City progress to FA Cup semi-finals after comeback win in Swansea

Manchester City have progressed to the FA Cup semi-finals after 3-2 win at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday. The Blues didn’t have it all their own way and had to come back from two goals down at half-time to secure a contentious late win through Sergio Aguero.

City started much the better side in south Wales and carved out a number of chances early on, only for Swansea to take the lead through a Matt Grimes penalty after 20 minutes. Fabian Delph made a silly lunge in the box and the Swans were well deserving of the penalty, which Grimes tucked away superbly.

This goal seemed to rattle City somewhat and nine minutes later they were two goals behind. Graham Potter has his side playing wonderful football and ex City player Bersant Celina’s goal was a thing of beauty.

It started from Nordfeldt in the Swansea goal and was worked through midfield into the path of Nathan Dyer who put it perfectly into the path of Celina. The Kosovan came onto the ball superbly and bent it around Ederson into the top corner to take Swansea into the break with a two goal lead.

It was much of the same from Guardiola’s team at the beginning of the second half and the visitors were struggling to break down the home side. It wasn’t long until there was changes on the City bench and Raheem Sterling and Oleksandr Zinchenko replaces Leroy Sane and Fabian Delph.

The introductions of both definitely helped City up the tempo along with the brilliant display from Bernardo Silva. Sergio Aguero was next to arrive with a half an hour to play as he replaced the non existent Riyad Mahrez.

It was the instrumental Portuguese maestro Silva who got City back in to the game when his outside of the boot strike bulleted into the far corner to give the visitors that glimmer of hope they needed.

Things started to get a little contentious when referee Andre Marriner adjudged a challenge on Raheem Sterling to be a penalty. Sergio Aguero, fresh from his ‘Panenka’ in mid-week stepped up but Nordfeldt was unlucky as the ball cannoned off the post and then onto his dangling feet to nestle in the far corner. 2-2 with five minutes to play and it only ever looked like one team was going to win the game.

City duly obliged on 88 minutes when the seemingly offside Aguero latched onto the end of a Bernardo Silva cross to power the ball into the near post with his head. Had VAR been in place this evening then surely this goal wouldn’t of stood for the Argentine however the FA decided it would only be used across Premier League games. A strange decision from the games governing body but City won’t care in the slightest as they progress to yet another semi-final and another day out at Wembley.