Man City secured a 2-0 victory over Salford City in the FA Cup fourth round on 14/2 at the Etihad Stadium, but manager Pep Guardiola expressed strong dissatisfaction with his team's performance, labeling it "boring" and lacking incisiveness.

The home side opened the scoring early with an own goal from Alfie Dorrington in the 6th minute. However, Man City struggled to find pace and creative ideas throughout the match, prompting Guardiola to introduce key players like Antoine Semenyo, Marc Guehi, and Rodri in the second half. It was central defender Guehi who ultimately sealed the win with his first goal for the club in the 81st minute.

Following the match, when asked about his satisfaction, Guardiola responded bluntly: "No. We didn't read the spaces they left. In attack, it depends on how the opponent defends, and we didn't do that. That's why the match became boring. The only good news is that we advanced. That's it."

Coach Guardiola directed the match where Man City defeated Salford City 2-0 in the FA Cup fourth round at Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England, on 14/2. *Photo: Man City*.

Guardiola made nine changes to the starting lineup against lower-league Salford City compared to their 3-0 Premier League win over Fulham earlier in the week. Despite having one week's rest before resuming their Premier League title challenge, the Spanish coach refused to use fatigue as an excuse for the lackluster display.

"Of course it would be easier if I said the team was mentally exhausted, had gone through two or three difficult weeks," he remarked. "But this is our job. The schedule requires us to play every few days. The problem is we couldn't find space; everything was slow and lacked vitality."

Beyond advancing to the FA Cup fifth round, Man City received a squad boost with the return of John Stones, who had been sidelined for over two months due to a thigh injury. The English central defender started the match before being substituted for Guehi in the 65th minute.

Guardiola expressed satisfaction with Stones' return, though he acknowledged the defender was not yet at his peak physical condition or form. "Of course not the John Stones we knew, but the body language was very positive, especially in pressing and intensity. His playing 65 minutes was very important," the 55-year-old coach stated.

Goalkeeper James Trafford made a diving save. *Photo: Man City*.

Salford City, currently competing in League Two (the fourth tier of the English football league system), showed significant improvement since their 0-8 FA Cup defeat to Man City last season. They created several opportunities, forcing goalkeeper James Trafford to make two crucial saves, including stopping Ben Woodburn's volley and closing down Kelly N’Mai.

"I knew I wouldn't have to do too much, but when asked, I had to perform well," Trafford commented. "This is a knockout match. We won and have one week before the next game. The whole team must keep moving forward."

Salford manager Karl Robinson also saw positive signs despite the loss. "I said before the match that this club improves every year," he noted. "We came here with a stronger squad, as a better club. The players proved that. I hate losing, but the way we lost today showed the team's effort."

Man City will now have one week of rest before facing Newcastle in their Premier League 27th-round fixture at the Etihad Stadium on 21/2.

Hong Duy (according to ESPN, Mancity.com)