By Fraser Watson
It was all set to be a difficult night for Swansea City and so it proved – but manager Steve Cooper was left lauding his side’s character following their 3-1 FA Cup defeat to Manchester City.
The Premier League leaders arrived on the back of 14 straight league and cup wins and after dominating possession in the opening half hour, led when Kyle Walker’s low cross from the right evaded everyone and found the far corner.
Swansea had their moments before the break as Jay Fulton and the otherwise outstanding Marc Guehi headed chances wide, but within minutes of the second half starting the tie was over as Raheem Sterling and then Gabriel Jesus scores in quick succession.
The hosts didn’t cave though, and pulled one back late on as Morgan Whittaker came off the bench to fire home a crisp volley on debut. Sure enough, the willingness to keep fighting pleased Cooper.
“We knew going into this it was going to be really difficult and it turned out that way,” he said afterwards.
“In the first half we did have some decent moments and at half time the talk was about staying in the game and hoping more of those moments would arrive.
“But we were very naïve with how we started the second half and a tough challenge became so much tougher. However, being 3-0 down was a real test of character and we certainly didn’t hide.”
Indeed, Whittaker’s late goal represented a respectable night for Swansea, having made five changes from the team that beat Norwich last Friday.
“The rhythm of the game stayed the same throughout but we kept going,” he added.
“We didn’t concede anymore and scored a goal ourselves – and there was no sign of any player hiding from a tackle. That was good to see.”
And there was also praise for Pep Guardiola’s side, who showed how seriously they were taking the tie with the likes of Sterling, Jesus, Walker, Bernardo Silva, Ferran Torres and Ilkay Gundogan all starting.
“Their attitude and mentality impressed me most. Obviously they have top players but to see their intensity and commitment live was really something.
“I am frustrated with the way we conceded – for all their good play in areas and their possession the goals they got were soft. But we were playing one of the best club sides in the world and we’ll learn from it.”
Despite a raft of changes, it was a classic City performance as they dominated the encounter, registering 73.6 per cent possession and 17 shots.
It was their 15th successive victory in all competitions, which is a new record for a top-flight team in English football.
Guardiola said: “I had a feeling that when Swansea go up front, they create a dangerous situation.
“They defend so aggressively but we controlled the game, we had a good-build up and we created a lot of chances, but unfortunately, in the final third, we could not convert. But we are in the quarter-finals so it’s the next step.”
On setting the new record with 15 wins in a row, he added: “It is a message for ourselves – we came here to win the game and that’s the most important thing. But we cannot deny how pleased and proud we are for our club to break the record from a long time ago.
“The records made once will be broken so the record is there for another team to come along and break it but they’ll have to do well so it’s not easy in the modern era to win 15 games in a row. It’s good today, now onto the next once.”
This Saturday, and Cooper and Swansea’s focus will be firmly back on promotion with a trip to Sheffield Wednesday.