The Manchester City vs Salford City FA Cup fourth round match ended in a 2-0 win for the Cityzens. Manchester City scored through an own goal to break the deadlock before Marc Guehi scored his first goal for the club to increase the deficit.
The Manchester City vs Salford City was an uneven battle, as the second division team was nowhere near the Cityzens’ might. However, the hosts were not very impressive in their win in the Manchester City vs Salford City match.
How Manchester City vs Salford City Was Controlled but Predictable
The Cityzens attacked through the left and inside-left channel more often, with left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders combining through the left side. The first goal also came from Ait-Nouri’s cross from the left.
The hosts started the Manchester City vs Salford City match without a large number of their regular starters like Erling Haaland, Rodri, Bernardo Silva, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Guehi and Ruben Dias. The likes of Omar Marmoush, Phil Foden, Nico Gonzalez and Rico Lewis got a chance to impress, but failed to do so mostly.
There were not enough attacks through the right side of the pitch, with Foden failing to combine with McAidoo. Salford City played with a low block quite expectedly and went into attacks occasionally. Still, the visitors almost managed to score just before half-time with a header that narrowly missed the target.
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Possession Without Penetration Frustrates Guardiola
Manchester City enjoyed 80% ball-possession in the match. At one point in the first half, the Cityzens had an unreal 93% ball-possession, but did not find Salford City’s low-block easy to breach.
The introduction of Antoine Semenyo and Guehi in the second half strengthened the home side and also paved the way for their second goal. However, Pep Guardiola would have expected a better display from his men against a lowly opposition. The fact that none of his attacking players managed to score a goal must have kept him worried.
Fixture Pressure Growing Despite Comfortable Result
The Cityzens will play against Newcastle United and Leeds United in their two remaining Premier League fixtures this month. Guardiola’s men are chasing Arsenal at the moment, with only four points separating the two sides.
The Cityzens’ attacking players are not in particularly good form, with the exception of Erling Haaland. Phil Foden has scored only 10 goals in 36 appearances this season, which is not a great return for a player of his calibre.
Cherki has nine goals in 33 matches so far, while Reijnders has seven from 37. Those are not good enough numbers for a team that wants to win the league title. One should not want to criticise the players individually, but such scrutiny is essential to improve the performance of the team.
The Manchester City vs Salford City match pointed out the home side’s difficulties in breaking open resolute defences yet again. The Manchester City vs Salford City match migt have ended in victory for the home side, but it was not impressive enough as per their typical standards.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Pro Sports Images
Recording Date: 14.02.2026
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