Two cup exits in a three-day span have left Tottenham staring at the prospect of another trophyless season and manager Ange Postecoglou facing perhaps his biggest crisis in his time at the club.

A 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Sunday came on the heels of an exit from the Carabao Cup semifinals after a 4-0 second-leg thrashing at Liverpool on Thursday.

"Obviously disappointed we don't progress," Postecoglou told the BBC.

"It wasn't a great start, that's the last thing you want, and we really struggled to get some control. Then we had an enormous chance at 1-0 we didn't take to equalise.

"We got a better grip of the game but unfortunately fell short. When you go a goal down it gives the opposition momentum and confidence. You want to wrestle control early and we didn't do that."

With Tottenham languishing in 14th place in the Premier League, the team's only chance of a first piece of major silverware since 2008 lies in winning the Europa League. Spurs have advanced to the round of 16 of the second-tier European competition.

In September, Postecoglou put pressure on himself by saying in an interview: "I don't usually win things, I always win things in my second year [with a team]. Nothing's changed."

He was referring to spells at Australian clubs South Melbourne and Brisbane Roar, Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos, Scottish giants Celtic and also with Australia's national team, which won the Asian Cup in his second year as coach.

Postecoglou has only a few months left of his second campaign at Tottenham, where he started so promisingly -- the team was undefeated and top of the Premier League after 10 games of his first season -- but has imploded, leaving question marks over the Australian's style of play.

Tottenham have been ravaged by injuries this season as the games came thick and fast in a number of competitions, and at least now has gaps in the schedule for more rest before recovering key players like Cristian Romero, Dominic Solanke and Micky van de Ven.

"This group of players has done an unbelievable job for 2 1/2 months. An unbelievable job," Postecoglou told a post-match news conference. "Can't praise them highly enough for the effort they've put in -- a small group of players playing twice a week since the middle of November.

"They will get some opportunity to recover now, we'll get some players back over the next couple of weeks and we'll look forward to resetting and finishing the season strongly."

Postecoglou will hope for more goals from Mathys Tel, a 19-year-old forward who joined on the last day of the winter transfer window and scored a late strike against Villa to set up a tense finale.

Ultimately, Tottenham were undone by a big error from goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who let a shot from Jacob Ramsey squirm through his grasp after just 57 seconds. Morgan Rogers added a second for Villa in the 64th.

"Wasn't a great start -- it's the last thing you want," Postecoglou said. "That gave them some momentum for the first 45 minutes and we struggled to get some control."

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick says his team are only focusing on themselves after they beat Sevilla 4-1 on Sunday to move within two points of LaLiga leaders Real Madrid.

Robert Lewandowski, Fermín López, Raphinha and Eric García were all on target as Barça took advantage of the draw in Saturday's Madrid derby to leave just two points separating the top three in Spain, with Atlético Madrid still second, one point ahead of Barça in third.

"We don't care about the other clubs," Flick said in a news conference after a weekend which reignited the title race in Spain.

"We have to do our job. We did it today really good. We want to focus on ourselves, not the other teams."

Barça are now unbeaten in 11 games in all competitions in 2025. They have scored four or more goals in seven of those matches.

Atlético coach Diego Simeone said on Saturday that they are the best team in the country.

"I think in LaLiga there are four or five teams that are really good," Flick replied when Simeone's comments were put to him.

"We are one of them. We have our style, how we want to play. We focus on that, not the other things."

Barça's win against Sevilla at the Sanchez Pizjuán on Sunday was not without obstacles.

Lewandowski's early goal was quickly cancelled out by Ruben Vargas, with Ronald Araújo then forced off injured after 20 minutes. The defender will undergo tests on an ankle problem on Monday.

Substitute López restored Barça's lead early in the second half, with Raphinha adding the third before López was sent off on the hour mark, just 15 minutes after coming on.

Flick was especially pleased with how his team saw the game out, with García heading in a late fourth for the 10-men to seal the win.

"I am really proud about the team because when we get the red card, it's a good lesson for us," he said.

"It's not our style or the way we want to play, with a 4-4-1 [formation], but we defend very well and, of course, we score again, so I am very happy about that."

Barça's players will be rewarded for the win with three days off as Flick takes advantage of a free midweek, earned through qualifying directly for the last 16 of the Champions League, to give his squad some rest.

"We have now a good situation and we want it to keep going on," Flick said. "When we win three points today, I said three days off.

"So, the team has three days to recover. They deserve it. I said don't make stupid things, look after your body, your recovery, then on Thursday we start preparing for the next match against Rayo [Vallecano] on Monday."

Plymouth Argyle pulled off an enormous shock on Sunday as they dumped Liverpool out of the FA Cup at the fourth-round stage with a 1-0 win.

Ryan Hardie's 53rd-minute penalty after Harvey Elliott's handball proved to be decisive as Arne Slot's team lost for only the fourth time this season in all competitions.

Slot rested many of his superstars for the contest -- with Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo not included in the matchday squad -- and paid the price, as Plymouth claimed one of the most famous wins in their history while ending Liverpool's pursuit of an unprecedented quadruple.

Goalkeeper Conor Hazard and center-back Nikola Katić were integral to the rearguard efforts that saw Plymouth over the line, with Hazard making a series of saves in second-half stoppage time that will no doubt live long in the memories of the home fans in attendance at Home Park.

Premier League leaders Liverpool were bereft of ideas and had only one shot on target in the opening half, and they were forced into an early change when defender Joe Gomez went down injured.

They upped the tempo after falling behind, but Hazard proved to be the hero for Plymouth as the Northern Irishman brilliantly kept out Diogo Jota's volley and a header from Darwin Núñez.

"At the end of the day, it is my job. So I am delighted with that," Hazard said when asked about the Jota save.

Having made 10 changes to the side that hammered Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 in the League Cup semifinal second leg at Anfield on Thursday, Slot had no regrets over his team selection against Plymouth.

Núñez was the only established first-team player the Dutchman brought off the bench as Liverpool chased an equalizer at Plymouth, with the Uruguayan striker coming on in the 58th minute.

"[No regrets] because we've seen a few times already, it's a playing style that is difficult. I think today showed why we played with who we used, they need momentum to be ready for the upcoming months. We saw it today," Slot told reporters.

"The result is obvious, a big disappointment. Way we played, not a lot to be happy about. The boys kept fighting for 100 minutes. They kept fighting but credit to Plymouth, a good game-plan, worked hard and it was a clear penalty, correct decision."

Information from Reuters contributed to this report.

This weekend, the magic of the FA Cup was akin to the sorcery of an episode of "Stranger Things." It was an Upside Down in which the biggest teams in England's grandest division fell victim to -- or survived narrow escapes -- against seemingly no-hopers from the lower leagues.

In Germany, Borussia Dortmund weren't the beneficiaries of the patented "new manager bounce," with the Schwarzgelben falling in Niko Kovač's debut in the dugout.

Meanwhile in LaLiga, Barcelona took advantage of the stalemate in the Madrid derby on Saturday to close in on the league's leading pair with a victory that now sees the top three clubs in Spain separated by just two points.

Luis Miguel Echegaray, Sam Marsden and Constantin Eckner make observations from across Europe to bring you up to speed on what you might have missed this weekend.

English FA Cup

Top takeaway: Drama of the Cup on full display

The FA Cup's fourth round gave us plenty of dramatic highlights this weekend and delivered various narratives from across the board. From six-goal thrillers and penalty shootouts in a Championship matchup to absolute bangers that caused mayhem in the stands, there was something for everyone.

Let's begin with the struggles from the top of the Premier League table. If Nottingham Forest lose to Exeter City on Tuesday, that will mean the current top four (Liverpool, Arsenal, Forest and Chelsea) of England's top flight will be out of the competition. The Premier League sides that are still in don't look dominant, so there's a chance -- not a great chance but a chance nonetheless -- that a team from the lower leagues could reach the final. It's highly improbable, but never say never.

Plymouth Argyle earned a historic victory over Arne Slot's Liverpool, Leyton Orient led against Manchester City for 40 minutes before eventually losing and Tom Brady's Birmingham City fought extremely hard before succumbing to Newcastle United. We'll see if League Two's Doncaster Rovers can create more magic on Monday against Crystal Palace.

In an all-Premier League affair on Sunday, Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio made their Aston Villa debuts as Unai Emery's side won 2-1 against Tottenham Hotspur. Villa are now in the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in 10 years.

The oldest knockout competition in the world seldom disappoints.

Best match: Plymouth Argyle 1-0 Liverpool

Plymouth Argyle are at the very bottom of the Championship. They have conceded more goals than any other team in the top four divisions of English football (63), and what did they do on Sunday? They won 1-0 against the leaders of the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.

It was a magnificent, historic victory in front of their fans at Home Park. It was Liverpool's first defeat in the competition to lower-league opposition while topping the table since 1984. Sure, Slot rotated his team and there's an argument to make that he was perhaps slightly arrogant in his selection as the clearly had an eye on Wednesday's Merseyside derby, but you can't take anything away from Argyle, who quite simply became warriors against arguably the best team in Europe.

"We all came here today with a dream and we have done it," goal scorer Ryan Hardie said to ITV. "I don't know what to say."

You don't need to say anything, Ryan. Just savor the moment.

Best goal: Stefan Ortega (own-goal) vs. Orient

This might prove to be a controversial take because Tomoki Iwata's screamer for Birmingham against Newcastle was a majestic cannon of a half volley that nearly broke the, net so it really deserves a mention, so does Kaoru Mitoma's delightful finish for Brighton & Hove Albion against Chelsea. The FA Cup is all about David-over-Goliath moments of glory that have the power to electrify an entire stadium with a single opportunity, though, and that's exactly what Jamie Donley's 50-yard shot did for Leyton Orient against Man City.

It was the 16th minute at Gaughan Group Stadium and both teams were at a stalemate when the Spurs loanee saw Ortega off his line and attempted an audacious attempt. The ball bounced back off the bar and proceeded to hit the German goalkeeper before going into the net. It was a ridiculous moment and one that provided nothing but joy for the League One side. City won 2-1 in the end, but thanks to that opening goal, Orient fans went into pandemonium and experienced a moment they'll never forget.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- For the second time in three years, wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. has requested that the San Francisco 49ers trade him. This time, the 49ers are willing to accommodate such a move.

Samuel told ESPN on Sunday that the Niners granted he and agent Tory Dandy permission to find a trade partner after Samuel first expressed his desire to move on at his exit meeting with coach Kyle Shanahan in January.

"It was a hard conversation to have with Kyle because of the relationship that we have," Samuel told ESPN's Adam Schefter. "But I have to do what's best. I'm more than thankful for the Niners giving me the opportunity of a lifetime but now I think it's best that we find another team."

Trading Samuel would come with significant salary cap ramifications for the Niners. They restructured Samuel's contract in September, a move that means if they were to trade him before June 1, they would absorb a $31.55 million dead money hit on the cap. Samuel is also due a $15.4 million option bonus on March 22, which means the Niners would almost certainly want any deal completed before then.

If a trade can't be consummated, the possibility remains that the Niners could release Samuel despite general manager John Lynch saying on Jan. 8 that such a move isn't an option. In that scenario, the 49ers could use a post-June 1 designation on the transaction after the new league year begins on March 12 and before his option bonus is due; if they do that, that cap hit would be decreased to $10,751,753 over the next two years.

"Deebo is under contract," Lynch said then. "[He's] a good player and has done a ton for this organization and we're not in the business of letting good players out of here."

But unlike Samuel's 2022 trade request, the Niners are more inclined to part ways him this time around. Samuel's previous request came when he was going through contract negotiations with the 49ers. When those discussions were slow to materialize, Samuel grew frustrated and asked to be dealt.

At the time, Samuel was coming off his best season, nearly leading the Niners to a Super Bowl appearance, and he was viewed as a key part of the team's future. San Francisco never seriously entertained offers for Samuel then and ultimately signed him to a three-year, $71.5 million extension in August 2022.

This time, Samuel, 29, is coming off arguably his worst season, with 806 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns (both career lows save for a 2020 season in which he played just seven games).

During one four-game stretch late in the season against Seattle, Green Bay, Buffalo and Chicago, Samuel had just 97 yards from scrimmage on 17 touches, finishing with 21, 21, 20 and 35 yards in those games. It was the first time Samuel failed to have at least 50 yards from scrimmage in four straight games since a five-game stretch in his rookie season of 2019.

On Dec. 9, one day after the game against the Bears, Samuel vented on social media, writing in a since-deleted post on X that he was "Not struggling at all just not getting the ball!"

When asked about the post the next day, Samuel said, "You read what you read. [I'm] a little frustrated for sure."

The 49ers selected Samuel with a second-round pick in the 2019 draft, and his versatility quickly allowed him to become a sparkplug for their offense.

Samuel's ability to play running back became prominent in 2021, when he finished with 77 receptions for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns to go with 59 carries for 365 yards and eight more scores on his way to first-team All-Pro honors. That season, Samuel became just the third player in NFL history to have 1,000 receiving yards with at least five touchdowns rushing and five more receiving.

Samuel has 334 receptions for 4,792 yards and 22 touchdowns, along with 202 carries for 1,143 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns in his career. Those 20 rushing scores are the most by a wide receiver since at least 1960.

The 49ers began planning for the the real possibility that Samuel was entering his final season with the team last offseason, when they used the No. 31 pick in the draft to select receiver Ricky Pearsall. The Niners also signed receivers Brandon Aiyuk (four years, $120 million) and Jauan Jennings (two years, $15.39 million) to contract extensions.

Aiyuk is recovering from a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee, but he, Pearsall and Jennings are expected to be the team's top three options at the position if Samuel is dealt, though they also figure to be in the market to add at the position this offseason, given that Aiyuk is coming off an injury, Pearsall is still largely unproven and Jennings is entering the final year of his deal.

Samuel's trade request also adds another layer of drama to what is an important offseason in San Francisco. The 49ers will be looking to deal Samuel while working on a mega-contract extension for quarterback Brock Purdy and another deal for star tight end George Kittle.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Madison Booker had 20 points and 11 rebounds and Rori Harmon hit two critical free throws in the final seconds as the Texas women's basketball team beat No. 2 South Carolina 66-62 on Sunday, ending the Gamecocks' 57-game Southeastern Conference regular-season winning streak dating back to 2021.

Harmon converted a pair of free throws with 10.8 seconds left to extend Texas' two-point lead to the final four-point margin.

A 3-point try by South Carolina's Sania Feagin missed the mark with nine seconds left and Harmon grabbed the rebound to seal the No. 4 Longhorns' eight consecutive win and 20th straight at home dating back to January 2024.

Backup center Kyla Oldacre scored eight of her 13 points in the fourth quarter for Texas (24-2, 10-1 SEC).

MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 13 points for South Carolina (22-2, 10-1), which had its 17-game win streak this season halted. Joyce Edwards and Chloe Kitts each scored nine points.

While Oldacre had a strong second half, starting center Taylor Jones had 11 points and six rebounds in the first half.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The New York Jets-Aaron Rodgers marriage appears to be ending after two disappointing seasons, as the future Hall of Fame quarterback is unlikely to remain with the team in 2025, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday.

Rodgers, 41, flew to New Jersey last week to meet with new coach Aaron Glenn and new general manager Darren Mougey, a source confirmed to ESPN. Fox Sports reported Sunday that Rodgers was informed in that meeting that the team has decided to part ways with him.

A Jets spokesman declined to confirm the report.

Glenn has been in contact with Rodgers since he was hired, as part of an evolving discussion on the quarterback's future. Glenn, at his introductory news conference on Jan. 27, was noncommittal on Rodgers. The coach said he wanted to meet with the veteran before choosing a direction at quarterback.

A formal announcement is likely in the coming days.

Rodgers said at the end of the season that he understood the circumstances, that the Jets, with a new regime, might want to start fresh at quarterback.

"Either way, I won't be upset or offended whatever they decide to do," he said.

Rodgers accounted for 18 starts, six victories, one highly publicized Achilles tear and countless headlines in his two years with the Jets. It's unclear whether he will continue his career; he has maintained that he's undecided on a 21st season.

The future Hall of Famer has one year remaining on his contract, a nonguaranteed $37.5 million. He was due to count $23.5 million on the cap.

The Jets will be left with $49 million in dead money, which can be spread over two years if he's designated a post-June 1 cut. In that case, they would have to carry his $23.5 million on the cap until June 1. At that point, he'd count $14 million in 2025, a net savings of $9.5 million.

However, in the June 1 scenario, there would be a $35 million charge in 2026.

If he opts for retirement, the same accounting applies.

Determined to end their five-decade Super Bowl drought, the Jets made the biggest trade in franchise history on April 24, 2023, acquiring the four-time MVP from the Green Bay Packers for a package of draft picks.

Expectations soared, as the Jets trumpeted Rodgers as the missing piece. His first season ended soon after it began, with a torn left Achilles on the fourth snap of the 2023 season.

Rodgers returned healthy in 2024, started every game despite some nagging leg injuries and delivered a vintage, four-touchdown game in the season finale -- a 32-20 win over the Miami Dolphins. There weren't many games like that for Rodgers, whose performance over the course of the season was uneven.

He passed for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns, both third on the Jets' single-season list, but he also had 11 interceptions and finished with a 48.1 QBR, which ranked 25th out of 32 qualified NFL passers. The Jets underachieved on offense, finishing 24th in scoring, and went 5-12, in one of the season's biggest disappointments.

Rodgers' slow start was a big reason coach Robert Saleh was fired only five games into the season. Rodgers' closest confidant, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, was demoted at that point. Six weeks later, Joe Douglas was fired as the general manager.

Saleh, Douglas and Hackett were part of the Jets' contingent that visited Rodgers at his Malibu, California, home in March 2023, persuading the quarterback to play for the Jets. At that point, the Jets and Packers started working on a trade that took a month to finalize. By then, the Packers had decided to promote Jordan Love to the starting job.

So began five months of breathless hype for the Jets, highlighted by an appearance on HBO's "Hard Knocks." Rodgers debuted with the team Sept. 11, 2023, on "Monday Night Football." During introductions, he ran out of the MetLife Stadium tunnel carrying an American flag -- one of the greatest moments of his career, he later said.

Within minutes, he crumpled to the ground after a sack, his left Achilles ruptured.

Rodgers' expected departure will leave Tyrod Taylor, 35, as the only experienced quarterback on the roster. The Jets are likely to pursue a starting-caliber quarterback in the offseason. They also could draft a quarterback.

Rodgers' imminent departure also means they could release wide receiver Davante Adams, who will have to renegotiate his prohibitive cap charge ($38.3 million) to stay on the roster. Adams said after the season that his decision would be influenced by whether Rodgers stays or goes.