Pep Guardiola’s Man City secured their FA Cup progress thanks to Nico O’Reilly, but they were given a real scare by Plymouth.
With only 15 minutes remaining, Plymouth Argyle were holding Manchester City to a draw, daring to dream of another FA Cup shock after previously eliminating Liverpool.
However, Nico O’Reilly, a young local talent among Man City’s stars, scored his second goal, bringing relief to the Etihad crowd.
Plymouth’s fans, in contrast, lamented O’Reilly’s goals, which dashed their hopes of a major upset.
Plymouth actually led against the Premier League champions for seven minutes, thanks to Maxi Talovierov’s memorable header.
But just before halftime, O’Reilly equalized with a header from a Kevin De Bruyne free kick.
Questions arose about Plymouth goalkeeper Conor Hazard’s attempt to save O’Reilly’s first goal, as he got a hand to the ball but couldn’t deflect it away.
Earlier, Hazard had made a good save from De Bruyne’s low shot.
He was also fortunate when Ilkay Gundogan’s shot hit the post when the score was still 0-0.
Plymouth’s defense also played a crucial role, with Maxi Talovierov deflecting a Phil Foden shot wide.
Despite City’s dominance in possession, Plymouth’s defenders, especially Maxi Talovierov and Nikola Katic, presented a formidable challenge.
It was fitting that Maxi Talovierov scored Plymouth’s opening goal.
He headed in Matthew Sorinola’s 37th-minute corner, giving Plymouth an unexpected lead and sending their 8,000 travelling fans into celebration.
The FA Cup dream was alive, but O’Reilly’s goal before halftime changed the momentum.
In the second half, Plymouth struggled to get into City’s half, and it seemed inevitable that City would score again.
Hazard made a save from De Bruyne and Rico Lewis volleyed narrowly wide.
Plymouth’s defense mirrored their resilient performance against Liverpool in the previous round, but this time, the ending was different.
Guardiola brought on Erling Haaland in the second half to break the deadlock.
Hazard made an incredible double save from Haaland and Bernardo Silva 15 minutes from time, raising hopes of Plymouth holding on.
Jack Grealish’s cross found Haaland for a header, which Hazard blocked, only for O’Reilly to score the rebound shortly after.
From Phil Foden’s corner, O’Reilly scored his second, securing City’s lead.
De Bruyne added a third goal in the final moments, confirming Manchester City’s victory after a hard-fought match.
