LONDON – Pep Guardiola hailed his “special” Manchester City team on March 16 after they cruised into the FA Cup semi-finals thanks to two deflected strikes from Bernardo Silva that gave them a 2-0 win over a lacklustre Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium.
The holders are the first side to reach the semi-finals of this competition in six consecutive seasons.
“This team, this club, has something special. It’s incredible,” said Guardiola.
“I know we play to win the finals, but to win it, you have to win the earlier rounds.
“We won four Carabao (League) Cup finals in a row (from 2018 to 2021) and now we’re in six FA Cup semi-finals in a row. To run and play the way they did is incredible, congratulations to the team. We played really well, we were so safe with the ball. Mateo (Kovacic), Rodri and Bernardo kept the ball so well. The game was really good.”
The City boss made five changes from the side that started the 1-1 English Premier League draw with Liverpool on March 10 and still managed to win as Newcastle provided little resistance.
They took the lead in the 13th minute when a Silva shot took a wicked deflection off Magpies defender Dan Burn and looped into the net, wrong-footing goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
The home side went 2-0 up in the 31st minute and again it was Portuguese playmaker Silva cutting in from the right and shooting, with Sven Botman’s head helping to steer the ball past Dubravka this time.
Alexander Isak almost pulled a goal back in the 36th minute but City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega got down brilliantly to his left to keep the Swedish striker’s bouncing shot out. It proved to be Newcastle’s only effort on target in the game.
Just after the hour mark, Eddie Howe lost patience with his stuttering side and made four substitutions. Although the introduction of Miguel Almiron gave the visitors a much-needed injection of creativity in their attack, the home side quickly readjusted.
Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku both had a number of chances to score but Guardiola will not be too bothered by their profligacy in front of goal as his side outclassed the Magpies from start to finish.
“The team played well, we did exactly what the coach wanted us to do and we scored some nice goals. We defended well, we attacked well, so very happy,” Doku told the BBC.
City join Championship side Coventry City, who pulled off a shock 3-2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier in the day, and Chelsea, who eliminated second-tier Leicester City on March 17, in the draw for the semi-finals after the final quarter-final tie featuring Manchester United against Liverpool. It took place after press time.
For Newcastle, the defeat brought an end to any hope of ending their 69-year domestic silverware drought.
“It was an uphill battle. We covered a lot of ground but our last pass was lacking,” said Howe.
“The difference is their technical quality and their players who can get out of tight situations. It’s at the highest level. We are trying to get to their level.” REUTERS, AFP
