Manchester City booked their place in the FA Cup fifth round with a 2–0 win over Salford City at the Etihad on Saturday, February 14, 2026 but it wasn’t as comfortable as many expected.
Facing the League Two side, City dominated possession but struggled to break down a well-organised Salford defence for long periods. The opener came early through an own goal from Alfie Dorrington in the 6th minute, yet City had to wait until the 81st minute to finally kill the game off.
The moment of the match belonged to new signing Marc Guéhi, who marked his City debut with a goal, reacting quickest to a rebound to make it 2–0.
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The result sparked mixed reactions from fans on X.
User footballwithme was full of praise for Guéhi, writing:
“Love to see it! 🩵 Marc Guéhi opening his account and a clean sheet to boot—the perfect afternoon for the lad. He’s looking like he’s been in that backline for years.”
Another fan, zaza, kept it simple with a congratulatory message for City after the win.
Congratulations city
Not everyone was impressed, though. User crytobardia posted an angry rant about the financial gap between Manchester City and Salford City, criticising the disparity in resources between the two clubs and questioning the competitiveness of the tie.
fucking piece of shit ass cheating club. your weekly payroll is almost 50% higher than salford’s entire value as a club and you still struggle to score a few goals. i hope you get relegated off ffp. fuck you and fuck every manchester city fan
The comment reflected ongoing frustration among some fans about financial imbalance in modern football.
According to softfootball, City controlled the game in terms of possession but found it difficult to break through Salford’s defensive shape until late in the match, underlining that the scoreline didn’t fully reflect how stubborn the visitors were.
The win also comes at an important point in City’s season. With Arsenal leading the Premier League title race, Guardiola’s side continue to build momentum.
January signings Marc Guéhi and Antoine Semenyo have added depth to an already stacked squad, and City’s habit of going on late season winning runs means they remain firmly in the title conversation especially with a key league meeting against Arsenal still to come at the Etihad.
Away from the FA Cup action, former Manchester City winger Albert Riera has officially begun his new role as head coach of Eintracht Frankfurt, signing a deal until 2028 and promising a modern, attacking style of football in the Bundesliga.
