Manchester City moved a step closer to retaining the FA Cup for the first time in their history after a fortuitous brace from Bernardo Silva helped the Cityzens to a routine 2-0 victory over Newcastle United in the quarter-finals.
Fresh from a rare midweek off following their high-octane draw with Liverpool last weekend, Pep Guardiola’s men came flying out the blocks, and their early pressure was rewarded with a breakthrough inside the opening quarter-hour. Bernardo Silva fashioned a yard of space for himself on the edge of the box and his deflected effort looped over Martin Dúbravka and into the far corner to give the hosts a deserved lead.
City continued to dominate proceedings, and a second duly followed on the half-hour mark when another deflected strike from Silva found its way past a helpless Dubravka. Faced with a daunting deficit, Newcastle came close to pulling one back almost immediately, but Stefan Ortega did brilliantly to thwart Alexander Isak from close range. That proved to be just a momentary piece of respite for the visitors, as Jérémy Doku and Rúben Dias both saw efforts saved by Dubravka before the interval.
The one-way traffic showed no signs of slowing down in the early stages of the second half, with Doku and Erling Haaand going close to adding to the hosts’ advantage. Eddie Howe’s men refused to throw in the towel, however, and the dangerous Isak spurned a glorious opportunity to test Ortega in the City goal after good work from substitute Miguel Almirón.
Newcastle continued to search for a route back into the match with time ticking into the final 15 minutes, but despite several openings in the final third, the City rearguard held firm to seal another trip to Wembley. The result extends Guardiola’s side’s winning streak in the competition to 10 matches, while Newcastle’s wait for a first FA Cup semi-final since 2004/05 goes on for another year.
