Silva kills off Newcastle to keep City on double treble trail
PEP Guardiola reached the FA Cup semi-finals for the seventh time in his eight seasons as Manchester City manager, thanks to one of his most loyal veterans Bernardo Silva.
The Portuguese star’s two deflected first-half goals killed off the Etihad quarter-final before it had even effectively started, clearing the path for yet another trip to the home of football for his manager.
Guardiola has only won two of his six previous Wembley semis in the competition but last season’s treble winners are gaining momentum at just the right time and will fancy their chances of winning the FA Cup for a third time on his watch.
Silva, along with Kyle Walker the only survivor of Guardiola’s two FA Cup Final successes in action yesterday, struck twice in just over half an hour although both goals received an important assisting touch from Newcastle defenders.
That was a direct result of defenders backing off and inviting City players to take shots - a policy Guardiola’s men embraced in devastating fashion.
After 13 minutes, after a long passage of possession from City, Rodri’s pass allowed Silva a shot from the edge of the area which deflected off the lunging Dan Burn and looped over the head of Martin Dubravka.
And on 31 minutes, in eerily similar circumstances, Silva took a shot which flicked off the head of Sven Botman, wrong-footing his keeper on the way into the goal.
It was not all despair for Eddie Howe’s team but, having gifted City a two-goal lead, it was hard to see them forcing a way back into the tie.
Four minutes after the second goal they might have gained a foothold but Stefan Ortega made a fine reflex save in the City goal after Alexander Isak connected with Burn’s towering header.
That opening aside, it was all City and
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