Three’s the magic number for Guardiola after cup win
game to give the visitors a 14-10 lead.
They weren’t done there, however, as with just 20 seconds of the first half left, Marshall chased a kick and with a clean take, out paced a desperate Sam Wood to score in the corner, giving Wigan a 20-10 half-time lead.
Just two minutes into the second half and Wigan scored yet another try, this time through Dom Manfredi.
A mistake from Sam Wood gifted Wigan the ball from the 10-metre line and the visitors extended their lead to 14 points.
Liam Marshall secured his hat-trick with another acrobatic effort in the corner and the Huddersfield collapse continued.
In the space of 15 minutes before and after half-time, Giants conceded five tries and went from 10-4 ahead, to trailing 30-10.
The game began to fizzle out after this 15-minute blitz with both try lines rarely being threatened.
That was until Oliver Partington grabbed his first of the game, capitalising on a slip to score under the posts.
Hardaker added a simple conversion and gave Warriors an unassailable 36-10 lead.
As the game entered its final stages, Warriors finished on top and once again scored under the posts, this time through George Burgess, who scored his first in Wigan colours.
Hardaker’s conversion meant Wigan went back home with the two points and a comfortable 42-10 win in the bag. Despite being on top for the first 30 minutes, Giants were outclassed by Wigan and their performance for an hour, including a scoreless secondhalf, was very reminiscent of their troubles in 2019.
Huddersfield were porous in defence and allowed the visitors to score at will at times, a complete transformation from the mean defence Giants offered in the opening three rounds.
Huddersfield may rue some decisions made by the officials, but head coach Simon Woolford and his players will know that their performance never warranted victory and a major improvement is needed for the trip to St Helens on Friday night.
MANCHESTER City manager Guardiola hailed his side after securing a hat-trick of Carabao Cup wins with a 2-1 victory over Aston Villa.
Sergio Aguero and Rodri struck in the first half at Wembley to earn Pep Guardiola his 29th trophy as a manager.
Mbwana Samatta pulled a goal back for Villa but, despite Bjorn Engels hitting a post with two minutes left, a spirited performance could not stop City.
“Three times in a row is a big success. It’s the consistency, incredible,” Guardiola said.
“It was awesome. We struggled in the first minutes and the last ones.
“They had two clear chances in the first minutes but we played really well, especially in the second half.
“We’ve won a lot. I tried when we arrive, every game we play we try to win it, every competition we try to win it, and three times in a row, being here and winning is great.”
The holders have now lifted the trophy in five of the last seven seasons, with Liverpool the only other team to win it three years in a row, between 1981 and 1984.
Phil Foden, arguably the most surprising inclusion in the City team, revealed he found out on Saturday that he would be involved and the 19-year-old admitted he needs to shine when given such an opportunity.
“The day before, in training,” he replied when asked when he knew he was starting.
“The manager was working on tactics – I couldn’t wait to play.
“It was an unbelievable day. I have to say fair play to Aston Villa, they gave us a really good game.
“When I play, every minute counts, so I try and do my best and I’m very proud of my performance today.”