Manchester City 5 Huddersfield Town 1: Terriers FA Cup dream ruthlessly crushed by dominant Blues

Huddersfield Town, almost three decades on from their most humiliating defeat at Manchester City’s old Maine Road home, led through Harry Bunn and were threatening to pull off a seismic FA Cup shock.

Not only had David Wagner made nine changes with the crucial Championship clash with Newcastle United in mind but Pep Guardiola had turned to Kevin De Bruyne, Leroy Sane et al in an attempt to book a quarter-final date with Middlesbrough at the Riverside.

The fairytale ending that 7,500 noisy Huddersfield fans craved did not, however, come to fruition. Three goals inside eight minutes just after the half hour mark saw to that and ensured Guardiola’s record of never having lost a Cup tie to lower league opposition as a coach was maintained.

But the West Yorkshire club still ended the night with that noisy band of supporters rightly saluting their team despite the ghosts of that 10-1 record defeat to the Blues in November, 1987, not quite being put to bed.

In the first meeting between these two teams at the John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield had joined Barcelona and four of the top six in the Premier League as the only sides to shut out Guardiola’s Blues.

This replay, though, proved a step too far but only after Bunn, a prolific scorer for City’s Academy sides as a youngster, had enjoyed the satisfaction of putting the Championship side in front.

His opener was beautiful in its simplicity. The pressing game that Wagner brought with him from Germany 16 months ago forced the hosts into an error that allowed Joe Lolley to break from just inside the City half.

With little resistance from those in blue, he ran 30 or so yards before slipping the ball to Philip Billing, who in turn flicked a delightful pass to Bunn, who, after initially taking a heavy touch, drilled a low shot through the legs of Claudio Bravo.

Considering this was effectively a second string Huddersfield side and Guardiola had turned to his big guns in an attempt to earn a smooth passage to the quarter-finals, the visiting players and their 7,500-strong travelling army of fans could have been forgiven for being momentarily stunned.

Bunn, though, then quickly disappeared under a scrum of yellow and black hooped shirts as the Huddersfield masses celebrated wildly.

It was a special moment in an already special season for a club who last visited top-flight stadia on a regular basis 45 years ago.

City’s response, though, was commendably swift and befitting a side who will later this month head to Monaco with a two-goal advantage in their quest to reach the last eight of the Champions League.

The equaliser came on the half-hour, Raheem Sterling teasing and taunting Tareiq Holmes-Dennis with a series of step-overs that the England international followed with a drilled cross presented Fernandinho with the simplest of tasks from a yard out.

A second goal followed just four minutes later, Stankovic bundling Nicolas Otamendi to the floor as Pablo Zabaleta’s cross floated above the duo.

Aguero did the rest from 12 yards and, in truth, Stankovic could have few complaints after earlier seeming to cut out a Kevin De Bruyne cross with his hand while sliding in to make a tackle.

City’s third goal came via another incisive attack that saw Coleman save Aguero’s initial shot only for the Argentinian to regain possession and square to Zabaleta, who tapped home.

The home fans’ immediate response was to shout ‘we want 10’ as a nod to that record defeat for Malcolm Macdonald’s Town.

Considering Aguero and Leroy Sane had also hit the post during those opening 45 minutes there was understandable anxiety at half-time that the night might just end in a thumping defeat.

Aguero did net his second of the night 16 minutes from time before Kelechi Iheanacho added a fifth deep into stoppage time.

But Town could still be happy with their own second half efforts.

Lolley, unmarked eight yards out, headed wastefully over moments after Quaner had seen his own shot diverted wide.

The January signing also fired wastefully over late on after earlier having a big shout for a penalty turned down when his heel was clipped by John Stones.

Iheanacho’s late strike may have been harsh but, at least, the night ended with nothing like the 10-1 scoreline that the home fans had called for earlierm on.

Manchester City: Bravo; Zabaleta, Stones, Otamendi, Clichy; Fernandinho, A Garcia; De Bruyne (Delph 75), Sterling, Sane (Navas 81); Aguero (Iheanacho 79). Unused substitutes: Caballero, Sagna, Fernando, Silva.

Huddersfield Town: Coleman; Cranie, Hudson, Stankovic, Holmes-Dennis; Whitehead, Billing (Hogg 67); Lolley (Smith 61), Payne, Bunn; Quaner. Unused substitutes: Ward, Kachunga, Van la Parra, Wells, Hefele.

Referee: P Tierney (Lancashire).