Manchester City 5-0 Huddersfield Town: Phil Foden A Handful in FA Cup

Pep Guardiola’s men were too much for Huddersfield as they triumphed in the third round with ease. The Terriers saw their new signing Radunovic make an appearance, but no other positives to take from a tough game.

• No loss in the last seven games for Man City 
• Huddersfield have not won against City in their last six meetings
• Huddersfield’s manager Moore has made three changes from their last FL Championship outing.
• Five changes for Pep Guardiola’s side since their previous Premier League fixture against Sheffield United. 

In the first ten minutes of the game, Man City were in total domination with 76% possession. Huddersfield had men behind the ball, but Alvarez recorded a quick shot on target, breaking the ice for the hosts.

Huddersfield Town, sponsored by MightyTips, knew they were in for a hard game with a vibrant Etihad Stadium atmosphere.

Mateo Kovacic was the creative spark early in the match for City controlling the game from midfield, completing a quick 20 passes consecutively. 

Manuel Akanji was on the receiving end from a harsh Matos challenge and was subbed off in the 18th minute for Matheus Nunes. Alex Matos saw yellow.

A tactical decision from Guardiola saw him make the change with Nunes rather than Nathan Ake who was spotted warming up. City seemed to look for more attacking options on the back of that change.

33RD MIN GOAL - City’s resilience finally paid off after Julian Alvarez’ effort deflected to the feet of Foden, who slotted the ball past Nicholls powerfully from within the box - giving them the 1-0 lead in the 33rd minute.

37TH MIN GOAL - Not long afterwards, Alvarez found a goal of his own in the 37th minute after a neat piece of play in Huddersfield’s box, catching Nicholls off-guard. Rico Lewis’ failed attempt turned into an assist after it fell into the path of Alvarez. 

On the other hand, Huddersfield were not too bad with their defensive display aside from the two goals conceded so far. A solid first-half against one of the best sides in the world.

However, an 83% possession for Manchester City at half time really went to show the difference between the two sides. 10 total shots taken to Huddersfield’s zero. Pass accuracy for City was calculated at 93% to Huddersfield’s 73%.

Half-time saw no changes despite Huddersfield Town yet to prove a threat to the hosts. Man City yet again started on the front-foot with Kovacic continuing his playmaking efforts, supporting the dangerous partnership of Foden and Alvarez.

A double substitution saw Julian Alvarez and Jack Grealish come off - replacing them were Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku, to switch up attacking options. 

58TH MIN GOAL - Minutes later Oscar Bobb found the net through a Matheus Nunes assist, putting Man City 3-0 up in the 58th minute. A sublime shot over the goalkeeper rendered every effort useless as City marched on.

65TH MIN GOAL - Foden added another goal to his tally in the 65th minute, striking his second and City’s fourth, certainly killing the game. 

Josko Gvardiol’s careful watch meant Huddersfield got nowhere. Despite breaking down the right side, keeper Ortega’s co-operation with City’s backline rendered the Terrier’s efforts useless.

The 74th minute marked substitute Jeremy Doku’s mark on the game, and City’s fifth goal. De Bruyne’s part in this goal goes to show Pep’s plan off the bench. A perfect half volley saw Doku kill the game further.

More changes from the bench meant Kovacic and Foden were rested - replaced by youngsters Micah Hamilton and Jacob Wright. 

The 61st minute saw the debut of Huddersfield’s new signing Bojan Radulovic as he was subbed on for the booked Alex Matos. The 24-year-old striker joined Huddersfield from Finnish champions Helsinki as the January window opened.

The new singing had a late effort saved in the 87th minute after managing to get the better of Ruben Dias, but was denied by Stefan Ortega who rose to the occasion.

Bojan Radulovic Career

Bojan Radulovic stats career

Season	Team	Competition	Matched Played	Goals	Assists	Yellow Cards	Red Cards
2023	HJK	Veikkausliiga	24	18	1	2	0
2022	HJK	Veikkausliiga	23	8	0	2	1
2021	AIK	Allsvenskan	26	3	1	1	0
2020	AIK	Allsvenskan	3	0	0	0	0

Kevin De Bruyne made a return to action as he replaced Julian Alvarez. An immediate impact seemed destined for the Belgian as he set up fellow substitute Jeremy Doku for a sublime finish, and Manchester City’s fifth goal. 

As of the 87th minute, De Bruyne recorded a 76% passing accuracy, two passes into the final third, one of which made an instant impact.

Phil Foden was on top of his game, notching two goals. Out of four total efforts, two were clinical finishes which proved to be crucial for City. 91% passing accuracy and every shot recorded having been on target - three out of three.

6 - Phil Foden is the only player to score in the FA Cup proper in each of the last six seasons; today's opener was his 70th goal for Manchester City. Fruitful. pic.twitter.com/g2xPOBGp6t

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 7, 2024

Man City; Ortega 7.2, Gvardiol 7.6, Akanji 6.7, Dias 8.1, Gomez 7.5, Alvarez 8.4, Kovacic 8.7, Lewis 8.6, Grealish 7.0, Bobb 7.3, Foden 9.0.

Subs: Matheus Nunes 7.4, Jeremy Doku 8.1, Kevin De Bruyne 7.4, Micah Hamilton 6.4, Jacob Wright 6.3.

Huddersfield; Nicholls 5.2, Helik 4.8, Lees 4.5, Jackson 3.6, Wiles 5.7, Spencer 4.7, Rudoni 6.4, Edmonds-Green 4.1, Matos 6.1, Koroma 6.1, Thomas 5.9.]

Subs: Bojan Radulovic 6.1, Brahima Diarra N/A, Tom Iorpenda N/A.

Match highlights: Manchester City vs Huddersfield Town

Manchester City go on to the fourth round and their next opponent will be decided in the draw - but face Newcastle next week in the Premier League. Huddersfield next up return to their EFL Championship schedule, facing Plymouth at home on the 13th of January.