Man City survive scare in comeback win to deny Cheltenham FA Cup upset

Manchester City had to come from behind to beat Cheltenham Town 3-1 in the FA Cup as they left it late to avoid a major upset.

The League Two outfit went into the game against the Premier League giants as huge underdogs, but they put in a committed performance to advance to the fifth round at the expense of the six-time competition winners.

Cheltenham knew they were in for a tough game and nearly fell behind inside 30 seconds when goalkeeper Joshua Griffiths kept out Gabriel Jesus.

The fourth-tier side began to become more confident on the ball, but had their backs against the wall as expected at times.

They showed good resilience in such circumstances, with Ben Tozer making a goalline clearance to deny a powerful Benjamin Mendy strike.

At the other end, there was a decent chance for Alfie May. City goalkeeper Zack Steffen had to tip his shot away for a corner.

The players had to leave the field five minutes before half-time due to fireworks going off outside the stadium and landing on the pitch.

When they returned shortly after, it was City who had to withstand pressure from their opponents. Tozer sent a few long throws into dangerous areas, but City held firm.

Cheltenham take shock lead

City missed a golden chance to take the lead early in the second half. Phil Foden slipped in Jesus, but the striker took too many touches and his shot hit the post.

Then, in the 59th minute, came an extraordinary moment. Another of Tozer’s long throws fell in the box, and May pounced to poke it into the net and give Cheltenham a shock lead.

With half an hour left, there was a lot of work to do for Cheltenham to hold on. Keeper Griffiths made a big save to deny Riyad Mahrez, for example.

There was nothing he could do to stop City equalising in the 81st minute, though, as Foden got on the end of a Joao Cancelo cross to sidefoot home.

The attention for Cheltenham now turned to seeing if they could force extra time, but moments later, Jesus got in behind, controlled the ball, turned and finished to make it 2-1.

The hosts tried to find one last chance to equalise, but Matty Blair fired a volley well over. There was to be no way back despite a spirited effort.

Indeed, City got a third goal in stoppage time to confirm their victory, with Torres tapping in from close range.

City will play Championship side Swansea away in the fifth round next month.