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Liverpool through to FA Cup fifth round – ARN News Centre
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Liverpool cruised into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 5-2 rout of Championship Norwich City on Sunday, to kick off Juergen Klopp’s long goodbye at Anfield, while crowd trouble marred Wolverhampton Wanderers’ 2-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion.
Twelve-time winners Manchester United gave up a two-goal lead before escaping Rodney Parade with a 4-2 victory over fourth-tier Welsh side Newport County.
Liverpool’s beloved manager announced on Friday that he would leave the Merseyside team at the end of this season, his ninth at the helm.
“I get it, it’s very emotional,” Klopp told the BBC. “I just have to make sure that I don’t get on that side of it. (And) in the games, we need to be warriors and not celebrate the old man on the side lines.
“First match after the news and we can get used to it,” he added.
The eight-time FA Cup winners had goals from Curtis Jones, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch.
Liverpool will next play either Watford or Southampton after that fourth-round game earlier on Sunday ended in a 1-1 draw thanks to a last-gasp goal by Southampton’s Stuart Armstrong to force a replay.
“It was a perfect game,” Jones told ITV. “There were loads of goals scored and we didn’t have any injuries.
“Definitely (can use Klopp’s departure as motivation),” he added. “We had our goals at the start of the season and now the news is out, we’ll be giving it more.”
Ben Gibson and Borja Sainz scored for Norwich City, who are ninth in the Championship, 28 spots below Premier League leaders Liverpool in England’s football pyramid.
Antony scored in the 68th-minute for last year’s FA Cup runners-up Manchester United after Newport — ranked 76 places below United in England’s football pyramid — had clawed their way back from two goals down.
“We controlled the game, maybe we went a little bit slower,” United manager Erik ten Hag told the BBC. “We had the chance to go 3-0. (Alejandro) Garnacho hit the crossbar. (Newport) had nothing, really nothing and then they scored a goal.”
Bruno Fernandes, 18-year-old Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Hojlund also scored for United, who conceded two goals in an FA Cup match against a fourth-tier side for the first time since 1970 (against Northampton Town).
“Obviously it was not the result that we wanted, we got the win that we wanted but the result was not the perfect one for us. We didn’t want to concede goals,” United captain Fernandes said.
“We know that to make the season look not as bad as it has been, we have to try to win this trophy … we know how much the FA Cup means for our fans, our club, for the country and it’s important for us too. We want to get into the final and win.”
Wolves’ victory in their fourth-round match at West Brom was interrupted for nearly 40 minutes due to clashes involving the two sides’ supporters.
Wolves were leading 2-0 when projectiles were hurled on to one end of the pitch in the 82nd minute, sparking a brawl in a corner at The Hawthorns.
Matheus Cunha and Pedro Neto scored for Wolves, whose manager Gary O’Neil called the disturbances “really disappointing”.
“Up until that point it was a good tie with good atmosphere,” O’Neil told ITV. “How people behave at football is really important and we need to look at that, make sure everyone is safe. When we came back out the atmosphere had gone, it was really sad to see.”
The Football Association has launched an investigation into the disturbance that led to two arrests, calling it “completely unacceptable.”
The delay prompted officials to push back the draw for the FA Cup fifth round — originally scheduled for just before the Liverpool-Norwich 1430 GMT kickoff — to halftime of that game.
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Indian chess star Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu produced a brilliant final-round victory to win Norway Chess 2026, capping a dramatic finish to one of the year’s most prestigious tournaments.
Entering the final day half a point behind leader Wesley So, Praggnanandhaa knew only a win would give him a realistic chance of claiming the title. The 19-year-old delivered under pressure, defeating Vincent Keymer with the white pieces to secure the full three points and surge to first place.
The victory lifted Praggnanandhaa to 18 points, enough to overtake Wesley So and clinch the Norway Chess crown in Oslo.
So, who had led the standings heading into the final round, drew his classical game against Alireza Firouzja before winning the Armageddon tiebreak. However, the extra points were not enough to keep him ahead of the charging Indian grandmaster.
Firouzja completed a strong campaign to finish third overall.
Elsewhere, world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen signed off in style with a classical victory over reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, delighting home fans with a final-round win.
Final Standings
- Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu – 18 points
- Wesley So – 17 points
- Alireza Firouzja – 15.5 points
Assaubayeva dominates women’s event
In the Norway Chess Women’s tournament, Bibisara Assaubayeva completed a dominant campaign to secure the title after having already wrapped up first place with a round to spare.
The final day featured three decisive classical games, eliminating the need for Armageddon tiebreaks.
Women’s world champion Ju Wenjun handed Assaubayeva her first classical defeat of the tournament, while Zhu Jiner defeated Humpy Koneru to secure second place overall. Anna Muzychuk also ended her campaign on a high note with a victory over Divya Deshmukh to finish third.
Norway Chess women’s final standings
- Bibisara Assaubayeva – 16.5 points
- Zhu Jiner – 16 points
- Anna Muzychuk – 15 points
Praggnanandhaa’s triumph marks another major milestone in the young Indian grandmaster’s rapidly rising career and further strengthens India’s growing influence at the highest level of world chess.
The battle for the Norway Chess 2026 title is set for a thrilling finish after a dramatic Round 9 left three players firmly in contention heading into the final day in Oslo.
Tournament leader Wesley So maintained his narrow advantage after drawing his classical game against Magnus Carlsen before winning the Armageddon tiebreak to secure valuable extra points.
The standout result of the day came from Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, who defeated reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju with the black pieces. The victory earned Praggnanandhaa three points and moved him to within half a point of the tournament lead.
Meanwhile, Alireza Firouzja kept his championship hopes alive by overcoming Vincent Keymer in Armageddon after their classical game ended in a draw.
With one round remaining, Wesley So leads the standings on 15.5 points, followed by Praggnanandhaa on 15 points and Firouzja on 14.5 points, setting up a nail-biting conclusion to the tournament.
Assaubayeva seals women’s title
In the women’s competition, Bibisara Assaubayeva secured the Norway Chess Women 2026 title with a round to spare.
Assaubayeva drew her classical game against Anna Muzychuk, who later claimed the Armageddon win. However, the result was enough to guarantee Assaubayeva an unassailable lead at the top of the standings.
The only decisive classical result in the women’s event came from Zhu Jiner, who defeated Divya Deshmukh to move into second place.
Elsewhere, Humpy Koneru and Ju Wenjun drew their classical encounter before Ju Wenjun claimed the Armageddon victory.
After Round 9, Assaubayeva tops the women’s standings with 16.5 points, ahead of Zhu Jiner on 13 points and Anna Muzychuk on 12 points.
Praggnanandhaa wins Norway Chess 2026 title after stunning comeback
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