Manchester City eased to a 5-0 win at home to Championship side Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup last night – here are three things we learned from the tie.
1) City are formidable at home
The Etihad Stadium has been a thing of beauty to Manchester City this season – They have won all 10 home league games this season, scoring 38 goals and conceding six, and have followed it up in cup competitions – winning 2/3 at home in the Champions League and hammering Wigan (5-0), West Ham (6-0) and Blackburn (5-0) in the English cups.
I don’t envy Cardiff, who travel to the ground this weekend.
2) Options up top
Without Sergio Aguero few worried that City would lose their fluidity up top, but Alvaro Negredo and Edin Dzeko proved tonight that they can fire without him.
Both strikers scored two goals, while the returning-Aguero also got himself on the scoresheet despite having not player for a month as a result of injury.
3) They can win without Toure
Yaya Toure has been City’s driving force for so long now but he picked up a niggle last weekend. Javi Garcia and Fernandinho held the fort in the middle of the pitch and did a sterling job – Garcia registered an 88% pass completion according to Who Scored, and his Brazilian team-mate claimed the assist for the opening goal.