MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - MANCHESTER CITY 2-0 NEWCASTLE UNITED

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Manchester City eased into the semi finals of the FA Cup for the sixth consecutive season with a win against Newcastle United, thanks to two deflected goals from Bernardo Silva.

The Portuguese international scored both of his goals in the first half - one with his right foot and one with his left - which were both aided by heavy deflections to effectively seal the game for City in the first period.

Other chances in the first half were limited. Ruben Dias and Jeremy Doku both squandered decent opportunities, whilst Erling Haaland was unable to get on the end of a delicately chipped pass from the impressive Mateo Kovacic.

For Newcastle, Stefan Ortega-Moreno was forced into one excellent save from Aleksander Isak, diving low to his left to keep out the Swede's low effort.

The second period was also uneventful. The biggest chance came after a swashbuckling move through midfield from Kovacic and Phil Foden saw Haaland fire wide of the post after carrying the ball forward through the final third.

Doku also came close with a left foot shot that flashed across the face of goal, whilst at the other end, Isak could've come close after City were dispossessed in their own half, but his touch in front of goal was poor and allowed Manuel Akanji time to recover.

City controlled the course of the game from start to finish in a way that will have been ideal for Pep Guardiola, with his midfield trio of Rodri, Kovacic and Foden the three shining lights.

Bernardo and Doku tucked into midfield to support, with Kyle Walker and Josko Gvardiol holding the width, which seems to be the go to formation when John Stones isn't on the pitch to push forward into central midfield from defence.

And with Jack Grealish fit again after his latest injury setback, it leaves Guardiola with a healthy selection headache.

Only four of Bernardo, Kovacic, Grealish, Foden, Doku, Julian Alvarez and Kevin de Bruyne can start ahead of Rodri and behind Haaland in City's next match against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium, which will be crucial in deciding the Premier League title.

A win for either side would likely make them the favourites, whilst a draw would tip it in Liverpool's favour.

With an international break up ahead, City will go into that match refreshed, and hopefully confident of overcoming Mikel Arteta's side and making a huge statement of intent in the title race.

Their FA Cup semi final comes after their home tie against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, where they'll face Chelsea, in what should be a tightly contested affair.

Here are the player ratings for the quarter final victory against the Magpies:

Ortega-Moreno - 7/10 - Distributed well from the back and made an excellent save in the first half from Isak, once again reinforcing the notion that he is currently the best number 2 goalkeeper in the world.

Walker - 7.5/10 - Battled well at right back, defending his flank well and offered an outlet on the right hand side, which most importantly let Bernardo have more freedom to drift centrally.

Dias - 7/10 - Passed the ball crisply and accurately, and was dominant in his aerial and ground duels. Perhaps fortunate to not be isolated more often with Anthony Gordon, who possess the pace and skill to cause the 26 year old problems.

Akanji - 8/10 - Magnificent once again at centre back, looking flawless in his duels and incisive with his passing, with a through ball to Doku unfortunate not to end in an assist. The 28 year old's current form is arguably the best of his City career so far, meaning it would be very harsh to see him dropped for the Arsenal game if Guardiola decides not to start him.

Gvardiol - 7/10 - A steady performance from Gvardiol, as he continues to regain his fitness after injury. Kept the ball well and offered an attacking threat down the left hand side with his pace, technical ability and power.

Rodri - 8.5/10 - Great performance in the centre of the park, giving the ball away very rarely and being the first man on the scene to win it back.

Kovacic - 8.5/10 - Magnificent once again playing alongside Rodri, and will rightfully feel very hard done by if he starts on the bench against Arsenal, even with the excellent array if options City have in midfield.

Bernardo - 8/10 - Had a stroke of fortune with his two goals, but had an otherwise solid performance, as he looked threatening dribbling in the right half space, linking up well with Walker a few times.

Foden - 8/10 - The 23 year old has had games this season where he's been more involved, but every time he touched the ball, Foden looked razor sharp. Almost scored a wonder goal in the first half after a beautiful turn, to add to his ever-growing list of nearly moments in terms of scoring fantastic goals.

Doku - 7.5/10 - Like against Liverpool, Doku looked a threat, with a license to roam around the pitch that was seemingly benefitting him. The only negative lies with his end product; it is too inconsistent, but there is no manager in the world better than Guardiola in improving players and their goal output.

Haaland - 7/10 - More involved on the ball than usual, and looked good carrying and dribbling with the ball. However, he looked a little bit off the pace in other elements of his game, and looked absolutely exhausted by the time he was replaced with just a few minutes left to go.

Substitutes:

Bobb - 7/10 - Looked sharp off the bench, with a few promising touches of the ball in forward areas.

Alvarez - Not enough time to make an impact.