Man City keeps its only trophy hope alive after FA Cup win

LONDON — The FA Cup could yet be a way for Manchester City to finish a disappointing season with a trophy.

City needed two goals from teenager Nico O'Reilly to come from behind and beat second-division side Plymouth Argyle 3-1 on Saturday to reach the quarterfinals of the only competition it still has a chance to win.

"Big compliments to Plymouth for making our job so difficult. They were incredibly organized, but we played a good game," said City manager Pep Guardiola.

An eventful day in the competition also saw two notable red cards, a seven-minute VAR check, a handshake snub and a tense penalty shootout as Crystal Palace, Preston and Bournemouth also advanced.

The biggest talking point came in the early game where Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts was sent off for a wildly reckless challenge that left Palace forward Jean-Philippe Mateta needing 25 stitches on a cut to his ear.

Wolves' star forward Matheus Cunha was then also sent off in the final minute of extra time against Bournemouth for head-butting an opponent — having earlier scored a superb equalizer — before his team went on to lose on penalties.

City's win was relatively routine in contrast, although Pep Guardiola's team had to wait until the 75th minute to find a winner.

O'Reilly was on hand to head in a corner and Kevin De Bruyne then added the third goal in the 90th after being teed up by Erling Haaland, who had come on as a substitute when the score was still 1-1.

"It's an amazing feeling to score, especially at a club like this, the team I grew up playing for," the 19-year-old O'Reilly said.

Plymouth had taken the lead through Maksym Talovierov in the 38th as City looked in danger of another embarrassing defeat in a season that has already seen it exit the English League Cup and the Champions League while trailing Premier League leader Liverpool by 20 points.

But O'Reilly leveled just before halftime with another header after a delivery from De Bruyne.

'Most reckless challenge'

Palace also won 3-1 against 10-man Millwall after Roberts was sent off in the eighth minute for kicking Mateta in the face.

Roberts' wild attempt to make a clearance led to Mateta having to be carried off on a stretcher and taken to a hospital with a head injury, with Palace chairman Steve Parish describing it as "the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I think I've ever seen."

Mateta remained on the ground for several minutes receiving medical treatment before he was fitted with a neck brace and carried off the field toward an ambulance. Palace said Saturday evening that the forward had been released from the hospital after getting "25 stitches to a severe laceration to his left ear."

Palace took a 2-0 lead through an own goal by Japhet Tanganga and an easy tap-in from Daniel Munoz, but Millwall got back in the game when Wes Harding scored just before halftime. That came in the 14th minute of injury time after the lengthy stoppage to treat Mateta.

Striker Eddie Nketiah, who came on for Mateta, added the third with a looping header in the 81st to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.

Agencies