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.
Giant-killers Plymouth face tough Man City tie as FA Cup fifth round fixtures confirmed
Plymouth's reward for beating Liverpool in the FA Cup is a fifth round tie away to Manchester City.
The Pilgrims dumped the current Premier League leaders out of the competition with a 1-0 win on Sunday thanks to Ryan Hardie's second-half penalty, and will now head to the Etihad Stadium for a last-16 tie against the seven-time Cup winners, who had to come from behind to beat Leyton Orient 2-1 on Saturday.
Holders Manchester United have been drawn at home to Fulham. United beat Leicester 2-1 in controversial circumstances, with Harry Maguire appearing to be in an offside position as he headed in the stoppage-time winner at Old Trafford.
Plymouth face tough Man City tie as FA Cup fifth-round fixtures confirmed
Prediction
With Manchester City out of the Champions League and unlikely to challenge for the Premier League their last chance at silverware comes in this competition. Pep Guardiola may make some changes but his team will be more than enough to sweep past the Championship side.
Man City 3-0 Plymouth Argyle.
Predicted Line-ups
Manchester City XI: Ortega; Lewis, Khusanov, Reis, O’Reilly; Gonzalez, Gundogan; Grealish, McAtee, Savinho; Marmoush
Plymouth Argyle XI: Hazard; Talovierov, Katic, Palsson; Sorinola, Randell, Houghton, Puchacz; Wright, Al Hajj, Bundu
Team news
Erling Haaland appears to be available for selection again after suffering a knee injury which ruled him out of City’s defeats to Real Madrid and Liverpool but John Stones will likely miss out after being substituted early against Madrid, and Manuel Akanji is also expected to be out well into April.
The squad named against Leyton Orient was a reasonably strong one, but 22-year-old James McAtee was handed a chance to impress in central midfield. 19-year-old Nico O’Reilly may start as Guardiola will be keen to get another look at his latest academy gem.
With Plymouth gaining a reputation as giant killers, though, Guardiola will not want to play things too safe. Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, and Savinho should all appear on the team sheet.
Is Manchester City vs Plymouth Argyle on TV?
The FA Cup fifth round clash between Manchester City and Plymoutn Argyle takes place on Saturday 1 March from the Eithad Stadium in Manchester.
How can I watch the match?
The match will be shown on ITV4 and stream live on ITVX, with coverage starting from 5:00pm on Saturday 1 March. The match will kick off at 5:45pm at Home Park.
Man City vs Plymouth LIVE
Plymouth Argyle have been offered another chance to extend their odds-defying FA Cup run as they welcome Pep Guardiola’s struggling Manchester City to Home Park.
Despite sitting 22nd in the Championship the Pilgrims are enjoying a dramatic cup run, having already knocked out two Premier League sides in Brentford and Liverpool.
The Liverpool upset was settled by a 53rd-minute penalty dispatched by Ryan Hardie. Arne Slot’s young Reds were unable to muster the necessary response, forcing a fingertip save from goalkeeper Conor Hazard in injury time.
Manchester City’s FA Cup campaign has not been without drama. Their round four tie away to Leyton Orient got off to a slow start when Tottenham loanee Jamie Donley’s halfway-line shot fell awkwardly, deflecting in off Stefan Ortega’s back. Despite struggling in the league, Guardiola’s squad managed to recover to win.
City’s form is at its worst since Guardiola arrived in 2016. Sitting fifth in the Premier League and 20 points adrift of the top spot, there is no better opportunity for Plymouth to turn them over.
Man City vs Plymouth LIVE
Good afternoon and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of today’s FA Cup fifth round tie between Manchester City and Plymouth Argyle.
City come into the game having rediscovered some form, while Plymouth are hoping for a second giant-killing in a row having beaten Liverpool in round four.
And we’ll have all the latest build-up and updates right here.
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