Citizens Extinguish Valiant Dream

Long before Phil Foden scored his fourth career goal in the FA Cup for Manchester City, the writing was on the wall for a Vale team that more than honoured the memories of former Vale FA Cup giant-killers. Goals from Oleksandr Zinchenko, Sergio Aguero, Taylor Harwood-Bellis alongside the aforementioned Foden settled the game, but none of which would eclipse the memory of Tom Pope not only scoring against the Premier League & FA Cup Champions, but breaking the Port Vale post war goalscoring record previously held by Vale legend Martin Foyle.

It was City that took the lead on nineteen minutes, Zinchenko striding forward into the left inside channel and firing a fierce drive towards goal. Skipper Leon Legge, trying his best to block the effort, was unlucky and deflected the ball past the despairing Scott Brown diving to his left as the ball found its way into the bottom right hand corner of the net.

City continued to pressure and should have doubled their lead, David Silva hitting the bar from a well worked corner and with the ball dropping to an unmarked Aguero Vale feared the worse, but somehow the thirty-six million pound striker failed to get a touch and Vale scrambled it clear.

City’s carelessness in front of goal was further punished just moments later as Pope grabbed the equaliser on thirty-five minutes. Taylor picked up the ball in the midfield spreading it wide to James Gibbons. The right back took a touch before sliding a ball down the right wing to David Amoo who got the better of Angelino and crossed towards the penalty spot to be met by Pope who arrowed his header into the bottom left corner and sent eight thousand traveling fans into ecstasy.

But the dream of reaching half-time level only lasted seven minutes as Ilkay Gundogan chipped a lovely ball over the Vale defence, picking out Joao Cancelo in the penalty box, who volleyed across goal in with his first touch and Aguero applied the finish at the back stick, Legge again maybe getting the unfortunate final touch.

It was more of the same as the game entered the second period, the light blues applying more and more pressure to the Vale back four. On fifty-one minutes City should have extended their lead, Aguero dancing into the Vale box from the left before hanging a cross up to the back post, Bernardo Silva must have thought he’d scored as he placed his header back across goal but a fine save from Brown clawed the ball away from goal. Brown was called on again just a minute later, Foden free inside the right-hand channel volleying goalward but again the Vale stopper parried the effort.

On fifty-eight minutes City did extend their lead, Foden finding space on the right, crossing to the back post where Aguero headed back across the Vale goal. John Stones was the first to react, stabbing the ball towards goal, deflecting off Harwood-Bellis on the way in, and after the VAR check the goal stood.

On seventy-six, Foden finally scored the goal he deserved, as the ball was sprayed wide left to Angelino. The left-back chested the ball down and crossed with one movement, Foden breaking in front of a tiring Nathan Smith and calmed placed the ball in the bottom left corner.

Despite the result, nothing will ever take away the moment Pope cemented himself in Vale history, bringing Vale level with last years Double winners. Perhaps a trip to Wembley via the FA Cup was always a bit of a stretch, but maybe, just maybe a win against Salford this Tuesday will take Vale one step closer to a visit to the home of English football.

Mike Stubbs
Mike Stubbs
Sports Reporter - Port Vale

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