Manchester City Unravel Plymouth Argyle Enigma

MANCHESTER, SUNDAY – The performance of Plymouth Argyle has become something of an enigma for teams competing in the English League. The Championship Division relegation zone occupant has already defeated two giants, Brentford and Liverpool. Manchester City, skilled in executing set pieces, might be able to unravel the Plymouth enigma.

Thanks to that cleverness, City triumphed 3-1 over Plymouth at Etihad Stadium, Manchester, in the early hours of Sunday (2/3/2025) Western Indonesian Time. City advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals. Along with this result, Plymouth's fairy tale also came to an end.

Although eliminated, Plymouth nearly continued its miracle. Despite being under constant pressure from City since the match began, Plymouth surprisingly took the lead first through a header by central defender Maksym Talovierov in the 38th minute.

Facing City at their home ground, coupled with a squad quality that is not much better, Plymouth fought back by defending. Plymouth's manager, Miron Muslic, implemented a super defensive formation, 5-4-1. He instructed his players to close ranks in the center and cut off the space between the lines to limit the movement of City's players.

Great praise for Plymouth because they were able to make things difficult for us. They were very well-organized. However, I think we delivered a very, very good performance.

The tactic worked smoothly. City's attempts to attack through shots by Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne, and Jack Grealish were thwarted. The large number of Plymouth players around the penalty box left City with little shooting space.

In addition, efforts to penetrate through the flanks were often met with the solid defensive wall of Plymouth. City players attempted several times to deliver crosses and crowd the Plymouth defensive area, but this approach also has not been successful.

With Talovierov's goal behind, City were in danger of suffering the same fate as Brentford and Liverpool. Plymouth's enigma had yet to be solved as the first half drew to a close.

However, Plymouth's enigma finally came to an end just before half-time. City finally managed to equalize through Nico O'Reilly's header in first-half stoppage time.

"Big credit to Plymouth because they made it difficult for us. They were very well organised. But I think we played a very, very good performance," said City manager Pep Guardiola.

O’Reilly’s goal did not come from open play, but from De Bruyne’s free-kick. Plymouth were not well-organized in repelling attacks from dead balls.

That method was then used by City to turn things around. City's second goal, scored again by O'Reilly in the 76th minute, also came from a dead ball scheme. O'Reilly successfully headed Foden's corner kick.

O’Reilly’s second goal sent the Etihad Stadium into a frenzy. City avoided the nightmare of consecutive eliminations from the European Champions League and the FA Cup. On the other hand, Plymouth’s players seemed to have run out of motivation and stamina to catch up. They had used all their strength to withstand City’s onslaught so that they had no more energy left to fight back.

In that situation, City found it easier to find a gap in Plymouth's defense. City's third goal came from De Bruyne's tap-in that utilized Erling Haaland's low pass. Until the end of the match, City was able to maintain their lead.

"We can only be disappointed with the result but very proud of our performance. We gave Man City a real fight. We created some problems for them and had a good defensive structure," said Muslic.

City's success in breaking the Plymouth enigma cannot be separated from De Bruyne's contribution. Through his free kick assist, City got a new breath to catch up. This match also felt special for De Bruyne who again received Guardiola's trust to appear as a starting player.

As he ages, 33, De Bruyne is often plagued by injuries. Injuries also make the Belgian midfielder lose his touch. De Bruyne's contract will expire at the end of this season. According to circulating information, this season is very likely to be De Bruyne's last in a City uniform.

But given his impressive performance against Plymouth, it is not impossible that De Bruyne will get a new contract offer. "He has been one of the three to five best players in the history of Manchester City. No doubt. Every time he plays well, I am the happiest man on the planet. He gives a lot to the team and me," Guardiola said.