FA Cup: Man City register 15th successive win in all competitions

One of the most relentless schedules in the history of English soccer hasn’t stopped Manchester City putting together a record-setting run of wins.

It’s 15 straight victories and counting for Pep Guardiola’s irrepressible team, which has another domestic treble in its sights.

By beating second-tier Swansea 3-1 to reach the FA Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday, City broke the record for most consecutive wins in all competitions by a top-flight team, a mark that had lasted for nearly 130 years. Preston won 14 in a row in 1892 and that was later matched by Arsenal’s class of 1987.

City has gone one better during a pandemic, when matches in the Premier League or domestic cup competitions are being played every three or four days to fit them into a condensed season that started a month later than usual.

Indeed, by also advancing last month to the English League Cup final, City has played every weekend and midweek since Nov. 21



except for an eight-day break from Dec. 26-Jan. 3 during which the team’s training ground was closed because of a coronavirus outbreak. The number of first-team players to test positive ran into double figures.

“That means a lot in this toughest period, in the Christmas and winter time,” said Guardiola, whose side leads the Premier League by five points with a game in hand. “To do what we have done in this time is quite remarkable.”

Guardiola earned his 200th win in 268 games in charge of the team.

City won 20 straight games in all competitions from August-December 2017, also under Guardiola, but one of those victories came in a penalty shootout in the League Cup after a 0-0 draw after extra time.

Also advancing to the last eight was Sheffield United, a 1-0 winner against second-tier Bristol City, and Leicester, which beat Brighton by the same score thanks to Kelechi Iheanacho’s goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time.