Man City Escape Shock Upset Against Salford as Lackluster Performance Nearly Costs Them Dearly

Manchester City secured their place in the FA Cup fifth round with a lackluster 2-0 triumph over local rivals Salford City at the Etihad Stadium, though their performance left much to be desired.

After fans had seen Man City demolish Salford 8-0 in the previous campaign and crush Exeter City 10-1 in this year's third round, the eager home crowd witnessed just a single goal in a sluggish opening period. Tottenham Hotspur loanee Alfie Dorrington deflected Rayan Aït-Nouri's dangerous delivery into his own goal within six minutes.

Salford generated superior opportunities throughout the opening 45 minutes and continued to trouble City following the interval, with the League Two side lacking only the finishing touch needed to capitalize against their below-par opponents.

Replacement Marc Guéhi netted his maiden City strike with ten minutes left to calm any anxieties and confirm advancement, though Salford undoubtedly made things difficult for the Premier League powerhouse.

One Thing We Can't Ignore

One Thing We Can't Ignore

"Erling [Haaland] represents the finest striker globally," Pep Guardiola declared before City's crucial victory against Liverpool last weekend. Following that endorsement, Haaland has found the net twice and provided an assist, yet his Spanish manager had to proceed without the Scandinavian marksman for Saturday's cup encounter due to a slight injury.

Haaland's unavailability was clearly felt during a lackluster opening half in Manchester. An early own goal seemed to establish the foundation for another rout, but the expected barrage of goals never materialized. Despite Omar Marmoush's brilliant effort being incorrectly ruled offside and a legitimate penalty claim being dismissed, there's no question that the eight-time Premier League winners disappointed.

An expected goals figure of merely 0.13 and zero shots on target illustrates City's lethargy in the first period. Without a natural target man spearheading the attack—Marmoush, Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden all rotating through central positions—City found it challenging to break down their League Two opponents. Indeed, it was Salford who registered a superior xG total by halftime and fashioned the better first-half chances.

The situation barely improved after the break, and Guardiola's decision to introduce Antoine Semenyo, Guéhi and Nico O'Reilly just past the hour highlighted the City boss's dissatisfaction. Whether due to overconfidence or exhaustion, the home side remained toothless in attack while providing Salford with hope defensively.

Guéhi's late strike prevented any late drama for City, though Guardiola will be frustrated with his team's lackluster display.

Man City Player Ratings vs. Salford (4-2-3-1)

Man City Player Ratings vs. Salford (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings courtesy of FotMob*

GK: James Trafford—8.1: Unexpectedly active at the Etihad as he made multiple crucial stops to deny the opposition.

RB: Max Alleyne—6.6: Appeared visibly frustrated after being substituted during the first half following an injury setback.

CB: Abdukodir Khusanov—7.5: The prospect showed some uncertainty at times but made few errors in the heart of a heavily rotated defense.

CB: John Stones—7.7: Possibly unlucky not to earn a first-half spot-kick after being pulled down during a corner situation and remained solid defensively.

LB: Rayan Aït-Nouri—7.3: Set up the opener with a penetrating run down the left side and at least offered some essential width in attacking areas.

CM: Rico Lewis—7.6: Moved to right-back following Alleyne's departure but continued to drift into central midfield zones. Maintained possession well.

CM: Nico González—7.3: Completed countless passes (102 actually) without seemingly distributing the ball beyond 10 yards at any point.

CM: Tijjani Reijnders—7.2: Reijnders has been effective in cup matches this season but the Dutch midfielder was largely invisible against Salford.

RW: Phil Foden—6.6: Continues to search for his early-season form. Found himself in promising positions regularly without possessing the precision to unlock Salford's compact defense.

ST: Omar Marmoush—6.9: Produced a spectacular goal that was wrongly disallowed for offside but couldn't replicate the danger usually provided by Haaland.

LW: Rayan Cherki—8.2: The French winger worked hard to create space in crowded areas and inject some energy into City's flat attacking display. Created the second goal and delivered some neat distribution.

SUB: Ryan McAidoo (22' for Alleyne)—6.9: Showed promise when collecting possession on the right flank but struggled with his final ball.

SUB: Antoine Semenyo (64' for Foden)—6.6: Hit the frame late on after bringing some intensity to City's performance.

SUB: Marc Guéhi (64' for Stones)—7.5: Scored his debut City goal with the simplest of tap-ins.

SUB: Nico O'Reilly (64' for Aït-Nouri)—6.9: Seldom challenged following his introduction.

SUB: Rodri (75' for González)—6.4: A short and unremarkable appearance.

Subs not used: Gianluigi Donarumma (GK), Matheus Nunes, Rúben Dias, Floyd Samba.

What the Ratings Tell Us

What the Ratings Tell Us

The Statistics Behind Man City's Uncomfortable Victory

The Statistics Behind Man City's Uncomfortable Victory