Everton advances in FA Cup after Dyche's firing and Fulham also wins

Managerless Everton advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup after a 2-0 victory over third-division Peterborough on Thursday.

Everton made the surprise announcement that Sean Dyche had been fired just hours before hosting Peterborough, with under-18s coach Leighton Baines and club captain Seamus Coleman put in temporary charge.

It had an immediate effect with goals from Beto and Iliman Ndiaye securing the relegation-threatened club’s place in the next round.

“It is never nice when a manager loses his job, but then everyone had to get on with their jobs as well,” Baines said.

Dyche was relieved of his duties with Everton 16th in the Premier League and one point above the drop zone. The decision came less than a month after the Texas-based Friedkin Group completed its buyout of the nine-time English league champion.

“Like everyone else we were surprised by Sean’s departure and sorry to see him go because he’s a good man," Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson said. "It was done on the day of the game, I have never had that before, it was an unusual situation.”

Beto put Everton in front in the 42nd minute at Goodison Park by rounding Peterborough goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic and firing home from a narrow angle.

What appeared to be a serious leg injury to Armando Broja led to a lengthy period of added time and Ndiaye doubled the lead in the 98th.

Ashley Young and his 18-year-old son Tyler missed out on the chance face each other in what would have been a memorable encounter.

Ashley came on as a second-half substitute, but Tyler remained unused as Peterborough chased an equalizer when 1-0 down.

Raul Jimenez scored from the penalty spot for the third time in two games as Fulham beat Watford 4-1.

The Mexico striker converted two penalties in a 2-2 draw with Ipswich on Sunday and it was his goal that put Fulham 2-1 up against second-division Watford. It was his fifth successful penalty this season and his fourth goal in three games.

Fulham led at Craven Cottage through Rodrigo Muniz, but Rocco Vata leveled the match before halftime.

Jimenez put Fulham back in front four minutes after the break and goals from Joachim Anderson and Timothy Castagne completed the win.

Sheffield United is targeting a quick return to the Premier League next season but crashed out of the FA Cup with a 1-0 loss to Cardiff.

Cian Ashford’s 19th minute goal at Bramall Lane was the difference between the second-division teams, who both fielded much-changed lineups.

Sheffield is in third place in the Championship while relegation-threatened Cardiff is second from bottom — just three points above last-place Plymouth.

Sheffield was relegated from the Premier League in last place last season but is battling to bounce straight back up after 16 wins from its first 26 games this term.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Sheffield United's Ryan One, left, and Cardiff City's Jesper Daland battle for the ball during the English FA Cup third round soccer match between Sheffield United and Cardiff City at Bramall Lane, Sheffield, England, Thursday Jan. 9, 2025. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)

Cardiff City's Luke Pearce, left, and Sheffield United's Jack Robinson battle for the ball during the English FA Cup third round soccer match between Sheffield United and Cardiff City at Bramall Lane, Sheffield, England, Thursday Jan. 9, 2025. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)

Cardiff City's Cian Ashford, right, celebrates scoring during the English FA Cup third round soccer match between Sheffield United and Cardiff City at Bramall Lane, Sheffield, England, Thursday Jan. 9, 2025. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)

Fulham's Joachim Andersen, second left, celebrates scoring during the English FA Cup third round soccer match between Fulham and Watford at Craven Cottage, London, Thursday Jan. 9, 2025. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Fulham's Rodrigo Muniz celebrates scoring during the English FA Cup third round soccer match between Fulham and Watford at Craven Cottage, London, Thursday Jan. 9, 2025. (Bradley Collyer/PA via AP)

Everton's Armando Broja leaves the game on the stretcher after picking up an injury during the English FA Cup third round soccer match between Everton and Peterborough United at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, Thursday Jan. 9, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Peterborough United's Emmanuel Fernandez, left, and Everton's Beto battle for the ball during the English FA Cup third round soccer match between Everton and Peterborough United at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, Thursday Jan. 9, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Everton's Beto, left, and Peterborough United's Archie Collins battle for the ball during the English FA Cup third round soccer match between Everton and Peterborough United at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, Thursday Jan. 9, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Everton caretaker managers Leighton Baines, left, and Seamus Coleman consult on the touchline during the English FA Cup third round soccer match between Everton and Peterborough United at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, Thursday Jan. 9, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

Everton's Beto, center, celebrates scoring during the English FA Cup third round soccer match between Everton and Peterborough United at Goodison Park, Liverpool, England, Thursday Jan. 9, 2025. (Peter Byrne/PA via AP)

DALLAS (AP) — A powerful winter storm brought heavy snow and icy conditions to parts of the U.S. South on Thursday, forcing officials to close schools, cancel flights and warn residents in some of the worst-hit areas to stay off roads as it lumbered eastward through Oklahoma and Texas.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders mobilized the National Guard to help stranded motorists, and school was canceled for Thursday and Friday for millions of children across a wide swath of southern states from Texas to Georgia.

The storm dumped as much as 6 to 7 inches (about 15 to 18 centimeters) in some spots in central Oklahoma and northern Texas before pushing into western Arkansas, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy snow fell in Little Rock, Arkansas, and further south and east into Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain glazed roads and made travel treacherous.

“I have not seen any accidents, but I have seen a couple of people get stuck out on the road and sliding around,” said Charles Daniel, a truck driver hauling a 48-foot trailer loaded with paint, auto parts and other supplies through slick, slushy roads in central Oklahoma on Thursday. “People do not need to be driving.”

Schools canceled classes for more than 1 million students in Texas and Oklahoma, and closures also kept students home in Kansas City and Arkansas, while in Virginia, frustrations mounted in the state capital over a boil-water advisory caused by an earlier round of winter storms.

Hundreds of flights were canceled by Thursday morning in Dallas, according to tracking platform FlightAware, with more than 3,800 delays and 1,800 cancellations reported nationally.

The polar vortex of ultra-cold air usually spins around the North Pole, but it sometimes ventures south into the U.S., Europe and Asia. Some experts say such events are happening more frequently, paradoxically, because of a warming world.

The cold snap coincided with rare January wildfires tearing through the Los Angeles area.

Paul Kirkwood, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said the storm sweeping through the Dallas area will create a “swath of snow” that will also impact parts of Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and North Carolina and South Carolina.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott urged residents to avoid driving if possible.

Carmen Munoz, a teacher, was spending a bit of her day off from school in a downtown Dallas park with her boyfriend, bundled up in a coat with a hood up as temperatures hovered below freezing. She said she planned to spend the rest of the day at home, avoiding slick roads.

“I’ll be home, drinking coffee,” she said.

Roads could be dangerous Friday as 75,000 fans were expected at AT&T Stadium in Arlington for the college football championship semifinal between Texas and Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. Arlington spokesperson Susan Shrock said crews will be ready to address any hazardous road conditions.

The system was expected to push northeastward by Friday with heavy snow and freezing rain all the way to the Virginia and North Carolina coasts. As much as 8 inches (about 20 centimeters) of snow could fall in parts of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia through Saturday, the weather service said.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency on Thursday as the northern half of the state girded for snow and ice beginning Friday morning. National Weather Service forecasters warned that snow and ice are likely to accumulate across metro Atlanta, making roadways treacherous and possibly causing power outages.

In Tennessee, Memphis-Shelby County Schools, the largest district in the state with more than 100,000 students, said all schools and administrative buildings will be closed Friday due to expected heavy snowfall. With Memphis forecast to receive up to 6 inches (about 15 centimeters) of snow Friday, officials said two warming centers are open 24 hours to provide shelter for people who need to escape the cold.

Parts of South Carolina prepared for the first wintery weather in three years. The state Department of Transportation dusted off its brine and salt supply and began treating interstates and other major highways from Columbia north on Thursday. School systems in those areas either will close early or all day Friday or hold online learning days.

Richmond will remain under a boil-water advisory until at least Friday as officials work to restore the water reservoir system, which was shut down Monday after a storm caused a power outage, Mayor Danny Avula said.

The city of more than 200,000 was distributing bottled water at 11 sites and delivering it to older residents and others unable to get to those locations, officials said.

Associated Press reporters Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City; Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee; Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City; Charlotte Kramon in Atlanta; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Nadia Lathan in Austin, Texas; Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia; Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas; Kimberly Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; John Raby in Cross Lanes, West Virginia; and Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky.

Read more of the AP’s climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment

A snowman with leaves for hair stands in a park Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Richardson, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

A sign warns motorists of icy conditions along Interstate-20 during a winter storm, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Grand Prairie, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Luke Choat slides on a small snow covered hill Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Richardson, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Frank Burnett, originally of Mississippi, uses a blanket to keep warm as he stands hoping for donations from passing motorists Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Plano, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

A man who gave his name as Servo uses an umbrella to cross a street as snow falls Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Frank Burnett walks on a snow covered overpass Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Plano, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

A truck treats a road for better driving conditions as snow falls Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Snow falls as a person boards a DART train Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Snow falls as a car and a scooter make their way along a street Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

A man rides a bicycle during cold weather in Chicago, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Snow covers the shore of Lake Michigan during cold weather in Evanston, Ill., Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Pedestrians bundle up as they take a walk during cold weather in Evanston, Ill., Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Samuel Sotelo moves branches as cold temperatures and a lawn sprinkler create icicle on a tree ahead of a winter storm expected to hit the North Texas region later tomorrow Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Richardson, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Sterling Howard splits logs for firewood ahead of a winter storm expected to hit the North Texas region later tomorrow Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Omar Gonzalez, 70, who is homeless, right, talks with a security guard he sits on a park bench with his belongings as temperatures are forecast to be in the forties this evening Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Cold temperatures and a lawn sprinkler create icicle on a tree ahead of a winter storm expected to hit the North Texas region later tomorrow Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Richardson, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Pedestrians bundle up as they walk along the shore of Lake Michigan at Montrose beach during cold weather in Chicago, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Leaves are frozen in the ice of the Arrington Lagoon Fountain during cold weather in Evanston, Ill., Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A pedestrian bundles up as he walks on the street during cold weather in Chicago, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

A harbor light is covered by ice at the church street power boat ramp on during cold weather in Evanston, Ill., Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Willie Barnes, 63, who is homeless, talks with a homeless outreach advocate offering shelter as temperatures are forecast to be in the forties this evening Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

University of Louisville student Alex Hernandez scrapes the ice and snow from the front windshield of his car, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Owensboro, Ky, while getting the vehicle ready to drive back to the college after being home for winter break. (Greg Eans/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP)

Taking advantage of the lingering ice and snow from the recent winter weather event, Dawson Mauro, 6, races down a steep hill behind Chautauqua Park while sledding, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Owensboro, Ky. (Greg Eans/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP)

Icicles hang from a sign entering the city of Owensboro, Ky, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, as rigidly cold weather sets in after winter storm Blair. (Greg Eans/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP)

Sterling Howard tosses firewood to prepare for sale ahead of a winter storm expected to hit the North Texas region later tomorrow Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Phillip Stanford prepares firewood for sale ahead of a winter storm expected to hit the North Texas region later tomorrow Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Students board a USD265 school bus on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 in Wichita, Kan. (Jaime Green/The Wichita Eagle via AP)

A sign warns drivers of a winter storm expected to hit the North Texas region tomorrow in Dallas, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Cold temperatures and a lawn sprinkler create icicle on a tree ahead of a winter storm expected to hit the North Texas region later tomorrow Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Richardson, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Cold temperatures and a lawn sprinkler create ice on grass ahead of a winter storm expected to hit the North Texas region later tomorrow Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, in Richardson, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)