Manchester City's Quadruple Quest Ends in Shocking FA Cup Defeat to Wigan
Once again, Manchester City has been denied in the FA Cup by Wigan Athletic.
Will Grigg's 79th-minute goal delivered Wigan a stunning 1-0 win over the Premier League's runaway leaders, forcing Man City out of the FA Cup in the round of 16 and ending its quest at a four-trophy haul. City, which has already booked a place in the League Cup final and is in prime position to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals, was the heavy favorite over Wigan, but just like in the 2013 final and the 2014 quarterfinals, the Latics proved a hurdle too high in stunning fashion.
City was reduced to 10 men in first half stoppage time when Fabian Delph was sent off, but the club still dominated possession and looked the more likely to snatch a winner. That is, until Grigg, who earned fame as Northern Ireland's viral sensation at Euro 2016, scored against the run of play with a sliding finish from the top of the box.
City pushed forward for an equalizer and nearly had it deep into stoppage time, but it never came, sending Pep Guardiola's side crashing out of the competition and leaving a diverse group competing for the trophy. Rochdale still has hopes of ousting Tottenham after scoring a late equalizer to force a replay, while Swansea and Sheffield Wednesday will play a replay as well.
Wigan, which is pushing for promotion to England's second tier, joins Manchester United, Chelsea, Leicester, Brighton and Southampton as clubs who have punched their quarterfinal tickets.
The result is a shock, and it's not as if City wasn't playing an A-level team. It wasn't Guardiola's preferred 11 that started, but the likes of David Silva, Bernardo Silva, Sergio Aguero and Ilkay Gundogan all started, while Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker entered from the bench.
The cathartic final whistle let off a raucous celebration, with Wigan fans storming the field as their run for a second FA Cup title in six years continues.
