Lightning strikes twice as Wigan end City's quadruple hopes
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ByEurosport
Updated 09/03/2014 at 21:59 GMT
FA Cup quarter-final, Etihad Stadium - Manchester City 1 (Nasri 68) Wigan Athletic (Gomez 27 pen, Perch 47)
Manchester City's Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko (R), Manchester City's Romanian goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon (C) and Manchester City's English defender Joleon Lescott (L) (Getty Images)
Image credit: Getty Images
Wigan Athletic shocked Manchester City to win 2-1 in the FA Cup quarter-final at Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City put in a lethargic performance and appeared to be struggling with the international exertions of much of their squad.
Wigan were solid in defence, breaking forward when the opportunity presented itself. They won a penalty on 26 minutes as Marc-Antoine Fortune beat Martin Demichelis, then was tripped by his clumsy tackle. Jordi Gomez hit a penalty just to the left of the centre of the goal as Costel Pantilimon dived right.
In the second half, Wigan doubled their lead after just two minutes, as James Perch took advantage of Gael Clichy's poor marking to tap in James McArthur's cross.
With half an hour left, City finally had a chance, but Edin Dzeko's header from Clichy's cross hit the post. On 68 minutes, Nasri, pulled one back, firing in a shot from outside the box.
But despite a late flurry of chances, Wigan held on to record a quite stunning cup upset, and arguably register a more astonishing win than their victory over City in last season's final.
KEY MOMENTS
2' - GOMEZ SHOT: Demichelis sticks out a leg to clear a cross from the right, and Gomez fires his effort just wide from outside the box.
26' - DEMICHELIS BUFFOONERY: Easily beaten for pace as Fortune performs a clever Cruyff turn, Demichelis then waits for his man to reach the penalty area before tripping him.
27' - GOMEZ PENALTY: Waiting for Pantilmon to show his intentions, Gomez sends the ball slightly to the left of the keeper as he moves to dive the other way.
47' - PERCH GOAL: James McArthur has space on the left after lax defending from Richards and Demichelis, and Perch gets in ahead of Clichy to tap in.
64' - DZEKO CHANCE: Dzeko heads a corner at the back post in the opposite direction over the keeper, but it hits the post and David Silva can't get to the rebound.
68' - NASRI GOAL: Micah Richards chests back the ball from a corner to Nasri, who shots low into the corner from outside the box.
90+1' - FORTUNE CHANCE: Far from being under relentless pressure, Wigan have the best late chance as Fortune has a shot blocked from a tight angle.
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Wigan Athletic's James Perch (C) celebrates with teammates James McArthur (L) and Jordi Gomez after scoring a goal against Manchester City during their English FA Cup quarter final soccer match at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, northern England March 9
Image credit: Reuters
KEY STATS
Scott Carson did not have a save to make in the first half.
Wigan Athletic lead Manchester City 3-1 on aggregate after their last two FA cup ties.
Outside of the FA Cup, City are undefeated against Wigan in their last 10 meetings.
This was the first time Wigan scored at the Etihad in their last eight matches.
This was Wigan's six win in a row.
TALKING POINT
Did Manchester City take Wigan seriously? They played a strong team from the start, but did not appear to start trying until the last half hour. Manuel Pellegrini even turned up to the match wearing a hoodie rather than his usual suit, and a dramatic three-man substitution early in the second half had no immediate effect.
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Manchester City's Chilean manager Manuel Pellegrini waits for kick off of the English FA Cup quarter-final football match between Manchester City and Wigan (Getty Images)
Image credit: Getty Images
MAN OF THE MATCH
Jordi Gomez (Wigan Athletic): Gomez had the first shot of the match, and had the nerves to convert the penalty in the first half. However, all of the players of Wigan Athletic can be proud of their performances as they kept their focus for the full match under increasing pressure and expectation.
PLAYER RATINGS
Manchester City: Pantilimon 6, Richards 5, Demichelis 5, Lescott 5, Clichy 6, Navas 6, Toure 5, Garcia 5, Nasri 6, Negredo 5, Aguero 5. Subs: Milner 6, Silva 6, Dzeko 6.
Wigan Athletic: Carson 6, Perch 7, Boyce 7, Ramis 6, Crainey 6, McCann 6, McArthur 6, McManaman 6, Gomez 7, Fortune 7. Subs: Barnett 6, McClean 6, Espinoza 6.
THE MATCH IN A TWEET
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