Manchester City made a short trip to the DW Stadium to take on League One high-flyers Wigan Athletic in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Monday night. City boss Pep Guardiola made six changes for this clash and went in with a strong team for this encounter. The visitors began the match well and created some good chances to score the opening goal of the match. However, they spurned those opportunities and almost got caught by Wigan on the counter.
Just before the stroke of half-time, City left-back Fabian Delph was sent off for a reckless two-footed on Max Power. The 10 men of Manchester City tried their best to score a winning goal in the second half but failed to be productive in the final third. However, Wigan scored through Will Grigg’s breakaway goal in the 79th minute on the counter and ran away 1-0 winners on the night.
Let’s take a look at how each Manchester City player fared on the night.
GK: Claudio Bravo – 6/10
The City goalkeeper hardly had anything to do in the game. He was left helpless when Wigan scored the winner through Will Grigg’s strike in the 79th minute.
RB: Danilo – 6/10
He made a handful of errors while facing his goal in the first half. However, he was a constant threat to the Wigan defence going forward and put in a good shift in the second half when City went down to 10 men.
CB: John Stones – 5/10
He always looked shaky in defence and was caught making a few errors in the first half which Wigan failed to capitalise on. Not one of his best days wearing a Manchester City shirt.
CB: Aymeric Laporte – 5/10
He still looks like a player adapting to English football. Guardiola’s new January signing looked a bit out of pace at the heart of the City defence.
LB: Fabian Delph -3/10
He had a mediocre first-half before being sent off for a rash challenge on Max Power just moments before the half-time break. His dismissal left City in deep trouble and they ultimately ended up getting knocked out of the FA Cup.
CM: IIkay Gündogan – 5/10
He started the match well but his impact in the City midfield faded as the game went on.
CM: Fernandinho – 6/10
The Brazilian midfielder put in another tireless display at the centre of the park and came alive in the second half helping his side keep possession in tight situations.
CAM: David Silva – 6/10
The Spaniard is slowly returning to his old self but looked a bit off the pace in the first half.
RM: Bernardo Silva – 6/10
He did well to take on the Wigan defence all throughout the match. However, his reluctance to put in crosses into the opposition box left the likes of Aguero and Sane frustrated.
ST: Sergio Agüero – 5/10
The Argentinian forward had an off day in front of goal. He got a handful of chances but failed to capitalise on them.
LM: Leroy Sané – 5/10
He huffed and puffed but was unable to beat his marker consistently down the left flank. It will take some time for him to rekindle his early season form.
Substitutes:
RM: Kyle Walker – 4/10
He was at fault for the breakaway Wigan goal which ultimately cost his team the tie while ending their hopes of a quadruple this term.
CM: Kevin De Bruyne – 8/10
The Belgian was superb after coming off the bench in the second half. He created plenty of chances for his teammates and was the spark that was missing from City’s midfield in the first half. It’s a shame he ended up on the losing team.
