By Victor Kanayo
Manchester City on Saturday managed to beat third-tier side Leyton Orient 2-1 in the FA Cup, advancing to the fifth round.
It took coach Pep Guardiola unleashing top players in the second half to escape a shocking defeat for the Premier League champions.
In fact, it was substitute Kevin De Bruyne who scored late to gift City a scrappy win.
The League One side had scored early and maintained momentum until deep into the second half, before City found an equaliser.
Guardiola’s men, who sit fourth in the Premier League, narrowly avoided a shock early exit from the Champions League group stages.
But they will need to be much improved when the might of Real Madrid comes calling at the Etihad in the Champions League play-off round on Tuesday.
Late Friday night, their city rivals Manchester United beat Leicester City 2-1 to keep alive their hopes of defending the FA Cup they won last year.
Ruben Amorim’s side have been fumbling since the start of the current season and are still in search of redemption for the remaining part of the campaign.
