Manchester City did what they had to against Leyton Orient | OneFootball

Manchester City beat Leyton Orient 2-1 at the Gaughan Group Stadium on Saturday to progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup. City’s performance wasn’t a dominant display by Pep Guardiola’s side. Leyton Orient gave all they had to push the world champions to the brink on Saturday. But in the end, Manchester City did what they had to do to progress in the FA Cup.

From the moment Jamie Donley’s wonder strike caused a Stefan Ortega own goal to give Leyton Orient the lead in the 16th minute on Saturday, you did sense that Manchester City were up against it. That feeling was compounded when Nico Gonzàlez was substituted with an injury minutes later. Throughout the first half, we saw Orient keeper Josh Keeley make several good saves to preserve his team’s lead. At halftime a monumental FA Cup upset was on the cards at the Gaughan Group Stadium.

But in the second half goals from Abdukodir Khusanov and Kevin De Bruyne turned the game around for Manchester City. It wasn’t a vintage performance from City by any stretch. But they booked their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup with a hard-fought win. In the end that’s all that matters. The performance was secondary to the result on the day. So, while City weren’t at their best, they kept their FA Cup campaign alive after a tough match in a tough venue.

Speaking after his team’s win Pep Guardiola was happy to see his side progress. He said it was a tough game and one that they couldn’t control due to the way Leyton Orient played. Speaking post-game he said: “It was impossible to control [this game]. In my nine years in England, we’ve played many times against lower-division teams in this incredible competition. The vibe, the crowd and everything. You play in the FA Cup, and you don’t find it in other places [countries]. I remember Newport with Michael Flynn as manager, I remember Cheltenham and many others. Always we behave really good. We were lucky at the end because they create chances, but we created a lot, and their goalkeeper was really good. It was a tight game, but we knew it would be with the [style] that they have. We played with character, and we are in the next round and it’s always nice. In the last four or five years, we have been in semi-finals all the time. It’s good to continue.”

In the end Manchester City did what they had to do against Leyton Orient. They progressed to the next round of the FA Cup with a hard-earned win. That’s all that matters at the end of the day. As we have seen today with Plymouth Argyle knocking out Liverpool from the competition earlier today nothing is a formality in the FA Cup. Manchester City avoided the same fate at the Gaughan Group Stadium. That sets them up for what comes next in the FA Cup and what lies ahead on their fixture list.