SIMON MULLOCK
Pep deserves respect for showing County and the Cup respect
patterns on a treacherous surface. But they also matched their hosts for passion and physicality. They had to.
And even when the City manager was two goals to the good with 11 minutes to go, Guardiola was taking no chances – off came Fernandinho, and on went defender Aymeric Laporte.
Rodney Parade is known locally as Newport-on-mud – and the pitch looked like it had been sourced from a No man’s land in northern France.
Fitting then, that some of their players looked like they were going to war rather than into a cup-tie.
They clutched babies and young children as they greeted Guardiola’s men before the kick-off.
Keeper Joe Day handed 20-month-old son Harrison to his wife Lizzie before planting a kiss on the heads of Sophia Grace and Emelia Lillie, twin daughters who were born just hours after Newport had knocked out Boro 10 days ago. Sure enough, City were forced to endure an early bombardment. Keeper Ederson smashed one clearance out of the ground and down Corporation Road.
And the sight of the usually unflappable Fernandinho lumping one pass aimlessly down the pitch would have given Flynn (left) and his side further encouragement. As would Mahrez, who looked pleadingly at referee Andre Marriner after being muscled off the ball by Amond.
Newport’s shot at immortality came on 15 minutes – but they couldn’t take it.
Mickey Demetriou’s long throw caused panic in the City ranks, and when Tyreeq Bakinson stooped to meet the bouncing ball with his forehead, he was starting to celebrate. But Ederson somehow scrambled himself across his line to nudge the ball to safety.
The home side deserved the standing ovation at half-time. But it took City just six minutes of the second half to make their class pay – Sane’s shot had enough power to loop into the goal.
Foden made it 2-0 on 75 with a superb run and finish from 20 yards, but then talismanic Amond looped a clever finish over Ederson with two minutes to go. The roof came off and a ray of hope flickered.
It was extinguished within seconds by Foden’s thumping finish. And when Mahrez walloped in City’s fourth goal, it gave the scoreline a flattering look.