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Phil Foden was the star of the show as Man City romped to a 3-0 win over Bristol
Manchester City coasted into the FA Cup quarterfinals after a devastating 3-0 win over Bristol City with another Man of the Match performance from Phil Foden.
Foden scored twice and Kevin De Bruyne got the third as Bristol failed to put up any resistance to their more fancied visitors, ending their FA Cup run with a respectable fifth-round finish.
The 3-0 win means that Manchester City continue their quest for a first FA Cup title since the 2018/19 season and was also another feather in the cap of Foden, who Pep has touted to have an exceptional end to the season.
How it happened
Manchester City are looking to close out the 2022/23 season with a bang, and they took another step towards doing so by beating Bristol City black and blue in their own backyard to seal a quarterfinal spot in the FA Cup.
Bristol City had been on a 12-game unbeaten run and had not tasted defeat this year before meeting Manchester City.
However, the gulf in class was obvious from the get-go, as Kalvin Phillips hit the crossbar inside the first minute of the encounter.
Foden scored after only seven minutes, stealing in at the far post and slotting in Riyad Mahrez' cross across the box.
For the rest of the first half, Bristol City gave it their best shot and probably should have gotten a penalty when Mark Sykes appeared to go down after a trip by Rico Lewis, but the referee adjudged it not to be a foul, and the absence of VAR technology in the FA Cup meant his decision was final.
In the second half, however, Manchester City swept their opponents away and doubled their lead through Foden’s deflected effort, which left goalkeeper Max O'Leary with no chance.
They rounded up the victory with a De Bruyne special as he rifled home from 25 yards to make it 3-0 to City and wrap the game up with a nice bow.
Foden having the season Pep says he is capable of
Phil Foden may have struggled in the games immediately after the World Cup break and even struggled for a starting berth at some point, but he appears to have regained his form at the right time for Manchester City.
He has now delivered two man-of-the-match performances in a row, after his goal and assist against Bournemouth earned him a place in the PulseSports team of the week.
His goals against Bristol brought him to three goals in the span of a week and brought his total so far this season to 12 goals, in addition to the five assists that he has contributed.
Manchester City will be happy that Foden is finally rediscovering his pre-World Cup form as they enter the most critical stage of the season.
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