The English Football Pyramid officially extends to Level 11. For the 2024-25 season my choices to follow are: Arsenal & Brentford, Plymouth, Exeter & Wrexham, Salford, Tamworth, Worthing, Tiverton, Exmouth, Buckland, Bovey Tracey, & Elmore. I am also following the women's pyramid which extends to Level 7. My ladies teams are Arsenal, Bristol City, Exeter, Worthing, Torquay, Feniton, Teignmouth & Shaldon Villa.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has scored in seven of his past eight cup matches for Arsenal
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a dramatic late winner to help Arsenal edge past Benfica into the last 16 of the Europa League.
In a 'home' leg played at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Greece because of Covid-19 restrictions, Aubameyang opened the scoring to give the Gunners a 2-1 aggregate lead.
Diogo Goncalves levelled for Benfica just before the break with a superb free-kick after Dani Ceballos had needlessly fouled Julian Weigl.
The Spanish midfielder compounded that error after the interval with a poor defensive header that saw Rafa Silva race clear to put the visitors in front.
With Arsenal needing two goals to advance because of the away goals rule, Kieran Tierney's low drive set up a grandstand finish before Aubameyang rescued the tie.
Mikel Arteta's side will discover their last-16 opponents in Friday's draw in Nyon (12:00 GMT).
Arsenal avoid another Greek tragedy
Having exited the Europa League at the same stage last season to Olympiakos, it looked as though circumstances had conspired for another European campaign to end in desperate fashion.
Faced with a four-hour flight for a fixture technically billed at a 'home' and inside a stadium where they have enjoyed mixed fortunes in the past, Arteta's side started brightly enough.
When Aubameyang raced on to Bukayo Saka's incisive pass to lift the ball beyond Benfica goalkeeper Helton Leite, they were firmly in control having drawn the first leg 1-1 in Rome's Olympic Stadium.
But from that point the game began to unravel as Benfica scored from their first two efforts on target - thanks to a helping hand from Ceballos.
To their credit though the Gunners displayed plenty of resolve to come back from the brink of a damaging defeat that would surely have left their hopes of lifting a trophy in tatters.
Tierney was rewarded for a fine individual display by becoming the first Scottish player to score in a major European competition for the club since 1980.
And Aubameyang, who came in for criticism after missing several chances in the first leg, atoned with his second of the night from Saka's back-post cross.
Mads Bech Sorensen's header was the clincher for Brentford, after Wednesday made them work
Brentford ended their three-game losing run with victory over struggling Sheffield Wednesday to maintain their place behind Norwich in the Championship's top two.
Bryan Mbeumo guided in Sergi Canos' volley from close range to put the home side in front after Wednesday failed to clear a looping throw.
However, it took until the 74th minute for the Bees to give themselves breathing space, Saman Ghoddos sliding Mbeumo's pass wide of Owls keeper Joe Wildsmith.
Mads Bech Sorensen headed in a curling free-kick, despite Wildsmith's attempt to palm it away, to seal victory late on and give the scoreline a slightly flattering look.
Wednesday, who had decent periods of possession, failed to take advantage of their hosts' stuttering start when Barry Bannan's shot was beaten behind by David Raya and Tom Lees headed wide.
Chances after that were limited, though Liam Palmer's solo run ended with a swerving shot drifting wide and Bees keeper Raya claimed a couple of tricky crosses from wide positions.
They were also unhappy with a tackle by Henrik Dalsgaard, a cynical 'halting' tackle on substitute Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, which led to him going off.
This defeat is damaging to their survival hopes as it keeps them second from bottom, three points from safety, and also stretches their losing run to three matches.
Although Thomas Frank's Brentford responded to their mini-slump with this victory, a side missing the key presence of injured players Pontus Jansson, Christian Norgaard and Rico Henry, plus with 24-goal Ivan Toney on the bench, lacked the same rhythm that took them on a 21-game unbeaten run.
Their early passing and movement was nervy and stilted as a confident Wednesday closed them down promptly, but having got themselves on the scoreboard midway through the opening period, the Bees slowly imposed themselves on the game.
Ghoddos missed a good chance when he rolled wide, but the late introductions of Toney, Josh Dasilva and Emiliano Marcondes gave them a more regular balance to the line-up, and coincided with a sharper edge in front of goal to secure the win.
Brentford boss Thomas Frank told BBC Radio London:
"We win or learn, today we won and we showed that we've learned from some of the other games.
"The most 'bad' performance we have given this year was the Coventry game, but this was back to 'normal' defensive standards. We showed this most of the season, we gave little away.
"We know we have a good structure, and want to press high, press forward and all that, but today it was simple - about getting on the ball, aggressive pressure and win your duel. We did that to perfection.
"It was positive that Ivan [Toney] could come off the bench. I felt though that Bryan Mbeumo could run in behind and arrive in the box to score a goal."
Sheffield Wednesday interim boss Neil Thompson told BBC Radio Sheffield:
"At the end of the day we've lost a football match, one I thought we were more than in.
"We conceded a really sloppy goal before half-time, one that bobbled around the box and we needed to get our foot through it when they're slinging the ball in and the second half, we conceded two more sloppy goals from our point of view.
"For large parts of the game we passed the ball well, we were braver than we were at the weekend and although I know we didn't create many chances, we were better in possession.
"But the facts are we were beaten. It's another game gone. We've got to pick ourselves up for the weekend."
Peterborough moved to the top of the League One table following a 3-0 win at Plymouth.
Darren Ferguson's Posh extended their winning streak to five games while ending Argyle's nine-match unbeaten league run.
Argyle goalkeeper Michael Cooper saved from Sammie Szmodics after 13 minutes but could only watch as the United forward fired just wide from 20 yards a minute later.
Szmodics blazed over the crossbar after being teed up by Jonson Clarke-Harris just after the half-hour mark as the striker had raced clear from the halfway after tackling Argyle central defender Jerome Opoku.
Argyle's best first-half opportunity fell to hard-working midfielder Panutche Camara.
His chest down and goal-bound angled volley was superbly saved by Christy Pym after 40 minutes.
Peterborough striker Szmodics fired the visitors ahead from close range in the 46th minute as Argyle's defence failed to clear Joe Ward's cross from the right.
Szmodics was also heavily involved in Posh's second goal, converted by the league's top scorer Clarke-Harris after 63 minutes.
His pass from the centre circle out wide on the right to Ward was crossed into the path of on-running Clarke-Harris, who slotted the ball home to score for the sixth successive game.
Peterborough wrapped up the points when Jack Taylor sent a 25-yard strike into the top corner with six minutes remaining.
Exeter City extended their unbeaten run to four matches with a deserved win at struggling Colchester.
The U's 13th game without a win proved one too many for boss Steve Ball, who was sacked shortly after the game. with his side now 21st in League Two.
Exeter took a 27th-minute lead through Robbie Willmott, who tapped home Josh Key's low cross from inside the six-yard box to round off a polished move.
Colchester goalkeeper Dean Gerken made two good reflex saves to deny Pierce Sweeney and Joel Randall in quick succession, as Exeter threatened to double their lead.
Frank Nouble headed inches wide for Colchester just before half-time but soon after the break, Matt Jay curled a shot narrowly wide and forced Gerken into another save soon after, before whipping in a free-kick which saw Tom Parkes' glancing header clip the outside of a post.
Exeter doubled their lead in the 64th minute through Ben Seymour, who brilliantly headed home from Key's right-wing cross.
Colchester pulled a goal back two minutes later when half-time substitute Aramide Oteh converted Noah Chilvers' low cross from close range.
But the hosts lost, to leave Ball out of a job and the Essex side just nine points clear of danger.
Rhys Murphy scored a hat-trick as Yeovil enjoyed a 3-1 National League defeat of Weymouth.
Murphy capitalised on a Josh Neufville shot that spilled out of the hands of Weymouth's keeper, tapping home the loose ball to make it 1-0 after just three minutes of play.
The visitors responded with a 23rd-minute equaliser from Jacob Mensah, after which Murphy reinstated his side's lead when scoring his second goal following a rebounded Reuben Reid header in the 53rd minute.
Murphy then sealed the victory and his treble when finding the net again in the 82nd minute.
Raheem Sterling scored his ninth Premier League goal of the season
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says he is surprised by his side's imperious run of form "when everyone is suffering in this world" as they extended their winning run to 18 games with victory at Arsenal.
The Premier League leaders have not dropped a point since 15 December and have taken control of the title race as they sit 10 points clear at the top of the table with 13 games remaining.
Like other teams, they have had to deal with a congested fixture list as well Covid-19 cases within the club as the world continues to battle the coronavirus pandemic.
Guardiola said: "I'm surprised and impressed and so when everyone is suffering in this world, all the teams in the league are dropping points, we were consistent over the past two months and I did not expect [that].
"People talk and talk about the record and the victories but to do this you have to win these types of games many, many times.
"It is not always about winning by three or four because that is not possible."
City looked confident right from the outset at Arsenal, taking the lead with just two minutes on the clock as Raheem Sterling somehow managed to outjump Rob Holding to head in Riyad Mahrez's cross.
The visitors had four shots to Arsenal's none in the opening quarter of an hour and it looked as if the Gunners were in danger of being on the end of a heavy defeat as Guardiola's side poured forward at every opportunity.
To Arsenal's credit, they weathered that early storm and grew into the game as Kieran Tierney tested Ederson with a strong effort from distance, while there were glimpses of a threat on the break through the pace of Bukayo Saka.
City failed to kick on after the break although still looked the most likely to add to their lead as Kevin de Bruyne - making his first start in more than a month - lifted an effort just wide while Ilkay Gundogan saw a shot saved by Bernd Leno before Joao Cancelo clipped a lovely strike inches past the post late on.
In the end, a second goal was not needed as City took the three points to ensure they stay in control at the top of the standings.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are 10th and six points off the top six.
Pep Guardiola says results like their 1-0 win at Arsenal are sometimes more important
City have been back to their free-scoring best this season and had bagged 18 goals in their six previous Premier League games going into this fixture.
It looked like another high-scoring game was on the cards when they took a very early lead through Sterling, with Guardiola and his former assistant coach Mikel Arteta having barely finished exchanging pleasantries on the touchline when the ball was being picked out of the Arsenal net.
But the additional goals failed to materialise as City were uncharacteristically not at their best in the final third, with Gabriel Jesus launching well over late on after a quick counter, while Gundogan and De Bruyne could arguably have done better with their opportunities.
While it was a narrow win in the end, it was one that never really looked in doubt, with Ederson making just the one save all game.
This was City's 23rd clean sheet of the season, more than any other team in the top five European leagues or top four divisions in England, while they have not been behind in any of their past 17 Premier League games.
The victory also equalled a club record 11 successive away wins in all competitions. Impressive statistics for City, worrying ones for any side hoping to somehow deny them a third league title in four seasons.
Saka shines as Arsenal recover from worrying start
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says his side 'lacked quality' in their finishing
Arsenal had gone into this game having lost in their past seven league meetings with City, so a victory against Guardiola's in-form side always looked a tall order.
Their dreadful start, when they were completely overpowered by their opponents, suggested this was not just going to be another defeat, but also a hefty one.
While Ederson was never really troubled in the City goal, Arsenal had their moments with Saka once again particularly lively.
The 19-year-old's pace on the counter meant City could never truly relax and perhaps accounted for why the visitors failed to go on and win by a bigger margin.
Saka was lining up on the left, despite having got more goals and assists on the right this season, so could arguably have provided even more of a threat if he had started this game in that position.
Regardless, while Arteta will be unhappy that his side did not threaten Ederson's goal more, he can be happy that they did not at least crumble after their poor start.
"When we conceded the first goal it put us in a difficult situation," Arteta said.
"It was tough. With the formation and the players they use they are really comfortable.
"We got something wrong. We didn't do it in the first 10 minutes. It's a cross and Raheem Sterling cannot head a ball there."
Towards the end of the game, Arsenal used a concussion substitute for the first time in the Premier League when Holding went off after he had collided with Cancelo. He was replaced by David Luiz.
Sterling scores on the road again - the stats
Arsenal have now lost each of their past eight league games against Manchester City - their joint-longest run of consecutive league defeats against an opponent, along with an eight-game run versus Leeds United between 1973 and 1976.
Arsenal have lost their past four Premier League games against Manchester City without scoring a goal. This is the first time in their history they have failed to score in four consecutive home league games against an opponent.
Manchester City are unbeaten in their past 25 games across all competitions (W22 D3) - their second-longest run without defeat under Guardiola, after a 28-game spell between April and December 2017.
This was Manchester City's 15th clean sheet in the Premier League this season - the most by a team after 25 games of a top-flight campaign since 2008-09, when both Manchester United (19) and Chelsea (15) had as many.
Since the start of last season, no player has scored more away goals than Sterling in the Premier League (20). Indeed, Sterling's total is twice as many as Manchester City's second-highest away scorer in this period (Gabriel Jesus, 10).
Manchester City's Sterling is the third player to score in three consecutive away games against Arsenal in the Premier League, after Nicolas Anelka (four games ending in May 2009) and Ian Harte (three games ending in May 2003).
Manchester City's opener after 75 seconds was the first time they've scored in the opening two minutes of a Premier League game since December 2019, which was also away at Arsenal (Kevin de Bruyne after 89 seconds).
What next?
Manchester City switch their attention to the Champions League as they face Borussia Monchengladbach in Budapest in the last 16 on Wednesday, 24 February (20:00 GMT), while Arsenal play Benfica in Athens in the second leg of their Europa League last-32 tie (17:55 GMT).
Coventry City's win against Brentford lifts them up to 18th in the Championship and six points above the relegation places
Coventry City ended a five-game winless run as they condemned Championship promotion chasers Brentford to a third straight defeat.
The loss means Brentford, who had gone 21 games without defeat prior to being beaten at home by Barnsley on Sunday, have now lost three times in six days.
The hosts took the lead through Tyler Walker from the penalty spot after Maxime Biamou was fouled by Rico Henry in the corner of the box.
They went two up after the break as Walker notched his second with a neat turn and finish inside the box after Coventry had pounced on a loose goal-kick by Bees keeper David Raya.
Coventry's victory lifted them to 18th briefly but they ended the day 20th, five points above the relegation places.
Brentford remain second in the Championship, but missed the chance to keep pace with leaders Norwich as well as the in-form Watford and Swansea directly below them in the table.
Mark Robins' side took the game to the Bees and, after visiting keeper Raya initially saved Biamou's powerful long-range shot, the penalty was awarded when the Coventry forward was fouled by Henry as he attempted to regain the ball.
Walker's scuffed penalty squeezed underneath Raya to give the hosts the lead and his second came as Coventry pounced on Raya's poor clearance when the visitors tried to play out from the back.
Brentford's afternoon went from bad to worse on the hour mark as they lost Henry to an apparent hamstring injury as he stretched to reach a long ball upfield, with the visitors creating few chances to get back into the game.
Coventry City boss Mark Robins:
"It was a hard-fought and really brave performance. There was fight and there was determination and I think they are traits that will stand you in good stead.
"Tyler Walker's second goal was outstanding and we have really missed that. Max Biamou was outstanding as well and he showed real work-rate and endeavour to go out and win the penalty in that first half, which was stonewall.
"The way we worked and got after the Brentford players, I thought was really brave. We did it well. It was just a really good performance, both in and out of possession."
Brentford head coach Thomas Frank:
"We are not a bad team. That doesn't happen overnight but, yes, we are in a sticky patch.
"We have seen that in the last three games, with these defeats, but it is what it is. This is the Championship. We have to be ready for every game, every test.
"I think you have to give credit to Coventry City, they deserved it."
