Newcastle chase a perfect 10, Chelsea seek a reliable No 9 and Southampton just want to get beyond six

If Arsenal’s books for the January window look closed, a meeting with Aston Villa casts forward thoughts to summer business. During Wednesday’s north London derby it was not difficult to wonder how much greater the margin of victory might have been with either Ollie Watkins or Jhon Durán leading the Gunners frontline. If Martin Zubimendi is an expected summer arrival, adding to an already packed midfield, where does a forward come in? Gabriel Jesus’s knee injury delays his possible sale while increasing the need for reinforcements. Villa have been busy, with Donyell Malen coming in from Dortmund and Jaden Philogene sold to Ipswich. Monchi, Villa’s president of football operations, has never been shy of selling players to bring in further talent. Watkins, who is 29, was on the mark at Everton for his first goal of 2025. Duran, 21, unused at Goodison after suspension, may be Arsenal’s next-best option to the imperious, and probably far too expensive, Alexander Isak. John Brewin

• ‘I need to understand why we suffer in these games’
• Manager admits Manuel Ugarte was tired during match

A relieved Ruben Amorim insisted Manchester United did not panic before Amad Diallo’s 12-minute hat-trick saved them against Southampton, having trailed against the Premier League’s bottom side until the 82nd minute at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

United were heading for a fourth straight home loss due to Manuel Ugarte’s own goal just before the break. But Diallo equalised eight minutes from time before remarkably scoring twice more to secure victory. It was put to the head coach that his side had been frantic towards the end. “It is not panic,” said Amorim. “In the first half we were too late to every ball and we tried to press too high and suffer for that.”

United flirted with embarrassment against the Premier League’s bottom side before Amad Diallo stepped up late on to fire a glorious 12-minute hat-trick

2 min: Diallo embarks on the first positive run of the evening, down the inside-right channel. The crowd get excited … then Diallo slaps a wayward pass meant for Bruno Fernandes on the touchline out for a throw. Onwards and upwards.

United get the ball rolling. Saints are kicking towards the Stretford End in this first half.

Panicky, amateurish and dicing with defeat against Southampton, who are bottom and had failed to win away in the Premier League: Manchester United flirted with the crimson embarrassment of a reverse they would long be reminded of.

But, enter the game-winner, Amad Diallo, with a stunning 12-minute hat-trick. His third strike came in added time – into an open goal – his second on the stroke of the 90 – a fine finish of Christian Eriksen’s chip – and followed the winger’s mazy run and equalising stab just minutes before. All from a refusal to lose.

• Head coach praised attitude in FA Cup win at Arsenal
• ‘He was dead in the end – I want that from every player’

Ruben Amorim has stated that Harry Maguire’s physical effort in Manchester United’s FA Cup third-round win at Arsenal on Sunday left him “dead” and cited this as the level of commitment he wants from all of his players.

Maguire was a standout performer in the victory, via a penalty shootout, at the Emirates Stadium, which came on the back of the defender being ill in the days prior. Amorim pointed to the 31-year-old’s attitude as an example to the rest of United’s squad.

Mikel Arteta’s team have had a painful start to 2025 and are now facing challenges in three competitions

• Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson here

For Arsenal, the pattern was all too familiar. They won the xG against Manchester United on Sunday, depending which model you prefer, by around 3.5 to 0.5, but they drew the game 1-1 and with a certain inevitability, lost on penalties. The previous Tuesday, in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final, they’d won the xG 3.1-1.2 but lost 2-0 to Newcastle. The previous Saturday, in the league, they drew 1-1 at Brighton despite having won the xG 1.5-0.9. They have begun 2025 by failing to turn dominance into goals and, very quickly, their hopes of a trophy are evaporating.

This was a very good weekend for the FA Cup. Plymouth, bottom of the Championship, pulled off the big upset by eliminating Brentford, while League Two Bromley went ahead before succumbing to Newcastle, non-league Tamworth took Tottenham to extra-time and there were further shocks as Doncaster and Exeter eliminated Hull and Oxford. But the culmination of Sunday’s sulphuric clash at the Emirates: no sense there of Premier League sides soft-pedalling. For Arsenal, the consequences could be hugely significant.

This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll answer the best in a future edition

• Manchester United defender pleased for Zirkzee
• Maguire wants improvement on ‘embarrassing’ 13th place

Harry Maguire has suggested video assistant referees are essential to the modern game, pointing to the controversial penalty that Arsenal won against him and his Manchester United team on Sunday to drive the argument.

Maguire was stunned to be penalised by the referee, Andrew Madley, in the 69th minute of the FA Cup third-round tie with the score at 1-1 and United down to 10 men after Diogo Dalot’s red card. The central defender had stood his ground against the Arsenal striker Kai Havertz, putting out an arm at worst only to watch his opponent tumble to the ground.

Today’s fluff twanged a muscle pulling on a Spider-Man suit

Despite Khvicha Kvaratskhelia being a cult hero at Napoli, who are four points clear at the top of Serie A under Antonio Conte, the Georgian wants out. PSG remain favourites to sign the winger, while Napoli may instead target Alejandro Garnacho, although the 20-year-old did start Manchester United’s FA Cup win over Arsenal on Sunday. Suddenly a £42m move to Italy does not look so likely, despite Argentinians famously doing rather well in Naples.

After all that fuss over Dani Olmo’s registration, or the lack of it, Barcelona were able to get the midfielder back on the books before the club’s victorious clásico Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday, after which the Spaniard kissed the badge and gestured to the celebrating fans that he was staying. However, one person that could leave the Catalan club in January is Ronald Araújo, with the centre-back linked with Juventus.

Tamworth’s heroes deserve better, Pep Guardiola tries to fire up Jack Grealish and Liverpool’s teenagers impress

Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3 tactics have little place in English football, it was said. Recent Manchester United performances of the resurrected Harry Maguire in tandem with Lisandro Martínez and Matthijs de Ligt suggest it can work if with sufficient energy in midfield to protect the trio. Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo offer that, and the wing play of Alejandro Garnacho in setting up Bruno Fernandes’s goal, plus Amad Diallo’s raiding runs at the Emirates Stadium, suggest the framework of a team. Penalty hero Altay Bayindir revealed he is a capable goalkeeper, a possible cult hero. There are complications. The club’s finances, chickens of the Glazer ownership now coming home to roost, may trigger selling “pure profit” youth products like Garnacho and Mainoo to fund recruitment. There are significant miles to travel, but the previous weekend’s draw at Anfield, and this 10-man heist at Arsenal are signs of a motivated team playing for their manager, closely following instructions. About time, too. John Brewin

Match report: Arsenal 1-1 Manchester United (3-5 on pens)

Match report: Brentford 0-1 Plymouth

Match report: Bristol City 1-2 Wolves

Match report: Tamworth 0-3 Tottenham

Match report: Leeds 1-0 Harrogate

Match report: Manchester City 8-0 Salford City

Match report: Liverpool 4-0 Accrington

Time will tell if Ratcliffe and Dave Brailsford can turn around the negative effect their decisions have had on the club

Remember when Manchester United jacked up the cost of tickets for members from around £40 to £66 for the rest of the season? And, for good measure, scrapped the £25 concession for children and asked them to pay full price too? Of course you do. It was barely six weeks ago, on 27 November.

But, without fanfare or it being reported anywhere, that policy has been quietly dropped for Thursday’s match against Southampton at Old Trafford, along with the Ipswich game next month. Adult tickets are now £48. Under-16s are £25. And the further cost to Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos’s reputation for competence? Incalculable.

Centre-back looks at home in Amorim’s defensive setup and showed leadership in moments of madness at Arsenal

It was always going to end like this, a fact that became essentially unavoidable with the sight of Joshua Zirkzee rotating his arms wildly towards the away end before the penalty shootout at the end of this 1-1 FA Cup third-round draw, shorts hitched up, chalk down one leg, transformed in that moment into Warrior-Zirkzee.

From that point it also seemed inevitable Kai Havertz, who had earlier fallen over a pocket of air to win a potentially game-turning penalty, would now produce the key miss, a spot-kick so weak he could have run after it, caught up, taken it back and had another go.

• Manchester United beat Arsenal on penalties in FA Cup
• ‘I felt since the first minute that today was our day’

A jubilant Ruben Amorim said he had sensed his Manchester United side would beat Arsenal at the outset of a controversial third round tie at the Emirates. Amorim’s side rode out a storm with 10 men to force penalties, sealing the win through Joshua Zirkzee’s clinical strike, and he claimed the outcome had been clear in his mind as soon as proceedings began.

“The players were really tired but I felt since the first minute that today was our day,” Amorim said. “I also felt a connection with our fans, our staff. It was a very good day for us in that aspect.”

Manchester United face Leicester after beating Arsenal while Villa host Tottenham and Brighton play Chelsea

That’s all from me! Simon Burnton is still live with all the reaction from Manchester United’s huge win over Arsenal, so feel free to hop over and join him!

Full-time at St Mary’s and Southampton have booked their spot in the fourth round. They will face Burnley at home.

Joshua Zirkzee had heard his name chanted to the Emirates Stadium rafters by the travelling Manchester United fans when he was introduced as a substitute. There has been a concerted effort by them to build a few bridges after what happened against Newcastle at the end of December: Zirkzee applauded off after his 33rd minute withdrawal, a shattering low.

When the full-time whistle went here, this FA Cup third round tie locked at 1-1, Zirkzee turned towards the United support to whip them up. The connection had been restored. And it simply had to be Zirkzee who stepped forward at the end of the shootout with the kick to win it.

• Updates from the 3pm GMT kick-off at the Emirates
• Get in touch! Share your thoughts in an email to Simon

A shock! Doncaster Rovers, seventh in League Two, have knocked out Championship struggler Hull on penalties, away from home, after a 1-1 draw.

Spurs take a 2-0 lead, as at the Emirates Stadium the players gather in the tunnel.

This week PSR swings into action, with past points deductions against Everton and Forest a stark warning

The Premier League will issue disciplinary charges this week against any clubs it deems to have breached its profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) for the 2021-24 accounting period.

Under a fast-track process introduced 18 months ago clubs who have recorded losses for the first two years of the reporting cycle were required to submit their accounts for the financial year ending June 2024 to the Premier League by 31 December. The Premier League has given its financial and legal departments 14 days to study the books of those clubs in danger of a PSR breach, and is expected to issue any charges on Monday and Tuesday.

• ‘You guys think he is the finished product … he is not’
• United would consider substantial offer for 19-year-old

Ruben Amorim has warned Kobbie Mainoo to not believe the hype that he is the “finished article” and to focus on improving, amid negotiations over the teenager’s future at Manchester United.

The 19-year-old midfielder, whose contract runs until 2027 with the option of another year, has been a regular for United since progressing to the first team from the club’s academy and is seeking an increase on his £20,000-per-week salary. Mainoo’s partnership with Manuel Ugarte has given cause for optimism and the duo could start together again on Sunday as United travel to Arsenal, where Amorim suffered the first defeat of his reign, in the third round of the FA Cup.

Accrington face the ultimate test, long throws await Spurs and there’s a potential blockbuster in north London

“We’re aware we were once mentioned in a milk advert,” reads the bio on Accrington Stanley’s X page. “We hear ‘Who are they?’ and ‘Exactly’ a lot.” Don’t be misled by the weary tone regarding their mention in the famous 1989 Milk Marketing Board advertisement, for which the club received £10,000. The connection has always been embraced and never more so than in the buildup to their third round visit to Liverpool, the Premier League leaders. As the Accrington captain Seamus Conneely said: “We’ve made it to third and fourth rounds before, we’ve had League Cup runs and played in some great stadiums, but we’ve finally got that big one. Liverpool is going to top it all.” Accrington have sold their entire 4,700-ticket allocation and the tie is of huge significance to the striker Josh Woods, a boyhood Liverpool fan whose reaction to the draw went viral and prompted a reply from Ibrahima Konaté. Liam Coyle is another Red who started out in Liverpool’s academy, while the management team of John Doolan and Ged Brannan are also from Liverpool. This is an FA Cup moment to cherish. Andy Hunter

Liverpool v Accrington Stanley, Saturday 12.15pm (all times GMT)

Brentford v Plymouth Argyle, Saturday 3pm

Bristol City v Wolverhampton Wanderers, Saturday 12pm

Chelsea v Morecambe, Saturday 3pm

Leeds v Harrogate Town, Saturday 5.45pm

Manchester City v Salford City, Saturday 5.45pm

• 22-year-old has had breakout season at Old Trafford
• Ivorian says: ‘I fully believe that we are on the right path’

Amad Diallo has signed a new long-term deal with Manchester United, committing to the club until June 2030. The agreement comes as the 22-year-old is enjoying a breakout season at Old Trafford, despite the team’s poor campaign overall.

Diallo has six goals and seven assists in all competitions this term, including scoring the winner for United at local rivals Manchester City last month and netting again to secure a draw at Anfield last weekend. His previous deal had been due to expire at the end of the season.

• United not seeking to offload but trio not untouchable
• Offers will also be considered for Yoro, De Ligt and Ugarte

Manchester United will listen to serious offers for any of Ruben Amorim’s squad, including Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Højlund, who were previously deemed untouchable.

United are not actively seeking to offload the trio but there is recognition from Sir Jim Ratcliffe that the club have been poor sellers. With finance limited because of profitability and sustainability rules, sales have to become a key part of healthy squad management.