HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0, MAN CITY 0 (FA Cup 5th Round)
Pep Guardiola reflected philosophically after Manchester City were held to a goalless draw at Championship club Huddersfield Town in the fifth round of the Emirates FA Cup.
“A lot of Premier League clubs are out, but we are not. We have another match to qualify for the quarter finals,” he explained.
City may have fielded a much-changed line up, but it still contained 11 full internationals, and ought to have been good enough to beat the Terriers.
However, David Wagner’s side was full value for the draw as it more than matched their more illustrious opponents.
City struggled against Huddersfield’s pressing game as they created few chances, though the hosts themselves only had a few openings.
Guardiola said: “I knew the game would be tight. In the first half we had our chances and their keeper was brilliant.
“In the second half, may be we played better, but didn’t create chances.”
Guardiola would not be drawn on whether FA Cup replays should be banned as City can hardly afford an extra fixture in their crowded schedule. He said he is new here and it was not for him to pass judgement.
As for rotating his squad and perhaps in hindsight believing it was unwise, he also pointed out Huddersfield made many changes and the players he selected deserved to play.
It was a measure of how the FA Cup has diminished in the list of priorities for both teams that each fielded effectively a reserve side.
City only had John Stones, Aleksandar Kolarov and Fernandinho that started Monday’s Premier League game against Bournemouth.
Town, meanwhile, made seven changes from the side that won at Rotherham in midweek in the Championship.
In a lukewarm opening, City carved the first chance of the game in the 11th minute when Sergio Aguero burst clear only for keeper Joel Coleman to make a brilliant block. The ball ran free to Jesus Navas whose angled shot was on target only for Mark Hudson to save the day with a goalline clearance.
Town had a penalty appeal turned down after Colin Quaner went down in the box.
Aguero had another chance when Coleman sprinted outside his box, but the striker’s lob cleared the crossbar.
Town’s best chance of the opening half came from a Jack Payne free kick that was well turned over the bar by keeper Claudio Bravo.
City failed to clear the corner and Philip Billing found the net, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
Nolito went close with a shot that flew just wide of the upright while Town forced another save from Bravo, this time from Rajiv Van La Parra who connected with a cross from Quaner as the Terriers more than matched City.
City made a bright start to the second half as Aguero’s shot on the run forced a decent save from Coleman low to his left.
It was largely stalemate until the dying minutes when Huddersfield almost snatched victory when substitute Elias Kachunga shot narrowly over.
Then towards the end of the four minutes of added time, City’s Nicolas Otamendi headed narrowly wide from a Jesus Navas corner as they could have left victorious.
But in the end a draw was a fair result and for the Terriers it will earn a money-spinning replay at the Etihad the week after next.