PEP GUARDIOLA brought his champagne squad to ciderland.
But it was Phil Foden, who still doesn’t look old enough to drink, who made sure Manchester City will get another round.
A goal in each half, one a clinical finish and the other heavily diverted beyond the Bristol City keeper by one of his own players, was enough to get them through a difficult night.
And while boss Pep Guardiola can breathe a sigh of relief, Foden will look back in assurance that he is once again becoming the heartbeat of a team chasing three trophies at the business end of the season.
Sure, captain Kevin de Bruyne added a spectacular third in the 81st minute.
However, the Belgian had missed several good chances prior to that and only once Foden had provided the two goal cushion did he feel confident enough to bend one in in such style from 25 yards.
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Rejuvenated Foden was subbed as soon as the ball hit the back of the net but the travelling fans paused celebrations to toast the impact of their little Englishman.
City made things a lot tougher for themselves than anything Championship Bristol City could conjure up.
With a matchday squad packed full of star-studded internationals it should have been a romp but only Foden consistently drove his team on from his first moment to last with nine minutes to go.
And his frustrations came to the boil when he briefly lost his rag to pick a fight and find himself booked.
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It’s his first since mid-September so even that could be taken as a symbol that he is back in business and making a nuisance of himself.
Foden has started only seven out of 17 games since club football resumed after the World Cup.
But this was his third in a row and arguably his best despite the lowly opposition.
With a packed and pumped up stadium the 26,000 sell out crowd at Ashton Gate and those watching at home were primed for a blistering start by the Championship club.
After all, this was arguably the biggest occasion at revamped Ashton Gate since its redevelopment.
To his credit, Guardiola rocked up with a full A-list team and star studded bench.
So when Foden fired the visitors ahead after only seven minutes, it killed the party atmosphere a little and ruined the script.
Although the goal is worth watching again for its clinical execution and display of mastery on the ball that the punters down these parts don’t witness too often.
Lurking on the edge of the Bristol City box, Kevin de Bruyne threaded a pass along the right channel for Mahrez to chase.
The winger’s low probing cross seared across the six yard box and Foden was hanging around just waiting to thump the ball home from close range.
It gave City the perfect opening to quieten the home fans and players although it did pour a little cold water on the night.
With the second tier hosts chasing the game and the artistes from the Premier League relaxed with a one goal cushion it got considerably harder for red City while blue City strutted around in full control of the game.
But what won’t have gone unnoticed by Guardiola is that his team should have been well out of sight by half time but were still only one goal in front.
What he will also have clocked is the continued upward curve of Foden.
The last two performances have shone for City and it’s hard to see the England winger being left out now.
His goal was calmly executed and was much needed while City made things much harder for themselves than last weekend in a 4-1 romp against loftier opposition at Premier League Bournemouth on Saturday.
And Foden’s irritation was best underlined in the 65th minute when tired of taking a battering as reward for his skills, lost it.
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Scythed down on the touchline by Bristol skipper Matty James, a rush of blood saw him go looking for swift justice – only to pick the wrong man and charge into Sam Bell.
That was borne out of his sheer determination to carry his team through and he got just reward with the clincher in the 74th minute, rounding off a move involving de Bruyne, Nathan Ake and Julian Alvarez with a low, diagonal shot which crashed off the body of City defender Zak Vyner and over the line.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
