MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - MANCHESTER CITY 5-0 HUDDERSFIELD TOWN

Image courtesy of independent.co.uk

Manchester City cruised into the next round of an FA Cup with a convincing win over a resilient Huddersfield Town side, with the headlines dominated by an assist for club captain Kevin de Bruyne on his return to the side from the substitutes bench.

With illness ruling the likes of Bernardo Silva and Kalvin Phillips out of action and De Bruyne, Jeremy Doku and Erling Haaland not yet fit enough to start a game (in Haaland's case, he wasn't even fit enough for the bench) City had limited starting options. Nevertheless, they were still able to give complete rest to Rodri, Kyle Walker and Nathan Ake, whilst giving the chance to squad players such as Sergio Gomez and Oscar Bobb the opportunity to impress from the off.

Huddersfield weren't going to make life easy for City, however. The Terriers, who are struggling in the relegation zone in the Championship, put up a valiant fight, as they sat deep with a compact low block, limiting the space for City centrally and in the half spaces.

This, as well as an injury to Manuel Akanji forcing City into an early substitution, saw a tactical change made by manager Pep Guardiola. Gomez, who had been tucking inside next to Kovacic up until this point, went high and wide on the left, with Rico Lewis moving wide on the right after he was forced to move to right back after Akanji's substitution, with Matheus Nunes coming on in midfield.

This allowed Bobb and Jack Grealish to come inside for more frequent touches of the ball. Whilst this initially led to the midfield being too congested, once City got into their rhythm and started forming partnerships and triangles in wide areas, the space naturally opened up, and City began to probe.

They grabbed their first goal through Phil Foden, who received the ball in the box after excellent play from Mateo Kovacic to initially find Alvarez and lashed the ball past Lee Nicholls in the Huddersfield goal to hit double figures for the season.

City scored again a few minutes later, after fine work from Foden and Nunes on the right hand side led to Lewis being found in the penalty area. His shot was skewed, but Alvarez was able to poke the ball over the line with the outside of his left foot to give City a cushion in the match.

City saw out the rest of the half and the beginning of the second period in full control without any incidents. The game sparked back into life again in the 55th minute with a double substitution that saw the introduction of the Belgian King and the Belgian Prince, who graced the pitch of the Etihad Stadium once again after a spell on the sidelines.

And it wasn't long before either of them had an impact. Doku was getting plenty of touches of the ball in a more central position, and De Bruyne was finding his feet again in his regular free role just off the striker, who in this case was Phil Foden operating as a false nine.

The 32 year old came very close to scoring with his very first touch after bursting into the penalty area towards the back post, but Bobb's attempted pass to De Bruyne deflected up and other the keeper off the unfortunate Ben Jackson for a third City goal.

An exceptional short corner routine for City involving Bobb, De Bruyne, Gomez and Kovacic saw Foden slamming the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box to continue his run of sparkling form in the number 10 role.

And there was still time for De Bruyne and Doku to influence play on their return. Fine link up play down the right hand side saw De Bruyne clip the ball towards the back post, where Doku hit the ball on the half volley into the bottom corner to seal a very emphatic victory for City.

Micah Hamilton came on for his home debut and had a couple of promising touches, whilst Jacob Wright entered the pitch to make his debut in senior football starting at the base of midfield. Both of these players have been with City's academy from a young age, and will hope to follow in Lewis and Foden's footsteps by graduating to the first team.

It's been a while since City have properly put their opponents to the sword (probably not since the 6-1 victory against Bournemouth two months ago) so this result has been long overdue.

With De Bruyne now back in the side and an option from the bench until he's fully fit, a pathway lies for City to build up some real momentum in their hunt for a fourth consecutive Premier League title, as well as defending their Champions League and FA Cup crowns.

Here are the player ratings for the 3rd round victory against Huddersfield:

Ortega-Moreno - 7/10 - Wasn't without things to do, particularly late on. The German goalkeeper made a few good saves from close range and distributed well, but it was ultimately a fairly mundane day for City's back up goalkeeper.

Akanji - 6.5/10 - No real time to make an impact on the game. Held his position very well and made a few good positive carries down the right hand side. Hopefully his injury is nothing serious, as he's a crucial squad player, particularly in John Stones's absence.

Dias - 6/10 - Had a solid enough first half, as he passed the ball well and won a few early headers inside the penalty box. However, he appeared to come off second best a few times in the second period against Huddersfield's striker, something he'll want to put aside quickly as he'll be up against the dangerous Aleksander Isak at Newcastle next week.

Gvardiol - 7/10 - In the early stages, he played a few dodgy passes that put his teammates under pressure. But he brushed that aside very early on and went on to have a good game in his preferred position of centre back, somewhere he may find himself playing more often thanks to injuries to Akanji and Stones.

Gomez - 8/10 - Excelled going forwards, as he linked up well with Grealish and then Doku down the left hand side. In games where City can afford to throw more players forward, the Spaniard should be granted more minutes at left back, or should be given a more consistent chance in midfield or the left wing to make up for his defensive deficiencies.

Kovacic - 8.5/10 - Dictated the game playing as the deepest lying midfielder, with his frequent touches of the ball helping City set the tempo. Played his role in both of Foden's goals, and was there on the cover to sweep up at least two Huddersfield counter attacks. At the moment, he is comfortably the best option to cover Rodri for when the Spaniard needs a rest.

Lewis - 7.5/10 - Sharp and tenacious in midfield to start of the game, and looked impressive playing as the right sided outlet for the rest of the match. His versatility and ability to deliver in numerous different positions and roles means he can already be considered as one of Guardiola's most important players.

Foden - 9/10 - For the fourth match in a row, Foden has been City's stand out player. Both of his goals were excellently taken, and the game changed in City's favour once he started receiving more touches of the ball. Slowly but surely, in Haaland and De Bruyne's absence, he is becoming City's talisman and most dangerous player.

Bobb - 8/10 - Once again, Bobb put in a performance in which you couldn't tell that he's a recent academy graduate. He looked silky and dangerous playing in the inverted right hand side role, and showed early signs of a promising link up with De Bruyne. He should be considered as a genuine starting option now; he is no longer an academy graduate and should be viewed in the same way as Lewis is in this respect.

Alvarez - 7/10 - His space was severely limited by Huddersfield's low block, but, in Haaland-esque fashion, he was able to occupy defenders, thus creating space for others. Took his goal instinctively too, to continue his run of good scoring form.

Grealish - 6.5/10 - Retained the ball well, and was much brighter than against Sheffield United. Helped to create a few good chances down the left by linking up with Gomez, and was just growing into the game when he was substituted for Doku. His "pausa" and control will be needed against Newcastle at the cauldron of noise and energy that is St James' Park.

Substitutes:

Nunes - 7/10 - Played his role in the second goal, and had a few glimpses of high potential in possession. He'll only get better in this City team packed with exceptional midfielders, which will be exciting to witness.

Doku - 7.5/10 - Looked at his dangerous, incisive best. We saw an early indication of his link up with De Bruyne via his goal, which he took superbly well. It was also encouraging to see Doku thrive with more touches of the ball in a central area, showing that he's maturing to become a more Guardiola suited player. which will only benefit himself and City.

De Bruyne - 7/10 - He looked understandably a little rusty at times, but, it must be said, he looked a lot sharper on the whole than on his return from injury in the 2018/19 season. He has been looked after very well by City's medical team, and he must now be managed carefully in order to get him fully fit and firing for the business end of the season.

Wright - 6.5/10 - Had a few nice touches of the ball, and looked confident and composed on his senior debut.

Hamilton - 6.5/10 - Threatened to take his man on a few times, and looked reasonably comfortable playing in the narrow inside role.