In a stunning turn of events, Manchester City’s pursuit of the quadruple faced its greatest threat yet from an unlikely source – League One’s Leyton Orient. The minnows held a shock 1-0 lead at halftime of their FA Cup fourth round clash, courtesy of an own goal from City keeper Stefan Ortega. The magic of the cup was truly alive at Brisbane Road.
Orient fans were in dreamland, taunting Pep Guardiola with chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning!” The Spaniard could only watch on anxiously as his star-studded side struggled to impose themselves against their inspired lower-league opposition. It seemed an unthinkable giant-killing was on the cards.
Guardiola Quips City Chairman Won’t Sack Him
Facing the very real prospect of his side crashing out of the FA Cup, Guardiola found time to poke fun at his predicament in the post-match press conference. “When they say, ‘you are going to get sacked in the morning,’ not much.” He quipped, before adding: “With this result I think my chairman is not going to sack me tomorrow.”
“It is a routine in all the stadiums right now… Still, with this result I think my chairman is not going to sack me tomorrow.”
– Pep Guardiola on chants he faced from Orient fans
The Spaniard was full of praise for the atmosphere generated by the Orient faithful, saying “It was really good. I don’t know if in League One, in every single game the vibe is like this but it’s really good.” He reminded his players that this is where many of them came from before making it to the big time.
City Survive Massive Scare to Advance
In the end, City’s superior quality shone through as second-half goals from Abdukodir Khusanov and Kevin De Bruyne secured a nervy 2-1 victory. The Premier League champions narrowly avoided what would have been one of the greatest shocks in FA Cup history against their plucky opponents.
For Guardiola, the result brought a measure of relief ahead of Tuesday’s crucial Champions League clash with Real Madrid. But the Spaniard admitted his side is in an unstable position emotionally amid an injury crisis, stating “Now of course our position is a little bit unstable emotionally, we have a lot of injuries and that’s why going through with this result makes me so proud and so happy.”
- Leyton Orient take shock halftime lead through Ortega own goal
- Orient fans chant “You’re getting sacked in the morning!” at Guardiola
- City rally with goals from Khusanov and De Bruyne to advance 2-1
- Guardiola jokes result means he won’t get sacked by chairman
The victory came at a cost though, as City’s January signing Nicolas Gonzalez was forced off after 22 minutes with an injury of unknown severity. Fellow new arrival Vitor Reis was also withdrawn at halftime for tactical reasons as Guardiola sought to get his side back into the contest.
While City march on in their quest for an unprecedented quadruple, they were given an almighty scare by an Orient side that did themselves and the magic of the FA Cup proud. On this evidence, Guardiola will know his side can take nothing for granted as they continue to compete on multiple fronts. The games, and the pressure, will only ratchet up from here.
