Five-star City in Cup romp
GERMAN SPARES KEEPER’S BLUSHES
A SERGIO AGUERO double helped Manchester City book an FA Cup quarter-final at Middlesbrough after a rout of Huddersfield. The Championship side went ahead but Leroy Sane, Pablo Zabaleta and Kelechi Iheanacho sealed the win.
FOR nine minutes, it was a starburst. The passing, the movement, the pace. Everything was symphonic, an explosion of attacking football to stir the soul.
Eight days on from that basketball shootout with Monaco in the Champions League, here were Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City showing their potency when it all gels. In 540 first-half seconds, they went from the brink of a calamity to a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
But — there must be a ‘but’. For all the eulogies Guardiola devoted to his jet-heeled wingmen Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling, for all the praise he lavished on Sergio Aguero, this was not a night of unrelenting positivity. The reaction of the locals made that so.
Why? It all boiled down to Claudio Bravo. It was bad enough that he was beaten by Huddersfield’s first shot on target, but the big problem for Guardiola and the keeper who makes them go jeepers was the ironic cheering aimed in his direction on two occasions.
The first, in the 43rd minute, raised eyebrows when he grasped a bobbling ball at the second attempt. The second, though, showed the level of mistrust in the Chilean when he came to collect a routine catch late in the game. Those judges in the stands need to be convinced.
‘Amazing,’ Guardiola gushed about Bravo’s performance. He used the same word at Huddersfield 10 days ago yet the smile that accompanied this assertion seemed forced. He didn’t like being asked about him but he can expect questions every time Bravo is selected from here on in.
One wag referred to Bravo on social media as being a ‘hologram’ for the way Harry Bunn’s firm shot skidded through his guard in the seventh minute and straight into his net — the third time in his last four starts he has been beaten by the first shot. A penny for Joe Hart’s thoughts.
As Bunn — who spent 13 years at City as an academy player — wheeled away in delight, his chance created by Joe Lolley’s 60-yard surge, Guardiola bit on his lip and looked concerned.
It could have had ruinous consequences. Huddersfield have been one of the stories of the season and their confidence, imbued by impressive manager David Wagner, is soaring.
They made nine changes but had crossed the Pennines to wreak havoc.
There was, however, a problem, namely that City had an appetite for destruction. You cannot help but admire the way they attack. Huddersfield weren’t poor, by any means. They just couldn’t hold back the light blue tide.
Guardiola will not give up a shot at the FA Cup lightly and the strength of this team showed his intent, with Kevin De Bruyne, Sane, Sterling and Sergio Aguero ripping into Huddersfield whenever the chance arose.
Once they established a rhythm, Guardiola nodded approvingly as the ball pinged around at dazzling speeds. They made seven chances, had two loud appeals for a penalty and scored three times between the 30th and 38th minute to turn a contest into a procession.
They were guilty of overelaboration at times, like when De Bruyne tap-danced into the area in the 18th minute but chose to pass rather than shoot. Yet when it all clicked the goals began to flow, the equaliser arriving on the half-hour when Sane arrived to thump in Sterling’s centre.
Guardiola had raged about penalties that had not been awarded but referee Paul Tierney had no hesitation in pointing to the spot when Nicolas Otamendi was sent sprawling by Jon Stankovic and Aguero did the rest, sending Joel Coleman the wrong way for 2-1.
The difference between this Aguero and the one who barely raised a gallop at the John Smith’s Stadium was like night and day. Here he was, bursting with intent, scuttling into space, coming short to receive a pass or pointing to where he wanted it delivered.
‘The best performance I have seen from Sergio,’ declared Guardiola.
And the Argentine played a considerable role in settling the tie in the 38th minute. Aguero was frustrated when a shot cannoned into Coleman but he turned the rebound to Pablo Zabaleta, who finished.
From that point on, City were in no danger.
There was slight cause for alarm when Lolley headed a chance over in the 53rd minute but, other than that, City were in control and the gloss was applied by late strikes from Aguero and substitute Kelechi Iheanacho.
A good night, then, but not perfect by any means. The situation surrounding Bravo saw to that.