FA Cup: Mahrez on the double as Manchester City trash Chelsea

• Manchester City extended their FA Cup run by defeating Chelsea 4-0 at home.
• Riyad Mahrez’s brace and goals from Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden sealed the deal for Pep Guardiola’s men.
• The results leave Chelsea knocked out of the competition.

Manchester City extended their FA Cup run by defeating Chelsea 4-0 at home on Sunday, thanks to a brace from Riyad Mahrez and goals from Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden.

Manchester City sailed to a 4-0 victory over Chelsea in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday, adding to Graham Potter’s misery.

Riyad Mahrez’s brace and goals from Julian Alvarez and Phil Foden sealed the deal for Pep Guardiola’s men at the Etihad Stadium, as Chelsea failed to show up.

If the Premier League leaders beat Oxford United on Monday evening, Pep Guardiola’s team will face Arsenal at home. On the other hand, Chelsea is not among the clubs in the fourth round for the first time this century.

How they scored

Riyadh Mahrez scored a brace.|PHOTO: Sky Sports|

Mahrez broke the scoreless tie with a curling free-kick from the right edge of the box that went past Kepa Arrizabalaga’s dive and into the top corner.

Even though Chelsea had little control over that, she self-inflicted the second injury. Kai Havertz attempted to clear a corner at the near post with his hand, but the VAR could not miss it. Alvarez nearly defeated Kepa in his first start since Argentina’s World Cup victory.
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In the 30th minute, Alvarez would double the lead for Guardiola’s team with a penalty after VAR got involved and detected a handball by Kai Havertz inside the box.

Without players like Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne on the field, City appeared to be in cruise control as Foden made it 3-0 in the 38th minute to end the game effectively.

Mahrez later put the finishing touches on the comprehensive victory by successfully converting a penalty in the 85th minute to guarantee City’s advancement to the next round.

There’s even a case to be made that City looks more fluid with Alvarez making these unselfish runs upfront than with Erling Haaland, the team’s prolific striker, standing there banging them in. In any case, it’s the kind of problem Potter would relish.

All through the second half, parts of the 8,000-strong travelling support chanted his predecessor Thomas Tuchel’s name, having previously chanted the name of the now-departed owner Roman Abramovich.

Manager Thoughts

Pep and Potter shaking hands after City trashed Chelsea 4-0.|PHOTO: CaughtOffside

“We made an incredibly intense game against a top side. Next round of the FA Cup. Happy to still be in there.”

“I have a feeling that we have incredible human beings and players. When we have this incredible hunger, we don’t give them time to think about it. They did not have time. When that happens it is because we are alive.”

Potter admitted to his team being the second best in the game.

“I thought we were second best to a very, very good side. Obviously, we are not in a great moment ourselves and even though it was a cagey first 20 minutes we couldn’t attack the backline well enough, we couldn’t attack as well as we would like. I think Manchester City do really well in terms of stopping you doing that. At the same time, we struggled.”