Guardiola and Foden speak!
Ben Fisher was at Ashton Gate, and his report is in. Here it is. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
Nigel Pearson speaks to ITV. “Three-nil is maybe tough but it shows you the quality they have … the thing that pleases me most is that we were true to ourselves … we didn’t try to change our identity to just make it more difficult for them … we tried to be ourselves … things didn’t quite happen the way we would have liked when opportunities came along … decisions … maybe [there could have been a penalty] but I’m not going to dwell on that … I’m pleased about how our players stretched themselves and went toe to toe with the best team in this country … I’m disappointed that we didn’t make it a bit tighter, but congratulations to them, they’re a quality side … we need to use the 12-game unbeaten run, and our performance tonight, as a catalyst to go on and maximise what we have … we have a really good, energetic, youthful and talented squad … Alex Scott is our player and it’s nice to have players that other people may covet … if people want our best players it’s going to cost a lot of money!”
Pep Guardiola’s turn. “A good result … it was really tough … Bristol showed us how good they can be … I am impressed by some players I didn’t know … the second half was much better … after the second goal the game was over … the incredible fans of Bristol … we came here for the Carabao Cup semi-final and the environment was amazing and I remember it … a good result … the FA Cup is so nice … wherever you play away is difficult … [Phil Foden] is dynamic … football players have up and downs, but his career was up, up, up, up, up … after the World Cup he struggled and was a little bit down, but he is back … when you work like he works, it always pays off … [Kalvin Phillips] made 90 good minutes with some good actions and it was important for us that he is back … we are still alive in three competitions and will see what happens in the future.”
Phil Foden talks to ITV: “I don’t think it was a 3-0 game to be honest … it was quite tight at times … they gave us a big challenge … they went man for man … we struggled to win our individual duels, but in the end our quality shone through and I’m delighted with the result … [Was the second goal his?] … I’m not sure … I’ll have to watch it back! … it’ll be nice if you give it me! … I feel much better with my feet, it’s not easy when you play with discomfort in your feet … I feel 100 percent now … hopefully I can come back into the team and help them as much as possible … it’s been one of the lowest points in my career, I love to play football and when I don’t I’m a bit frustrated so that’s how it is … we haven’t won the FA Cup for a while … we want to go on and win it … hopefully we can keep up this form and finish the season strong.”
The scoreline reads like a lop-sided non-event, but that was a decent cup tie. Bristol City gave a great account of themselves in the first half despite falling behind early doors; they held on staunchly as Manchester City turned up the pressure early in the second half; they came very close to equalising with an opportunistic smash and grab; and only ran out of steam after the visitors scored their second goal. None of which is to say that Manchester City weren’t deserved winners: at times they played football that was very easy on the eye, and never seriously looked in trouble at any point. Yep, a decent cup tie.
“So I may have to wait another 50 years to reach the final,” sighs Kim Thonger, our guest Bristol City fan tonight. “I’ll only be 114. Not only was I at City v Leeds at Ashton Gate in 1974, the last year we got through to the quarters, I sold programmes outside the ground to fund my coach fare and entry. Fair play to De Bruyne, super goal.”
FULL TIME: Bristol City 0-3 Manchester City
Pep Guardiola and Nigel Pearson enjoy a warm moment, congratulating each other. Both teams emerge with credit tonight for very different reasons. But it’s Manchester City who go through to the quarter finals.
90 min +1: The first of two added minutes sees Ederson, on walkabout, and Akanji nearly get into an awful muddle yards from the Manchester City box. But no consolation for the hosts.
89 min: That’s the last thing Williams does tonight. He’s replaced, along with James, for King and Taylor-Clarke. Meanwhile De Bruyne makes way for Perrone. “Bristol City’s performance should empower them for the remainder of the Championship season,” suggests Andrew Benton. “Be nice if they could get on the score sheet here, though.”
87 min: A brouhaha explodes out of thin air. Eh? Silva is yellow carded, then Williams follows him into the referee’s notebook. Ah, seems the latter clipped the former around the lug, then there was a shove back. All good clean fun.
86 min: Manchester City have been clinical in this second half. Much the better side. Yet Bristol City have been impressive on the whole, and this scoreline is a little bit hard on them. Alvarez nearly makes it worse as he meets Silva’s cutback from the right and steers towards the bottom left. Vyner slides in to block … perhaps with an arm, but the referee sees nothing and there’s no VAR. Four would be really harsh.
84 min: The closest Fulham have come to winning the FA Cup is their appearance in the 1975 final. They’re now two matches from matching that achievement, having just beaten Leeds 2-0 at Craven Cottage. Daniel Gallan has the details!
83 min: Bristol City replace Wells with Francois, while Manchester City swap out Foden and Ake for Palmer and Gomez.
GOAL! Bristol City 0-3 Manchester City (De Bruyne 81)
Yep, thought as much, these performances always end like this. De Bruyne, a world-class act, has been rusty as hell all evening. But now he shakes it all off, storming down the middle before steering a glorious low curler into the bottom right from 25 yards. Wow!
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80 min: Grealish dances his way down the left before taking a shot from a tight angle. O’Leary palms it over the bar, more by luck than design. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.
78 min: Pring is replaced by Dasilva. Meanwhile another of tonight’s ties has just finished, and the 2021 winners Leicester City have been beaten at home by Blackburn Rovers, who haven’t won the cup since 1928. Could a 95-year drought be coming to an end? Rovers would become the first second-tier side to win the cup since West Ham in 1980 if it is.
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77 min: Sykes flashes wide from an ambitious position on the right. A little desperate, but you can understand the impulse.
76 min: That’s such a shame for Bristol City, who had threatened to level up three minutes earlier with the smash-and-grab move that led to Bell heading wide. But Manchester City are the champions of England … and that’s why they’re champions. The quarters await.
GOAL! Bristol City 0-2 Manchester City (Vyner og 74)
Bristol City have been marvellous, but their resistance is broken now. De Bruyne rolls a fine pass down the left channel for Ake, who feeds Alvarez in the middle. Alvarez slips right for Foden, who opens his body and shoots for the bottom left. The ball’s going wide, but Vyner isn’t to know that, and he sticks out a leg to divert into his own net.
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72 min: Here’s that big-name sub we promised. Grealish comes on for Mahrez.
71 min: Bristol City nearly score a magnificent opportunist goal. Scott chases a lost cause down the right. Dias tries to shepherd it out of play. Scott nips in ahead and backheels it off the byline. Weimann, romping in from behind, curls to the near post, where Bell heads narrowly wide. What a goal that would have been!
69 min: A booming cross in from the Bristol City left. Ederson claims, but looks to have carried the ball out of play for a corner. That’s not awarded either. It was borderline, but the home fans have made their minds up and they’re really not happy.
68 min: Williams wins Bristol City a corner down the right. Nothing comes of it, but the visitors are beginning to look a little uncertain as they cling to their narrow lead. Some big-name substitutes arriving soon?
67 min: Dias comes crashing into the back of Bell as he heads clear, just outside his own box on the right. It’s a free kick all day long, but for some reason the referee isn’t interested in awarding one. Manchester City get away with one there. That should have been a free kick in a very dangerous position.
66 min: Alvarez has a whack from distance. Easy for O’Leary. Bristol City attempt to counter. Foden comes sliding in late on Sykes. The first yellow card of the match.
64 min: Those attacks have re-energised Bristol City, who had been chasing shadows previously. The home fans raise the volume accordingly.
62 min: Some space for Weimann down the right. His low cross nearly makes its way through to Scott in the middle, but Akanji is on point to intercept and clear. Just as well, because had that got through, it was surely 1-1. Much better from Bristol City, who are still very much in this.
61 min: Sykes crosses from the right. Weimann attempts to sweep home first time from 12 yards, but his shot hits Dias the second it leaves his boot. A little better from Bristol City, who haven’t been quite as sharp since the restart.
60 min: De Bruyne attempts a casual whip towards the top left. The ball slaps harmlessly into the wall. Mahrez tries again from the rebound, but there’s no oomph in that effort either.
59 min: Weimann’s clumsy touch on the edge of his own D allows Mahrez to whip the ball off his toe. Vyner comes across to cover, only to clip Mahrez to the ground. A free kick in a very dangerous position, just to the left of the D. Mahrez and De Bruyne stand over it.
58 min: Manchester City are painting some pretty first-touch triangles right now. Bristol City can’t get a touch. But the hosts are holding their shape if nothing else. No way through right now.
56 min: De Bruyne strides gracefully down the middle at high velocity. He shapes to shoot but instead dinks the ball through the centre of the Bristol City defence. Alvarez isn’t expecting it, and can’t get a shot away from the penalty spot. Manchester City appear to have moved up a gear or two.
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54 min: Foden sweeps in from the left and slips the ball across to De Bruyne, who feeds Mahrez down the right. Mahrez tries to return a pass to Foden on the penalty spot, but he’s crowded out of it. Manchester City springing into life all of a sudden there.
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53 min: A result from the Potteries. The first team through to the quarter finals are Brighton & Hove Albion, who have won 1-0 at Stoke City. Evan Ferguson’s goal on the half-hour the difference there.
51 min: Silva plays a lovely reverse pass down the left to release Foden into space. Foden fizzes a tempting low ball through the six-yard box. Alvarez can’t telescope a leg to ram home. Kalas, on his shoulder, did well to put him off.
49 min: Akanji tries to shepherd a loose ball back to Ederson in the Manchester City box. Bell is chasing, and Ederson charges out of his box to clear, telling Akanji to get out of the way. Ederson does clear, but catches Bell in doing so. Both take a heavy knock. For a second, it doesn’t look good for either of them, but happily both eventually get back up and are good to continue.
47 min: Kalvin Phillips hit the bar after 61 seconds of the first half with a curling screamer, but he hasn’t won over any of you. Admittedly the sample size is two, but that’s all I’ve got to work with. “The Phillips signing seems like a rare Begiristain mistake,” argues Ben Barclay. “Awful for Leeds, meaningless for Manchester City, and damaging for Kalvin’s career.” Meanwhile John Ryan adds: “Manchester City look awful and are lucky to have scored, the Bristol City keeper hasn’t had a save to make in over 20 minutes. Pep might as well take Kevin de Bruyne off because he hasn’t shown up tonight, and Phillips too, who couldn’t hit the target if he was left out there by himself at half time with a ball.”
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Bristol City get the second half started. They’ve made one change: Weimann comes on for Tanner. Manchester City have also made a swap. Ortega, who hurt his hand midway through the first half, is replaced in goal by the club number one Ederson.
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HALF TIME: Bristol City 0-1 Manchester City
There’s just enough time for Phillips to slice a weak shot miles right from distance, and that’s the end of the first half. The champions of England hit the front early, but the hosts have held firm since, while looking lively up the other end too. Nigel Pearson will be happy enough with that. Pep Guardiola might want a little more from his men in order to wrap this up. A reminder that this will go to extra time if it ends in a draw, with penalties to follow if necessary. Pep won’t be wanting that.
45 min +1: The first of two bonus first-half minutes passes by without incident.
45 min: Foden gets a yard on Tanner down the left and crosses deep, only for Kalas to spectacularly slice out of play for a corner. Bristol City half clear. The ball’s swung back in from the left. Dias attempts to sweep home from ten yards, only for Pring to throw himself in the road and take the sting out of the shot. O’Leary gathers.
43 min: Ajanki is caught on the edge of his own box by Wells, and earns the first talking-to of the evening. No yellow though.
42 min: It’s so nearly two. A cute flick by Alvarez sends Foden into space down the inside-left channel. Foden passes to De Bruyne on his outside. De Bruyne enters the box and flashes a shot over the bar. You’d have expected him to hit the target at the very least. But he’s getting closer. Another couple of gears, and he’ll be back up to speed.
40 min: Foden demonstrates that he’s fine to continue by bringing down a high ball with absurd ease while hovering in mid-air. Left foot as plush cushion.
39 min: Foden hares in from the left flank and runs slap bang into Scott’s shoulder. He goes down, having felt that one. There was no malicious intent on the part of the Bristol City star, and happily Foden is able to get back up quickly enough.
37 min: Scott dribbles purposefully into the Manchester City box from the left, forcing Phillips to concede a corner. James sends a decent delivery towards the near post, where a couple of all-new post-Hummel red shirts are lurking … but Phillips finishes the tidying up job by heading clear.
35 min: Kalas strips a snoozing De Bruyne in the centre circle and sets Bell off down the left. Bell drifts infield before sending a speculative shot high over the bar. “I think we can safely say now that Guardiola is looking rattled,” begins five-decade-long Robins fan Kim Thonger. “Pearson’s clever gambit of deliberately donating an early goal has produced the desired effect, overconfidence and lethargy. Obsession with maintaining 65% of possession is clouding Pep’s judgement. The Robins’ equaliser and eventual triumph is only a matter of time. We’re already 2-1 up on corners by the way.”
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33 min: De Bruyne cuts in from the left and blooters a wild effort high and wide from distance. He’s not yet back up to speed after a couple of games out ill … although we know how performances like this often pan out. Bristol City beware if he rediscovers his groove soon.
31 min: Lewis advances down the inside-left channel this time, from deep inside his own half and into Bristol City territory. He slides a pass out to De Bruyne on the left. De Bruyne takes too long over what to do next, and the momentum of the attack is jiggered.
29 min: James dinks a pass down the left in the hope of releasing Wells. Lewis reads the danger and heads back to Ortega.
28 min: Some head tennis in midfield. The pace of the game has dropped a bit, while multi-pass moves are at a premium right now.
26 min: Lewis drives down the inside-right channel and sprays a pass wide left for Foden. A promising attack comes to an ignominious end when Foden slips onto the seat of his trousers. The home fans enjoyed that.
24 min: Nothing comes of the corner.
23 min: Ake plays a cute pass round the corner and down the left, intended for Silva. Not quite. Manchester City come again, though, Mahrez coming in from the right to meet a deep left-wing cross, aiming a half-volley towards the top left. O’Leary is beaten, buy Kalas heads off the line at the expense of a corner.
21 min: Bristol City have been superb despite conceding that early goal. They’re giving as good as they’re getting. “Just look at Bristol’s line-up tweet!” begins Jake Webb. “The pale grey background, the font for the starting 11, the player gazing manfully off... it’s like an ad in a men’s glossy from the seventies. I bet he drinks Carling Black Label.” And this in zyder country too, for shame.
19 min: Scott has been extremely lively for Bristol City. He sashays in from the left, enters the box and has a dig. Ortega manages to gather without too much fuss, suggesting that hand of his is OK.
18 min: Foden whistles a cross in from the left. Alvarez swings and misses from ten yards. A huge chance.
16 min: Play stops awhile as Ortega gets a sore hand massaged. He’s good to continue, for now at least.
14 min: Another penalty shout for the hosts. Scott rolls a pass down the left for Bell, who dinks infield for Wells. He falls over under light pressure from Phillips, but there’s no need for the referee to make a decision, because Bell went too early and the flag pops up for offside.
12 min: No way is this going to end 0-1. A long Manchester City pass down the left nearly releases Foden into the box. O’Leary comes to the edge of his area to claim. Great anticipation. Had he not done so, Bristol City were in a world of pain.
11 min: Bristol City come again. Sykes runs at high speed down the inside-left channel and into the Manchester City box. Lewis comes across and eases him off the ball and to the ground. The hosts scream for a penalty. Andre Marriner isn’t interested in giving one, though you’ve seen those given. Lewis nudged his man from behind. Gently, but he did do that.
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10 min: Manchester City break upfield from that corner. Alvarez should be sent clear down the left, but De Bruyne is uncharacteristically inaccurate. Fair’s fair, the man’s been ill.
9 min: Bristol City try to respond immediately. Scott is clipped out on the left and it’s a chance for them to load the box. They play the free kick short, and Scott dribbles his way into the box down the inside-left channel. It’s a cute run, and though he’s crowded out, the ball twangs out of play for a corner on the left.
GOAL! Bristol City 0-1 Manchester City (Foden 7)
Well this didn’t take long. Ake, quarterbacking from deep, sends a long diagonal towards Mahrez on the right. Mahrez one-twos with De Bruyne, bursts into space, fires low and hard across the face of the hosts’ goal, and Foden slams home from an angle. What a start!
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5 min: Manchester City calm things down with a period of sterile domination. That it’s come to this already.
3 min: Nothing comes of the corner. What a start to the game, though, huh? Somewhere in the multiverse, it’s already 1-1.
2 min: Bristol City reply by launching the ball down the left. Akanji slips and Bell scampers towards the box. He opens his body and looks for the top-right corner. His shot is deflected out for a corner kick. He should probably have rolled across for Wells, but he was within his rights to take the shot on himself too.
1 min 01 sec: Mahrez diddles his way down the right before rolling the ball infield. Phillips takes a touch before aiming towards the top-right corner. O’Leary in the Bristol City goal is beaten, but the ball slams off the crossbar and away.
A minute of warm applause in memory of John Motson – who made his name with a west-country commentary, that famous Hereford-Newcastle cup replay of 1972 – and then Manchester City get the ball rolling. A rare old noise here tonight!
The teams are out! Bristol City in their all-new post-Hummel red shirts with white pinstripe, while Manchester City wear third-choice neon yellow. A fine atmosphere at Ashton Gate, despite the PA previously blasting out the Wurzels’ rendition of Mancunian dirge Don’t Look Back In Anger. “I’m quietly confident as a five-decade Robins supporter that Haaland and De Bruyne will get found out tonight in the white heat of the Ashton Gate cauldron,” writes Kim Thonger. “It’ll be 2-1 to BCFC, with the winner in the 94th minute, while the Mancunians are preoccupied with booking limos to their Gulfstreams at Lulsgate is my prediction.” We’ll be off in a couple of minutes.
Tonight we'll gather, me babbers all,
— The Wurzels (@TheWurzels) February 28, 2023
For a game of footie, big V small,
Our plucky lads in red and white,
Facing off a fearsome sight.
So let the mighty Man City come,
For Bristol City will not run,
With passion, grit and skill we'll fight,
And victory? Well... we just might.😉
Pep Guardiola’s turn. “We will try to beat them … a team 12 games unbeaten … it’s the FA Cup away, it is difficult … all the players want to play, but everyone has to be involved … Kalvin Phillips should try to be himself, he tries to understand what we want to do, he comes from another reality … hopefully he can be himself and do a good performance … we were not ourselves [in getting knocked out of the League Cup by Southampton] so we will try to be ourselves, simple as that.”
Nigel Pearson speaks to HTV West. “It’s an interesting tie for us … we’ve worked really hard to get our form back in the league … more consistent … we’ve had a good couple of months in that regard … the cup run has been an integral part of that shift in form … to play against one of the best sides in the world is a reward for the players … our collective endeavour and work-rate shines through … we’ve got some good players … we’ll probably have some opportunities, but against better sides you have to convert them when they come, because they probably won’t come with the frequency that they would do in the Championship … we’ll have to be at our best … we recognise the quality we play against, but I want our players to play with a freedom to be themselves and express themselves.”
According to Harlech ITV, who are transmitting this game in the UK, Manchester City’s bench is worth £340m. That may go some way to explaining why Joe Pearson has emailed in to predict: “This will be a rout. There is no such thing as the magic of the cup. Why watch this and hope that the minnows will prevail over the Great White? I don’t need that kind of soul-destroying content. So I’ll probably watch Fulham vs Leeds.”
Jeff Sax adds: “Why is Brighton-Stoke not being covered?”
Twenty minutes before kick-off, and the excitement is palpable.
Bristol City, on a 12-game unbeaten run, are in If It Ain’t Broke mode. They make just one change to the starting XI named for the 1-0 win over Hull City on Saturday. Nahki Wells replaces cup-tied midfielder Anis Mehmeti, who has already turned out for Wycombe Wanderers in this season’s competition.
Manchester City make five changes in the wake of the 4-1 rout of Bournemouth on Saturday evening. Kevin de Bruyne, Kalvin Phillips, Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez and cup keeper Stefan Ortega come in for Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish, Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Ederson, all of whom drop to the bench. Haaland will be no doubt itching to get on and add to his tally of 33 goals in 33 appearances (!) so far this season.
The teams
Bristol City: O’Leary, Tanner, Vyner, Kalas, Pring, James, Williams. Sykes, Scott, Bell, Wells.
Subs: Haikin, DaSilva, Wilson, King, Taylor-Clarke, Morrison, Weimann, Thomas, Francois.
Manchester City: Ortega Moreno, Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Ake, Phillips, De Bruyne, Silva, Mahrez, Foden, Alvarez.
Subs: Ederson, Walker, Gundogan, Haaland, Grealish, Rodrigo, Gomez, Perrone, Palmer.
How we line up to face Manchester City in the #EmiratesFACup! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ULHcrYpmwj
— Bristol City FC (@BristolCity) February 28, 2023
TONIGHT'S TEAM 🙌
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 28, 2023
XI | Ortega Moreno, Lewis, Akanji, Dias, Ake, Phillips, De Bruyne (C), Bernardo, Mahrez, Foden, Alvarez
SUBS | Ederson, Walker, Gundogan, Haaland, Grealish, Rodrigo, Gomez, Perrone, Palmer#ManCity | @HaysWorldwide pic.twitter.com/Dr8TJyysqs
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Preamble
Bristol City have reached the final of the FA Cup just once, back in 1909, when they lost to a Manchester United side starring Billy Meredith. Manchester City by contrast have won the famous old trophy six times, the last after a record-equalling 6-0 rout of Watford in the 2019 showpiece. This is David versus Goliath all right.
But then that’s what the FA Cup is all about. Bristol City are hoping to reach the quarter finals for the first time since 1974, and their dream of making it isn’t so left-field that it requires filing under ‘pipe’. They’re 12 unbeaten in all competitions, for a start. They also gave Pep Guardiola’s side a proper game in the 2018 League Cup semis: Manchester City needed a last-minute Sergio Aguero goal to win the first leg at the Etihad, while in the second, Bristol City very nearly completed a three-goal comeback to force extra time. And City and Pep also have FA Cup fifth-round scars: third-tier Wigan shock-knocked them out at this stage back in 2018.
You’d still back the treble-chasing Citizens to win tonight, even if they field a second-string starting XI with upcoming Premier League and Champions League tests in mind. But there’ll surely be one hell of an atmosphere at Ashton Gate tonight, and magic often occurs under the lights in the FA Cup. Kick off is at 8pm, and there will be extra time and penalties if needs be. It’s on!
