SportsMan City Qualify For FA Cup Semi-Finals After Beating Southampton 4-1

Man City Qualify For FA Cup Semi-Finals After Beating Southampton 4-1

March 21, (THEWILL) – Southampton were defeated 4-1 by Manchester City at home on Sunday afternoon, crashing out of the FA Cup quarter-finals after maintaining pace with their opponents for the better part of the fixture.

The hosts opened well, spurred on by their unblemished league record against City this season. They pushed frantically while constantly testing City’s high defensive line with sharp moves in behind the line.

Within the first ten minutes, Adam Armstrong evaded the offside trap by scampering past the navy blue backline and bobbing a scuffed shot against the base of the post.

Glo

Within 100 seconds, Raheem Sterling made Armstrong rue that wastefulness. Gabriel Jesus pounced on a weak clearance attempt by Jack Stephens, teed up Sterling for a 12th-minute opening that the Englishman obliged to score.

Within the first half-hour, Ilkay Gundogan hit the woodwork with a close-range shot. Southampton, on the other hand, showed no signs of wilting after falling behind, choosing their moments to crowd around the ball and neatly weaving together passing plays when they regained possession.

With the penultimate mistimed kick before the interval, Southampton salvaged an equaliser. Mohamed Elyounoussi broke through the opposition defence once more, sending a pass back across goal that luckily deflected off Aymeric Laporte’s outstretched boot.

A fascinating cup tie ebbed and flowed for big swaths of time, which was unusual for City, who are accustomed to controlling territory and opportunities. On the hour mark, Jesus forced a penalty, which Kevin De Bruyne converted to put City back in front.

Southampton wastefulness at one end was repaid by City at the other, as it had been in the first half with no further goals as time passed on the second period.

With 15 minutes left, Phil Foden sought to peel the leather off the ball with a blazing belter past a helpless Fraser Forster, just moments after substitute Che Adams’ one-on-one effort into Zack Steffen’s belly.

Three minutes later, Foden’s fellow substitute Riyad Mahrez added a fourth for the Premier League leaders, following an astonishing incident between Joao Cancelo and Ilkay Gundogan.

City had chances to extend their lead as St Mary’s emptied of fans who had had enough, strolling through the closing moments of a game that had been challenging for lengthy parts to secure their 28th consecutive victory after scoring a game’s first goal.

City join Chelsea and Crystal Palace, in the hat for the semi-final draw, and they will find out soon who they will face at Wembley. Pep Guardiola’s side will be on the road to Burnley in the Premier League after the international break to try and keep their slim lead over Liverpool going towards the title.

Meanwhile, Southampton have now lost four games in a row, but all their focus will now return to the EPL. In two weeks, they will take on 16th-placed side Leeds United.

About the Author

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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

Jude Obafemi, THEWILLhttps://thewillnews.com
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.

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