Swindon 1 – 4 Man City

A strong Manchester City side beat Swindon 4-1 despite Covid-19 problems in the Premier League leaders’ camp to progress to the FA Cup fourth round.

City manager Pep Guardiola and his assistant Juan Manuel Lillo both were missing after testing positive for Covid-19, along with up to 20 other staff members, including at least seven first-team players – but City still managed to field a very strong team with just four changes from their 2-1 win over Arsenal in the Premier League.

Bernardo Silva got the ball rolling on 14 minutes when finishing from close range following a lovely twisting run from the impressive Cole Palmer, before Gabriel Jesus doubled the lead when Swindon unsuccessfully tried to play out from the back.

Ilkay Gundogan made it 3-0 when whipping a clever free-kick home from 30 yards and City could afford Jesus to miss a penalty three minutes later. Swindon’s vocal crowd were given a moment to remember with 12 minutes to go when Harry McKirdy scampered clear and finished neatly.

There was still time for Palmer to score his first FA Cup goal, curling home a tidy finish into the top corner from a tight angle. City now go into the hat for the fourth-round draw which takes place on Sunday.

More to follow…

What’s next?

Swindon Town visit Mansfield Town in League Two on Tuesday at 7.30pm while Manchester City host Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday January 15 at 12.30pm.