Manchester City saw off plucky Bristol City to reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a 3-0 victory at Ashton Gate.
Phil Foden scored twice and Kevin De Bruyne added late gloss as the six-time FA Cup winners ended Bristol City’s unbeaten 12-game run before a capacity crowd in the West Country.
After the game, Man City boss Pep Guardiola praised Foden, telling ITV Sport: “Dynamic, rhythm, work rate, he’s quality. His career was always up, up, up. This season he struggled a bit and was a bit down. But now he’s back for the best bit of the season.
“His impact has been amazing. Football pays off when you work like he does.”
Guardiola was also complimentary about his Championship opponents and their fans, adding: “It was really tough. Bristol showed us how good they can be. I was impressed by some players, I didn’t know them. The second half was much better.
“Incredible fans at Bristol. We came here five years ago in the Carabao Cup and it was amazing. I remember it perfectly.”
As Guardiola alluded to, the scoreline was harsh on the hosts, who fell behind to Foden’s seventh-minute strike and remained very much in the contest well into the final quarter.
England midfielder Kalvin Phillips made only his second start since leaving Leeds last summer as Ederson, Erling Haaland, Ilkay Gundogan, Jack Grealish and Rodri began the night on the bench.
Phillips was clearly determined to impress after his injury troubles and only 63 seconds had elapsed when he struck the crossbar from 25 yards.
In a frantic opening, Manuel Akanji’s slip gave Sam Bell a shooting opportunity that ended up being deflected wide and the visitors were ahead soon after.
Riyad Mahrez worked a clever one-two with De Bruyne and the Algerian’s cross to the far post was swept high into the net by Foden, who scored for the second successive game.
Bristol City’s response was a loud penalty shout after Mark Sykes tangled with Rico Lewis. It appeared a legitimate appeal but referee Andre Marriner was unmoved and, with no VAR in operation, home fans were left frustrated.
On that first-half penalty incident, Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson said: “I joked with the fourth official and the assistant referee that they, Premier League players, are a protected species.
“But I’m being facetious. It was an event in the game that didn’t go our way and I’m disappointed with the scoreline because I thought the game was tighter than that.”
Sky Sports
