have gone ahead within five minutes of the restart, but Jordan Pickford brilliantly smothered Ivan Toney's shot when his England team-mate looked destined to tap home at the far post.
McNeil then rattled the crossbar from range as Everton turned up the pressure, and they made the breakthrough on the hour.
Gueye fired into the top-left corner after Brentford failed to clear following a goalmouth scramble, with the goal confirmed by VAR amid questions about a subjective offside.
Keane Lewis-Potter worked Pickford from the edge of the box, but that was as close as Thomas Frank's men came to an equaliser, and Everton almost had a second when James Garner's free-kick struck the bar in stoppage time.
Everton rescue act complete
When Everton welcomed Burnley to Goodison Park on April 6th, they remained in severe danger of seeing a chastening campaign end in relegation.
However, a run of four wins in five games – the most memorable being Wednesday's 2-0 triumph over Merseyside rivals Liverpool – has dragged the Toffees clear and ensured there will be no repeat of last year, when they remained at the highest level by the skin of the teeth on a nervy final day.
Having earned their first win of the campaign against Brentford back in September, Everton have also done the double over the Bees for just the second time, previously beating them home and away in the second tier back in 1952-53.
Toney struggles continue
While Brentford had enjoyed a resurgence of their own prior to Saturday's game, beating Sheffield United 2-0 and Luton 5-1 in their last two matches, both of those victories came without injured striker Toney.
He returned to the Bees' lineup here but was uncharacteristically quiet, failing to beat Pickford when presented with the visitors' best chance shortly after half-time.
Toney has now failed to score in his last eight Premier League matches, his longest ever run without a goal in the competition. With Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke in fine form as Gareth Southgate prepares to name his England squad for Euro 2024, his barren spell has come at a poor time.
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