Both teams are just running down the seconds here until this one is in the books.
90' +1
There will be two minutes of added time.
90'
Foden sends a corner into the back post but there's nobody there to meet it and the ball dribbles out for a goal-kick.
It's been comfortable for City but Guardiola continues to look unhappy on the touchline. In fairness, he would have been expecting them to add to their haul of three goals at half-time.
88'
J. Clarke-Salter gets yellow.
City break before Clarke-Salter halts Nmecha in his tracks. His side would have been in trouble if he hadn't intervened and he is rightly booked.
85'
Steffen spills a simple shot from Bella and scrambles the ball clear as Jutkiewicz was on-hand to take advantage. Bella was offside in the build up so play is brought back.
83'
Silva spots Delap in the box and picks out his man well. The youngster rises highest but can't direct his header on target for a dream goal.
82'
Clarke-Salter dispossesses Foden and Birmingham break down the left-hand side. Bela and Friend link up well before the former flashes a shot across the face of goal from a tight angle. He had team-mates in the box, so the shot was perhaps the wrong decision there.
80'
Fernandinho plays a brilliant ball through for Foden but Roberts recovers superbly to get in front of the Man City midfielder and clear.
79'
The visitors are definitely starting to enjoy a little more time on the ball as the home side continue to waste chances going forward.
Minute
Description
78'
Clarke-Salter gets to the corner but can't direct it on target and City have a goal-kick.
77'
Sanchez takes on Silva and runs away from him before Mendy is able to deflect the cross out for a corner.
76'
Roberts launches a long throw into the box for Birmingham in what represents one of their better chances. City mop up the danger comfortably.
75'
L. Delap enters the game and replaces Gabriel Jesus.
The highly rated Delap is on for Jesus for the final 15 minutes.
74'
K. Walker gets yellow.
Friend turns Walker well before being brought down. The Manchester City defender earns a yellow for the challenge.
Mendy has so much space on the left to pick out a cross but finds the head of a Birmingham defender. That was a huge waste.
72'
Foden attempts a De Bruyne-esque throughball but it's slightly overhit with Mahrez not alert enough to react.
70'
Friend has acres of space on the left and is picked out by Sanchez. His cross looks like it's deflected out for a corner but the referee rules that Steffen kept the ball in.
68'
L. Jutkiewicz enters the game and replaces J. Leko.
Jutkiewicz will get 20 minutes or so in place of Leko who had some good moments.
67'
Jérémie Bela enters the game and replaces I. Šunjić.
Fernandinho enters the game and replaces Rodri.
Fernandinho is on for Rodri for the final quarter of the game.
Karanka makes another change as well with Bela on for Sunjic.
66'
Roberts fouls Nmecha and gives the hosts a chance from a free-kick. However, before that, it looks like there's going to be some changes.
65'
Sanchez takes Birmingham into the City half for the first time in a while. However, they're quickly dispossessed when Clayton misplaces a pass.
64'
Mahrez has a shot blocked after Birmingham partially clear a corner. The Algerian's claims for a handball are quickly waved away.
62'
Nmecha has been very bright since coming on. The opposition aren't putting up much of a fight granted, but he looks a real prospect.
56'
Jesus works a half-chance after a one-two with Mahrez. The Brazilian can't score but wins his side a corner.
55'
The gulf in the two teams is stark. The City players appear to be going through the motions here in a style reminiscent of a training game.
Leko picks the ball up on the left and play is allowed to carry on before the linesman's flag eventually goes up.
53'
The hosts pass the ball around comfortably between defence and midfield, patiently waiting for an opening in the opposition formation.
51'
Leko and Colin, who have been Birmingham's best players, link up well on the right flank briefly before City win a throw-in.
50'
Even in these early second-half exchanges, Birmingham are exerting very little pressure on their opponents when they have the ball.
48'
Will we see a slightly more competitive half of football with both managers bringing on some fresh legs?
46'
T. Harwood-Bellis enters the game and replaces João Cancelo.
A. Clayton enters the game and replaces Jon Toral.
M. Roberts enters the game and replaces S. Hogan.
J. Stones enters the game and replaces Rúben Dias.
F. Nmecha enters the game and replaces K. De Bruyne.
Changes at the break. For City, Nmecha replaces De Bruyne.
In the last of three changes for now, Harwood-Bellis gets a chance and comes on for Cancelo.
Stones is also on in place of Dias.
Unsurprisingly, the visitors have also dipped into the subs. Roberts is on for Hogan.
The second Birmingham change sees Clayton replace Toral.
We're back underway for the second half.
45' +3
HALF-TIME: MANCHESTER CITY 3-0 BIRMINGHAM CITY
45' +2
Birmingham defend the set-piece well as they look to survive to half-time.
45' +1
There will be two minutes of added time.
Mahrez wins his side a free-kick when he is brought down by Leko. The Birmingham man is lucky not to be cautioned but City have a chance to whip in a telling cross.
44'
I. Šunjić gets yellow.
It's been coming and it's Sunjic who becomes the first player to be booked. Foden is bearing down on the defence and the midfielder feels he has no option but to cynically haul the Englishman down.
41'
Up the other end and Silva flashes a first-time volley into the side netting as he looks to bag his hat-trick and City's fourth.
The visitors work the ball into a promising area on the right with Colin firing a cross into the danger area. However, Steffen is alert in goal and able to clear the threat.
40'
Despite the scoreline, Guardiola has cut a frustrated figure for the majority of the match so far. In particular, he appears to get animated when his side's tempo drops.
38'
De Bruyne fizzes another exquisite cross-field pass into Foden. The Englishman can't force a chance but it's more breathtaking stuff from the Belgian.
34'
SAVE! Up the other end Toral breaks forward and finds Friend who has made a surging run from left-back. He takes a touch before firing a shot that clips Cancelo and draws a smart save from Steffen.
33'
P. Foden has scored a goal for Manchester City! Assist by R. Mahrez.
GOAAAAAALL! IT'S 3-0 CITY! Mahrez breaks forward with pace before finding Foden on the edge of the box. He's surrounded by Birmingham defenders but his first touch is brilliant and his second is even better as he fires a low shot into the bottom corner. 3-0 City!
Mahrez bags himself a well-deserved assist. The Algerian has been lively so far and made a bursting run forward to set up Foden for the goal.
30'
SAVE! De Bruyne has time outside the box and picks out Jesus who has made a run in behind. The Brazilian gets a shot away from a tight angle but Prieto does well to get his body in the way.
28'
Kieftenbeld is the next player to be penalised for a late challenge. He catches Rodri but escapes without a booking.
27'
Birmingham have the ball in an advanced area briefly before Kieftenbeld is dispossessed. It looks like City have the chance to break but the Blues recover into their shape quickly.
25'
Foden is such an intelligent player. The ball comes out to him at the edge of the box and quick as you like, he shifts it onto his right foot and fires a shot goalward. He can't find the target but it's another warning shot to their opponents.
24'
Toral wins the ball but is penalised for his follow through on Jesus. It was high but not overly dangerous so the referee just gives him a warning.
21'
Play is stopped momentarily as Toral is down for Birmingham.
19'
Birmingham finally get on the ball and Leko does brilliantly to get past Cancelo on the left-hand side. He's on the byline and has a chance to pick out a team-mate but Rodri gets back to dispossess the midfielder.
15'
Bernardo Silva has scored a goal for Manchester City! Assist by K. De Bruyne.
De Bruyne adds another assist to his ever-growing list of goal contributions. He was played in brilliantly by Mahrez, but his cross to Silva was equally pinpoint.
GOAL! SILVA DOUBLES CITY'S LEAD! This is a textbook City goal. Mahrez, Foden and De Bruyne pass it around with ease on the right flank before the Algerian plays in De Bruyne who cuts it back for the onrushing Silva to finish from close range. 2-0 City!
13'
SHOT! Jesus is played in by Foden and cuts in past Colin to strike but the defender does well to get a touch and deflect it out for a corner.
10'
It's the worst possible start for Birmingham who had looked very organised in the opening exchanges. But there's nothing you can do when someone scores a goal like that. The Blues have a mountain to climb now!
8'
Bernardo Silva has scored a goal for Manchester City!
CITY LEAD 1-0! WHAT A GOAL FROM SILVA! Friend fails to deal with a diagonal ball played towards Mahrez and can only head it into the danger area. And it falls for Silva on the volley who thunders it into the top corner to put City one goal to the good!
6'
A good ball over the top finds Silva who beats the offside trap. The midfielder is quite isolated which allows the Blues to recover and stifle the threat.
4'
City's passing is crisp early on and De Bruyne is played in on the right at the end of a patient move. However, Friend recovers brilliantly to challenge the Belgian and win the ball back.
2'
City dominate the ball early on but a loose pass from Dias is picked up by Leko who drives forward. He is dispossessed and the loose ball almost falls kindly for Toral who would've had a great chance to score.
1'
Referee Robert Jones blows his whistle and gets this FA Cup clash underway.
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the FA Cup third round meeting between Manchester City and Birmingham City from the Etihad Stadium.
After an indifferent start to the 2020-21 campaign, City have hit form and enter this contest looking to make it six wins on the bounce. A 2-0 victory over Manchester United last time out set up an EFL Cup final with Tottenham, and the Citizens have moved up to fifth in the Premier League, four points adrift of leaders Liverpool with two games in hand. They’ve won this trophy six times, which includes a victory in 1956 when they overcame today’s opponents in the final.
Birmingham, meanwhile, are languishing down in 18th in the Championship standings after losing five of their last six league outings. And to make matters worse, the Blues haven’t scored a single goal in their last three fixtures. A cup clash will likely be a welcome break for Aitor Karanka and his side, but they face a tough challenge in arguably the country’s in-form team.
MANCHESTER CITY (4-1-4-1): Zack Steffen; Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy; Rodrigo; Riyad Mahrez, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden; Gabriel Jesus.
MANCHESTER CITY SUBS: John Stones, Ilkay Gundogan, Ederson, Fernandinho, Felix Nmecha, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Liam Delap, Luke Mbete, Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
BIRMINGHAM CITY (4-2-3-1): Andres Prieto; Maxime Colin, Jake Clarke-Salter, George Friend, Mikel San Jose; Maikel Kieftenbeld, Ivan Sunjic; Jon Toral, Jonathan Leko, Ivan Sanchez; Scott Hogan.
BIRMINGHAM CITY SUBS: Kristian Pedersen, Aaron Clayton, Marc Roberts, Lukas Jutkiewicz, Neil Etheridge, Riley McGree, Harlee Dean, Josh Dacres-Cogley, Jeremie Bela.
The teams are emerging from the tunnel and kick-off is moments away!
Despite the one-sided nature of the opening 45 minutes, Guardiola didn't seem overly pleased with some of his team's play, which is a worrying thought for the visitors. Birmingham need to try and get on the ball more in the second half if they are to have any success in this game.
Guardiola's side return to Premier League action next as they welcome Brighton to the Etihad looking to make it seven wins in a row. The visitors take on Middlesbrough next and will be desperate to put an end to their miserable run of form.
Anyway, that's all from me. I hope you enjoyed following along. Until next time, goodbye!
Commentary
More…