Holders City march on after Cup king Aguero makes breakthrough
Even when Sergio Aguero scores the winning goal; even when the forward is breaking records; it sometimes looks like it is not enough for Pep Guardiola. As Aguero left the pitch, substituted late on after his strike defeated Sheffield Wednesday to earn a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals, he was involved in an animated conversation with the City manager who just never stops coaching.
“He says when Riyad [Mahrez] or Bernardo [Silva] receives the ball just to move in behind the centrebacks. He is focused on that. It is fine; he’s fine. Always a good manager and crazy,” Aguero later explained with Guardiola always asking for more.
“We talked about the spaces there were to attack and I like to be a crazy and a good manager. I love it,” Guardiola said when asked about it. What he did not love was an injury to Kevin De Bruyne who was not in the squad after hurting his back in the Carabao Cup Final victory over Aston Villa on Sunday. “Kevin had a problem – he was not fit,” Guardiola said with the midfielder now a doubt for the Manchester derby on Sunday.
Aguero’s goal earned City a place in the last eight away to Newcastle United and they will be favourites to go all the way. The goal was also Aguero’s 20th in 22 FA Cup ties since he joined City in 2011 and no player has scored more in the competition in the past nine years.
The 31-year-old is a phenomenon although Garry Monk, the Wednesday manager, argued that the goal should have been ruled out for offside. “I’d rather have lost it to a goal that was legitimate,” Monk said with VAR not in use.
The goal came early in the second-half with City also wasting a host of chances and twice striking the bar as they made it nervy at the
end, with Wednesday creating one opportunity of their own – as substitute Steven Fletcher narrowly failed to turn in a low cross.
The breakthrough came with Mendy playing a pass into Aguero’s feet with the striker shifting to his left and shooting low through the legs of Dominic Iorfa as the defender dived to block. Goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith got a hand to it only for the ball to spin up and in.
City stepped up the pace but more chances were spurned including the best of them by Aguero’s replacement, Raheem Sterling, as he was teed up with just Wildsmith to beat, only for the goalkeeper to block with his legs. But Wednesday could not capitalise and the truth is Claudio Bravo did not have a save to make.
Sheffield Wednesday (5-3-2) Wildsmith 6; Murphy 6, Palmer 6, Iorfa 7, Borner 7 (Lees h-t), Fox 6; Da Cruz 7, Lee 6 (Hunt 63), Bannan 8; Pelupessy 6, Forestieri 6 (Fletcher 56). Subs Dawson (g), Urhoghide, Harris, Nuhiu. Booked Palmer.
Manchester City (4-3-3): Bravo 6; Cancelo 6, Stones 6, Otamendi 6, Mendy 7; B Silva 6, Rodri 7, D Silva 6; Mahrez 7, Aguero 7 (Sterling 86), Jesus 6. Subs Ederson (g), Gundogan, Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Foden, Garcia. Booked Mahrez.
Referee Michael Oliver (Northumberland).