Gary Neville aims playful dig at Pep Guardiola after Salford draw struggling Man City in FA Cup

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Evening Standard

·2 dicembre 2024

Gary Neville aims playful dig at Pep Guardiola after Salford draw struggling Man City in FA Cup

Third round clash will pit City against opponents co-owned by Manchester United’s ‘Class of 92’

The reigning Premier League champions will host local fourth-tier opposition in the third round in January after the two clubs were paired together in Monday night’s draw at Old Trafford.

Such a fixture is certainly not short on narrative, with League Two side Salford co-owned by United’s famous ‘Class of 92’ stars in Gary Neville, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Phil Neville and Nicky Butt.

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And Neville could not resist a playful jab at Guardiola on social media straight after Monday’s draw, writing on X: “He’s getting sacked in the morning @SalfordCityFC.”

That is a reference to the chants aimed at the Catalan - to which he responded by holding up six fingers as a reminder of how many Premier League titles he has won - by the gleeful home fans at Anfield as Premier League leaders Liverpool deepened the sense of crisis at City with a 2-0 win on Sunday that moved them nine points clear at the top of the table.

City are now winless in their last seven matches across all competitions, having last tasted victory at home to struggling Southampton on October 26.

Their recent uncharacteristic slump has included an initial run of five successive defeats and now four consecutive Premier League losses, while they also inexplicably threw away a 3-0 lead at home to Feyenoord in the Champions League to draw 3-3.

By far the worst run of his illustrious managerial career to date has taken its toll on Guardiola, who said before watching his team fall 11 points off the Premier League title pace on Merseyside: “I don’t like it. I don’t enjoy it at all.

“I don’t sleep as good as when I won every game. Maybe it’s more unusual to win four Premier League titles in a row. In that moment I was stable enough, I was happy because I eat better and sleep better.”

Among the multitude of other compelling narratives to emerge from Monday’s FA Cup third round draw was League One Peterborough being handed a trip to face Premier League strugglers Everton at Goodison Park - a match that could see the Toffees’ veteran winger Ashley Young go up against his son Tyler, 18.

“WOW………. Dreams Might Come True #FaCup #GoosebumpsMoment #YoungVsYoung,” Young Sr wrote on X.