Little love as Wagner calls tune

SO much for the romance of the cup.

There was precious little of it on show last night as Huddersfield boss David Wagner made nine changes – five more than opposite number Pep Guardiola – to emphasise where his priorities lie.

It is hard to argue with Wagner’s logic ahead of his biggest match of the season so far when Newcastle visit on Saturday.

The Terriers have a wonderful chance to return to the top flight after a 45-year absence and he was not going to jeopardise that.

Who can blame him? While one-off glory is something to be enjoyed, Wagner, who watched from the directors’ box at the Etihad because he is serving a touchline ban, knows promotion would be much more enduring and financially rewarding.

Huddersfield’s great strength is their squad and Wagner makes changes for every match without diluting the quality of his team.

Last night’s side included several players hungry to make a name for themselves, none more so than Harry Bunn, a former City trainee discarded by them three years ago without making a senior appearance.

He gained some revenge for that snub by firing home through Claudio Bravo’s legs to give the Championship visitors a shock lead. But Huddersfield could not withstand their hosts’ relentless attacks, conceded three goals in eight minutes and the game was effectively over.

Yet they showed enough in this FA Cup tie to suggest they could be back here next season in the Premier League.