What the papers say

England forward Chloe Kelly is wanted by Paris St-Germain. The Daily Mail reports the 26-year-old would become the highest-paid women’s player in Europe if she makes the move from Manchester City.

Christian Eriksen, 31, could make a return to Brentford in the summer, according to the Metro. Galatasaray have also been linked with a move for Manchester United’s Denmark midfielder.

Brighton are leading the race for Ghanaian winger Ibrahim Osman. The Evening Standard says the Seagulls close to beating West Ham to the 19-year-old’s signature from Nordsjaelland in a £17million deal, while the Daily Mail says the move has already been agreed.

Jon Dahl Tomasson is close to being the next managerial casualty. The Daily Mail reports he is set to leave Blackburn Rovers after eight games without a win in the Championship.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Antonee Robinson: Liverpool are looking at a summer mover for the Fulham and the United States left-back, according to Football Insider,

Ivan Toney: Manchester United are ahead of Arsenal in the race to sign the England striker from Brentford, according to Teamtalk.

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo said his side’s night of toil in their FA Cup replay against Bristol City was worth it after they booked a fifth-round tie with Manchester United.

Forest needed a penalty shootout to get past the Championship outfit after it ended 1-1 after 120 minutes at the City Ground.

Goalkeeper Matt Turner was the hero as he saved Sam Bell’s effort in the shootout after Divock Origi’s first goal for Forest had been cancelled out by Jason Knight’s leveller.

“We are so happy it was tough but it was worth it,” the Portuguese said. “We had players struggling, extra time, let’s assess them now and see how they are.

“With players that have been out for so long it is tough, but it was the best possible way to manage the situation we are in now, trying to protect players that are returning, we have to measure the minutes they are on the pitch.

“The response was good. It was tough, but the attitude and the character to never give up makes me very, very happy.

“This is the FA Cup, it is so special and that is why we are so happy and proud to keep continuing and fighting for something that is so huge for us, to fight for a trophy, with the history of the club we have to keep on fighting and try to deliver.”

Manchester United visit the City Ground in three weeks for the fifth-round tie.

“It is going to be fantastic and huge for us but before that we have a lot of things to prepare. We have a tough one on Saturday (against Newcastle),” Nuno added.

Bristol City boss Liam Manning was proud of his side’s effort and praised Bell, despite his decisive penalty miss in the shootout.

Manning said: “He is understandably gutted, the lads have been great and got around him.

“As tough as an experience it is right now, it is only going to be one that makes him tougher and stronger. I said to him that’s the best he has been since I have been here, I thought his performance level was excellent.

“We wouldn’t have got to penalties if it wasn’t for him making that recovery run and tackle at the back post.

“He has got an exciting future ahead of him, he’s got talent, it’s now how we turn that into consistent performances.

“There was huge pride in the performance level, in the last 15 minutes of extra time we were pushing and the better side and created so many chances.”

Brendan Rodgers hailed the “heart and soul” of his Celtic side after a last-gasp triumph at Hibernian restored their three-point lead over Rangers in the cinch Premiership.

Adam Idah scored penalties at either end of his first Celtic start to seal a 2-1 win and Rodgers’ first victory at Easter Road on his fifth visit.

Hibs had the better chances after Dylan Levitt’s equaliser on the hour mark but Joe Newell’s late challenge on Kyogo Furuhashi allowed Idah the chance to make himself an instant hero.

Rodgers said: “I said to the players before the game, listen, whatever has happened before, you have 14 games left.

“You’re not going to win the title tonight or lose it, but you can make a big psychological impact by coming away to a tough ground and winning.”

Rodgers admitted his side lacked the creativity and finesse to capitalise on their first-half possession and the composure to play through Hibernian’s press after the interval.

“But what I never doubt about these players and I said to them before the game, to get through and win games, we need to play with heart and soul, and the players showed immense heart to play through to the very end and get the victory,” he added.

“We will play better. We have to play better. It’s not the level I want to see. But we will go away and analyse it and look to be better in our next game.”

Three Celtic players have missed spot-kicks this season but on-loan Norwich forward Idah continued his perfect career penalty record.

“He had taken six penalties before and scored a great penalty against Holland for the Republic of Ireland,” Rodgers said.

“You just see how he addresses it, he knows he’s a penalty taker. Against David Marshall, who has had a fantastic career, there is a psychological test there as well. And he came through that. It was a great night for him.”

Hibs head coach Nick Montgomery felt Celtic got the breaks his team lacked from referee Nick Walsh and video assistant Andrew Dallas.

The first penalty came after Nectarios Triantis caught Alistair Johnston with a late aerial challenge that put the Canada defender in hospital.

Montgomery claimed Alexandro Bernabei had fouled Martin Boyle in the box – the winger was booked for diving – and was fortunate not to be penalised for an incident with Lewis Miller.

Montgomery said: “It was a real disappointing way to lose the game. I thought we were more than worthy of three points, we had some great chances.

“There were plenty of incidents that if the ref went over to the VAR, I think we would have had a penalty on Martin Boyle. 

“Watching it back in slow motion, he gets caught from behind on his quad. He’s got a dead leg, he is limping around in there. It’s irrelevant how he goes down. If the ref looks at it, he has no option to give a penalty.

“And there was a foul on Lewis Miller where if he goes over to the VAR, I think that’s possibly a different colour card.

“The first penalty, Nectar is committed, he has gone to win the header. There’s no malice in it whatsoever. It’s two players going to win a header.

“If that happens anywhere else on the field, the game is stopped, the players get treatment and it’s maybe a drop ball. But I haven’t watched that one back closely.

“The second one, I watched it once. It maybe looks like it was just outside the box, Joe pulls out. Not one person in the stadium thought about asking for a penalty.”

After Johnston was carried off on a stretcher with a facial injury, Rodgers said: “He had gone to hospital. Some of the guys were just saying he had text through on social media or whatever it is that he is okay.”

Premier League chief football officer Tony Scholes admits the in-stadium supporter experience of VAR is “nowhere near good enough” and believes reviews are taking too long.

Video assistant referees were introduced in the English top-flight for the 2019-20 campaign, yet there are persisting problems surrounding its implementation.

The Premier League say that most supporters they have surveyed are in favour of VAR, but Scholes acknowledges “that majority is not as big a majority as I would like to say it is”.

The league’s chief football officer says “clearly everything in the world of VAR is not perfect” and pinpointed two particular areas for improvement.

“If the objective of VAR is to improve the accuracy of decision making, it is being a significant success,” Scholes said. “We don’t rest on this. Further development, further improvement is always required.

“The two elements that I believe affects the whole reputation of VAR, given what I’ve just said about the improvement in the accuracy, is the time that it takes to do the reviews, or to do the checks.

“We’re doing too many checks, we’re taking too long in doing them as well.

“It’s to a degree understandable given the level of scrutiny these guys are under, from ourselves, from you guys (in the media) as well and from supporters.

“But the reviews are taking too long and it’s affecting the flow of the game and we’re extremely aware of that and the need to improve that speed, whilst always maintaining the accuracy.

“The second area where the VAR experience is poor is the in-stadium experience for the supporter. It’s nowhere near good enough. We know it’s not.

“It affects supporters’ enjoyment of the game, and we know it needs to change.”

In terms of improving reviews, Scholes says the Premier League is ensuring they “are doing all of the training and development to reduce the review times and the check times”.

The introduction of semi-automated offsides will also aid the speed of decision making and Scholes hopes to go to clubs for a decision on that later in the year after the test phase.

As for fan experience, Scholes says the Premier League’s desire for increased transparency is restricted somewhat by International Football Association Board rules.

“IFAB are very clear on their rules as to what we can and can’t say, both during the VAR process and post the VAR process,” he said.

“They’re very clear at the moment we cannot use the audio, we cannot play the audio.

“My personal view is we’re on a journey and that will come and we’ll get to a point where both the video and the audio is played live and then played afterwards to explain the decision.

“How far away from that, I don’t know. That’s not in our hands, that’s decided by IFAB.

“But we will continue to lobby them to get to a place where VAR is as open, transparent and informative to supporters and all stakeholders as it is possible to do.

“One development that we are expecting to come in imminently, of course, is that the referee will announce their decision, post-VAR review to the crowd on the pitchside.”

St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson praised his players for making their dominance count as goals from Mikael Mandron and Toyosi Olusanya earned them a 2-0 home win over Dundee.

Robinson was eager to see his side build on their weekend win over Hibernian and they were the superior side throughout before Mandron broke the deadlock midway through the second half.

Olusanya’s strike in injury time, after defender James Bolton had been sent off, settled matters to lift Saints nine points clear of their vanquished opponents.

Robinson said: “I thought it was very important in the last two games to get maximum points which we’ve done.

“We created a lot more chances and it probably should have been more comfortable than it was.

“Dundee were stubborn but we defended well, too. We controlled the game and made lots of good chances. Trevor Carson made two great saves, one in the first half and one in the second.

“It was important to follow up Saturday’s result with another good one. So we’re delighted to be able to do that.

“Dundee are a good side. If you’re not going to finish teams off you run that risk. We knew we’d have a chance to counter-attack with Toyosi coming off the bench. It’s our third win in four games and fifth in 10. There’s a real belief in the squad.”

Bolton was shown a straight red card for a late tackle on Owen Dodgson but Robinson was not in a place to make a considered assessment.

He added: “I haven’t seen it back. The referee said there was a lot of momentum. I’ve only seen it from a distance so it’s hard to make an informed comment.”

The game kicked off 30 minutes late after Dundee were held up in traffic, with Robinson conceding it was a compromise between him and opposite number, Tony Docherty.

He added: “You can’t help the traffic. We agreed when to move it back to. Tony wanted it a little later than that but I’d probably have been asleep by then!”

Docherty was frustrated that his side wasn’t awarded a late penalty for handball, especially after the one conceded by his team against Hearts at the weekend.

The Dundee manager said: “There was a decision in the 87th minute that should have gone our way, based on previous games. We’re aggrieved at that.

“It’s a handball that’s identical to the one Lee Ashcroft was punished for on Saturday. Yes, I agree the player’s hands weren’t in an unnatural position.

“But it stops the ball’s path to goal. I don’t understand why that one against Hearts was a penalty, and that one wasn’t.”

Derek McInnes urged his players to savour their late 1-0 victory over Livingston after suffering for the majority of a difficult encounter.

Marley Watkins struck a crucial winner with two minutes left after Premiership strugglers Livi had frustrated their hosts for much the evening.

A lack of composure in front of goal was to prove costly for David Martindale’s side as they were punished late on, allowing Kilmarnock to claim their first win of 2024 and strengthen their grip on fourth place in the table.

“We’re not going to be in a rush to watch the game back again, but a late winner is always so welcome – sometimes they are the best ones,” said McInnes.

“I told the players to enjoy it because it wasn’t enjoyable – but enjoy winning the game.

“We struggled for any fluency, we gave the ball away, chose the wrong option and lacked confidence – which was strange as we’d only lost one in 10.

“We’ll take that but we need to learn from it, as the season goes on there will be a little bit more pressure on each game.”

McInnes was especially pleased at the impact of his substitutes, who all played a vital role in turning the game in Killie’s favour.

The home side were much improved after half-time when the Rugby Park boss turned to his bench.

The changes paid dividends as Matty Kennedy picked out fellow sub Kevin van Veen to nod the ball into Watkins’ path for the winner.

“Half-time came at the right time and the subs that we made definitely helped us,” he added.

“We knew a point wasn’t really going to help us too much for what we’re trying to do. We tried to chase the game a bit.

“Van Veen’s quality showed, even just a few touches, none more so than the goal — it’s a brilliant win for us and I couldn’t be more pleased.”

Livi boss Martindale was disappointed as his side were let down by a lack of composure in front of goal.

The Lions are now 17 Premiership games without a win and sit six points adrift at the foot of the table.

“I thought defensively we were very, very good in the shape – we defended very well,” he said.

“I felt we had the better chances in the game, I felt tonight was probably more on the offensive players at the club if I’m being brutally honest.

“I don’t believe performances alone are enough to make it turn but there are very few performances that I’ve came in worried.

“I’m frustrated for the players more so than me because I can feel the anxiety and frustration in the changing room.”

Mauricio Pochettino came out fighting after Chelsea outclassed Aston Villa to breeze into the FA Cup fifth round.

Enzo Fernandez’s stunning free kick sealed a 3-1 victory and set up last-16 tie against Leeds at Stamford Bridge.

First-half goals from Conor Gallagher and Nicolas Jackson put Chelsea in control of the fourth round replay and they cruised to victory, despite Moussa Diaby’s injury-time consolation.

Chelsea had come to Villa Park in disarray on the back of 4-1 and 4-2 defeats to Liverpool and Wolves – leaving them 11th in the Premier League.

But Pochettino insists they cannot be compared to the dominant side from the Roman Abramovich era which won five Premier League titles – despite spending over £1billion under owner Todd Boehly.

He said: “We need to stop this thing that we are Chelsea from 20 years ago. We are not this type of Chelsea anymore. Now we need to move on and we need to create this project.

“We need to move on, I don’t care if people are happy or not happy with my speech. I care for the club, I care for my players, I want to help the players.

“We are going to fight, I don’t care what the people say. I’m not more sad or happy today after a win because we have experience, this type of project needs time and trust.

“We cannot build a team to challenge because you need to fix too many things, you need to observe, analyse and compete.

“We are building a project which may be one year, two years, three years.

“Today you can see we were ready to fight. We fight for the fans, the badge, the coaching staff. Now the challenge is to be consistent.”

Just as the Chelsea fans sung for former owner Abramovich the visitors took the lead after 11 minutes.

Jackson and Noni Madueke combined to tee up Gallagher to find the top corner for his first goal of the season.

Ten minutes later it was 2-0 as Chelsea tore Villa apart down the right and Malo Gusto’s perfect cross was nodded in by Jackson.

There was barely a response from the hosts – who lost their 11-month unbeaten home league run to Newcastle last week – and Emi Martinez saved Cole Palmer’s effort as Chelsea looked for a third.

They found it nine minutes after the break when Fernandez, having been lucky to earn a foul off Youri Tielemans, curled a brilliant 25-yard free-kick into the top corner.

Villa were beaten but managed a consolation in stoppage time when Diaby’s strike went in off both posts and they now welcome a resurgent Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.

Boss Unai Emery said: “We were excited and motivated and we started well, we didn’t score but we were feeling good.

“When they were getting in our box we were not being strong and they were affecting us. They got into our box with some crosses and were clinical.

“I was more or less feeling the difference was the clinical way for them.

“We scored a little bit late and had no time to score the second goal. We have to accept and analyse the match. To beat them is not easy when you’re not being clinical.”

Alejandro Berenguer slammed home a first-half penalty as Athletic Bilbao claimed a 1-0 first-leg lead over Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final.

Berenguer scored the winner from 12 yards in the 25th minute after Benat Prados was brought down inside the box.

Atletico banged on the door in the second half to avoid taking a defeat into the return leg and missed chances through Antoine Griezmann, Samuel Lino and Alvaro Morata.

The hosts thought they had a last-minute penalty but a VAR offside call denied them.

Bilbao were awarded a spot-kick after Reinildo Mandava clattered into Prados in the area and Berenguer dispatched into the bottom corner, sending Jan Oblak the wrong way.

Atletico struggled to make an impression for much of the first period and had a first sniff of an equaliser five minutes later when the ball fell for Lino outside the area but he curled over the crossbar.

There was a slight moment of panic in the 35th minute as goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala attempted to keep the ball in play but had his pocket picked by Memphis Depay on the byline, but his shot on goal was heroically blocked by Aitor Paredes.

Atletico ended the half the more dangerous of the two sides and Griezmann was next to come close when his first-time effort flew just wide of the near post.

Bilbao had a glorious chance to double their advantage after the break as Unai Gomez’s effort was parried by Oblak into the path of Asier Villalibre but he could only divert the rebound into the side-netting.

Chances began to fall at either end and this time Lino decided to let rip from the left edge but he curled just wide of the post.

Atletico’s eagerness to not take a loss away to Bilbao became a lot more evident as they began to commit players up the pitch, with Griezmann next to come close when his effort from six yards was blocked behind by Agirrezabala again.

Atletico spurned another golden chance to equalise when Morata failed to divert a dangerous whipped cross on target.

Agirrezabala was beaten for the first time in the match when Angel Correa smashed past him inside the box but Bilbao defender Inigo Lekue was waiting behind the keeper to clear the ball off the line and keep the clean sheet intact.

Atletico thought they were given a last-gasp chance to equalise when referee Alejandro Hernandez pointed to the spot after Dani Vivian tripped Morata inside the box but the VAR adjudged the striker to be offside in the build-up.

Madrid had yet another chance in stoppage time but Morata could only glance a header from close range wide.

Steven Naismith heaped praise on “lethal finisher” Lawrence Shankland after the talismanic striker’s 50th goal for Hearts secured a 1-0 away win over St Johnstone.

The 28-year-old, who joined from Belgian club Beerschot in the summer of 2022, has taken just over one-and-a-half seasons to bring up his half-century in maroon.

“He is at the peak of his career, his numbers are the best of his career,” said manager Naismith after Shankland’s McDiarmid Park strike.

“That’s partly down to him and the team, he’s a lethal finisher. He’s got the finesse and the touch to take his chances when they come along.

“He’s showed why he’s the best striker in the league. He’s driven, he’s got drive – he’s got the Euros (in the summer with Scotland), he’s hunting down top goalscorers.

“He’s in a good moment and as a group we’re in a good moment.”

Victory in Perth kept the in-form Jambos 12 points clear in the fight for third place in the cinch Premiership. It was their sixth win in a row in all competitions and their 12th in 15 league games since the start of November.

“I think it was deserved,” said Naismith of the hard-fought win. “I think there was a level of respect shown the way they set up with the low block.

“It was up to us to break that down and stay solid, but we created some good chances.

“We needed to move the ball quickly in the second half and once we got the goal we controlled the game.

“We have been good at working it out, understanding what’s working and what’s not.

“What we need to add now is more goals, but it’s a good place to be winning these games.”

St Johnstone manager Craig Levein – a two-time former Hearts boss – took encouragement from the way his side competed against the form team in the country.

“I was really pleased with our performance, we matched Hearts in every department,” he said.

“They are by far the third best team in the country but I was pleased to see us play some good football.

“I thought we had possession for long periods and that pleased me.

“The fact we lost 1-0 to a good Hearts side, with Lawrence Shankland scoring a goal that I don’t think anyone else on the field would have a chance of scoring, the way we played pleases me.

“I thought we were in it for long periods and our goalkeeper had very little to do.”

Former Scotland manager Levein believes Shankland – who has not always been guaranteed a place in Steve Clarke’s squads – deserves to go to this summer’s European Championship with the national team.

“I don’t think anyone would say he doesn’t, his record speaks for itself,” said Levein.

“In a lot of games this season he’s been the difference for Hearts. I’m a big admirer.”

Matt Turner came good for Nottingham Forest as he was the hero in an FA Cup fourth-round replay penalty shoot-out win against Bristol City which set up a mouth-watering tie with Manchester United.

Turner has made several high-profile mistakes in recent weeks which saw boss Nuno Espirito Santo sign a new goalkeeper in the January transfer window.

But the United States international kept Bristol City at bay throughout 120 minutes and then saved Sam Bell’s spot-kick as Forest won the shoot-out 5-3 after the tie had ended 1-1.

Divock Origi’s first goal for Forest since his summer move from AC Milan had given them an early lead but the spirited Championship side troubled their Premier League hosts throughout and levelled through Jason Knight.

They could have won the tie in both normal time and extra time had it not been for Turner, who pulled off a string of saves throughout the night.

Forest’s reward is a fifth-round match against Manchester United at the City Ground in three weeks, though they will have to improve immeasurably considering they have laboured past League One Blackpool in the third round and now the second-tier Robins.

Forest, who made eight changes from the side that drew at Bournemouth in the league on Sunday, had designs on an easy night when they took an eighth-minute lead.

Morgan Gibbs-White forced Max O’Leary into a stunning one-handed save down to his right, but from the resulting corner Origi glanced home to break his Forest duck.

However, it quickly became apparent that a long night was in store as the Robins levelled six minutes later.

Turner tipped Andy King’s shot from distance on to one post, the ball rolled across the line and hit the other post, where Haydon Roberts collected it and teed up Knight to tap into an empty net.

Turner then had to get down well to save Anis Mehmeti’s effort and did even better to keep out Tommy Conway’s low shot as Forest were on the rack.

Mehmeti had another effort saved by Turner early in the second half as the Forest goalkeeper was kept busy.

Forest sent on Taiwo Awoniyi and Callum Hudson-Odoi to try and wrestle control of the game.

And they began to build some pressure in the final 10 minutes.

Nuno Tavares saw a drilled effort parried by O’Leary before Hudson-Odoi teed up Neco Williams but he shot just wide as the game went to an additional period.

Both sides had chances in extra time as the impenetrable Turner again denied Mehmeti with a stretching save while Moussa Niakhate sent a free header wide.

It was the Championship side who were pushing for a winner in the second half of extra time as Nahki Wells was somehow denied on the line after a good move down the left while Matty James whistled a shot over from a corner.

But the game was decided from the penalty spot and Turner denied Bell, which allowed Awoniyi to fire home the winning kick.

Second-half goals from Mikael Mandron and Toyosi Olusanya helped 10-man St Mirren to a 2-0 home win over Dundee in the cinch Premiership.

James Bolton was sent off for the home side late on after Mandron had put them in front but the visitors could not capitalise on the man advantage and conceded a second goal to Olusanya late on.

The victory extended fifth-placed Saints’ advantage over Dundee to nine points albeit having played a game more.

Manager Stephen Robinson went with the same starting line-up that thrashed Hibernian 3-0 at the weekend, with returning Australia international Keanu Baccus named among their substitutes.

Dundee, in turn, made just one change from their defeat to Hearts, with former Saints striker Curtis Main replacing Amadou Bakayoko in attack.

Kick-off was delayed by 30 minutes after the Dundee team bus was caught in traffic on their way to the stadium from their hotel.

It was the home side who had the first real chance, with Mandron’s turn and shot well off target.

Elvis Bwomono then unleashed a long-range effort that similarly flew over the crossbar.

Dundee responded with a Jordan McGhee header that was also off target before Trevor Carson was the first goalkeeper called into action to save Mandron’s low effort at the other end.

Alex Gogic then came close to opening the scoring with a flicked header from Greg Kiltie’s corner but it drifted just wide of the far post.

James Scott launched a shot that nearly sailed over the stand as St Mirren turned up the pressure without giving the Dundee defence too much to worry about.

The visitors almost forged in front on a counter-attack following a St Mirren corner.

Luke McCowan sent Owen Beck running clear from just outside the Dundee box but he was tracked all the way by Hyeok-kyu Kwon, on loan from Celtic, who did well to block the Liverpool loanee’s shot. Beck then pulled his second effort wide.

Saints had the first chance of the second half but Bolton’s header from Caolan Boyd-Munce’s corner lacked the power to beat Carson.

Gogic then headed wide from Kiltie’s free-kick before Baccus’ drive from the edge of the penalty box touched the top of the crossbar before going over.

St Mirren’s pressure finally told after 73 minutes when they went ahead. Mandron’s strike looked to be covered by Carson but the Northern Irishman could only push his shot into the net.

Mandron then passed up a gilt-edged chance to double the home side’s lead before substitute Lewis Jamieson saw his low driven shot well saved by Carson and Kiltie blazed an effort wide at the far post.

St Mirren played out the last five minutes with 10 men after Bolton was sent off for a heavy tackle on Owen Dodgson before Olusanya sprang the Dundee offside trap to score their second goal in stoppage time.

Kylian Mbappe put speculation over his future to one side to fire Paris St Germain into the Coupe de France quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Brest.

Talk over a potential move to Real Madrid this summer has again intensified in recent days, but Mbappe grabbed his sixth goal in this competition and took his overall tally for the season to 30 with a 34th-minute opener.

Danilo Pereira doubled PSG’s advantage soon after and while Steve Mounie reduced the deficit with 65 minutes played, Lilian Brassier received his marching moments later for Brest before substitute Goncalo Ramos sealed the hosts’ success in stoppage time.

Brest had fought back to earn a 2-2 draw at Parc des Princes in Ligue 1 last month, but PSG were boosted by the return of Achraf Hakimi after his Africa Cup of Nations disappointment with Morocco.

Luis Enrique shuffled his pack with Danilo, Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola brought into the team from Friday’s league win over Strasbourg, which extended their lead at the summit to eight points.

Visiting Brest started strongly and they forced a number of corners during the opening exchanges before Gianluigi Donnarumma made a fine save to deny Hugo Magnetti.

It was to prove crucial with Mbappe able to open the scoring moments later.

Warren Zaire-Emery played a key role, nipping in to find Mbappe, who turned in the area and sent a powerful strike into the corner.

PSG were in the ascendancy and it was 2-0 with eight minutes of the first half remaining.

Dembele did well out wide and crossed in for centre-back Danilo to tap home from close-range.

It was almost three for the hosts before the break but Mbappe thundered an effort against the crossbar following a slick break and Dembele then hit a post from a tight angle.

Those squandered chances kept Brest in the contest and a double change by Eric Roy helped the away side reduce the deficit.

Romain Del Castillo and Mathias Pereira Lage were introduced on the hour mark and the latter quickly made his mark when his cross was headed home by Mounie with 65 minutes on the clock.

Any chance Brest had of restoring parity were hit when Brassier received a second yellow for a poor challenge on Mbappe, who was able to carry on after some treatment.

Mbappe went close to securing the victory with two late efforts, which were saved by Gregoire Coudert before PSG did grab a third.

While Mbappe was involved, it was Hakimi who played the telling pass to the back post where substitute Ramos tapped home in the second minute of stoppage time to book PSG’s place in the last eight.

Chelsea stunned Aston Villa with a 3-1 win to march on in the FA Cup and ease the pressure on Mauricio Pochettino.

Enzo Fernandez’s sensational free-kick added to first-half goals from Conor Gallagher and Nicolas Jackson.

Moussa Diaby’s injury-time strike failed to ruin Chelsea’s night and the Blues now host Leeds in the fifth round.

Having been humbled 4-2 by Wolves and thumped 4-1 by Liverpool in their two previous games there was an expectation Chelsea would lurch further into crisis in their fourth-round replay at Villa Park.

Instead, while fans sung for former owner Roman Abramovich, their side rolled back the years with a dominant performance akin to those during the Russian’s reign.

With progress in the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool to come at the end of the month, despite a wretched Premier League campaign Chelsea could still salvage success.

For Villa, Unai Emery had already labelled this week – with Manchester United visiting on Sunday – as crucial to their hopes as they challenge for the top four.

But with a second straight home defeat – coming after inconsistent home displays against Sheffield United and Burnley – there will be rightful questions over Villa’s staying power.

Initially, the hosts listened to the manager’s words and there were alarm bells for Chelsea in the opening three minutes when John McGinn roughed up Axel Disasi before Alex Moreno fluffed his lines.

Half chances for Cole Palmer and Fernandez hardly hinted at what was to come and it took just 10 minutes for the Chelsea fans to chant Abramovich’s name – yet a minute later the visitors struck.

Jackson teased his way into the area to find Noni Madueke, a constant bright spark for the visitors, and the forward had enough presence of mind to hold the ball up for Gallagher.

There was still plenty for the midfielder to do but he avoided the massed ranks to pick out the top corner from 16 yards.

Villa sought an instant reply and Leon Bailey shot at Djordje Petrovic, with the goalkeeper also turning Ollie Watkins’ drive over.

The hosts’ 11-month unbeaten home league run ended last week, a 3-1 defeat to Newcastle, but they would have expected better against a fractured Chelsea who had lost six of their last seven away outings.

Yet, with the lead, Pochettino’s side came to life and doubled their advantage with an excellent, flowing, move after 21 minutes.

It was built down right with Disasi and Madueke involved before Malo Gusto was released to brilliantly cross for Jackson, who directed a precise header into the corner.

As against Newcastle, Villa were falling apart with Chelsea exploiting the flanks. Madueke continued to taunt the hosts and his strong run ended with Emi Martinez pushing away Palmer’s effort.

Petrovic tipped McGinn’s drive over in stoppage time after Ben Chilwell’s foul throw saw Villa break but it was a rare moment of concern for the visitors.

The hosts needed a response but – just like against Newcastle – they conceded a third soon after the break.

Fernandez may have been fortunate to earn a free kick while being shadowed by Youri Tielemans but there was nothing lucky about his 25-yard strike which arched into the top corner.

With a cushion Chelsea eased off which gave Villa brief cause for optimism but they never launched a recovery, despite Diaby’s stoppage time consolation.

Adam Idah netted two penalties on his first Celtic start as a stoppage-time VAR decision at Easter Road earned the Irishman the chance to make himself an instant hero.

Idah secured a 2-1 victory over Hibernian after Joe Newell was adjudged to have fouled Kyogo Furuhashi just after the Celtic substitute shot into David Marshall’s arms from 18 yards.

Referee Nick Walsh made the call after being called to his monitor by video assistant Andrew Dallas as the Japanese striker hobbled to his feet.

Idah also netted a 10th-minute penalty, which came at a heavy price as Alistair Johnston was carried off on a stretcher.

The game was a tight affair until Dylan Levitt volleyed an equaliser on the hour mark and brought the game to life.

Hibs had the better chances to claim three points before the late drama allowed Brendan Rodgers to savour his first win at Easter Road in his fifth visit as Celtic restored their three-point lead over Rangers, who have one game in hand in the cinch Premiership title race.

Nicolas Kuhn also made his first Celtic start in a new-look front three that featured Daizen Maeda following his return from the Asian Cup, while Stephen Welsh replaced Maik Nawrocki in central defence.

Hibernian lined up with a 4-5-1 formation, with Lewis Miller and Martin Boyle also back from the Qatar tournament, and Nick Montgomery’s side sat deep in the opening moments.

But their attempts to frustrate Celtic came unstuck when Nectarios Triantis was late on Johnston in an aerial challenge. Walsh pointed to the spot before the Canada international was carried off on a stretcher after about five minutes of treatment.

Anthony Ralston came on before Idah sent David Marshall the wrong way from the spot.

Hibs remained disciplined in their shape and they had a good chance midway through the half when Jordan Obita’s cross caused difficulties for Celtic, with both Joe Hart and Alexandro Bernabei unable to deal with it. The ball broke invitingly for Elie Youan eight yards out but the wide player shot well over, although Walsh gave a corner after Liam Scales threw himself in front of the effort.

Idah missed chances either side of the break but was flagged offside each time before being played in again by Matt O’Riley and being foiled by a good save from Marshall.

Hibs levelled after Joe Newell’s free-kick was headed back to Levitt by Will Fish. The Wales midfielder showed excellent technique to guide his strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

The home fans suddenly found their voice and Hart parried Myziane Maolida’s overhead kick before Boyle went flying in the box as he took on Bernabei. The winger was booked for diving.

The Celtic defence looked vulnerable and Rodgers brought on Nawrocki for Welsh.

Ralston made two important blocks as Hibs continued to press before Rodgers brought on Furuhashi in the 71st minute.

Celtic had a better spell but both Idah and Furuhashi failed to get shots away after Bernabei’s cross ultimately set both of them up for good chances.

Miller missed a glorious chance for Hibs when he sent Newell’s deep cross beyond the far post and Fish then turned on the edge of the box and shot just wide.

The game was on a knife edge but it went Celtic’s way as Idah again sent Marshall the wrong way.

Sebastien Haller fired hosts Ivory Coast into the final of the Africa Cup of Nations and to within one match of the ultimate redemption after beating DR Congo 1-0.

The Elephants had been on the brink of elimination at the group stage, sacked their manager before being reprieved two days later as the fourth best third-placed finishers.

They then came back from behind to beat Senegal in the last 16 and needed a 90th-minute equaliser and a winner with the last kick of the match to get past Mali in the quarter-final.

Now Haller’s goal has seen them reach the final for a fifth time and if interim boss Emerse Fae, who replaced Jean-Louis Gasset after the humiliating 4-0 loss to Equatorial Guinea, can inspire them to victory over Nigeria on Sunday it will cap surely the most remarkable turn of fortunes in any major international tournament.

DR Congo, winners in 1968 and 1974, posed a potent threat and thought they had scored after nine minutes but Cedric Bakambu had kicked the ball out of the hands of goalkeeper Yahia Fofana before bundling it home.

Ivory Coast, also two-time winners, created their first opportunity from semi-final hero Simon Adingra, the Brighton winger rising at the far post and heading across goal and wide.

Former West Ham striker Haller then tried an extravagant overhead kick which flew over the top of the Congo goal.

Haller, now with Borussia Dortmund, missed the chance of the first half with a free header in front of goal, eight yards out, from Wilfried Singo’s tempting cross, which he sent horribly wide.

Moments later Franck Kessie’s low drive from the edge of the area clipped the far post to leave the hosts frustrated at half-time.

Congo sent on Theo Bongonda as a half-time substitute and the Spartak Moscow wideman almost had an instant impact with a mazy run into the area, beating three defenders before lashing his shot into the side-netting.

Kessie stung the hands of Congo keeper Lionel Mpasi with a fierce drive with what was Ivory Coast’s first shot on target. It was their second that broke the deadlock in the 64th minute.

It was unorthodox, and a tad fortunate, Haller hooking Max Gradel’s cross into the ground and watching it bounce and loop over Mpasi into the net.

Incredibly it was the first time Ivory Coast had scored first in a match since the group opener against Guinea Bissau.

Haller should have doubled the lead with an easier chance but sent his lob over Mpasi and wide, but the Elephants held on to book a spot in the final which looked unthinkable a fortnight ago.

NB: Catch the exciting final between Ivory Coast and Nigeria on Sportsmax and the Sportsmax app.