Watch highlights of Wigan’s shock victory over Man City.
Watch highlights of Manchester City v Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Second-tier Wigan Athletic stunned Manchester City in the FA Cup for the second season running with a shock 2-1 quarter-final victory at a disbelieving Etihad Stadium.
City, newly crowned League Cup champions, were bidding to avenge their 1-0 defeat in last season’s final, but instead it was the holders – managed by former City striker Uwe Rosler – who advanced to a last-four date with Arsenal.
Jordi Gomez gave Wigan the lead with a 27th-minute penalty after Martin Demichelis fouled Marc Antoine-Fortune and James Perch made it 2-0 within seconds of kick-off in the second half.
Samir Nasri pulled a goal back for City with 22 minutes remaining, but the Championship side – relegated within days of last season’s final – withstood heavy pressure from the hosts to record another famous FA Cup win.
The Etihad was buoyant after City’s 3-1 win over Sunderland in last weekend’s League Cup final, but the home fans were silenced in the 27th minute when Wigan took the lead.
A neat turn took Fortune past Demichelis on the Wigan left and after the Argentine brought him down, Gomez sent goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon the wrong way from the penalty spot.
City’s frustration was evident, with Nasri booked for kicking the ball away, and Wigan extended their lead early in the second half when Perch stole in front of Gael Clichy to tuck in a low cross from James McArthur.
City manager Manuel Pellegrini reacted by sending on James Milner, David Silva and Edin Dzeko, and the latter came within a whisker of equalising in the 64th minute with a header that hit the post.
The hosts continued to push, though, and four minutes later Nasri dragged them back into the tie with a left-foot shot from outside the box that skidded into the bottom-right corner.
City threw everything at Wigan in the closing stages, with Emmerson Boyce producing an extraordinary goal-line block to thwart Dzeko, but Wigan held on by the skin of their teeth.
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