FA Cup: Manchester City Win Southampton To Set-up Last Four With Liverpool

By Prince Ubaha 4 Min Read

Manchester City made a strong statement by thrashing Southampton 4-1 at the South Coast to book a spot in the Semi-Final of the FA Cup with Liverpool.

The citizens started brightly and attacked all four corners. They soon got the result when Raheem Sterling poked home. Southampton equalized at just the stroke of half-time but the city ran chaos in the second half; scoring three quick-fire goals to settle.

Among City’s goal scorers was English forwarder, Phil Foden who came off the bench to score one of the best goals of the competition. He scored the third goal in the 75th minute after which Algerian international, Riyad Mahrez sealed the win with a fourth.

We're now on WhatsApp. Click here to join.

“Guardiola claimed Foden and Mahrez made the difference in breaking down a brave Southampton side.”

Commenting about Phil Foden’s magnificent strike, the manager said:

“A few, there are not many but a few, he is one of them who has [the ability to score from there].

“He has an incredible shot, he’s quick, fast, he’s a fantastic player – we know it. Close to the box he has a sense of goal, he was really brilliant.

“It was a tight game, it was [like] in the Premier League games against Southampton because of the quality they have. They are incredibly organized and in front of the ball they are so aggressive and of course, have a good build-up.

“But after 2-1, the second half we were much much better, and in the end, the quality from Phil and Riyad made the difference.”

City will face either Nottingham Forest or Liverpool, who meet at the City Ground later on Sunday, for a place in the final.

The City boss further added:

“We started well, for the first 20-25 minutes but for the last 15 of the first half, we forgot to play, knowing that this would be difficult because Southampton is one of the best, most organized teams we face all season.

“They push you with incredible intensity but the goal we conceded was a consequence of us forgetting to play.

“The second half was much better, in personality and play. They had one chance for Che Adams, at 2-1, but the quality of our players up front made the difference.

“It was not a comfortable victory but now we go into the international break, there are two months left in the season and we are in three competitions – semi-final of the FA Cup, quarter-final of the Champions League, and top of the league. We know every game is a final and we knew it was important not to lose today.”

Manchester City will be playing Liverpool in the Semi-final for a spot in the final of the FA Cup in Wembley. In the other end, the Reds won the Championship side, Nottingham Forest thanks to a lone goal by Diego Jota.

Liverpool is looking forward to winning a quadruple this season, having captured the Carling Cup, Being in the second position on the Premier League table with a point difference, and qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Share This Article
?>