Pep Guardiola joked that Kevin De Bruyne saved him from the sack by scoring the goal that enabled Manchester City to avoid an FA Cup humiliation.
Guardiola was all smiles after De Bruyne came off the bench to score the 79th-minute winner that took the champions into round five after Orient’s fans had taunted him about getting the boot following the Stefan Ortega own goal that sent the League One underdogs into a shock early lead.
City enjoyed a massive dose of Cup luck when they drew level thanks to a deflection off defender Abdukodir Khusanov that was decisive in bringing them level.
And Guardiola said: “They were singing ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’. It’s a routine in all the stadiums right now. But, with this result, I think my chairman is not going to sack me!
“It was a fantastic game. I don’t know if the vibe is like this in League One for every single game, but it was really good in the stadium.
“You must behave properly in places like this. How many surprises have there been in the FA Cup throughout the long history?
“Our position is a little unstable emotionally and we have a lot of injuries. But that’s why these results make me so proud and so happy.”
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City, who face Real Madrid in the first leg of a Champions League play-off on Tuesday night, saw £50million midfielder Nico Gonzalez limp off after just 22 minutes of his debut with a hip injury. Guardiola added: My first away game was against Stoke City – and I realised immediately what the game in England is like. Now Nico knows.
“Outside the first 10 minutes, we played a really good game. It’s impossible to control a game going into the last few minutes winning 2-1. You are always going to suffer.
“It’s my ninth season in England. I have played many times in this incredible competition. We were lucky in the end because they had chances but it’s nice to be in the next round.”
O’s boss Richie Wellens, a Mancunian who started his playing career with United, was glowing about both his team and City. Wellens said: “I’m not happy because we’ve lost, but I am so pleased with the intensity and passion we showed – and at times the quality.
“You’ve got to credit City. They never panicked, they kept moving the ball, and although it sounds weird I’m glad it didn’t go into extra-time because they would have run us into the ground.
“Would we have won the FA Cup. No – but we can get promotion.”
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