Manchester City’s hopes of the quadruple remained alive after it advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Championship team Cardiff on Sunday.
By SAM JOHNSTON Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — Manchester City’s hopes of the quadruple remained alive after it advanced to the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Championship team Cardiff on Sunday.
City cruised to victory thanks to Kevin de Bruyne’s early free kick and a rare headed goal from Raheem Sterling.
Chelsea will join City in Monday’s fifth-round draw after Michy Batshuayi’s double paved the way to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Newcastle.
It was the second time this week that City had beaten a second-tier opponent — the Premier League leader saw off Bristol City in the semifinals of the League Cup to clinch its first final under Pep Guardiola.
With a commanding 12-point lead in the Premier League and a favorable draw in the form of Swiss side Basel in the Champions League round of 16, every victory from here will increase talk of an unprecedented quadruple for City.
De Bruyne’s free kick put City in control after just eight minutes at the Cardiff City Stadium. With Cardiff expecting the Belgium midfielder to attempt to find the top corner, he cheekily rolled his free kick under the jumping wall and into the net.
Bernardo Silva had a thunderous strike harshly ruled out with the linesman appearing to adjudge Leroy Sane offside and interfering with Cardiff goalkeeper Neil Etheridge’s line of vision.
It was only a brief reprieve for the home side. City doubled its lead eight minutes before halftime when Sterling continued his prolific season, converting Silva’s cross with a precise headed finish.
Cardiff fought on in the second half but failed to find the net and was reduced to 10 men in stoppage time when midfielder Joe Bennett received his second yellow card.
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CHELSEA ADVANCES
After exiting the League Cup midweek at the hands of Arsenal, Chelsea ensured it reached the fifth round of the FA Cup for the 18th time in the last 20 seasons.
Marcos Alonso scored a stunning free kick to seal the victory after out-of-favor Batshuayi had given Chelsea a scarcely deserved 2-0 halftime lead against Newcastle.
It was only a second win — inside 90 minutes — in eight games for Chelsea in what has been a testing January. Various reports have suggested the club is looking to recruit a new striker, but it was the sparingly used Batshuayi who delivered on this occasion.
Having managed just one goal in its three previous home games, Chelsea was once more lacking in fluidity at Stamford Bridge and was reliant on the individual brilliance of Eden Hazard to break down its well-organized opponent.
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