Manchester City's 3-1 win over Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup has confirmed their place in the competition's quarter-finals, where they have been drawn to meet fellow Premier League side Bournemouth.
Manchester City's chance of attaining silverware this season remains alive after their 3-1 victory against Plymouth on the weekend. The FA Cup is the only competition where Man City have a possibility of claiming a trophy as in the Carabao Cup and UEFA Champions League their exits were sealed and in the Premier League, their aim now is only to end the season in the top four.
Due to the result over the surprise championship side who knocked out Liverpool the round prior, the Cityzens have made the final eight and will be hoping to go all the way in May.
While the scoreline does reflect comfortability for Manchester City, Plymouth did apply pressure as they got themselves on the scoreboard first in the 38th minute.
However, a brace for Nico O'Reilly and a late goal for Kevin De Bruyne gave City a healthy lead and also the crucial 3-1 win to take them into the next round of the FA Cup.
Next up, they will take on Bournemouth for the second time this season, the first meeting ended in a 2-1 win for the Cherries. Man City will need to do a lot better than that and achieve the performance and result which would see them head into the semi-finals.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa beat Cardiff City 2-0, Newcastle United were knocked out by Brighton and Hove Albion, Preston North End became the only remaining non-Premier League side in the competition due to a 3-0 win over Burnley and most notably, Manchester United were eliminated by Fulham after an intense penalty shootout.
As of right now, the Sky Blues are the only Premier League 'Top Six' club left in this season's FA Cup and will be considered the favourites to go on and win the trophy.
But of course, the threat of teams like Fulham, Crystal Place and especially, Aston Villa, will not be underestimated.
FA Cup fifth-round results
- Aston Villa 2-0 Cardiff City
- Crystal Place 3-1 Millwall
- Preston North End 3-0 Burnley
- Bournemouth (5) 1-1 (4) Wolverhampton Wanderers
- Manchester City 3-1 Plymouth Argyle
- Newcastle United 1-2 Brighton and Hove Albion
- Manchester United (3) 1-1 (4) Fulham
- Nottingham Forest vs Ipswich (Yet to be played - Monday, the 3rd)
FA Cup quarter-final draw
- Fulham vs Crystal Place
- Preston North End vs Aston Villa
- AFC Bournemouth vs Manchester City
- Brighton and Hove Albion vs Nottingham Forest OR Ipswich Town (TBD)
These fixtures are set to feature on the 29/30 of March, with the official details for each match set to be announced soon.