Manchester City

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Pep Guardiola chose to go in with a strong XI and his decision paid off as Manchester City ruthlessly swept Luton aside to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Erling Haaland will rightly take the headlines after a brilliant five-goal display but the performance of Kevin De Bruyne was every bit as eye-catching.

The Belgium midfielder assisted the first four goals for Haaland as the pair relentlessly tormented Luton.

For all his immense technical qualities on the ball and the remarkable vision he possesses, it was often De Bruyne's sheer athleticism that the home side could not handle.

He surged through the midfield repeatedly before threading the ball through the home side's back line.

Each time he did so, Haaland was there, his run timed to perfection to get himself through on goal.

Once he got there, there was no doubting the outcome.

In scoring five goals in a game for the second time as a City player, Haaland claimed another record and with him and De Bruyne in this form, another treble looks well within reach for Pep Guardiola's side.

Here are the key facts and figures from Tuesday's FA Cup fifth-round game between Luton Town and Manchester City.

• Luton Town have conceded six goals in an FA Cup tie for the first time since a 6-2 loss to Bolton Wanderers in a third round replay in January 1997. It's the first time they've done so at home since losing 6-0 to Derby County in the first leg of the third round in January 1946.

• Erling Haaland is the first player to score at least five goals in an FA Cup tie (first round onwards) since Duane Darby for Hull City against Whitby in a first round replay in November 1996 (six goals).

• Kevin De Bruyne has now assisted 16 of Erling Haaland's 79 Manchester City goals. He's the first Premier League player to provide four assists for a teammate in a game in all competitions since Harry Kane for Son Heung-min for Tottenham against Southampton in the league in September 2020.

• This is just the second time Erling Haaland has scored five goals in a game in his senior career, previously doing so for Manchester City against RB Leipzig in the Champions League in March 2023.

• Kevin De Bruyne has provided nine assists in his past five FA Cup appearances for Manchester City, one more than his first 23 appearances for the Citizens in the competition (eight).

• In six FA Cup starts for Luton, Jordan Clark has been involved in five goals (four goals, one assist), with this his first brace in the competition.

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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, speaking to ITV: "What can I say? Really, really good. Erling [Haaland] is on fire and Kevin [de Bruyne]... The connection was perfect. It was a really good game and we are in the quarter-finals.

"Kevin needs players like Erling and Erling needs players like Kevin. We are not here without the other guys. A lot of credit for everyone.

"We won our last two games 1-0 and against Chelsea we played good in the second half but couldn't win. One game at a time. The FA Cup is a really nice competition. We are one game away to go to Wembley again."

Guardiola said Jack Grealish's injury looked like a recurrence of a groin injury he suffered recently.

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Manchester City's five-goal forward Erling Haaland, speaking to ITV: "We made a plan and everyone stuck to it perfectly. Well played by everyone.

"Kevin de Bruyne is massive. He is doing what he is best at. It's a pleasure playing with him. We know what we both want from each other. it clicks well. He is a smart player and I like to play with him.

"My fitness? I am getting back to my best. Finally I am feeling good. It's an amazing feeling. It's coming, we're coming. Exciting times ahead. We are ready to attack."

Erling Haaland scored five in a stunning display of finishing as holders Manchester City thrashed Luton to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.

It was the Norwegian's eighth hat-trick for City and he also became the first player to score five in a game twice for the club.

City opened the scoring in the fourth minute when Kevin de Bruyne, who assisted the first four goals, was allowed time and space to cut the ball back for Haaland to convert.

The pair combined again 15 minutes later, with Haaland running on to a through ball before powering it past Luton goalkeeper Tim Krul and it was a similar move that brought the third, only this time with a delicate dink to finish.

Jordan Clark pulled one back for Luton with a stunning strike, curled beautifully into the top corner from 25 yards on the stroke of half-time and gave Rob Edwards' side hope of a memorable comeback with a thumping finish seven minutes into the second half.

However, Pep Guardiola's team soon dashed those hopes when De Bruyne squared for Haaland to tap into an empty net after a superb pass from Kyle Walker had sent the Belgium midfielder clear.

Haaland got his fifth - matching his effort against RB Leipzig in last season's Champions League last 16 - when the low shot went straight through Krul, who then saw a long-range strike from Mateo Kovacic flash past him for the visitors' sixth.

Luton had opportunities in the second half with Stefan Ortega, starting in place of Ederson for City, forced into action a number of times. City might easily have added to their lead at the other end but once Haaland was replaced with 15 minutes to go, there was not the same ruthlessness and the hosts were spared any further punishment.

Were you at Kenilworth Road or following the match from elsewhere?

Luton fans - let us know your thoughts on the game here

How did you rate the side's performance, City fans?

Follow all of the reaction here

There are three games being played in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Tuesday and we will bring you every moment.

Follow all of the action and reaction here

All times are GMT

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The draw for the quarter finals of the FA Cup will take place on Wednesday at 19:00 GMT, before Chelsea's tie with Leeds United, which kicks off at 19:30.

It will be live on ITV4 and you can also follow the draw on the BBC Sport website and app.

Former England goalkeeper David Seaman, a four-time FA Cup winner with Arsenal, will conduct the draw.

The ball numbers will be:

1. Blackburn Rovers or Newcastle United

2. Chelsea or Leeds United

3. Bournemouth or Leicester City

4. Liverpool or Southampton

5. Nottingham Forest or Manchester United

6. Wolverhampton Wanderers or Brighton & Hove Albion

7. Coventry City

8. Luton Town or Manchester City

BBC Sport's football expert Chris Sutton has made his predictions for this week's FA Cup fifth-round ties. For all eight games he is up against Kaiser Chiefs bassist and Leeds fan Simon Rix.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

I didn't expect Manchester City to start reminding me of George Graham's Arsenal side of the 1990s, but they are winning ugly at the moment, with back-to-back 1-0 victories.

Luton gave City a good game at Kenilworth Road before Christmas - when they led 1-0 at half-time before losing 2-1 - and I think Hatters boss Rob Edwards will go for it again here, despite having Premier League survival to think about.

I am expecting City to edge it again this time, although I am not quite sure what team their manager Pep Guardiola will put out.

He killed my fantasy team at the weekend because I had picked Kyle Walker, Julian Alvarez and Jeremy Doku, and all three started the game on the bench.

One of City's strengths is the way they can rotate and still be so strong. Luton have got a goal in them, but it won't be enough.

Simon's prediction: 1-3

Luton have been doing well recently but how does Guardiola feel about the FA Cup? He probably wants to win it again, so he is going to pick a strong side. Luton might get a goal because it's a cup tie, but City will win.

See the full list of predictions

Following Saturday's victory at Bournemouth, Manchester City have now won more away games this season (14) than they did in the whole of their Treble-winning campaign (13).

Not at their best in the second half, City managed to get over the line to grab another three points and return to within one point of league leaders Liverpool.

There were two standout performances for me: Phil Foden continued his fine form and demonstrated why so many are describing him as one of the best players in the world this season, and John Stones, who has been transformed from a decent central defender into an outstanding midfielder.

Stones seemed to cover every blade of grass at the weekend and has developed a brilliant understanding with Rodri. He has created the template for that position that so many opponents will now try to copy.

The next month looks ridiculously tough for City.

It starts at Luton Town in the FA Cup, where Pep Guardiola will undoubtedly shuffle his pack. After that, the next five league games are against teams who sit in the top seven places right now. Sandwiched in between is the Champions League last-16 second leg against Copenhagen.

Talk about a season-defining month!

Nigel Rothband can be found at The Man City Show podcast, external

Boxer and Manchester City fan Campbell Hatton believes Pep Guardiola's side are not performing as well as they did in their Treble-winning season last year, but will still win the Premier League.

"I don't think we've been our best this season really," he told the We're Not Really Here podcast.

"We always seem to kick on at the back end of the season and see it through then so I'm confident we'll still win the league but I just think on the whole we're not as good as last season.

"I think we've had a few big losses like Gundo (Ilkay Gundogan) and (Riyad) Mahrez as well as others.

"A lot of change where we've bought a few in where they're going to be good - (Josko) Gvardiol, (Jeremy) Doku, you can see signs of top players there but it's going to take a little bit of time.

"I'm still confident we get the league done. I don't think we're as good as last year but we're better than everyone else!

"You win leagues on winning games when you're not playing well so there is positives but we're giving away sloppy goals and defensively we've been switching off a lot this season.

"We managed to hold it together last time we were under a lot of pressure so I think at the back end of the season when we come on strong, if we keep grinding out those wins for now, once we're on full form we'll nick it then."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Here are the key facts and figures before Tuesday's FA Cup fifth-round tie between Luton Town and Manchester City:

• This is the first FA Cup meeting between Luton and Manchester City since January 1969, with City winning a third-round tie 1-0 at Maine Road.

• City are unbeaten in their past nine meetings with Luton in all competitions (W5 D4), with their 2-1 win at Kenilworth Road in the Premier League this season their only previous meeting with the Hatters this century.

• Luton are looking to reach the FA Cup quarter-final for the first time since 1993-94. They have gone out at the fifth round twice since then - against Millwall in 2012-13 and against Chelsea in 2021-22.

• Manchester City have reached the FA Cup quarter-final in all but one of their seven previous campaigns under Pep Guardiola. The only failure was in 2017-18, when they lost 1-0 to Wigan Athletic in the fifth round.

• This is the first time Luton have an FA Cup tie against the holders of the competition since 1986-87, when they eliminated Liverpool after two replays in the third round.

• Manchester City have won each of their past eight FA Cup matches by an aggregate score of 25-1. They have won 32 of their 38 games under Pep Guardiola in the competition (D1 L5), with four of their five defeats coming in the semi-final.

Manchester City midfielder Kevin de Bruyne would prefer a move to Major League Soccer (MLS) over the Saudi Pro League. The Belgium international turns 33-years-old this summer, when his contract also enters its final year. (Athletic - subscription required), external

Want more transfer news? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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Manchester City forward Oscar Bobb has signed a new contract that will keep him with the Premier League champions until the summer of 2029.

The Norway international, 20, has scored twice in 16 appearances for City this season.

Two of those outings came in City's Fifa Club World Cup success in December.

"It's an incredible environment and the best possible place to be for a young player," said Bobb. "I have already learned so much from Pep Guardiola, his coaching staff and my team-mates.

"To know I'm going to be here at the club until 2029 means everything to me. Now I just want to focus on continuing to further my development and to work as hard as I can every day to try to help the club achieve more success."

On the latest episode of BBC Radio Manchester's We're Not Really Here podcast, Mike Minay and Natalie Pike are joined by lightweight boxer and City fan Campbell Hatton.

The panel look back at the win over Bournemouth and a massive month ahead with City facing Manchester United and Liverpool.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Pep Guardiola has spoken to the media before Manchester City's FA Cup fifth-round trip to Luton Town.

Here are the main lines from his news conference:

• Guardiola said Jack Grealish was 'good' even though the England man did not come off the bench at Bournemouth on Saturday.

• Josko Gvardiol might be in contention after missing four games with an ankle problem: "He is training without much pain. He still hasn't trained with us but he's on the verge of coming back."

• On the threat posed by Luton, who led City at Kenilworth Road earlier in the season before eventually losing 2-1: "They are so aggressive. It doesn't matter where you are in the league, if you have the courage to play and face the challenge without any fear (it is difficult). They have direct channels but at the same time the ability in the build-up with [Ross] Barkley and the patterns are so clear."

• He acknowledges the season is entering its busiest point: " After this game, February is over so it will just be two and a half months until the end of the season. The decisive part of the season is here and we are going for it. Tomorrow is a good test to find how our rhythm is and our mental consistency to what we have in the next month."

• On why he enjoys this period of the campaign: "It's better to play every game knowing if you lose it is 'bye bye'. Human beings have a tendency to relax and see how nice we were and the many good things we have done in the past. If you behave every single day in that mindset you are not in that position that you are right now. I adore my players because I know how difficult it is."

• Asked about the exuberant celebrations of rivals in the title race, he implied he also experienced the same feelings: "Sometimes I do it too. We celebrated a lot for Brentford at home and away and at Newcastle when Oscar [Bobb] scored in the last minute."

• He also emphasised how proud he was of his players for their durability at the top of the table: "I know how good our opponents are playing. Liverpool and Arsenal are scoring three, four or five goals a day so they are almost unstoppable but still we are there and we will see if we can improve to continue to win games."

Follow all of Monday's FA Cup news conferences

Manchester City remain on course for another FA Youth Cup final appearance but it took two late goals to get them past Tottenham to reach the last four.

Jacob Wright's stunning last-minute free-kick completed a memorable 2-1 comeback win after substitute Luca Fletcher had equalised with a close range effort six minutes from time.

City last won the Youth Cup in 2020, when they beat Chelsea over two legs.

They will face non-Premier League opposition in the semi-final, either Bristol City or Swindon, at some point before 6 April.