World Sports News in Brief

McTominay header puts Manchester United into FA Cup fourth round

An early headed goal by Scott McTominay capped an excellent individual performance that put Manchester United through to the fourth round of the FA Cup as they beat Watford 1-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday (Jan 9).

Soccer Football - FA Cup - Third Round - Manchester United v Watford - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - January 9, 2021 Manchester United's Dean Henderson collides with teammate Eric Bailly. (Photo: Action Images via Reuters)
Soccer Football - FA Cup - Third Round - Manchester United v Watford - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - January 9, 2021 Manchester United's Dean Henderson collides with teammate Eric Bailly. (Photo: Action Images via Reuters)

Captaining his side for the first time, McTominay connected with an Alex Telles corner and though his downward header lacked power, it bounced up and into the top corner past the dive of goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann in the fifth minute.

* Mauricio Pochettino claimed his first win with Paris St Germain as the French champions edged closer to the top of the Ligue 1 table by beating Stade Brestois 3-0 at home on Saturday. PSG prevailed through goals by Moise Kean, Mauro Icardi and Pablo Sarabia to be on 39 points from 19 games, one point behind Olympique Lyonnais who salvaged a 2-2 draw at Stade Rennais.

* AC Milan went four points clear at the top of Serie A with a comfortable 2-0 home win over Torino on Saturday as Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic made his comeback from injury. The result leaves Milan on 40 points, four ahead of rivals Inter Milan, who travel to third-placed AS Roma on Sunday.

* Real Madrid were held to a goalless draw at struggling Osasuna on Saturday, failing to overcome the unforgiving conditions amid persistent snow and passing up the chance to go clear at the top of La Liga. The draw kept the champions second in the standings on 37 points, one behind leaders Atletico Madrid, whose game against Athletic Bilbao was postponed due to the snowstorm, leaving them with three games in hand.

* Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann each scored twice as Barcelona thrashed Granada 4-0 away from home on Saturday to win a third consecutive La Liga game for the first time this season. The victory took Barca back into third place in the standings and on to 34 points, closing the gap with leaders Atletico Madrid to four points.

* Emile Smith-Rowe and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored in extra time as Mikel Arteta's side began their FA Cup defence with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Newcastle United in the third round at Emirates Stadium on Saturday. The win extends Arsenal's winning run to four games in all competitions.

* Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure scored an extra-time winner as they edged second tier Rotherham United 2-1 to reach the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, while sixth-tier side Chorley beat a Derby County team severely weakened by a COVID-19 outbreak.

* Borussia Dortmund scored three times in the second half, twice with Erling Haaland and once with Jadon Sancho, to beat hosts RB Leipzig 3-1 on Saturday and close the gap to the top spots in the Bundesliga. Dortmund are fourth in the standings on 28 points, five off leaders Bayern Munich, who lost 3-2 at Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday. Leipzig, who suffered their first home loss of the season, are in second place on 31.

* Schalke 04's teenager Matthew Hoppe became the first American to score a Bundesliga hat-trick when he carried his struggling side to a 4-0 victory over Hoffenheim on Saturday and snap the Royal Blues' 30-game winless streak in the league. Schalke, whose previous league win was back in January 2020, were a defeat away from matching Tasmania Berlin's Bundesliga record of 31 matches without a win from the 1965/66 season.

* Atalanta's Josip Ilicic put on a masterclass to inspire his side to a 4-1 win at Benevento in Serie A and move them up to provisional fourth place in the standings on Saturday. Elsewhere, Genoa's revival continued as they beat Bologna 2-0 to climb out of the relegation zone and record their first home league win since September.

* Sevilla forward Youssef En-Nesyri scored a hat-trick as they beat visitors Real Sociedad 3-2 in a La Liga thriller after a chaotic start saw four goals in 10 minutes on Saturday.

* West Bromwich Albion have signed ex-Preston North End and Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper Andy Lonergan on a short-term deal until the end of the season, the Premier League club said on Saturday. Lonergan, who will provide cover for Sam Johnstone, is West Brom's second signing of the January transfer window after the West Midlands club brought in Scottish midfielder Robert Snodgrass from West Ham United on Friday.

* German Alexander Zverev will head into the 2021 season looking for a new coach after splitting with Spaniard David Ferrer, the world number seven confirmed on social media.

* Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka will join Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic in playing a pre-Australian Open warm-up exhibition in Adelaide after serving their quarantine in the South Australian city, Tennis Australia said on Saturday. The "A Day at the Drive" event will take place at the city's Memorial Drive Tennis Centre on Jan. 29, a week before the delayed Grand Slam gets underway at Melbourne Park.

Reuters