Man City ease into quarters, Middlesbrough shock Spurs
Manchester City eased into
the last eight of FA Cup with a 2-0 victory at Peterborough while Middlesbrough
produced another shock to extend Tottenham's long wait for silverware with a
1-0 win after extra time at the Riverside on Tuesday.
Oleksandr Zinchenko
captained City as classy finishes from Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish sent the
English champions through.
Ukrainian international
Zinchenko took the armband in his first appearance since Russia's invasion of
Ukraine.
Fernandinho had initially been listed as City skipper for the tie, but the Brazilian, who signed from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, offered the role to Zinchenko in a show of solidarity.
"It's not an easy
period for Oleks, his family, his country, but playing football is the best for
him at the moment," said City boss Pep Guardiola.
Zinchenko and Peterborough
captain Frankie Kent held a Ukrainian flag together as they led the teams out
at the start of the match.
Once the action got
underway, Guardiola's men took time to make the breakthrough against a side
sitting bottom of the Championship.
Mahrez took his tally for
the season to an impressive 19 goals in just 32 appearances as the Algerian
cleverly guided the ball into the far corner from a narrow angle on the hour
mark.
Grealish has had a far less productive season since his £100 million ($134 million) move from Aston Villa.
But he marked his return
from injury with a sublime touch to control Phil Foden's long through ball
before slotting past Steven Benda for his fourth City goal.
Manchester City's Jack Grealish celebrates scoring their second goal with Phil Foden during the English FA cup fifth round football match between Peterborough United and Manchester City at the Weston Homes Stadium, in Peterborough, on 1 March, 2022Reuters"While we were on the coach on the way to the game, I was sat next to Phil and we were scrolling through videos of (Lionel) Messi," said Grealish.
"After scoring he came
up to me and said it was just like we were watching."
Craystal Palace secure quarter final
Crystal Palace also booked their place in the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over Stoke.
Cheikhou Kouyate and Jairo
Riedewald struck for the Eagles either side of Josh Tymon's equaliser.
Boro knocked out Manchester
United at Old Trafford in the fourth round and the Championship side were
worthy winners to condemn Spurs to another trophyless season.
Not since a League Cup win
in 2008 have Tottenham lifted a trophy and another hugely disappointing defeat
poses further questions over the future of manager Antonio Conte.
The Italian only took
charge in November, but has already hinted he could walk away after a run of
four defeats in the past six Premier League games.
"We have to give our
best for the rest of the season then we will see what is our position and the
evaluation of our season," said Conte. "It is early to say something
about this."
Teenager Josh Coburn came off the bench to score the only goal with a thumping finish across Hugo Lloris in the 107th minute.
"In between the win at
Manchester United and here we got turned over at Barnsley. Football is a
ridiculous game," said Boro manager Chris Wilder.
"The supporters gave
us the energy to produce a top performance."
Harry Kane did have the
ball in the net for Tottenham in the second half only to be flagged offside.
But the England captain may
also be again considering his future as he waits to win the first major honour
of his career.
Middlesbrough were by far
the brighter side in extra time and got their reward when Coburn rifled across
Lloris from Crooks' through ball.