Manchester City Beat Brighton To FA Cup Final

This was a strangely lacklustre game where initial elation turned into dogged hanging on.

Manchester City have progressed to another Wembley Final. According to most pundits and bookmakers the result was never really in doubt. However the manner of the victory was less assured than expected.

In these strange times where the media and rival fans can find little to criticise about City’s results, the ire has turned towards the fans. Apparently we are somehow not worthy because fans could not afford this extra trip to Wembley at big prices.

More from Domestic Cups

However I can report from being there the City fans were in good voice throughout and I was surprised by how many of us had actually made the journey, as the horror stories in the press suggested it would be empty.

City started in customary blistering fashion with a great opening goal in the first few minutes. Kevin De Bruyne whipped in an angry curling cross and Gabriel Jesus stooped to power a header into the net. The problem was not that we scored early but that we had peaked after 4 minutes leaving the rest of the match as an anti climax.

According to the match statistics City actually had 7 shots on goal in the first half. That is not how the game felt. The match dissipated into a fretless battle in midfield which gradually played out.

Many City fans chose to go and get beer rather than stick with the game and some stayed there long into the second half. They did not miss much. Although it seems a long way to go to buy expensive watery beer.

Of course of note in the game was Kyle Walker and his silly behaviour. In our quest for multiple trophies we cannot afford to lose our heads. We need everyone on the pitch and concentrating, not worrying about whether VAR sends them off.

For what its worth, Walker clashed heads in petulance just in front of me and I was surprised he was not sent off. Especially given Anthony “Manchester United” fan Taylor was notionally in charge as the match referee.

Taylor did seem intent on making up for not sending off Walker by allowing all manner of assaults to be perpetrated against City players whilst giving free kicks if one of our players just casually brushed past a Brighton player.

Too many City players though had a poor game. From my seat it looked like we played with an entitlement rather than effort. If this performance is repeated against better opposition then our quest will be over.

We cannot afford for players like David Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, Gabriel Jesus, Kyle Walker and Raheem Sterling to put in half assed performances. Benjamin Mendy started out of necessity and looked rusty at best. His willingness to give away the ball put us under pressure and required us to rely too much on our best players Aymeric Laporte and Nicolas Otamendi.

Laporte cleared a goal bound chance with a great piece of skill to safeguard this result. Otamendi always seems to love a niggly game of contested second balls.

Brighton for all their endeavour, did not have the guile to put us to the sword. And the disappointment for them must be that we were genuinely there for the taking.

Guardiola suggested after the game that in a quest for multiple trophies it was unrealistic to think we would play brilliantly every game. Whilst I can agree with him, I am worried we have had a few sub standard performances in a row and need to lift our game considerably in these last few weeks. The players we normally rely upon to do this are the ones underperforming. It may be time for others to shine.

Next. . dark

Guardiola has his work cut out. But for us another final looms on the horizon. A domestic cup double is a very successful season as far as I am concerned. Anything else is a real bonus.

Home/Man City News