The FA Cup's fourth round delivered a series of dramatic upsets and thrilling matches this weekend, with lower-league teams proving they can compete with Premier League giants. The most notable shock came as Plymouth Argyle, currently struggling at the bottom of the Championship, secured a historic 1-0 victory over Premier League leaders Liverpool.
The victory at Home Park marked Liverpool's first FA Cup defeat to lower-league opposition while leading the top flight since 1984. Goal scorer Ryan Hardie could barely find words to describe the moment, telling ITV, "We all came here today with a dream and we have done it." The win was anchored by an outstanding defensive performance from Nikola Katic, who made 17 clearances, including 11 headers, and even continued playing after losing a tooth in a collision.
The cup magic extended beyond Plymouth's triumph. Leyton Orient provided another memorable moment when they took the lead against Manchester City through Jamie Donley's ambitious 50-yard shot that resulted in a Stefan Ortega own goal. Though City eventually won 2-1, the moment sent Orient fans into euphoria.
In Spain, Barcelona capitalized on a Madrid derby stalemate to close the gap in LaLiga's title race. Following their 4-1 victory over Sevilla, Barça now sit just two points behind leaders Real Madrid and one point behind Atlético Madrid. The Catalans have been unstoppable in 2025, remaining unbeaten in 11 games and scoring four or more goals in seven of those matches.
Meanwhile, in Germany, Borussia Dortmund's new manager Niko Kovač had a disappointing debut as his side fell 2-1 to Stuttgart. The loss highlighted ongoing internal struggles at the club, including the recent dismissal of technical director Sven Mislintat amid power struggles with sporting director Sebastian Kehl.
In other European news, AC Milan's new signing Santiago Giménez made an immediate impact in Serie A, scoring in a 2-0 win over Empoli. The €35 million striker from Mexico showed why Milan secured a tremendous deal for his services, in a match that also featured two assists from Christian Pulisic and two red cards.
Paris Saint-Germain continued their dominance in Ligue 1, extending their lead with a commanding 4-1 victory over AS Monaco. Ousmane Dembélé's remarkable form continued with two goals, bringing his tally to 16 goals in his past 11 games. The club also secured their future by extending manager Luis Enrique's contract until 2027 and signing six players to new long-term deals.
The weekend's action concluded with controversy in Turkey, where Galatasaray's match against Adana Demirspor was suspended after 30 minutes when the visiting team walked off the pitch in protest against the country's referees committee and football federation. At the time of the suspension, Galatasaray led 1-0 through an Álvaro Morata penalty.
