City Watch: Blues avoid FA Cup upset

Following Manchester City’s win against Arsenal in the Premier League to ‘put the cat amongst the pigeons’ in the title race, our FA Cup campaign continued over the weekend in a return to what us City fans call ‘Etihad South,’ or as everyone else knows it, Wembley.

Before that, though, the Blues faced a Burnley side in midweek last week, with a win meaning City would return to the top of the table for the first time since the first weekend of the season.

When Erling Haaland put us 1-0 up after five minutes, I was slightly fearing the worst for Burnley. 

With goal difference potentially crucial in deciding who wins the league, it looked like the perfect opportunity to put four or five past the side who faced relegation to the Championship if they lost the game.

Unfortunately, it didn’t exactly go in that direction. The Clarets frustrated City, with the 1-0 scoreline becoming more and more tentative as the game went on. 

We walked out with the win that put us top of the league, but only on goals scored as ours and Arsenal’s points and goal difference were level.

The Gunners went on to beat Newcastle on the weekend, restoring their place at the summit, with the players still to play their game in hand against Crystal Palace in the final few weeks of the season.

Whilst Arsenal retained top spot, City were on the other side of London at Wembley playing Southampton in an unbelievable eighth semi final on the spin. 

Pep would’ve been hoping for a more simple game in his 23rd visit to the national stadium, but he was given the exact opposite.

I have to give massive credit to Southampton, the clear underdogs in the game, but they didn’t let that affect them. 

They defended brilliantly, I think they might have learnt something from Arsenal after they knocked them out in the previous round!

With the score at 0-0 heading into the final 15 minutes, extra time seemed inevitable. 

However, Finn Azaz had other ideas, curling the ball into the top right hand corner in a rare Saints attack to put his side 1-0 up with just 12 minutes to play.

With an FA Cup shock on the horizon, the Blues were running out of time to find something, but substitute Jeremy Doku saw his deflected shot roll into the back of the net to level the game. 

Just a few minutes later, Nico Gonzalez, who has struggled to find game time since Rodri’s full return, thumped the ball into the top corner, turning heartbreak into pandemonium. 

His goal reminded me a little of John Stones’ against Dortmund in the treble season where he laced it into the near post, giving the keeper no chance. 

The game finished 2-1, meaning City will play in their fourth consecutive FA Cup Final, which you may have guessed, no club has ever done before, another record to put on Pep’s seemingly endless list of records. 

We will play Chelsea at Wembley in three weeks time, the domestic treble very much still on.

I mentioned John Stones earlier for a very good reason, as it’s been announced this week that after a decade at the club, he will leave Manchester City. 

He joined as a 21 year old kid for around 50 million from Everton, which at the time was a lot of money for a defender.

I have to admit, the jury was out after his first season, but boy oh boy did he prove all his critics wrong. 

For me, the most memorable Stones moment was the clearance off the line against Liverpool in the 18/19 Premier League season. 

The game was still in its early stages at 0-0, and a loss would’ve put us out of the title challenge, and the Reds were seemingly 1-0 up before John cleared it away, I’m sure most will remember the goal line technology image and how close the ball was to going over.

There’s been so many more moments, and I can honestly say he’s been one of the greatest ever Manchester City players. 

With just six games left in all competitions this season, saying goodbye to John and Bernardo Silva is creeping up fast. 

It’s another two players from that treble winning team that’ll be departing, truly marking the end of an era.