What fiery Pep Guardiola did after Bournemouth booking points to Man City future

Manchester City fans feared the worst when one Nico wasn't named in the starting lineup. They had the other to thank for coming off the bench to send them to Wembley for a record seventh consecutive FA Cup semi-final.

City showed once again why they have struggled so badly in the five months since they arrived at Bournemouth on top of the Premier League, and leave with more issues. Abdukodir Khusanov was taken off at half-time with what was hopefully a precaution but Pep Guardiola will miss the next match after picking up a third yellow card of the season and Erling Haaland limped off with a knee problem that looked worrying.

Those can be for another day though after the away end are done serenading 20-year-old Nico O'Reilly. In a competition famed for its romance and magic, an academy star coming on with his team losing and transforming the game while playing out of the position ensured the shouts he got were thoroughly earned.

City have been used to being nobody's favourite in an era under Guardiola where they have dominated English football. Asked before the game how nice it would be for Bournemouth to reach their first ever FA Cup semi-final, City's manager responded that nobody had ever reached seven in a row before either.

One of the sadder parts of City's decline this season has been that loss of fear factor. Opposition fans are no longer so emotionally invested in them losing before it has happened so often since they suffered a first Premier League defeat here at Bournemouth back in early November.

They were, incredibly, still top of the league back then, but nearly five months on produced a first-half performance that reflected why they have slunk so badly. The worst bit of that was that it was so