Man City come from behind to defeat Plymouth and progress in the FA Cup- Five things we learned | OneFootball

Manchester City came from behind to beat Plymouth Argyle 3-1 and advance to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

It was not a vintage display from City, who went a goal down to lower league opposition late in the first half. However, the Blues turned it around and eventually got the job done. They are into the next round of the FA Cup and their hunt for a trophy this season will continue.

Here are five things we learned:

Guardiola’s addiction to silverware continues

During his illustrious managerial career, Pep Guardiola has endured just one trophy-less season. That was back in the 2016/17 campaign- his first in England and his first with City. As a result of his side’s struggles in this current term, the Catalan manager is in jeopardy of finishing a season without a trophy for the second time.

City have been knocked out of the League Cup by Tottenham, dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid and fallen way off the pace in the Premier League title race. This leaves the FA Cup as the Blues’ only chance of earning silverware this season.

However, Guardiola’s men are still heavy favourites to triumph in football’s oldest competition and still have a real chance at adding to their trophy cabinet. Today they took another step towards that possibility as they advanced to the quarter-finals.

The giant killing that could have been

In the 38th minute Plymouth took the lead with their first and only shot of the match. The visitors’ lead was short-lived as City equalised just eight minutes later. Despite this, it was still enough to make an unlikely upset feel like a real possibility.

Guardiola has not lost a home FA Cup tie during his entire tenure in Manchester. For a few minutes it looked like Plymouth were going to produce a mammoth shock. It would have been an astonishing giant killing story, but it was not to be. Plymouth gave a good account of themselves and can hold their heads high as they focus on their battle for Championship survival for the rest of the campaign.

Opportunity goes begging

Guardiola made eleven changes from his side that won in the Premier League at Tottenham in midweek. Consequently, a number of City’s players who have struggled for minutes this season were promoted to the starting lineup. Up against lower league opposition, these players had a real chance to demonstrate their abilities.

However, it was an opportunity that went begging. James McAtee has impressed in cameos but was withdrawn in the 59th minute after an underwhelming performance. Returning from injury, Jack Grealish looked good in moments. The England international played the full 90 minutes but he did not grasp the opportunity with both hands. With Savinho and Jeremy Doku in great form, it will be hard for Grealish to fight his way back into the starting eleven.

Plymouth’s memorable cup campaign

Although it has now come to an end, Plymouth have enjoyed an impressive and memorable run in this season’s FA Cup. The team have struggled in the league this campaign after narrowly avoiding relegation from the Championship on the final day of last season. However, a bit of cup magic has truly inspired them.

Plymouth were rooted to the bottom of the Championship before their first FA Cup tie of this year. They were drawn away against Premier League opposition, but despite many expecting a routine win for Brentford, the underdogs prevailed. They were rewarded with an even tougher fixture- facing the best team in the country. Plymouth once again rose to the occasion and produced a 1-0 victory over Liverpool, one of the biggest shocks of the season.

It was one of the best results in the club’s history and will not be forgotten in a hurry. Almost 8,000 away supporters were present at the Etihad stadium today and Plymouth’s FA Cup run will live long in their memory.

Special day for O’Reilly

Nico O’Reilly is the man that made the difference for City today. After an impressive pre-season, the 19-year-old was promoted to the first team squad. However, he has found minutes hard to come by and has often been forced out of position.

Naturally a central midfielder, O’Reilly was a makeshift left-back this evening, where he has been forced to play in most of his appearances. The academy graduate prove that he is a threat tonight as he managed to convert two headers from set-pieces. It takes his FA Cup goal tally up to three after he scored in the 8-0 thrashing of Salford in the third round. It was a man of the match display and an evening to remember for the young man today.