Manchester City v Huddersfield Town – Match from the Past

Today’s match from the past takes a look at our FA Cup Fifth Round Replay with the Terriers in March 2017. Pep Guardiola’s first season in charge was not what everyone expected and the FA Cup was realistically their only hope of silverware. Huddersfield meanwhile, were chasing promotion to the Premier League. After the first tie finished goalless, the match had to be replayed at Etihad Stadium as the blues looked to book a place in the quarter final.

But it didn’t start too well for the blues as Huddersfield took the lead after just seven minutes. Harry Bunn finished off a good move from the visitors, his shot going through the legs of Claudio Bravo and into the net. Having lost the last two meeting 1-0 to the Terriers, blues fans must have been thinking it wouldn’t be their night.

That all changed in eight crazy minutes. Raheem Sterling performed a number of stepovers before sliding the ball across goal, wher Leroy Sane came racing in to tap home the equaliser. Five minutes later, Sergio Aguero was bundled over in the box, and the Argentine stood up and dusted himself off to bury the resulting penalty.

Three minutes later it was 3-1. Pablo Zabaleta started a move that resulted in Aguero’s powerful shot being parried by the keeper. The striker was quickest to react to the rebound and passed back to an unmarked Zabaleta, who slammed the ball home to send the blues in 3-1 at the break.

Zabaleta was involved in the build up to City’s fourth goal in the 73^rd minute. The defender flicked the ball wide to Sterling, whose ball into the box was met by Aguero to score his second and City’s fourth.

As Huddersfield visibly tired, it was only a matter of time before the blues scored a fifth, and it duly arrived in the first minute of injury time. Zabaleta was again involved, this time flicking the ball to Jesus Navas, whose cross was met by a clever flick from Kelechi Iheanacho.

It finished 5-1 to the blues, but both teams would have contrasting visits to Wembley. While City would be knocked out in the semi-final by Arsenal, Huddersfield would travel to London and win their play off final to book a place in the Premier League the following season.