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Manchester City had to dig deep to overcome Plymouth Argyle 3-1 in the FA Cup on Saturday, while Crystal Palace’s victory over Millwall was overshadowed by a shocking injury to Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Plymouth, fresh off eliminating Liverpool in the previous round, threatened another giant-killing when Maksym Talovierov headed them ahead in the 38th minute at the Etihad. The Championship side’s boss, Miron Muslic, had called it the biggest honour of his career to face Pep Guardiola, and his team looked poised for another upset.
With FA Cup glory as City’s most realistic chance of silverware this season, Guardiola made several changes, resting Erling Haaland. However, it was 19-year-old Nico O’Reilly who proved decisive, scoring twice from set-pieces. His first, just before half-time, eased City’s nerves, and he struck again from a Phil Foden corner in the 76th minute. Haaland came off the bench and assisted Kevin De Bruyne for City’s third in stoppage time.
“Big compliments to Plymouth for making our job so difficult. They were incredibly organised, but we played a good game,” Guardiola said.
Mateta Hospitalised After Reckless Challenge
Palace’s 3-1 win over Millwall was marred by a horror injury to Mateta, who was stretchered off and taken straight to the hospital. Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts was sent off just eight minutes into the match after a VAR review confirmed his boot had caught Mateta’s head in an attempt to clear the ball.
Mateta later reassured fans, posting on Instagram: “Thank you for all your kind messages. I’m doing well. I hope to be back very soon. And stronger than ever. Well done guys for a great job today.”
Palace later confirmed he had been discharged after receiving 25 stitches for a severe ear laceration.
Despite the early chaos, Palace capitalised on their numerical advantage. Japhet Tanganga’s own goal gave them the lead in the 33rd minute, with Daniel Muñoz doubling their advantage seven minutes later. Wes Harding pulled one back for Millwall in first-half stoppage time before Eddie Nketiah sealed the win with a looping header in the 82nd minute.
Elsewhere in the FA Cup
Bournemouth 1-1 Wolves (Bournemouth win 5-4 on penalties)
Bournemouth reached the quarter-finals for only the third time in their history after a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Wolves. Matheus Cunha’s stunning equaliser forced extra time, but the Brazilian was later sent off for violent conduct before Wolves fell short in the shootout.
Preston 3-0 Burnley
Milutin Osmajic stirred controversy after scoring for Preston in a 3-0 win over Burnley. The Montenegro international taunted Burnley fans following a racism row from their previous league meeting. Preston’s win ended Burnley’s 23-match unbeaten streak.
