CARDIFF: Even though Pep Guardiola won’t admit it, Manchester City have an increasingly serious chance of completing the quadruple this season.

Kevin De Bruyne starred as City advanced to the last 16 of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Championship team Cardiff City on Sunday.

It was the second time this week that City had beaten a second-tier opponent. The runaway Premier League leaders saw off Bristol City in the semi-finals of the League Cup to clinch their first final under Guardiola.

With a commanding 12-point lead in the Premier League and a favorable draw in the form of Swiss side FC Basel in the Champions League round of 16, every victory from here on will increase talk of an unprecedented quadruple for City.

When asked if City could achieve the quadruple, Guardiola made his feelings clear.

“No. They asked me if we would be invincible in the Premier League and I said no,” Guardiola told the BBC. “I do not have enough players, I have players out injured. It is impossible.”

City made short work of Cardiff, with Belgian star De Bruyne putting them ahead in just eight minutes when he deceived the home side with a brilliant free-kick that he struck under, rather than over, the defensive wall.

De Bruyne said there had been nothing complicated regarding his goal, telling the BBC: “The wall was not nine metres away from me and so they were very close and it was easy to put it under.”

Bernardo Silva appeared to have doubled the visitors’ lead with a thunderous 26th-minute shot but his goal was ruled out because the officials deemed Leroy Sane to be off-side and interfering with play.

It appeared a harsh call but, with the controversial video assistant referee system that is being trialled in some English cup ties this season not in use for this match, there was no way of reviewing the decision.

But the second goal Pep Guardiola’s men had threatened arrived in the 37th minute when Silva’s superb curling cross from the left was glanced in by Raheem Sterling.

Sane was the victim of a bad tackle by Joe Bennett in first-half stoppage time and was replaced at the break by Sergio Aguero.

“Referees have to protect the players and not just my players, all players. Where there is fault, there is fault and when it is dangerous, it is dangerous. You are not more brave for kicking,” Guardiola said. “Sane will be out, I am not sure how long for, I am not a doctor.”

Cardiff defender Bennett was sent off in injury time at the end of the match when he received a second yellow card for another poor challenge, on Brahim Diaz.

Published in Dawn, January 30th, 2018