91
Daily Mail, Thursday, March 5, 2020 QQQ
FA CUP 91
NEVILLE: I’LL b E boLd aNd throw
IN youNg LI oNEssEs agaIN st usa
FootbaLL DIGEST
CENK TOSUN has cut short his loan to Crystal Palace
and is back at Everton amid concerns the 28-year-old
striker is facing six months out with a knee injury.CONTRIBUTOR: Matt Hughes
smaLLINg IN
ENgLaNd mIX
SPORT IN BRIEF
GaReTH S OUTHGaTe
revealed last night that
Chris Smalling remains
under consideration for
england’s euro 2020 squad
after impressing during his
loan spell at Roma.
The Manchester United
defender has not played for
england since June 2017.
Southgate and assistant
Steve Holland have been towatch Smalling in Italy,
where he has started 28
matches this season.
‘I’ve never ruled anybody
out,’ Southgate said. ‘I think
that would be wrong. I think
he’s done well in Italy.’ENglaND W OMEN’S
manager Phil Neville insists
his young lionesses are
not in Florida to make up
the numbers, and he will
put them to the test
against the United States in
the SheBelieves Cup
opener tonight.
‘It would be weak of me as
a manager to not play
them in the biggest
occasions, because that’s
when your philosophy is
tested the most,’ said
Neville. ‘They’ve earned
the right to play so they
will start or take part.’Rachel Daly, seemingly a
natural replacement for
the injured lucy Bronze at
right back, has not played
a competitive game since
November, and is
therefore a doubt to start
the game in Orlando.
The four who played in the
league Cup final on
Saturday, including Beth
England, are unlikely to
start. The game also comes
too soon for goalkeeper
Ellie Roebuck.
TV: LIVE on BBC1 from 11.40pm
(kick-off midnight).cLarE b LoomfIELd
EMIRaTES Fa CUP FIFTh ROUND
lEICESTER...... (0) 1 BIRMINghaM (0) 0
Ricardo Pereira 82 27,181
ShEFF WED...... (0) 0 MaN C IT y... .(0) 1
aguero 53
20,995
TOTTENhaM...... (1) 1 NORWICh.... .(0) 1
Vertonghen 13 Drmic 78
aeT: Norwich win 3-2 on pens 58,007
SCOTTISh PREMIERShIP
KIlMaRNOCK.... (2) 2 aBERDEEN.. .(1) 2
Brophy 17 (pen) McGinn 38
Kiltie 23 McLennan 50
4,217
lIVINgSTON..... (1) 2 CElTIC...... .(1) 2
Guthrie 24 McGregor 16, Rogic 90
Robinson 46 8,640
MOThERWEll... (2) 4 ROSS C OUNTy. (1) 1
O’Hara 17, Campbell 25, 75 Fontaine 3
Watt 90 3,191
RaNgERS....... (0) 0 haMIlTON.. .(0) 1
Moyo 56 18,167
ST MIRREN...... (0) 0 ST J OhNSTONE (0) 0
4,287P W D l F a gD Pts
Celtic .............29 25 2 2 84 19 65 77
Rangers ........28 20 4 4 63 19 44 64
Motherwell ..29 14 3 12 40 37 3 45
aberdeen .....29 11 9 9 37 35 2 42
livingston.....2 9 10 9 10 41 38 3 39
hibernian .....29 9 10 10 41 46 -5 37
Kilmarnock ..29 9 6 14 31 40 -9 33
St Johnstone 2 8 7 12 9 27 46 -19 33
Ross County ..29 7 8 14 29 59 -30 29
St Mirren ......28 6 8 14 23 36 -13 26
hamilton .......29 5 9 15 29 50 -21 24
hearts ...........28 4 10 14 30 50 -20 22
laDBROKES SCOTTISh — Ch’ship:
arbroath 0 Dunfermline 0. league
2: Brechin P annan athletic P (Post-
poned - due to waterlogged pitch).
÷crIckEt
S E C O N D O D I — B l o e m f o n t e i n ,
australia 271 (50.0 overs, D Short 69,
a Finch 69, L Ngidi 6-58), South africa
274-4 (48.3 overs, J Malan 129no, H Klaasen
5 1). South africa won by 6 wickets.
÷todaY’S actIoN
EMIRaTES F a C UP 5 Th ROUND
Derby v Man Utd .......................(7.45)
Live on BT Sport 1
DaRTS — Unibet Premier league
Darts 5 (Westpoint, exeter).
RUgBy lEagUE — Betfred Super
league (7.45): Leeds v TorontoCHRIS
WHEELER
at Hillsborough0
SHEFF WED
1
mAN CITy
aguero 53T
HE Carabao Cup is
safely back at the
Etihad and who’s
to say the FA Cup
won’t be sitting
alongside it again by the
time Manchester City are
finished in May?
Three days after beating Aston
Villa at Wembley, the FA Cup
holders set up a trip to Newcastle
in the last eight with a thoroughly
deserved win last night.
It wasn’t vintage City. Having
scored 14 goals in their last three
games in this competition, they
had to make do with just the one
here. The winner came off the left
boot of Sergio Aguero, his 254th
for the club. It represents another
milestone in the Argentine’s
remarkable career in England asmuch wider margin, but the
24-year-old Sheffield-born keeper
could be forgiven for a little ring
rust. After all, this was his first
appearance of the season having
last played in August 2018.
If manager Garry Monk was
looking to make a statement with
his selection, it wasn’t a particu-
larly positive one. After a run of
one win in eight Championship
games, Monk’s priorities seemed
clear enough.
So too were his tactics, looking
to sit back and absorb City’s
pressure. Who could blame him?
It meant Pep Guardiola’s side
had 80 per cent of possession and
20 shots to Wednesday’s one.
Even that was off target.
City could have had a hatful.
Otamendi hit the woodwork in
the 32nd minute, rising ahead ofJulian Borner to meet a
free-kick from Riyad
Mahrez.
Mendy followed
suit early in the
second half when
Aguero and David
Silva worked the
ball out to the left
for the Frenchman
to let fly with a
20-yard shot that
Wildsmith touched
against the bar.
In the first half, Aguero
and Gabriel Jesus failed to
make contact with the ball in
front of goal with only the keeper
to beat. Mahrez blazed over and
then supplied the cross for John
Stones to direct a downward
header into the turf and over.
City were notably slicker afterthe break and it pro -
duced a breakthrough
eight minutes after
the restart.
It was unfortu-
nate for Wildsmith
w h o h a d j u s t
produced a fine
save to keep out
Bernardo Silva’s
low effort.
A n d h e m a d e
amends with an excel-
lent double save from
Stones and Aguero shortly
afterwards, and another one at
point-blank range from Raheem
Sterling at the death.
Wednesday failed to make the
most of their few opportunities
but sensed an unlikely equaliser.
It so nearly came when Steven
Fletcher stretched to meet AlexHunt’s low 80th-minute cross and
he was inches away from turning
it in at the far post. City survived.
They will not relinquish their hold
on this trophy easily.Sergio keeps Pep on
track for cup double
SHEffIELd WEdNESdaY (4-4-2):
Wildsmith 7; Palmer 6.5, Iorfa 7, Borner 6.5
(Lees 46min, 7), Murphy 6.5; Pelupessy 6,
Bannan 6.5, Lee 6, (Hunt 63, 6) Fox 5.5;
Da Cruz 6, Forestieri 6 (Fletcher 56, 6).
Subs not used: Dawson, Urhoghide,
Harris, Nuhiu.
Booked: Palmer.
Manager: Garry Monk 6.
maNcHEStEr cItY (4-3-3): Bravo 6.5;
Cancelo 6.5, Stones 6, Otamendi 6, Mendy 7;
BERNaRDO 8 , Rodri 6, D Silva 6.5;
Mahrez 6.5, aguero 7 (Sterling 86), Jesus 6.
Subs not used: ederson, Garcia, Zinchenko,
Fernandinho, Gundogan, Foden.
Scorer: aguero 53.
Booked: Mahrez.
Manager: Pep Guardiola 7.
Referee: Michael Oliver 6.
attendance: 20,995.254 not out:
aguero hits
the winner
past the
lunging Iorfa
GeTT y IMaGeSIN jurEd dE bruyNE IN
dErby FI tNEss racE
KEVIN D E B RUyNE could be out
of Sunday’s Manchester derby
with a back injury.
The midfielder missed last
night’s Fa Cup tie at Sheffield
Wednesday after landing
awkwardly towards the end of
the Carabao Cup final.
‘Kevin had a problem, he was
not fit,’ guardiola said. ‘he fell
down in a bad position in his
back. We don’t know how long
(he will be out).’he became the highest scorer in
history for the two Manchester
clubs, eclipsing Wayne Rooney’s
record of 253 for United.
City had already hit the bar
through Nicolas Otamendi and
Benjamin Mendy when Aguero
found a way past Wednesday’s
third- choice goalkeeper Joe
Wildsmith in the 53rd minute.
He took one touch to control
Mendy’s pass into the box and
then took aim, firing a shot
through the lunging Dominic
Iorfa. Wildsmith got a hand to the
ball but it wasn’t a strong one,
and the momentum on Aguero’s
shot was enough to take it in.
It was a pity for Wildsmith who
produced a series of impressive
saves to stop City winning by a21
city have won 21
consecutive domestic
cup ties since an
fa cup fifth-round
loss to Wigan in
february 2018.