Pep Guardiola described Phil Foden as “awesome” and “flabbergasting” after the forward scored twice against Bristol City to book Manchester City's place in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Foden's brace — one in each half — put the visitors in command against the Championship side before the fit-again Kevin de Bruyne’s superb late strike sealed a 3-0 victory at Ashton Gate.
Foden has not always been a regular starter in recent weeks, but Guardiola said he has never doubted the England international's quality and praised his work ethic.
“I said last week that we don’t have any doubts about Phil,” said Guardiola.
“The impact of Phil since he has arrived has been flabbergasting. He has been awesome, getting better and better.
“He has struggled a little bit with the ankle, but he doesn’t complain. He wants to train, he wants to play, play with problems.
“But it’s not about the goal he scored in the last game [at Bournemouth], or the two goals he scored today. It’s about how aggressive he is and how he does things.
“He has done it again, his work ethic, the way he trained. Every single action is 100 per cent and at the end it will pay off.”
The Premier League champions were made to work hard for their victory even after Foden dispatched Riyad Mahrez’s seventh-minute cross before a capacity 25,713 crowd.
Bristol City, who had gone 12 games unbeaten, went close through Alex Scott and Sam Bell and might have had a penalty when Mark Sykes appeared to be bundled over by Rico Lewis.
But referee Andre Marriner was unmoved and VAR was not in operation for the incident to be reviewed.
On the first-half penalty incident, when Bristol City trailed 1-0, Robins boss Nigel Pearson said: “I joked with the fourth official and the assistant referee that they, Premier League players, are a protected species.
“But I’m being facetious. It was an event in the game that didn’t go our way and I’m disappointed with the scoreline because I thought the game was tighter than that.
“The most important thing for us we were true to ourselves and tried to play our own way.
“We held our own for long periods of the game, but the quality shone through at the end.”
Leicester City 1-2 Blackburn Rovers
Boss Brendan Rodgers took the blame after Leicester City crashed out of the FA Cup.
Tyrhys Dolan and Sammie Szmodics capitalised on awful defending to earn Blackburn a 2-1 win as they reached a first FA Cup quarter-final for eight years.
Kelechi Iheanacho grabbed a second-half consolation but the error-prone Foxes got what they deserved against the Championship side.
Rodgers, who guided Leicester to a first FA Cup triumph in 2021, made six changes and insisted he should be the one in the firing line.
He said: “If there’s anyone to blame it’s me. I made the changes and sadly it didn’t work.
“We brought four players into the starting line up who won the FA Cup a couple of seasons ago so the team should be strong enough and good enough.
“The FA Cup was a chance to get to a quarter-final, we were playing against a Championship team at home but they were better than us and we have to worry about that.
“They were the better team. We presented a couple of goals, giving the ball away cheaply. Then you are chasing it and 2-0 is an easy scoreline to go freely. We showed spirit and we showed drive then but you have to show that when it’s 0-0.
“It’s just consistency, it’s mentality, ambition and drive to succeed. That’s been too up and down for us. It doesn’t help when you continually present chances. We just didn’t perform well, it’s as simple as that.”
Stoke City 0-1 Brighton
Brighton & Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi described Evan Ferguson as “unique” after the teenage forward’s latest goal secured his side a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
The Seagulls’ 1-0 win at Stoke saw Ferguson finish from close range on the half-hour mark at the end of a fine move.
It was a fifth goal of the season for the 18-year-old Republic of Ireland international and fourth in his last nine appearances.
And De Zerbi said of Ferguson: “He is unique for us in terms of quality, in terms of characteristic. He knows very well the way to score.
“I think he can and he has to improve, in the quality of play, in ball possession, to keep the ball better.
“But he is 18, he is [born in] 2004, and he will improve for sure, because I know the guy, I know his passion, his attitude, and I have no doubt.”
Fulham 2-0 Leeds United
Marco Silva insisted it is “for the fans to decide” which goal was better after two moments of individual brilliance proved the difference in Fulham’s 2-0 win over Leeds United which saw them reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Manor Solomon continued his excellent run of form since recovering from a knee injury, finding the net for a fourth time in as many matches with a clever curled effort from the left wing.
But it was Joao Palhinha’s stunning strike which broke the deadlock. He won the ball in midfield, drove forward and then unleashed a superb shot from outside the box.
“It’s not easy to decide [which is better],” Silva said after the game. “Two different moments but two great finishes.
“The first one was a very good recovery from Joao, the way he won the ball and a great finish.
“The other one was different. The way Manor linked with our striker and a great finish from a spot that [he] is very strong [from]. It’s for our fans to decide what’s the best, but they were two great moments.”
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
India squad for fourth and fifth Tests
Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Shaw, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur, Vihari
The 100 Best Novels in Translation
Boyd Tonkin, Galileo Press
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Profile
Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
South Africa squad
Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
The winners
Fiction
- ‘Amreekiya’ by Lena Mahmoud
- ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid
The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award
- ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi; translated by Ramon J Stern
- ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres
The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award
- ‘Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah
Children/Young Adult
- ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz S 450
Price, base / as tested Dh525,000 / Dh559,000
Engine: 3.0L V6 biturbo
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 369hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm at 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.0L / 100km
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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