Sandro Tonali’s double inspired Newcastle United to a 3-1 comeback win over 10-man Aston Villa, while Mohamed Salah scored as Liverpool beat Brighton and Hove Albion 3-0.
West Ham United needed extra time to beat Burton Albion 1-0 while Norwich City claimed a 3-1 win over West Bromwich Albion. Manchester City had thrashed Salford 8-0 in the third-round last year, and Pep Guardiola’s second-string side did not take long to take the lead as Alfie Dorrington turned in Rayan Ait-Nouri’s dangerous cross for an own goal in the sixth minute. Omar Marmoush thought he had scored City’s second but his celebrations were cut short when the offside flag went up. Replays showed the Egyptian was onside but Video Assistant Referees and Semi-Automated Offside Technology are not in use until the fifth round of the competition, with Guardiola seen wagging his finger at the linesman.
City dominated for most of the half but Salford nearly equalised late on and the home side had James Trafford to thank as the keeper denied Ben Woodburn with a sharp save when his shot looked destined for the top corner.
“We had to work really hard. They did really well, defended really well and they had belief that grew through the game. We got there in the end and got the good win,” Trafford told the BBC.
Salford continued to probe after the restart as Trafford once again came to the rescue and Guardiola had seen enough, bringing on the cavalry in the form of Antoine Semenyo, Guehi and Nico O’Reilly. The home side doubled their lead in the 81st minute when Matty Young palmed away Rayan Cherki’s cross into the box and the ball fell to Guehi, who tapped in from close range. Guehi was with Crystal Palace last month when the holders were knocked out by non-league Macclesfield in one of the FA Cup’s greatest upsets, but the new rules meant he was no longer cup-tied and able to play for City. Burnley were beaten 2-1 at home by Mansfield thanks to skipper Louis Reed’s second-half free kick as the third-tier side eliminated a top-flight club for the first time since 1969. Josh Laurent had given Burnley the lead in the first half while Rhys Oates equalised early in the second before Reed’s glorious free kick sailed into the top corner to spark wild celebrations in the away end.
–Reuters–
