PEP Guardiola found his FA Cup hero just in the Nico time…but he didn’t half sweat for a while first.
With just 15 minutes of this last 16 clash left, Argyle were still all square and dreams of an even greater shock than dumping Liverpool in the previous round were alive.
GettyMaksym Talovierov headed Plymouth ahead in the first half[/caption]
GettyNico O’Reilly netted the equaliser for Man City[/caption]
GettyHe then netted the go-ahead goal[/caption]
GettyKevin de Bruyne sealed the victory in the final moments[/caption]
CITY ARE BACK LEVEL! ⚽️
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 1, 2025
Nico O'Reilly finishes a wonderful delivery from De Bruyne ✨#ITVFootball | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/dpNFdxnl3r
🟢 PLYMOUTH LEAD AT THE ETIHAD! 🟢
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 1, 2025
Maksym Talovierov with a towering header 💥#ITVFootball | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/vTxjEDehbd
Nico O'Reilly at the DOUBLE! ⚽️⚽️
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 1, 2025
The Green Army's resistance is finally broken!#ITVFootball | #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/TlhqTTllzU
https://twitter.com/itvfootball/status/1895921226389868846
Yet then Nico O’Reilly, the local-born teenager in a galaxy of Galacticos, pounced to head in his second goal of the day and there was an almighty sigh of relief all around the Etihad.
Everywhere except the massed ranks of travelling Pilgrims, that is, who were instead cursing O’Reilly for giving their fairytale a Grimm ending.
For seven magic minutes they actually led the Premier League winners of the last four years as well, thanks to Maxi Talovierov’s never-to-be-forgotten header.
But a minute before the break O’Reilly ghosted in to meet a Kevin De Bruyne free kick curled in from the right and it was even stevens again.
Although, if you wanted to be harsh, questions could be asked of Argyle keeper Conor Hazard, who got a full hand to the ball, without the strength to palm it to safety.
Having said he had plenty of moments prior to that, most notably getting fingertips to De Bruyne’s low angled strike a couple of minutes before City’s leveller.
But he had also been rooted to the spot when Ilkay Gundogan had rattled an upright when it was still goalless – although to be fair it was struck so ferociously no keeper on earth would have moved.
There were also occasions the Plymouth keeper was left thanking the men in front of him, too – none more than when Maxi had deflected a Phil Foden shot wide.
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Yet equally he had a few heroic moments of his own as well, as City – well, certainly their manager – grew increasingly frustrated.
Admittedly not as many, and rarely with the same sense of drama, as the stack-‘em-high number of stops when Liverpool were whipped off at the knees in the previous round.
GettyPlymouth put in a brave performance at the Etihad[/caption]
GettyPep Guardiola will be relieved after seeing his team come from behind[/caption]
That unforgettable fourth round triumph when the Pilgrims became the favourite other team of every fan in the country outside Anfield.
And with Guardiola at one stage getting so frustrated that he was throwing his arms around like a bald-headed Bruno Fernandes, you did wonder if they could possibly do it again.
After all, despite City’s monopoly on possession for long periods, there will be days Plymouth’s backline boys work harder for their dough in the Championship than this.
Largely, it should be said, thanks to Maxi Talovierov and Nikola Katic prowling the backline with such a fearsome menace they were like a pair of footballing Krays.
Put it this way, Argyle’s defensive duo have such an intimidating air, you imagine they rarely get below a seven in the local paper
How fitting, then, that when Plymouth did snatch their out-of-the-blue lead, one of them was the hero.
It came from Matthew Sorinola’s 37th minute corner, which Maxi met unopposed to head into the corner. The City boys were probably too scared to get close enough to stop him.
At the opposite end of the pitch 8,000 travelling fans went wild. First Liverpool, now this…it was fast becoming the ultimate FA Cup fairytale. Only it didn’t end that way.
For just when they looked destined to reach the base camp of taking their lead into the second half, up popped O’Reilly and it was suddenly all square again.
And with Argyle barely setting foot in the City half – let alone penalty box – after the break, surely it was only a matter of time.
Hazard had to react smartly to paw one over the tip when De Bruyne tried to catch him out, while Rico Lewis went close with the most acrobatic of volleys.
It was fast becoming a repeat of the Alamo-style onslaught they had faced in the fourth round…only this one didn’t have the same happy ending for the underdogs.
They could claim a mini-victory, at least, in forcing Guardiola to chuck on Erling Haaland from the bench after an hour as the hunt for a winner grew more frantic.
Yet when not even he could find a way through as Hazard pulled off a stunning rub-your-eyes double stop 15 minutes from the end maybe, just maybe, they could hang on.
When Jack Grealish curled one from the left to hand Haaland a point blank header, he surely had to score.
But only did Hazard block his header, he somehow managed to turn Bernardo Silva’s follow-up behind as well.
It was a jaw-dropping save on a par with Jim Montgomery’s unforgettable effort in Sunderland’s 1973 Wembley triumph.
Only this one didn’t have the same memorable ending…in fact barely 60 seconds later he was picking the ball out of his net.
From Phil Foden’s corner, O’Reilly outmuscled Jordan Houghton at the far post and it was relief all round at last for the men in sky blue.
Breathing space that became feet up and relax when De Bruyne tapped in a third seconds from the end…but it took one hell of a fight to get there.
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