Phil Foden’s brace earned Manchester City a 3-0 win over second-tier Bristol City as Pep Guardiola’s side reached the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
Foden scored in the seventh minute but it was not a completely comfortable night for Man City until England forward made it 2–0 in the 74th minute.
Kevin De Bruyne capped the scoreline with a stunning 25-yard finish, although it was harsh on Bristol City, who was on a 12-match unbeaten run and the hard-fought Premier League champions.
Guardiola named a strong side, as he always does in domestic cup competitions, and City began the game in dynamic style with Calvin Phillips hitting the crossbar.
City didn’t have to wait long to take the lead though, as Foden fired high into the roof of the net from Riyad Mahrez’s pass in front of the goal.
The hosts didn’t budge though and had a good shout for a penalty when Mark Sykes went down in the area under a challenge from Rico Lewis, while Alex Scott forced a fine save from City keeper Stefan Ortega.
Bristol City, who were spared a tackle from the rested Erling Haaland, were very much in the game until De Bruyne split their defense with a through ball from Nathan Ake, whose pass eventually fell to Zak Vyner. fell to Foden for a deflected shot into the net.
Guardiola said, “It was really tough. Bristol showed us how good they can be. I was impressed with some of the players, I didn’t know them. The second half was much better.”
Elsewhere, Leicester City’s hopes of repeating their 2021 triumph were dashed on Tuesday.
Leicester was booed after a 2–1 home defeat by second-division Blackburn Rovers, for whom Tyrese Dolan and Sammy Szmodics were on target before Kelechi Iheanacho replied.
Promotion-chasing Blackburn fully deserved their win at Leicester, whose form has been wildly unpredictable.
Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers said, “It’s just consistency and the mindset and ambition to be successful. It’s been a lot of ups and downs for us.”
“I’m really disappointed for the supporters. It’s been a real challenge for them this season. The FA Cup was an opportunity to reach the quarter-finals at home against a Championship team, but they were much better than us.” And we have to be concerned about that.”
Fulham reached the sixth round for the first time in 13 years as they secured a 2–0 win over fellow top-flight side Leeds United with fine goals from João Palhinha and Manor Solomon.
The victory continued Fulham’s impressive season under Marco Silva, with the Cottagers still chasing a European qualification spot on two fronts. He was not at his best against Leeds, having several chances and not allowing a goal, but still showed his quality.
Palhinha won the ball after 21 minutes with a superbly curled effort and Israeli Solomon’s 56th-minute goal was almost as impressive.
“It’s great for us to be in the quarter-finals,” said Silva, whose team is sixth in the Premier League.
“We know that our story with the FA Cup is not very good and we are here to try and change that.”
Brighton & Hove Albion’s hopes of a first major trophy remained alive as a first-half goal from Ivan Ferguson sealed a 1-0 win over second-tier Stoke City.
The remaining four fifth-round ties are on Wednesday with League Cup winners Manchester United at home to West Ham United.