Manchester City vs Huddersfield Town
The homegrown midfielder scored two classy goals in what was a perfect afternoon for the holders at the Etihad Stadium
Pep Guardiola had talked up how much he loves the FA Cup in the build-up to Manchester City’s third-round tie, and he and his side proved it with a relentless 5-0 win over Huddersfield Town, as homegrown stars Phil Foden and Oscar Bobb ran riot.
Guardiola picked a strong side against the Championship strugglers, and Foden led the way, opening the scoring with his 70th goal for the club and then hitting a wonderful first-time strike in the second half, after Julian Alvarez and an own goal from Ben Jackson, which really belonged to the sensational Bobb, had stretched City’s lead.
A Jeremy Doku goal, served up by a sumptuous pass from Kevin De Bruyne in his first appearance in five months, rounded off the perfect way for City to begin their defence of the trophy. Roll on the fourth round and God help whoever is drawn against them!
Goalkeeper & Defence
Stefan Ortega (6/10):
Barely touched the ball until facing Sorba Thomas one-on-one and did exactly what he needed to do to prevent him scoring.
Manuel Akanji (N/A):
Took an early bang to the ankle, and after persevering he had to come off in the 18th minute.
Ruben Dias (6/10):
One of the most comfortable games he has had for a while as Huddersfield barely attacked.
Josko Gvardiol (5/10):
Switched over from usual spot of left-back to his favoured position of centre-back. Still not entirely on same wavelength as his peers.
Sergio Gomez (6/10):
Made a rare start and shrugged off a bang in the face to put in a decent performance, especially in an attacking sense.
Midfield
Mateo Kovacic (7/10):
A fine display in every sense. Dominated the midfield, snuffing out any danger caused by the visitors, and key to some of City’s best moves.
Rico Lewis (6/10):
Had to shift from midfield to right-back after Akanji came off but still very involved in attacking moves, setting up Alvarez’s goal.
Phil Foden (9/10):
Continued his sensational form with two excellent finishes – especially the second – while calling the shots in midfield.
Julian Alvarez Manchester City 2023-24Getty Images
Attack
Oscar Bobb (8/10):
Made the most of a rare start and looked like he had been in the first team for years. Superb touch and vision. Third goal had his prints all over it, even if it was given as an own goal to Jackson.
Julian Alvarez (6/10):
Scored the second with a sliding finish but given the quality of the opponent, he should have filled his boots.
Jack Grealish (6/10):
Did what is usually asked of him, but didn’t take the next step.
Pep Guardiola Manchester City 2023-24Getty Images
Subs & Manager
Matheus Nunes (6/10):
The perfect game for him to get some confidence after a slow start to his City career.
Kevin De Bruyne (7/10):
The roof almost came off the Etihad when he came on for the first time in five months and gave the people what they wanted by setting up Doku’s goal.
Jeremy Doku (6/10):
Another triumphant return from injury, conjuring a classy half-volley for the fifth goal.
Micah Hamilton (6/10):
Introduced in the 76th minute.
Jacob Wright (6/10):
Made his competitive debut when he came on in the 76th minute.
Pep Guardiola (8/10):
Picked an ultra-competitive line-up while resting some of his biggest stars and gave as many players a taste of the action as he could from the bench.
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