Man City v Plymouth LIVE: FA Cup result as O’Reilly brace helps hosts come from behind to earn win
Man City 3-1 Plymouth: Nico O’Reilly brace helps secure comeback win for Guardiola’s side
Manchester City booked their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a 3-1 comeback win over Plymouth Argyle.
Pep Guardiola made 11 changes ahead of kick-off but it started with a seamless transition for the hosts as they dominated the opening exchanges.
However, it was the visitors who struck first when Maksym Talovierov rose highest to head home a corner in the 38th minute.
But the hosts but they recovered quickly, with Nico O’Reilly equalising just before half-time as he glanced in from Kevin De Bruyne’s free-kick.
The second half began with City enjoying plenty of possession and going close through Berardo Silva, Rico Lewis and Erling Haaland, and the pressure paid off in the 78th minute as O’Reilly nodded in for his brace.
And from there it was one-way traffic for the hosts, with De Bruyne sliding in to wrap it up in the 90th minute.
Follow all of the latest from the Etihad Stadium with our live blog below.
KICK-OFF! Man City 0-0 Plymouth
The hosts get us underway at the Etihad!
Man City vs Plymouth LIVE
Both sides are in the tunnel at the Etihad now, so we aren’t far from kick-off in Manchester.
City chasing top four and cup triumph
City’s only chance of a trophy this season is in this competition, though Pep Guardiola will be desperate to qualify for next season’s Champions League too.
The Cityzens sit in fourth in the Premier League at the moment, one point ahead of fifth-placed Chelsea.
With an exodus of players expected in the summer, a place in Europe’s main cup competition could prove vital as the club looks to rebuild the squad.
Plymouth chasing Championship survival
This match comes at an important time for the lower-tier side, with Argyle having climbed to 22nd in the Championship since Wayne Rooney left by mutual agreement in December.
The Pilgrims are just three points adrift of 21st-placed Hull City, having won two of their last five matches in the league.
New manager Miron Muslic made a couple of important signings in January, with Maksym Talovierov and Nikola Katic having bolstered the defence. Both were excellent against Liverpool, and Muslic will be hoping for a similar performance today.
Match facts
City have won their last 18 FA Cup games against sides from a lower division by an aggregate score of 69-9, since losing 1-0 at Wigan Athletic in the 2017-18 fifth round.
Plymouth are looking to become the first team from outside the top-flight to eliminate Premier League opposition in three consecutive rounds since Wigan in 2017-18.
Plymouth's cup history
Plymouth have never won a major trophy, though they won League One as recently as 2022/23 and were in the final of the EFL Trophy that year as well (though they lost to Bolton).
The club’s greatest FA Cup run came in the 1983/84 season, when they reached the semi-finals, having beaten West Brom and Derby in preceding rounds.
In that match, they lost 1-0 to Watford at Villa Park, with the Hornets going on to lose 2-0 to Everton in the final.
Match facts
This is just the second ever FA Cup meeting between Manchester City and Plymouth, with the Citizens winning a fifth round tie at Maine Road 3-1 in 1987-88 previously.
Plymouth have lost each of their last five meetings with Man City in all competitions.
Argyle have had 44 previous FA Cup ties against top-flight opponents, progressing from just four of these. However, two of those have come this season against Brentford and Liverpool.
Inside the magic of Plymouth’s FA Cup run - and its deeper meaning
As Plymouth Argyle captain Joe Edwards sits in the club’s Manchester hotel and the excitement builds, he finds there’s suddenly “a little bit more time to think”. There’s certainly a lot to reflect on ahead of an FA Cup fifth-round match against the English champions.
Should Plymouth beat Manchester City, it will not just be another huge upset. It will form an argument for one of the great cup runs, given that the 22nd-placed Championship side have already eliminated Brentford away and Liverpool at home. That has offered a sense of build-up in another way, given that it’s gone from one good Premier League side to the league leaders’ second string, but now a full-strength City away from home in a big evening match.
Inside the magic of Plymouth’s FA Cup run - and its deeper meaning
Team news
Plymouth manager Muslic has made six changes to the team that drew 1-1 against Cardiff City last time out.
In defence, Julio Pleguezuelo comes in for Victor Pálsson, while Bali Mumba and Nathanael Ogbeta come in at wing-back in place of Kornél Szűcs and Tymoteusz Puchacz.
In midfield, Adam Randell and Jordan Houghton drop out in favour of Malachi Boateng and Darko Gyabi, while Matthew Sorinola replaces Rami Al Hajj in the attacking midfield positions.
Team news
Plymouth have already achieved something that Manchester City have not: they have beaten Arne Slot's Liverpool. And if some may point out that Plymouth beat a weakened Liverpool side while City lost 2-0 twice to the full-strength team, now it is a second-string City side.
Pep Guardiola has made 11 changes - even if that has enabled him to recall Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden, among others. Plymouth are without the injured Ryan Hardie, their matchwinner against Liverpool.
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