In the FA Cup round of 16, Manchester City faced second division team Plymouth Argyle, who had knocked out Liverpool in the previous round. ManCity were 1-0 down, but managed to turn the game around.
Manchester City were warned before the game: in early February, Plymouth Argyle had beaten Premier League leaders Liverpool 1-0 at home in the fourth round of the FA Cup.
ManCity with a star-studded lineup in offense
Nevertheless, Pep Guardiola’s team, who had almost all the big names in offense (Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, Gündogan, Grealish, Foden), were unable to prevent the 0-1 deficit against Plymouth.
The second division side took the lead in the 38th minute after a corner. Sorinola crossed the ball into the middle and the Ukrainian center-back Talovierov headed it into the net. It was a shock for ManCity, but the favorites quickly recovered.
The quick response to the deficit
The home side equalized in first-half injury time. De Bruyne crossed a free-kick into the box, which was headed into the goal by youngster O’Reilly (45.+1). It was not to be the last eye-catching scene from the 19-year-old home-grown player.
Because in the second half, City again found it difficult to get the ball into the goal, and again it was O’Reilly who broke the spell. In the 75th minute, the 1.93-meter-tall midfielder was in the right place at the second post after a corner and pushed the ball into the net.
De Bruyne seals it
And 15 minutes later, De Bruyne put the result beyond doubt: Haaland was first denied by Plymouth keeper Hazard but got the ball back and served De Bruyne, who crossed for the 3-1 final score.
It wasn’t a brilliant performance from the Skyblues, but the win sees them advance to the FA Cup quarter-finals and keep at least a chance of a title this season.
