Matty Godden scored a brace as Championship Coventry thrashed League One Oxford 6-2 at the CBS Arena in the FA Cup third round.
The substitute followed up early strikes by Joel Latibeaudiere and Ben Sheaf, while Kasey Palmer’s thunderbolt made it 3-1.
Callum O’Hare’s second-half penalty made it 4-1 to the hosts who are through to the fourth round for just the second time in six seasons, with Mark Harris and Tyler Goodrham on the scoresheet for Des Buckingham’s side.
A frantic opening saw four goals in the space of eight first-half minutes, sparked by Latibeaudiere’s near-post header.
Coventry enjoyed the lion’s share of possession in the early exchanges but Oxford were level almost instantly when Harris latched on to Palmer’s mistake and a wicked deflection off Luis Binks took his effort past a helpless Ben Wilson.
The 1987 FA Cup winners were back ahead even quicker than they had been pegged back when Ellis Simms powerfully drove to the byline before squaring for Sheaf to slam home his second of the season.
Palmer then gave the Sky Blues daylight when he picked up the ball inside the Oxford half before uncorking a 30-yard rocket into the top corner to round off an exhilarating first 17 minutes.
The U’s went out of the cup at the same stage last year after a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal and could have found themselves further behind when Simms blazed over after outmuscling a U’s defender, whilst Milan van Ewijk’s free-kick cleared the crossbar.
Mark Robins, who won the FA Cup as a player with Manchester United in 1990, could have seen his side go three goals to the good immediately after the interval when Palmer played in O’Hare, but he was thwarted by Simon Eastwood.
O’Hare was given a second chance to give the Sky Blues the three-goal lead they deserved after Ciaron Brown fouled Palmer before Coventry’s talismanic midfielder made no mistake as he sent Eastwood the wrong way from the spot.
Palmer was at the heart of all of Coventry’s attacking play and created the Sky Blues’ next chance for Jake Bidwell, who slid his effort past a post.
Oxford, backed by around 3,000 fans in the West Midlands, sensed hope when Goodrham picked out the bottom corner from the edge of the box, but that hope was dashed soon after as Godden entered the fray.
First, he took down Jamie Allen’s lay-off and bent an effort into the far corner before picking out the same corner with his left foot five minutes later to finish off the rout and book Coventry’s place in the fourth-round draw.
Atletico and Sociedad reach agreement over Le Normand transfer
Atletico Madrid have "reached an agreement" with Real Sociedad over the signing of Robin Le Normand.
The Spain defender, who was part of the side that won Euro 2024, will finalise his move to Atleti "in the coming days" for a fee believed to be in the region of €34.5million.
French-born Le Normand started his career with Brest before spending eight years with Txuri-Urdin, for whom he made 221 senior appearances across all competitions, while winning the 2019-20 Copa del Rey.
The 27-year-old is fresh from international success in Germany, where he played in six of Spain's seven matches, while he also helped La Roja win the Nations League last year.
A statement on Atletico's official website read: "Atletico and Sociedad have reached an agreement for the transfer of Le Normand. The deal will be finalised in the coming days when the player returns from his holiday.
Meanwhile, Sociedad wrote on X: "We'll always remember his dedication and gratitude to the colours that have shaped him into the player he is today. Good luck."
Guardiola 'cannot imagine' Man City's Premier League success without Ederson
Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City's Premier League dominance in recent seasons would not have been possible without Ederson.
The Brazil goalkeeper's future at the Etihad Stadium is uncertain, amid speculation linking him with a move to Saudi Arabia.
Ederson has been an integral figure for City since his arrival from Benfica in 2017, with 112 clean sheets in 250 Premier League appearances under Guardiola, while recording a save percentage of 68.17.
The 30-year-old conceded just 26 goals last season as the Citizens won an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title - and their sixth since he joined the club.
Ederson's distribution has also been crucial to City's success, notably completing 942 of his 1,097 passes last term (85.87%).
"I wish from the bottom of my heart Eddie will continue with us," Guardiola said. "I would love him to stay.
"I cannot imagine our processes succeeding these last seasons without him. He is an important figure in the locker room."
Ederson could feature for City on Saturday when they continue their pre-season tour of the United States against Paulo Fonseca's Milan at the Yankee Stadium.
Ten Hag targets further transfers as Man Utd prioritise squad depth
Erik ten Hag wants more transfer activity ahead of his third season in charge of Manchester United, saying the Red Devils must work to replicate their rivals' strength in depth.
Ten Hag signed a new contract after overseeing United's FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in May, having previously been expected to depart.
Ahead of their first full season under the Jim Ratcliffe regime, United have spent an estimated £88million to acquire forward Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna and centre-back Leny Yoro from Lille.
But after United suffered more injuries causing a player to miss at least one match (45) than any other Premier League team last term, Ten Hag believes more is required.
"I want the squad as strong as possible," Ten Hag told reporters at a press conference ahead of Saturday's friendly versus Arsenal.
"We already made two very good buys, so when everyone is fit we have a team that can beat everyone.
"But also in squad depth, we have to catch up. We know that because when we had injuries, we were vulnerable, and we have to avoid this.
"First, by picking up fewer injuries. And second, our squad has to be that good in depth.
"Of course, we have the quality, but in the depth we have to catch up even more, because this will be a season that is survival of the fittest.
"We proved we can beat the best team. Not just once, we did it twice. Our challenge is to do it consistently, that's what we have to work for."
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