Manchester City followed logic and reached the quarterfinals of the FA Cup after defeating Bristol City, from the English second division, 0-3. Despite the wide score, Pep Guardiola’s team could not seal the tie until the final stages of the game. After Phil Foden opened the scoring in the first half, another goal from the English winger and a high-quality finish from Kevin De Bruyne dictated the verdict.
Guardiola made five changes to Saturday’s starting lineup against Bournemouth and rested Ederson, Rodri, Grealish, Gündogan and Haaland, so Julián Álvarez played as the reference ‘9’. Instead, Kevin De Bruyne returned after two games on sick leave.
Kalvin Phillips, who came on for Rodri, managed to put City ahead in the first minute with a whiplash from outside the area that bounced off the crossbar, but it wasn’t long before it was 0-1 thanks to a play from the school of Guardiola.
Purpose of Pep school
Nathan Aké changed the game with a long delivery down the left wing, where Riyad Mahrez hit a wall with De Bruyne, who returned the ball with a deep pass and the Algerian’s low cross was finished at the far post. post by Phil Foden (7′) .
Bristol City, 13th in the Championship, are coming off a 12-game unbeaten run and are ready to bounce back. He came out with enthusiasm, with an offensive vocation and took advantage of the gaps in City’s defense on the right (Guardiola played with three central defenders) to get dangerously close to the area.
Without VAR there is no penalty
So, the great Mark Sykes stepped in and fell in the area pushed by Rico Lewis, but, in the absence of VAR, the referee did not consider the contact sufficient to award a penalty (10′).
Bristol’s fast start waned as the minutes ticked by, while City found the fluidity in their game to, with Foden as the main point of reference, create chances, ultimately thwarted by an opponent who did everything their best to repel his shots, such as the one from Rúben Dias point blank when the goal was called. De Bruyne also had a chance with a shot that was quite high (41′).
Ederson for the injured Ortega
At halftime, Guardiola brought on Ederson because Stefan Ortega was hit on the hand in the first half. The Brazilian goalkeeper provided a threat as soon as the match resumed with an oversight by Manuel Akanji forcing him to risk his physique against Sam Bell and receive a blow to the right leg.
City continued to maintain control of the game but were unable to close it out and were exposed to a lack of attention that a Bristol who was always on the loose could take advantage of.
The ‘citizens’ have generated opportunities without having to put their foot on the accelerator. Goalkeeper Max O’Leary got a long shot from a Julián Álvarez who repeatedly found the goal.
Foden and De Bruyne closed out a record victory
The Argentine, on the other hand, was generous with the play that decided the match. Instead of attempting the shot, he conceded to Foden in the area, whose cross shot was deflected by defender Zak Vyner without preventing the score to go up to 0-2 (73′).
Tired, Bristol received a well-worked third goal from De Bruyne with a right-footed shot from outside the box that slipped near the post (80′). A wonderful way to put the icing on the cake on a thirteenth straight away win in the FA Cup. Quite a record. Almost nothing.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
