Guardiola hails City effort after making FA Cup semis for seventh season in a row
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Manchester City's Egyptian striker Omar Marmoush shoots to score their second goal.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON – Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was finally a happy man, as he praised his players for their determination and fight after reaching the FA Cup semi-finals on March 30.
His team came from behind to reach the last four of the competition for a record seventh consecutive season with a 2-1 win at Bournemouth, but victory came at a cost as Erling Haaland hobbled off injured.
The Norwegian striker had seen a first-half penalty saved before Evanilson put the Cherries in front. He then made amends by equalising four minutes into the second period before being forced off with an ankle injury.
His replacement, Omar Marmoush, took just two minutes to score the winner from a second assist by the impressive Nico O’Reilly as City booked a semi-final clash against Nottingham Forest.
“Seven times in a row reaching semi-finals in the FA Cup... this is outstanding. This generation of players, they have done this,” said Guardiola.
City, who are fifth in the Premier League, have this season been a shadow of the side who won four consecutive league titles and Guardiola said before the game that even FA Cup glory would not save a miserable season.
The English champions’ collapse in the Premier League began at Bournemouth back in November with a 2-1 defeat that kicked off a run of six losses in eight games.
But Guardiola hailed the difference in attitude in his side between then and now.
“We came here (in November) with the flip-flops on against a team that if you don’t compete, it is impossible. In football, you have to run. People say about my teams how good they play but no, it is how much we run, how much we fight and for many games this season it didn’t happen,” he said.
“We talked a lot about the game we lost deservedly here against Bournemouth. That was when we started to go in our down-road this season. This season we have played more games like the one against Bournemouth, which is why we have not deserved more. The most important thing today was that the players have learnt the lesson.”
Haaland should have punished a makeshift Cherries defence missing the suspended Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez with a hat-trick before half-time.
He headed wide his first chance from Matheus Nunes’ driven cross.
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland celebrates scoring their first goal with Ruben Dias.
PHOTO: REUTERS
A Tyler Adams handball then gifted City the chance to take the lead from the penalty spot. But for the third time in his last six spot kicks, Haaland failed to find the net as Kepa Arrizabalaga made a fine save.
That miss seemed to be still in his mind when he dinked over Kepa and over the bar with just the Spanish goalkeeper to beat moments later. City were then hit with a sucker punch by Bournemouth on 21 minutes thanks to Evanilson.
Guardiola responded by introducing 20-year-old midfielder O’Reilly as a makeshift left-back.
He made an instant impact with a rampaging run down the left and an inch-perfect cross as this time Haaland did not miss for his 30th goal of the season.
Moments later he was forced off in concerning scenes for Guardiola, with City still involved in a battle just to qualify for next season’s Champions League in their last nine Premier League games.
But City’s January transfer window move for Marmoush is already looking a shrewd deal. The Egyptian has now scored five times in 11 games since his move from Eintracht Frankfurt, his latest thanks to an error from Arrizabalaga.
“First half we played very well, but second half the game was definitely for them,” said Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola. “We couldn’t keep the same intensity in the second half, we were a lot more passive and lacking in energy.”
AFP, REUTERS
