In a record-breaking moment, Manchester City became the first team to secure a spot in the FA Cup semi-finals for six consecutive seasons, as they achieved a 2-0 win against Newcastle. The victory, largely thanks to Bernardo Silva’s two deflected goals, highlights the team’s strong performance under Pep Guardiola.
Despite not wishing to discuss the potential for another treble, Guardiola’s team have demonstrated impressive form – they have remained unbeaten across all competitions in their last 22 matches. Entering the international interval, the team easily handled Newcastle in Saturday’s encounter amidst the Mancunian drizzle.
Although Newcastle had previously dashed City’s hopes in the Carabao Cup in September, this time they struggled to put up a fight. Their attempts at goal were limited to two compared to City’s 16 due to a slew of injuries within the team.
Despite a 1-1 draw against Liverpool last weekend and enforced changes in the lineup following injuries to Ederson and Kevin De Bruyne, City dominated the match from the start. Silva’s first goal set the tone just 13 minutes in, with his right-footed attempt deflecting off Dan Burn past Newcastle’s goalkeeper, Martin Dubravka.
Silva scored his second goal in the 31st minute, this time with his left foot. His shot found the back of the net with an unintentional assist from Sven Botman’s head.
As the game was slipping from Newcastle’s grip, the team attempted to rally. However, their efforts, including a strong shot by Alexander Isak, were thwarted by City’s stand-in goalkeeper, Stefan Ortega. Ortega, usually Guardiola’s first choice for cup matches, provided much-needed reinforcement in the absence of the injured Ederson.
Despite a commendable effort from Phil Foden, foiled by Bruno Guimaraes, City’s domination was unmistakable, marking a continuation of their relentless search for victory.
As the first half drew to a close, Dubravka staved off attempts from Jeremy Doku and swatted away a point-blank header from Ruben Dias during a corner kick, maintaining Newcastle’s defence against constant attacks. City retained their momentum following the intermission, with Foden twitching a pass to Doku; however, his low-angled shot was successfully parried by Dubravka.
Erling Haaland, who netted five of City’s six goals in their previous victorious game against Luton, seized an opportunity from Mateo Kovacic’s midfield pass. He sprinted towards the Newcastle defence, but his curled shot narrowly missed the goal. Though a third goal, potentially sealing the game for the City squad, never materialised, they rarely seemed uneasy.
Sixty-five minutes into the game, Newcastle’s Miguel Almiron snatched the ball from Silva, darting towards the goal. Isak, finding himself in ample space, was keen for the ball. However, the inaccurate pass to him faded their rare scoring opportunity.
City opted to bring on Oscar Bobb, the scorer in the dying moments of their January clash at St. James Park and Julian Alvarez in pursuits of an elusive third goal. However, in spite of their efforts, Haaland was repelled twice in the final moments.