Malik Waqar
Premier League champions Manchester City survived a huge FA Cup fourth-round scare as Kevin De Bruyne came off the bench to secure a 2-1 victory at third-tier Leyton Orient on Saturday.
A wretched season for Pep Guardiola’s side looked like reaching a new low as Orient held on to a 16th-minute lead given to them by Jamie Donley’s long-range wonder-strike that went in via the crossbar and the back of City keeper Stefan Ortega.
A strong City line-up huffed and puffed in response and were relieved when Abdukodir Khusanov equalised in the 56th minute, deflecting in Rico Lewis’s shot following a corner.
De Bruyne came on late in the game and City’s playmaker spared his side extra time when he was played in by Jack Grealish to score from close range in the 79th minute.
Even then Orient almost equalised when skipper Dan Happe volleyed over a great chance in the closing minutes.
Some lament the FA Cup having lost much of its romance in recent years, in the face of obsession with the Premier League, but this tie had it in bucket loads.
A murky, drizzly lunchtime in an east London suburb lined with rows of Victorian terraced houses looked like the perfect stage for Orient to stage a mugging of City’s slickers. And while City escaped, it was a mightily relieved Guardiola who applauded the home fans at fulltime.
Orient, sixth in League One after a sensational run of form under Manchester United fan Richie Wellens, did themselves proud as they showed scant regard for reputations.
While City made eight changes from last week’s mauling across the capital at Arsenal it was still a line-up packed with hundreds of millions of pounds’ worth of talent.
Nico Gonzalez and Vitor Reis both made their debuts while Ruben Dias returned in defence with Grealish and Ilkay Gundogan adding experience. Gundogan fluffed a chance to settle City’s nerves when he somehow steered a Savinho cross wide with the goal gaping. Orient, roared on by a capacity 9,000 crowd, snapped into tackles and were soon in dreamland.
Gundogan lost the ball near the halfway line and when the ball broke for Donley, the 20-year-old sent a long-range shot arcing towards goal.
As Ortega back-pedalled, seemingly in slow motion, all he could do was push the ball against the crossbar before it dropped down and went in off his back, sparking scenes of delirium around the stadium and on the balconies of the apartments wedged into each corner.
City’s response was sporadic as Orient defended superbly to protect their lead.
Orient keeper Josh Keeley, who scored a stoppage-time equaliser in his side’s second-round win against Oldham Athletic, produced a superb save to deny Omar Marmoush from an equaliser in first-half stoppage time.
Orient were digging deep at the start of the second half but City got the stroke of luck they required when Lewis’s shot took a big deflection off Khusanov to wrong-footed Keeley.
Still, a City win never looked a formality as Orient continued to cause problems for the nervy visitors. James McAtee was denied by the woodwork for City while Keeley made a fine save to deny Gundogan. With 20 minutes left, Guardiola sent on Phil Foden and De Bruyne and the changes paid off. For once, Grealish managed to thread a pass through Orient’s massed ranks and De Bruyne provided a delicate finish. REUTERS
