SERGIO AGUERO struck early in the second half to become the new Roo-ler of Manchester goalscorers.
The Etihad idol’s goal took his tally to 254 for City – one more than a certain Wayne Rooney managed across town at Old Trafford.
Sergio Aguero struck the only goal as Man City beat Sheffield Wednesday to reach the quarter-finals of the FA CupCredit: Getty Images – Getty
He still needs a few more to dethrone the King himself Denis Law – whose goals were spread across both clubs.
But no matter what happens, Aguero will always be football royalty for the sky blue side of Manchester
And while this will not go down as one of Aguero’s most memorable moments, it got Pep Guardiola and his players dreaming of yet another trip to Wembley.
No wonder they call it Etihad South.
Just three days after lifting the Carabao Cup, they are one step away from going back there again in April for a semi-final.
It is 23 years since Wednesday last reached the last eight of the FA Cup and Garry Monk’s men would have been aware of the size of the task facing them.
The holders have not lost a one off domestic cup tie since the shock defeat to League One Wigan more than two years ago.
Aguero scored his 254th goal – the most for any single Manchester clubCredit: Rex Features
And after winning the Carabao Cup on Sunday, Pep Guardiola made it clear he fancied winning this one as well.
Since the draw was made in late January, Wednesday’s form has dipped and fans have grown disillusioned, meaning Hillsborough was nowhere near full.
High ticket prices and the fact it was live on television wouldn’t have helped either.
Under-fire boss Garry Monk sprang a surprise by handing keeper Joe Wildsmith his first start in 18 months.
Meanwhile Pep Guardiola chose to give Kyle Walker and – perhaps surprisingly –Kevin de Bruyne the night off.
Maybe he would have been regretting it as his team were lacking their usual spark in the first half.
It was the hosts who had the first chance as Jacob Murphy drifted in from the right but planted a left footed effort wide.
City were completely dominating the ball but not moving it with their usual zip and as a result chances were hard to come by.
John Stones hung up a pass to the back post and Gabriel Jesus planted his header wide when he should have hit the target.
RIyad Mahrez had a sight of goal 18 yards out but blasted his shot high into the Kop.
The best chance of the half came when Mahrez curled a free-kick over from the right which was met by Nicolas Otamendi but his header thumped against the bar.
The Argentine defender got there first to another free-kick minutes later but this time his header was high over the bar.
And just before half-time Stones came round the back and headed a free-kick by Benjamin Mendy into the ground but it bounced up over the bar.
Yet it said everything about how well Wednesday had defended that the hosts had failed to test the rookie keeper during the first 45 minutes.
Guardiola had told his players they should have been thinking of winning the next trophy as soon as they hit the Wembley showers on Sunday evening.
Yet they needed a bit of a freshen up at half-time.
Despite winning just one of their last eight matches, Wednesday had coped reasonably comfortably with what City had to offer.
Pep Guardiola offers his team instructions at HillsbroughCredit: Jon Super
Any City fans who are naturally pessimistic would have been uneasy as the similarities to that defeat at the DW Stadium were there to see.
Maybe Guardiola read the riot act to his players at half-time as they looked a different proposition after the break.
Sergio Aguero had his team’s first effort on target of the night soon after the break but his tame effort should have tested Wildsmith more.
Aguero and David Silva then worked a ball out to the onrushing Mendy whose shot was tipped onto the bar by Wlldsmith.
The 24-year-old keeper was there again to get down low and save Bernardo’s fizzing effort – but City were turning the screw.
And the breakthrough came as Mendy slipped a ball through to Aguero and Wildsmith could not get enough on the ball to keep it out.
Having got to it, he may have felt he should have kept it out.
And had VAR been in operation, it may have been ruled out for offside. But City and their fans didn’t care.
Mahrez and Stones both had chances to make the tie safe for City but Wildsmith kept his team in the game.
And they could have grabbed an unlikely equaliser as Alex Hunt’s cross found its way to the backpost and sub Steven Fletcher could not quite get a toe on it.
It gave the home fans hope they could force extra time but City were not to be denied.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
