Guardiola blames FA Cup ball as City fire 20 shots off target against Plymouth

Pep Guardiola was not impressed by the FA Cup matchball after Manchester City fired 20 shots off target in their 3-1 fifth-round victory over Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

City briefly trailed to Maksym Talovierov's 38th-minute goal, but after Nico O'Reilly's equaliser on the stroke of half-time, Guardiola's team took charge at the Etihad Stadium.

O'Reilly scored again as a wave of sustained pressure ultimately told, before Kevin De Bruyne made sure of the victory in the 90th minute.

City peppered Plymouth's goal, having 14 shots in the first half and 15 after the break while accumulating 4.27 expected goals, but Guardiola believes the ball was letting his team down, as he claimed those used in the Premier League and Champions League were easier to control.

He said: "The ball in the Champions League is exceptional, the ball in the Premier League is exceptional, this one isn't. It's difficult to control.

"When you lose it [sounds like] you're complaining, but the ball is not right. In many years it's happened in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, I know it's a business and they come to agreements.

"You know how many shots went over? Look at other games. Normally the ball goes inside from these shots."

City have actually been more accurate with their shooting in the FA Cup than any other this season, albeit in just three games against lower-league opposition.

The 2023 winners have posted a 59.18% shooting accuracy (excluding blocks) in the competition this term, a higher percentage than across any of the other three tournaments they have featured in.

They have also posted more shots on target in total - 9.7 per game - than across any other competition, as well as 24.3 shots per game in total.

An FA spokesperson confirmed afterwards that the ball had been produced in line with FIFA requirements.

They said: "Mitre's Ultimax Pro ball – used in the Emirates FA Cup and all other FA competitions – has been tested in accordance with FIFA testing.

"All footballs in the professional game are required to meet the FIFA Quality pro accreditation, and this ball delivers against all of the testing requirements."

City will face Bournemouth in the quarter-finals.