Teenage star Nico O’Reilly stepped up when Manchester City needed him most, scoring twice to power his team to a hard-fought 3-1 comeback victory over Plymouth in the FA Cup fifth round.
Plymouth, who had already stunned Liverpool and Brentford in previous rounds, threatened to pull off another giant-killing at the Etihad when Maksym Talovierov’s first-half header put them ahead.
With City struggling, 19-year-old O’Reilly emerged as the unlikely hero, leveling the score just before halftime before sealing the win in the second half. Kevin De Bruyne added the third in stoppage time to send City through to the quarter-finals.
Pep Guardiola’s men, facing a challenging season, were relieved to avoid embarrassment. “Big credit to Plymouth, they made it so tough for us,” Guardiola admitted. “But Nico was brilliant, and we’re happy to be in the next round.”
Despite resting key players, City avoided the fate of Liverpool and kept their FA Cup hopes alive, with O’Reilly’s breakout performance stealing the headlines.
