Manchester City make it 15 wins on the bounce after brushing Swansea aside in the FA Cup

Manchester City broke a top-flight record after securing a 15th consecutive win in all competitions, a feat that no other team has ever achieved.

Footballing fans across the world would’ve watched this match in anticipation after what happened last time these two teams met. With Swansea almost causing a huge upset two seasons ago, who knows what could’ve happened in this battle.

From early on in the match, it was clear that Swansea opted for a solid structure while relying on Jordan Morris and Jamal Lowe to run down the channels and push the Swans up the field.

The Welsh side were struggling to get a hold of the ball as the Citizens amassed 83% possession during the first half an hour.

Manchester City were in total control of the game with Gabriel Jesus coming close on a couple of occasions, but the pressure was too much for Swansea as Pep Guardiola’s men opened the scoring in the 30th minute. A fluke goal as Kyle Walker’s cross towards the back-post was untouched and found its way into the back of the net.

Swansea almost equalised immediately after, but Jay Fulton couldn’t keep his header on target after a sublime cross from Connor Roberts.

The Swans had another good chance five minutes before half-time as Yan Dhanda’s corner fell perfectly for Marc Guehi but the defender couldn’t direct his flick-on towards goal.

Going into half-time, Steve Cooper wouldn’t have been too disheartened despite being a goal down. The hosts responded brilliantly after conceding in the first half and could easily have gone into the break on level terms.

Any half-time instructions from Cooper had gone straight out the window as a quickfire double from Raheem Sterling and Jesus within the first five minutes of the second half saw them 3-0 down. Manchester City had dismantled the Swans defence and made it look so easy.

With Swansea starting to lose their shape, Cooper decided to make a quadruple substitution giving debuts to Keiron Freeman, Paul Arriola and Morgan Whittaker after signing all three in January.

With fresh legs on the field, Swansea’s shape looked far better and the later inclusion of Conor Hourihane bringing some creativity and strength into the midfield.

However, it was Whittaker who grabbed one back for the Swans after a great volley found its way past goalkeeper Zack Steffen to give the 20-year-old a debut goal.

A game in which Manchester City never looked like losing after taking control early in the match, it was difficult for Swansea to find a response, but their efforts would’ve been appreciated by all watching.

Manchester City have now broken another record by achieving the longest winning streak ever by a team in the top-flight. During the 15 matches, the Citizens have looked unstoppable while keeping ten clean sheets in the process.

The most impressive performance during this run would’ve been the dismantling of Liverpool last weekend. To win against the current Premier League Champions in such style, without Kevin De Bruyne is a huge statement regarding the hunt for their third title in four years.

A standout player for Manchester City is Ilkay Gundogan. A player that has stepped up for his side in the absence of De Bruyne, the German is currently having the best goalscoring season of his career with nine goals.

Gundogan has ten goal contributions in 17 matches so far in the Premier League and with De Bruyne set to return in a couple of weeks, the Citizens will hope that both players can combine to create a magical partnership.

The German midfielder’s passing during the match against Swansea was a joy to behold, which left their midfield and defence in awe and on the back foot for long periods of the match.

City’s run doesn’t look like ending whatsoever, but with Champions League football returning at the end of the month, they might start to tire and could slip up soon.

Both Swansea and Manchester City are back in league action this weekend with Swansea facing Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough while the Citizens host Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad.

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