secured passage to the fifth spherical of the with an unconvincing 2-0 victory over League Two facet on Saturday, a stark distinction to the 8-0 dismantling of their neighbours final season.
’s closely rotated facet, that includes 9 modifications from their regular beginning XI, relied on an early personal purpose from Alfie Dorrington and a late strike from to beat the lower-league opposition on the . High scorer Erling Haaland and captain have been notably absent from the squad, highlighting Guardiola’s give attention to squad rotation.
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The competition’s depth was largely deflated after simply six minutes when Dorrington sadly diverted Rayan Ait-Nouri’s low cross previous his personal goalkeeper. Metropolis subsequently performed inside themselves, permitting to settle into the sport.
The Ammies, co-owned by former Manchester United stalwarts Gary Neville and David Beckham, weren’t with out their moments. Former Liverpool midfielder pressured a high-quality save from James Trafford earlier than the interval, and Brandon Cooper headed narrowly vast.
Marc Guehi with Salford Metropolis’s Daniel Udoh after the match (REUTERS/Peter Powell)
Metropolis suffered a setback when Max Alleyne, beginning at right-back, was pressured off after 22 minutes following a collision. Omar Marmoush additionally had a purpose disallowed for offside, stopping Metropolis from extending their lead earlier.
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Because the second half progressed, Salford grew in confidence. John Stones was required to clear a harmful low cross from Kelly Nmai, who additionally examined Trafford at his close to submit with a fierce shot.
Nevertheless, Metropolis’s high quality finally advised. Substitutes , Nico O’Reilly, and Guehi have been launched, with the latter making an instantaneous impression. Guehi pounced on a rebound 9 minutes from time, after Matt Younger pushed away a Rayan Cherki cross, to attain his first purpose for the membership and extinguish any lingering hopes of an upset. Semenyo additionally struck the submit within the closing minutes as Metropolis completed strongly.
Whereas the spectacle could have been muted, Guardiola will undoubtedly be content material with the development and the precious week of relaxation forward of their Premier League title problem.