Man City vs Salford: Guardiola's men produce low-key performance to join Chelsea in FA Cup 5th Round

In stark contrast to the 10-goal demolition of Exeter City in the previous round, Pep Guardiola’s heavily rotated Manchester City side settled for a 2-0 win over Salford to advance to the fifth round of the FA Cup.

The Cityzens now join Chelsea, who defeated Hull City 4-0, in the next round.

The breakthrough arrived in the 6th minute, though it came with a stroke of luck for the hosts. Rayan Ait-Nouri whipped a dangerous cross into the box, which took a heavy deflection off Salford’s Alfie Dorrington and trickled into the back of the net.

While the early own goal suggested another high-scoring affair was on the cards, Salford remained compact, even forcing James Trafford into a sharp save from Ben Woodburn just before the interval

City struggled to find their usual rhythm for much of the second half. Omar Marmoush, starting in place of the rested Erling Haaland, saw a brilliantly taken goal ruled out for offside, while Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden found themselves frustrated by a resilient Ammies backline.

It took until the 81st minute for the Premier League champions to finally put the game to bed.

A Cherki free-kick was palmed away by keeper Matt Young, but only as far as Marc Guehi, who reacted quickest to tap home from close range and secure the win.