Manchester City, current kings of the domestic cup competition, faced a tough trip to Hillsborough to face Sheffield Wednesday in the fifth round of their FA Cup title defence, and for our ‘Framed’ series we took the trip to see if Sergio Aguero et al could do it on a wet and windy Wednesday in Sheffield.
The short answer: yes, yes they could. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Obviously. To give credit where it’s due, the Owls didn’t make it easy for their glamorous visitors. City came into the game on a high, hot on the heels of their League cup triumph at Wembley on the weekend, but they came up against a team that were determined to frustrate them – Wednesday putting in a dogged defensive display that was worthy of the cliché, for 48 minutes they prevented a shot on target from the visitors.
Such is the law of Sod though that the goal that eventually won it was not a “worldy", blasted in from outside the box; nor was it a slick team move that carved open the otherwise resolute defence, something that has become synonymous with Guardiola’s brand of football. No, instead it was a fairly routine shot from that prolific Argentine, Aguero, which squirmed away from the despairing Wildsmith. The cruelest of blows.
Wednesday’s season has somewhat faltered of late, with them currently having fallen away from the promotion chase of the Championship to languish in mid-table mediocrity, but this performance gave the home faithful something to cheer about. And cheer they did, offering their heroes a well-deserved standing ovation at the final whistle. You win some, you lose some, but if you leave it all out there on the pitch, your fans will always love you, something Wednesday experienced first hand.
Photography by Aaron Cheeseman for SoccerBible.