Swansea City 1, Manchester City 3 (FA Cup 5th Round)
City notched up a record 15th consecutive top-flight win as they beat Swansea City 3-1 in the FA Cup 5th Round.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was also Pep Guardiola’s 200th win as City manager and the Catalan allowed himself a moment to enjoy setting the new record before immediately saying: “Now on to the next one!”
Goals by Kyle Walker, Raheem Sterling, and Gabriel Jesus sent City on their way while Morgan Whittaker grabbed a consolation for Championship high flyers Swansea.
City made seven changes to the side that beat Liverpool at the weekend, with Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Rodri, and Raheem Sterling retained.
Ruben Dias and Fernandinho were not in City’s match day squad having been deemed ‘not match fit’ but the side that Pep Guardiola put out remained strong.
The Swans included former City academy product Joel Latibeaudiere in the centre of a three man defence as they also made changes to their usual league line-up.
But they were on the back foot from the start.
Gabriel Jesus tested Freddie Woodman with an early shot which was easy for the Swans keeper to parry but worryingly went down immediately afterwards.
Woodman had to be on his toes as Ilkay Gundogan and Ferran Torres chanced their arm too – the Spanish winger had a shot tipped away after 22 minutes of the one sided cup tie.
City opened the scoring after Kyle Walker struck on the half hour mark when his speculative cross beat everyone, bobbled over the leg of Torres and went in past the bamboozled Woodman for only his second goal of the season with Jesus flying in at the back post.
Walker later admitted he wasn’t shooting for goal but the lead was fully deserved.
A minute later Swansea missed a header when Conor Robert’s cross went over Aymeric Laporte but was headed wide by Jay Fulton.
Latibeaudiere slid in to prevent Sterling from doubling City’s advantage at the end of the first half.
There was no stopping the City captain after the break through, and Swansea switched off as Rodri’s through ball found his captain who swept the ball home from 8 yards out inside the back post.
It was the 12th goal of the season for Sterling who went clear as City’s top scorer of the season.
City won a free kick on the edge of the Swans box two minutes after and Torres lifted the ball on the top of the net after Gundogan’s free kick was headed back into the fray.
Swansea couldn’t keep City away though and 3 minutes and 16 seconds after the second Jesus banged in City’s third after 50 minutes after Jesus won the ball and Gundogan found Bernardo Silva who crossed for Jesus who controlled it brilliantly, turning, and shooting past Woodman from 6 yards out.
It was Jesus’ fourth goal in as many starts for the Blues, and eighth goal of the season.
Yan Dhanda shot high and wide from 25 yards out as the Swans tried to at least test Zack Steffen in the City goal.
Rodri injury mars 200th City win under Pep Guardiola.
Sensing a chance to make changes Guardiola sent on Riyad Mahrez and Tommy Doyle for Sterling and Gundogan after 57 minutes.
Swansea responded with four changes after 65 minutes.
Paul Arriola, Morgan Whittaker, Jake Bidwell, and Kieron Freeman came on to replace Jamal Lowe, Jordan Morris, Marc Guehi, and Connor Roberts
And Phil Foden replaced Bernardo Silva while Rodri limped off following a foul by Dhanda to be replaced by Claudio Gomes.
City were going for four goals and Doyle had a free kick strike the wall while Benjamin Mendy was denied by a clearance by Cabango with Latibeaudiere clearing from Foden’s follow-up.
Conor Hourihane replaced Dhanda with 13 minutes to go for Swansea.
And 20-year-old Whittaker scored his first goal for the Swans with a volley from the edge of the box that beat Steffen a minute later – it was the Swans’ first and only shot on target in the game.
Woodman blocked a Mahrez shot from a tight angle and also intercepted a Mahrez pass for Mendy, who was offside, as there was a brief flicker of hope for the home side.
Doyle fired wide to the annoyance of Guardiola with Torres waiting for a cross in front of goal for a tap-in as City saw the rest of the game out comfortably.
GOALS – Swansea City 1, Manchester City 3 (FA Cup 5th Round)
Swansea City 0, Man City 1: 30. A curling cross into the box by Kyle Walker towards Ferran Torres bobbled over his leg and beat the bamboozled Freddie Woodman to gift City a deserved if soft opener.
Swansea City 0, Man City 2: 47. Raheem Sterling was given plenty of space and Rodri found him with a through ball. The City captain cut inside from the left and finished inside the back post with a sweeping shot from 8 yards out.
Swansea City 0, Man City 3. 50. Gabriel Jesus superbly controlled Bernardo Silva’s cross, turned and then shot past Freddie Woodman from 6 yards out after the Brazilian had won the ball from a poor Swansea attempt to build up from the back.
Swansea City 1, Man City 3: 77. Morgan Whittaker turned and volleyed a shot past Zack Steffen after receiving the ball from Ryan Manning.
MATCH STATS – Swansea City 1, Manchester City 3 (FA Cup 5th Round)
Swansea City: Woodman, Latibeaudiere, Cabango, Guehi (Bidwell 66), Roberts (Freeman 66), Fulton, Grimes, Manning, Dhanda (Hourihane 77), Lowe (Arriola 65), Morris (Whittaker 66)
Swansea Subs not used: Webb, Bennett, Andre Ayew, Naughton
Booked: Cabango 37 (foul on Ilkay Gundogan), Dhanda 70 (foul on Rodri)
Goal: Whittaker 77
Manchester City: Steffen, Walker, Garcia, Laporte, Mendy, Bernardo Silva (Foden 65), Rodri (Gomes 72), Gundogan (Doyle 57), Torres, Jesus, Sterling (Mahrez 56)
Manchester City subs not used: Ederson, Stones, Zinchenko, Cancelo, Bernabe
Goals: Walker 30; Sterling 47; Jesus 50
Referee: Peter Bankes