Peterborough 0-2 Manchester City: Jack Grealish scores on his return from injury to seal progress to the FA Cup quarter-finals for Pep Guardiola’s side

Just like watching Lionel Messi. Not my words, but Jack Grealish’s when describing the assist from Phil Foden for his goal which confirmed Manchester City’s safe passage to the FA Cup’s quarter finals.

‘You know what’s funny?’ Grealish said pitch-side in Peterborough after this 2-0 win. ‘Before the game, we were on the coach on the way here and I sit next to Phil.

‘I was scrolling through Twitter and a video of Messi’s passing came up. Me and Phil were just watching it. Just like Messi, wasn’t it, his pass?’

It was a beautiful ball over the top from Foden, and the finish was a beauty, too, as Grealish controlled it with his right then scored with his left.

This is a link-up which City hope will benefit them for years to come. One England international into the other, bang, goal. ‘I hope so!’ Pep Guardiola said when asked if this is a combination that we should get used to seeing.

Though the scoreline suggests ease, don’t think that this was a comfortable win for City, who were led by Oleksandr Zinchenko – the Ukrainian wearing the captain’s armband.

It took the Premier League leaders an hour to make their class count against the Championship’s bottom side with Riyad Mahrez scoring with City’s first shot on target.

Only then did it feel routine as Foden floated that ball in behind for Grealish to give them daylight. The reason it wasn’t so straightforward is down to the dogged determination of Peterborough.

The fifth round was the earliest exit City had endured under Guardiola in a loss at Wigan in 2017-18. Just in case it went wrong here, on their bench they had Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva. On the pitch they had Grealish, Gabriel Jesus and Mahrez.

A daunting prospect for any defence, and this tie came at the end of a wild week for Peterborough. Darren Ferguson resigned as manager after seeing his side slip to 24th in their league, behind a team in Derby County who started this season on minus 21 points.

So it was Grant McCann, Ferguson’s replacement, who had the daunting task of trying to fix one of the leakiest back lines in the land – on short notice and with City coming to town.

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Still, anything can happen in the FA Cup and this didn’t go entirely to plan for the favourites. At half time, one team had managed the most shots on target and it wasn’t the men from Manchester.

City were controlling possession – they enjoyed 83 per cent in the opening 20 minutes – but just couldn’t score. Instead it was Peterborough who came closest when Jeandro Fuchs out-muscled Nathan Ake during a breakaway. Fuchs got his shot away but a deflection from Ake and save from Ederson stopped the ball from nestling in the bottom corner.

Thirty minutes in, City had still not tested Peterborough goalkeeper Steven Benda. They ought to have changed that before the break but Ilkay Gundogan could only direct his header wide from Mahrez’s cross.

Jesus then fluffed his lines, too, as he produced an air-kick in stoppage time instead of scoring.

As if to sum up their half, Joao Cancelo produced a foul throw. ‘Premier League, you’re having a laugh,’ went the chant. It hadn’t been the best 45 minutes for City and Guardiola made two changes: Aymeric Laporte for Ruben Dias and John Stones for Ake.

At the start of the second half, a long throw-in from Joe Ward tested the new centre backs on show and Peterborough’s Sammie Szmodics, with a glorious chance to make FA Cup history against the champions of England, scuffed his shot.

What could have been, because City went up the other end to take the lead in the 60th minute.

Foden played the ball out to the right where Mahrez was waiting to pick it up. With two step-overs to mesmerise his marker Hayden Coulson, he aimed for the far corner and found it.

Now that they had the breakthrough, City looked liberated. Foden fancied another assist and got it when he floated a ball in behind the Peterborough defence. Grealish controlled and scored.

Noel Gallagher, the former member of Oasis, enjoyed that one as cameras caught him being swarmed in the away end.

Still Peterborough had chances to get a goal out of this contest, namely when substitute Jack Marriott unleashed a powerful effort. It stung Ederson’s palms as he pushed it away.

For 45 minutes at least, the FA Cup provided some light relief for Peterborough and their Championship problems. They troubled the Premier League leaders and can take pride in that.

City got the job done, though, as they so often do and they’re still very much in the mix for another trophy under Guardiola.