Five Things Learned: Manchester City 3-1 Plymouth Argyle (FA Cup Fifth Round) | OneFootball

Manchester City booked their place in the quarter-finals of this season’s FA Cup with a battling comeback win over Plymouth Argyle on Saturday evening.

The Championship side came to the Etihad Stadium at the weekend off the back of a famous win over Premier League leaders and arguably Europe’s strongest side at present in Liverpool during the fourth round.

As for Manchester City, who had already smashed past Salford City in round three and edged beyond Leyton Orient in recent weeks, Pep Guardiola’s players took another step towards silverware with a victory.

The Catalan’s side started the better of the two teams as expected but could not find the clinical final touch to go in front. Ilkay Gundogan thought he had put his team ahead just before the half-hour mark but saw his effort rebound off goalkeeper Conor Hazard’s post.

The hosts were stunned when Plymouth took a shock lead from a corner as Maksym Talovierov guided a free header past Stefan Ortega, although City saved some blushes with seconds of the first-half remaining as Kevin De Bruyne’s free-kick was headed home by Nico O’Reilly.

Pep Guardiola looked to his bench for reinforcements in the second-half with Ruben Dias and Erling Haaland coming on, albeit with the introduction of the Portuguese defender forced through Nathan Ake’s injury concern.

As Manchester City huffed and puffed to go in front with a multitude of chances, the goal to give them the lead did not come from Haaland nor Kevin De Bruyne, but instead teenager Nico O’Reilly once again.

The latest star academy graduate from the CFA grabbed his second of the match and his second headed effort as the Premier League champions finally made one of their corners count against the Championship outfit.

It was then the turn of Kevin De Bruyne to get on the scoresheet himself, as the club captain rounded off a victory with a close-range finish following an Erling Haaland cross which saw the stars swap their usual roles.

Here are Five Things We Learned from Manchester City’s FA Cup fifth round triumph as Pep Guardiola’s side kept their hopes of silverware success alive for the ongoing campaign!

Teenage hero saves blushes

Prior to the game, there was much talk of the likes of Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden causing problems for Plymouth Argyle, but it actually took two confident moments from a teenager of the club’s academy to bail Manchester City out from a potential ‘cupset’.

With Plymouth Argyle taking the lead, Nico O’Reilly remained confident when it mattered to tuck away two powerful headers from relatively close range, but still requiring the composure and accuracy to convert.

Manchester City have the likes of Rodri and Nico Gonzalez on their roster and the 19-year-old local boy certainly faces strong competition, but his performance on Saturday will have definitely helped his chances at breaking into the first-team regularly this season and next.

KDB’s still got it

There has been a lot of talk in the past week about Kevin De Bruyne following Manchester City’s disappointing home loss to Liverpool. Some believe the Belgian has lost his spark but his performance against Plymouth was an important reminder that class is permanent.

With an already bleak season looking even bleaker as the visitors took the lead, it took a wonderful moment of magic from the Manchester City midfielder to drag the Citizens back into it.

As on many occasions, including a late winner in Manchester City’s previous FA Cup outing, the Belgian’s role was pivotal and even added a third goal to be sure. De Bruyne showed the Etihad faithful that some of the mutterings were a tad premature at best.

Confident home debut for Reis

It is hard making a home debut for any club but especially when that club is Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. Vitor Reis has had to wait a while to play in Manchester since his transfer from Palmeiras in January but he looked calm and collected when his chance came.

Making clearances and owning the back line, the Brazilian cut an impressive figure to keep a sprightly Plymouth Argyle at bay. With this paired with Abdukodir Khusanov’s recent impressive form, the future looks bright for Manchester City’s defence.

Last chance at a trophy

Having had to battle back from behind for a second cup game running, Manchester City remain in the famous competition. It is a contest that will be dear to them this season, not just due to its historic prestige but also as it represents their last chance at a trophy this season.

In a campaign blighted by injury, mistakes, and downright bad luck, the FA Cup is a chance for silverware salvation. As important as a top-four place is, Pep Guardiola’s squad must lock in and go all out for the cup to put a somewhat needed gloss on a disappointing campaign.

Plymouth: Credit where credit is due

Despite being far from favourites and the lowest placed team in the competition, Plymouth Argyle battled well once again. Having impressively seen off high-flying Brentford and Liverpool in the previous rounds, the Greens did not come just to make up the numbers.

Their brave display was far more impressive than what several Premier League sides have put on in previous years at the Etihad. Maksym Talovierov ‘s well-taken goal gave something for the travelling fans to cheer about ahead of a long trip home and it is worth noting what a great cup run it has been for Argyle.