Manchester City: Citizens beat Norwich 3-0, move on in F.A. Cup
By Larry Henry
After suffering a first-leg defeat midweek in the Capital One Cup against Everton, Manchester City were looking to advance in the F.A. Cup on Saturday against Norwich City. Manuel Pellgrini’s squad was able to do just that as they came out as 3-0 winners away from home at Carrow Road.
Sergio Aguero gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute as he was given a great assist from Raheem Sterling. Aguero was trying to get back to scoring form in all competitions after dealing with injuries throughout the new campaign.
In the 31st minute, Manchester City doubled their lead to 2-0 after youngster Kelechi Iheanacho’s right-footed shot found the back of the net. Aguero was credited with the assist on the team’s second goal of the match.
At the halftime break, Manchester City had a 2-0 lead and looked comfortable for the start of the second half.
In the 78th minute, Kevin De Bruyne capped the scoring in the match making it 3-0 to the visitors. De Bruyne came on the pitch in the 61st minute for Raheem Sterling and quickly made an impact.
At the final whistle, Manchester City had themselves a spot in the fourth round of the F.A. Cup. The Citizens had 55% of the possession in comparison to Norwich’s 45%. Pellegrini’s side had 17 total chances and forced Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy to make eight saves in the match.
Manchester City goalkeeper Willy Caballero had three saves on the afternoon.
According to BBC Sport, Manuel Pellegrini believed that his team’s performance was “very good and very aggressive from the beginning of the game.”
The F.A. Cup fourth-round draw will be on Monday, and Manchester City will be back-in-action in the Barclays Premier League on Wednesday as they host Everton. Norwich will travel to Stoke City on the same night.
As for Manchester City, look for them to head into their match with Everton with a lot more momentum after their convincing win today.