Scott McTominay (R) jumps to celebrate after scoring Manchester United's first goal against Watford during their FA Cup match in Manchester, England, January 9, 2021. /CFP
Scott McTominay celebrated captaining Manchester United for the first time by scoring the only goal in a 1-0 English Football Association (FA) Cup third-round victory against Watford on Saturday.
Speaking to BBC after the game, United's manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hailed McTominay as a "box-to-box midfielder."
"He should have scored a few more on set-plays before now because he is a monster of a human being. I am very happy he got the goal."
The 24-year-old Scotland international has scored four goals in all competitions this season.
During the match, Solskjaer made nine changes to his team and the home side started strongly at an empty Old Trafford, with Daniel James impressive on the left side of the attack, and were rewarded when McTominay gave them the lead in the fifth minute.
Solskjaer said the multiple changes allowed his fringe players to make a case for themselves and achieve match fitness.
"We will need all of them over the season and that was part of the reason we made changes," he told BBC.
Arsenal players celebrate their opening goal of Emile Smith Rowe (C) during the FA Cup match against Newcastle United in London, England, January 9, 2021. /CFP
Also on Saturday, FA Cup holders Arsenal beat Newcastle 2-0 as non-league Chorley knocked out coronavirus-ravaged Derby and West Brom suffered an embarrassing third-round exit against Blackpool.
Arsenal, 14-time FA Cup winners, continued their recent revival with a fourth straight win in all competitions in their all Premier-League tie at the Emirates.
Magpies captain Jamaal Lascelles made his first appearance in six weeks after being hit hard by the coronavirus as both sides made multiple changes.
Lionel Messi (R) and Antoine Griezmann (C) cheer each other on as both scored two goals during Barcelona's 4-0 victory against Granada in their La Liga match in Granada, Spain, January 9, 2021. /CFP
Lionel Messi is back in form and Barcelona are finding their feet after a 4-0 demolition of Granada on Saturday put them within four points of the top of La Liga.
Messi's double came between two strikes from Antoine Griezmann, who is also enjoying a revival after a disappointing 18 months at Camp Nou.
Atletico's match against Athletic Bilbao earlier on Saturday was postponed due to the snowstorm that has engulfed Spain this weekend.
PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino (C) is delighted with his team's 3-0 victory over Brest during their Ligue 1 match in Paris, France, January 9, 2021. /CFP
Mauricio Pochettino celebrated his first victory as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) coach on his home debut on Saturday as Moise Kean set the reigning champions on their way to a 3-0 win over Brest, but Lyon remain top of Ligue 1 after drawing at Rennes.
Substitutes Mauro Icardi and Pablo Sarabia added late goals for PSG who would have gone top on goal difference had Lyon not recovered from 2-0 down to earn a point in Rennes and extend their unbeaten run to 16 games.
With Neymar still missing, it was not a vintage performance from PSG on a freezing Parisian night in an empty stadium. Supporters are still barred from games in France with a nighttime curfew in place nationwide as part of the fight against coronavirus.
Erling Haaland (R) of Borussia Dortmund on his way to make it 3-0 against RB Leipzig during their Bundesliga match in Leipzig, Germany, January 9, 2021. /CFP
Erling Haaland netted twice on Saturday as Borussia Dortmund won 3-1 at RB Leipzig, who missed the chance to take top spot in the Bundesliga from Bayern Munich, while Schalke thrashed Hoffenheim to avoid a record-equaling 31st consecutive league game without a win.
Haaland is the first player to score 25 goals in his first 25 Bundesliga games and the 20-year-old has now netted 35 goals in 34 games in all competitions for Dortmund.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic of AC Milan in action during their Serie A match with Torino in Milan, Italy, January 9, 2021. /CFP
AC Milan went four points clear at the top of Serie A with a comfortable 2-0 home win over Torino on Saturday as Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic made his comeback from injury.
Ricardo Rodriguez summoned the visitors' best effort when he crashed a free kick off the bar, but they struggled to threaten in open play.
A further boost for Milan was the return of top scorer Ibrahimovic, who came on as a substitute for the final five minutes to make his first appearance since suffering an injury against Napoli on November 22 last year.
(With input from agencies)