FA Cup: City hit 4 past Port Vale, lacklustre United held by Wolves

London, January 5

Spluttering Manchester United were forced to settle for a dour 0-0 draw at Wolves in the FA Cup third round, while holders Manchester City started their bid to retain the trophy with a 4-1 victory against Port Vale.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s troubled side on Saturday didn’t manage a single shot on target in a domestic game for the first time in five years.

Easily beaten by Arsenal in the Premier League on Wednesday, United once again struggled to find any momentum and now face an unwanted replay at Old Trafford later in January.

At the Etihad Stadium, City boss Pep Guardiola made seven changes, but Oleksandr Zinchenko got the scoring started against the fourth-tier Vale after 20 minutes.

Port Vale striker Tom Pope had memorably mocked John Stones last year, claiming he would love to play against him after being underwhelmed by the City defender’s performance during an England match. And with Stones returning for City after a month out with a hamstring injury, the 34-year-old Pope backed up his social media taunts by equalising with a glancing header in the 35th minute. Sergio Aguero restored order when he fired City back in front with his 15th goal of the season three minutes before half-time.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis sealed the win from Stones’ flick in the 58th minute and Phil Foden got the fourth in the 76th minute. “We are in the next round after an incredible amount of games. We played seriously. First half we struggled a bit but second half was better,” Guardiola said.

Moura saves Spurs’ blushes

Tottenham Hotspur needed a Lucas Moura equaliser to avoid a third-round defeat at second-tier Middlesbrough as Jose Mourinho’s stuttering side emerged with a 1-1 draw today. Spurs were without injured striker Harry Kane.

A much-changed Chelsea booked their place in round four with a comfortable 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest who they also beat at the same stage of the competition last season. — Reuters