"Pep Guardiola spoke of the slog of the schedule and Manchester City went out and performed as if dog-tired, yet with only Phil Foden and Rayan Ait-Nouri having started Wednesday's win against Fulham, this was no excuse. City were abject and half-paced and in danger of being forced into extra time, at least, until Marc Guehi's 80th-minute close-range strike doubled the lead. It was his first goal for his new club."
"Six minutes were enough for Ait-Nouri to force Dorrington to turn into his net. Tijjani Reijnders fed the overlapping left-back along his flank and a whipped-in cross was slipped past Matthew Young by the on-loan Tottenham centre-back, Salford's goalkeeper conceding even earlier than when Jeremy Doku beat him after eight minutes last year. The XI Guardiola fielded was completely different from the one 13 months ago."
"It featured Omar Marmoush at centre-forward, as Erling Haaland was absent through the injury sustained in the Fulham win, and John Stones was captain, in a first appearance since early December after a thigh problem. Salford are sixth in League Two despite losing two of their last three league games, and in Karl Robinson had a manager bolstered by signing a new deal on Friday."
Manchester City progressed in the FA Cup despite a subdued and half-paced performance that left them in danger of extra time until an 80th-minute close-range strike doubled the lead. An early own goal by Alfie Dorrington, forced by Rayan Ait-Nouri and a Tijjani Reijnders cross, produced the opening score. Guardiola cited the slog of the schedule and fielded a markedly different XI with Omar Marmoush up front and John Stones returning as captain in Haaland's absence. Salford defended deep with packed lines and limited clear City chances. Karl Robinson recently signed a new deal as Salford sit sixth in League Two.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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