Manchester City qualified for the FA Cup semifinals after beating Swansea City 3-2 in the quarter-final match at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday (3/16), Sergio Aguero’s victory goal was deemed to be controversial.
The Citizens had fallen behind 0-2 in the first round. The Swans goals were scored by Matt Grimes from the 20th minute penalty and Bersant Celina in the 29th minute.
In the second half, The Citizens were able to pour three goals against Swansea. The goals were scored by Bernardo Silva in the 69th minute, an own goal by Swansea keeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt (78 ‘), and Aguero’s header (88).
Man City’s decisive goal is arguably quite controversial because he is in the position of offside if sees a replay. Man City actually appeared to grip the game with more control of the ball than the host.
They even almost scored in the 13th minute through Bernardo Silva’s shot. However, Silva’s volley was denied by Swansea keeper Kristoffer Nordfeldt.
The Citizens actually got disastrous in the 19th minute. The referee punished the visitors with a penalty after Fabian Delph brought down Swansea defender Connor Roberts in the penalty box. Grimes, who took the penalty in the 20th minute, successfully hit the ball against Pep Guardiola’s side. The ball kicked towards the right of the goal and tricked Man City goalkeeper Ederson Moraes.
Man City conceded again in the 29th minute. The goal this time was thanks to the collaboration of neat triangular passes between Wayne Routledge, Nathan Dyer, and forwarded to Celina in the penalty box. Freestanding Celina immediately unleashed his left foot and the ball returned to the Moraes goal. The 2-0 score made Man City increasingly inflamed.
The Citizens also doubled their power to the Swansea defense. The visitors almost scored with Silva’s kick in the 32nd minute. However, the ball was again able to be thwarted by Nordfeldt who played very brilliantly in the match.
Only two minutes later, Man City again created a golden opportunity through David Silva’s shot. His ball kick was still successfully blocked by Roberts who stood in front of the goal then driven by Nordfeldt.
Entering the second half, Man City did not reduce the intensity of the attack after trailing 0-2 in the first round. However, a number of efforts have not been too dangerous for the host’s goalkeeper who plays more defensively.
Man City can only score a goal in the 69th minute thanks to Bernardo Silva’s kick. He successfully completed Sergio Aguero’s bait into a goal.
The Citizens could equalize the score to 2-2 through a penalty after Raheem Sterling was dropped by Carter-Vickers in the 77th minute. Aguero who became the executioner of the penalty scored successfully.
The ball actually hit the Swansea right-hand post and bounced. However, the reflection just hit Kristoffer Nordfeldt’s feet and bounced back into the net and entered.
After matching the score, Man City continued to launch sporadic attacks. They even almost scored again in the 83rd minute. Nordfeldt twice saved, including dismissing Aguero’s kick with his foot.
Man City finally turned things around to 3-2 thanks to Aguero’s header from a Bernardo Silva cross in the 88th minute. The goal was controversial because in a slow show, Aguero was in the offside position before welcoming Silva’s cross.
The match ended and Man City managed to beat Swansea 3-2 while ensuring the AFC Cup semi-final ticket. The Citizens will face Watford who successfully beat Crystal Palace 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
