Manchester City are into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, after thrashing Luton Town 6-2 at Kenilworth Road.
There were masterclasses from Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne, with the Belgian assisting his teammate four times in tonight’s game. Bernardo Silva also got in the act in assisting Haaland, before Mateo Kovacic scored a sixth for City.
Luton were spirited, and found the net twice to their credit through Jordan Clark, with his first goal being a truly wonderful strike.
But ultimately, the quality of the visitors told.
Lee Dixon was left in awe of Haaland like everyone else – but there was also something else that caught his eye towards the end of the game…
Lee Dixon praises Pep Guardiola’s furious reaction to Jeremy Doku losing the ball for Manchester City against Luton
With the game petering out, City took their foot off the gas a little.
There was an interesting moment when Jeremy Doku lost the ball in the 85th minute and that prompted a strong reaction from Pep Guardiola, who is of course known for his perfectionism.
The Belgian attempted a dribble in the middle of the pitch and was easily dispossessed. Doku got up very slowly, and Guardiola could be heard shouting and clapping furiously. It actually let commentator Dixon impressed.
Dixon said (ITV): “That genius sitting down beneath us, just pushing for perfection every minute. Doku gives the ball away just two minutes ago and he shook his head.
“Just a simple little move and he lost the ball, Pep sat down disgusted. No doubt he’ll be having a word with him after the game. He’s just searching for that perfect pass and run. That’s why this team is so good.”
Perfectionist Pep strikes again
It is reactions from Pep like the one he gave tonight when £55 million star Doku lost the ball that make City as good as they are.
He will not tolerate poor actions on the pitch, whether they come at 0-0 or 6-2 up as Doku’s did tonight. His reaction was justified, because Doku should have got to his feet more quickly.
The youngster has been brilliant fi City at times this season, and hopefully it will soon become second nature to him to react quicker when he loses the ball.
But Pep is just relentless in his quest for perfection, and that is what sets him apart from the rest.
