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Live Commentary: Huddersfield Town 0-0 Manchester City - as it happened

Relive the 0-0 draw between Huddersfield Town and Manchester City as the Championship hosts earn an FA Cup replay against Pep Guardiola's side.
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Huddersfield Town earned an FA Cup fifth round replay with Manchester City courtesy of a 0-0 draw at the John Smith's Stadium this afternoon.

Both sides created chances in an even first half, but neither were able to break the deadlock before they went into half time all square.

City enjoyed more control over the game after the interval, but clear chances were scarce and Huddersfield comfortably held out to set up a return trip to the Etihad Stadium.

Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute coverage below.


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Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's FA Cup fifth round contest between Huddersfield Town and Manchester City at the John Smith's Stadium. It is Championship versus the Premier League and two in-form teams going head to head in what should be a very intriguing match as they look to book their place in the quarter-finals of this competition. We will take an in-depth look at both clubs shortly, but first up let's check the team news...

HUDDERSFIELD STARTING XI: Coleman; Whitehead, Hudson, Billing, Holmes-Dennis, Cranie, Payne, Van la Parra, Lolley, Quaner, Stankovic

HUDDERSFIELD SUBS: Ward, Smith, Kachunga, Lowe, Wells, Brown, Booty

MAN CITY STARTING XI: Bravo; Zabaleta, Stones, Otamendi, Kolarov; Fernando, Delph, Fernandinho; Nolito, Aguero, Navas

MAN CITY SUBS: Caballero, Sagna, Sterling, De Bruyne, Sane, Iheanacho, A Garcia

As expected, then, it is changes galore for this FA Cup clash. It is something we have grown used to seeing from the big Premier League clubs, but Huddersfield boss David Wagner has also rung the changes for this game - a clear indication of his priorities this season. Even so, the visit of Manchester City is still a big occasion for the club, so the players selected by Wagner will certainly be up for this one.

In all, the hosts have made seven changes to the side that started against Rotherham United on Tuesday and, with another big Championship game to come next Tuesday, it is perhaps understandable why Wagner has chosen to rotate. Holmes-Dennis, Billing, Lolley and Quaner are the only players to keep their places in the starting XI from that victory over Yorkshire rivals Rotherham a few days ago.

One player who is absent by force is Aaron Mooy, who has been in impressive form for the Terriers this season but misses out today as he is ineligible to play against his parent club. Taking his place in midfielder will be the veteran Dean Whitehead, who has plenty of experience against teams of Man City's calibre from his days in the Premier League with Sunderland and Stoke. Whether his 35-year-old legs will be able to cope with the pace of City's play remains to be seen, though.

As for Manchester City, the headline news is the return of Sergio Aguero to the starting XI, with the Argentine having been dropped to the bench for the last four games. The form of Gabriel Jesus in the early days of his Man City career was the reason behind that, but Jesus could now miss the remainder of the season having broken his metatarsal early against Bournemouth on Monday night. Aguero, then, will regain his place as the club's leading striker, and should he find form again then there is no doubt that he is among the deadliest front men in world football.

Another player who has spent the last four games on the bench is Claudio Bravo, but he returns to the starting XI today. That is further proof - if needed - that he has been usurped by Caballero in the pecking order at City, with Guardiola continuing his trend of putting his number two between the sticks for cup matches. City have conceded just one goal in the four games since Bravo lost his place in the team, and the Chilean has conceded from each of the last six shots on target that he has faced.

In all, Pep Guardiola has made eight changes to the side that beat Bournemouth on Monday, which is again expected considering they are back in Champions League action on Tuesday. John Stones, Aleksander Kolarov and Fernandinho are the only players to keep their place in the starting XI, although the latter two will move position, with Kolarov reverting to his favoured left-back role and Fernandinho moving into midfield having acted as a full-back in recent games.

Pablo Zabaleta and Otamendi come into the defence for today's game, with Sagna and De Bruyne dropping to the bench to make room for them. It is all change in the midfield, with Fernando and Delph being given rare starts by Guardiola alongside Fernandinho. Silva and Toure are among the players to be given the day off, despite the latter having scored in both previous rounds of the FA Cup this season.

Further forward, Aguero will be flanked by Nolito and Jesus Navas, both of whom are also given rare starts. The front three of Sterling, Jesus and Sane was beginning to look exciting and, with the obvious exception of the injured Jesus, they are in reserve on the bench today should Guardiola need them. It is a chance for Nolito and Navas to show what they can do, though, having fallen out of the manager's thinking in recent weeks. Big game for those two, and plenty of other fringe players too.

There are one or two star names in there for City, and it is still a very expensively-assembled XI, but it is far from their strongest and seeing the team sheet may just give Huddersfield an extra kick of belief that they can pull off an upset here. The hosts will know that they are the underdogs against Guardiola's side, but they will go into this match full of confidence and it is not too much of a stretch to see them progressing today.

This is about the best time Huddersfield could have hoped to face a side like Manchester City, with the Terriers in better shape than they have been in a very long time at the moment. The hosts come into this match on a the back of a six-game winning streak in all competitions, which is their best run since another run of six in 2004, when they were a League Two team. That has kept up their promotion charge, and it is looking very feasible that this could be a Premier League fixture next season.

As things stand, Huddersfield sit third in the Championship table and their recent form has seen them chase down the top two, who had begun to pull away earlier in the campaign. The gap to the automatic promotion places is now only four points, while leaders Newcastle United are just five away. David Wagner's eyes will certainly be looking up the table rather than down it too, with a 10-point gap between his side and seventh place.

At the worst, then, it looks as though Huddersfield will make it into the playoffs this season, which is some achievement for a side who have been languishing in the lower tiers of English football for a long time now. They were last in the top flight way back in 1971-72, plunging down to the depths of the Football League before their recent revival has seen them climb up once again. The arrival of David Wagner has accelerated their progress, and the fans will be rightly optimistic with what the future holds for the club now.

Huddersfield are, of course, a club with quite a rich history having won the First Division title three years in a row between 1924 and 1926 under the legendary Herbert Chapman, who went on to enjoy more success with Arsenal. It was the FA Cup that provided their first piece of silverware, though, with their one and only success in this competition coming in 1922. They have also finished as runners-up on four occasions, but are today looking to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 1971-72.

They have certainly been in fine form in the competition so far, winning both of their matches by a 4-0 margin. The Terriers aren't usually the biggest scorers - indeed only Sheffield Wednesday have scored fewer in the Championship's top 10 - but they cruised past Port Vale and Rochdale in the first two rounds, keeping things tight at the back in the process. Today is a huge step up from those two games, though.

Huddersfield's 4-0 win over Port Vale in the third round of this season's competition was their first home FA Cup victory since January 2011, but in general they have been very strong at home this term. They are unbeaten in front of their own fans since November, winning six and drawing one of their seven matches since a defeat to Wigan. That includes an ongoing run of four wins on the bounce, the last two of which have come against fellow promotion contenders Brighton and Leeds. All season, Huddersfield have only been beaten here twice, winning 12 and drawing two.

It will not be an easy afternoon for City, then, and they will have to work very hard to ensure that they don't become the latest team to suffer an upset in the FA Cup. The Premier League has already seen one casualty today with Burnley losing at home to non-league Lincoln in one of the great cup upsets, and while defeat for City here would not quite match the shock of that result, it would still be a big blow for Guardiola.

This competition does, of course, provide Guardiola with a chance to pick up his first piece of silverware as Man City boss, and many would argue it is his most likely route to that too. Even so, this is probably third on the list of priorities for the remainder of the campaign, with securing a top four spot in the Premier League and progressing in the Champions League trumping FA Cup glory for the Citizens.

The Premier League title itself looks to be out of reach for City, although their recent revival has seen them close the gap on leaders Chelsea to eight points and climb back into second in the table. City's recent run is proof that a few good results can change everything in what is a very tight race for the top four, with just four points separating them from sixth-placed Manchester United. City are now three clear of Liverpool in fifth and two above both Tottenham and Arsenal.

It wasn't long ago that many were claiming a crisis at City, and to be fair their 4-0 defeat at the hands of Everton last month warranted some of the reaction. However, City have responded well to that defeat, drawing against Spurs before stringing together a run of four consecutive wins in all competitions. Another victory today would give them five on the bounce for the first time since their perfect start of 10 wins from 10 under Guardiola.

Like Huddersfield, City have also been in good form in the FA Cup this season, scoring eight goals without replay in the previous rounds too. West Ham United were the opponents in the third round and were comfortably swept aside 5-0 before Crystal Palace were also dispatched via a 3-0 scoreline. Indeed, City have now won four of their last five FA Cup outings without conceding a goal, scoring 15 in the process.

The exception in that run was a heavy 5-1 defeat at the hands of Chelsea at this stage last season, though, which is also their only away defeat in this competition since January 2008. City have won eight and drawn four of their 13 away matches in the FA Cup since then, and this will be their sixth in a row on the road. They have not played a home game in this competition since January 2015, which incidentally is also the last time them faced lower league opposition.

City travel to the John Smith's Stadium in decent form on the road having won their last three away games without conceding, averaging three goals per game at the other end in that time too. Indeed, they have won four of their last five on the road without conceding a goal and scoring plenty at the other end, but the exception in that run was the 4-0 defeat at the hands of Everton. Victory today would make it four away wins in a row for the first time since that perfect start.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the John Smith's Stadium, which means that it is time for a prediction! This really is a tough one to call as Huddersfield are flying at the moment and will fancy their chances today - even more so after Lincoln's heroics against Burnley. City have plenty of quality in their side despite all the changes, though, and I can see the visitors getting the job done. I'll go for a 2-0 away win, and I'll even throw in Nolito and Aguero to get the goals.

The last time these two sides met was 17 years ago to the day, when they faced each other in Division One - now the Championship. That game finished as a 1-1 draw, with Clyde Wijnhard opening the scoring for hosts Huddersfield before Shaun Goater levelled things up to earn the visitors a point. Plenty has changed for both clubs since that game, that is for sure.

Huddersfield have actually only lost one of their last seven meetings with Man City, winning three and drawing three since 1988. Once again, though, it is important to stress that this is a very different Man City to the one Huddersfield faced in that time, so it would be some achievement if the hosts were to extend that record this afternoon.

These two sides have been drawn together twice before in the FA Cup, with City progressing on both occasions. The Citizens won a fourth-round clash in 1925-26, when Huddersfield were en route to their third straight league title, and also progressed in 1987-88, although on that occasion they needed two replays to finally seal a route into the next round. Those two replays mean that City have won two and drawn two against Huddersfield in the FA Cup.

The Terriers have failed to even score in three of their four FA Cup meetings with City, the most recent of which came in January 1988 when City ran out 3-0 winners. Today's visitors also boast the better FA Cup pedigree overall having lifted the trophy five times, most recently in 2010-11. That success six years ago remains the only time they have won the trophy since their investment, though.

KICKOFF: Here we go then! Huddersfield get us underway as they look to pull off an upset and book their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Bright start from Huddersfield as they win a corner inside the first minute when Payne's shot was blocked by Otamendi...

...the corner is a poor one, though, and is comfortably cleared at the front post.

It is still very early days in this match, but David Wagner will be pretty content with the start his side have made here. They have seen plenty of the ball and don't seem daunted by the visit of City.

CHANCE! Big chance for Huddersfield to take the lead! The hosts win the ball back in a good position and Quaner pokes it into the path of Van la Parra, who tries to curl it into the top corner. However, he puts it too close to Bravo, who makes his first save in a Manchester City shirt since January 6.

Huddersfield certainly aren't sitting off and respecting City too much here, but then again you wouldn't expect a David Wagner side to do that. These City players will already know that they will be in for a difficult afternoon here.

Almost another chance for Huddersfield as Otamendi's pass back towards Bravo is a little short, and the keeper has to be sharp to beat Quander to the ball.

CHANCES! The first big scare for Huddersfield, and City should be ahead here. A couple of quick passes sees the ball break into the path of Nolito inside the area, but Coleman is alert to it and thwarts the Spaniard with a good save. The ball bounces back out to Navas, but his low follow-up effort is cleared off the line by Hudson.

That was a crucial piece of defending by the Huddersfield skipper Hudson there as Navas had placed his shot just inside the post. The captain was in the right place at the right time.

We're almost 15 minutes in here and Huddersfield have more than held their own so far. It is all going pretty well for the hosts at the moment, with the exception of that one City chance.

Nothing to report in terms of chances in the last few minutes, but one notable thing is that Aguero is yet to really get involved. Huddersfield have kept him quiet so far.

Shooting chance for the visitors here as Zabaleta finds himself in a bit of space, but his effort from range is well blocked.

There are two other fifth-round matches in the FA Cup currently taking place, and it remains goalless in both of them too. We will bring you any updates from Middlesbrough vs. Oxford and Millwall vs. Leicester if and when they happen.

More good defending from Hudson as Billing gives the ball away to Aguero in a dangerous position, but before the Argentine can make anything of it the Huddersfield skipper slides in to dispossess him.

CHANCE! Chance for City as Coleman races out of goal unnecessarily when two defenders are tracking Aguero. The Argentine gets to the ball over the top before the keeper, but lifts the ball too high over the bar.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the match is shown to Kolarov, who scythes down Lolley after losing possession.

CLOSE! Payne lines up the free kick and curls it towards the top corner, but Bravo gets a fingertip to the ball on it's way over. The replays show it may well have just nicked the top of the bar, but a corner is given.

DISALLOWED GOAL! This could have been controversial! Huddersfield have the ball in the back of the net from the resulting corner through Billing, but the celebrations are cut short by the linesman's flag. Bravo had initially made a smart save to deny Whitehead after City had failed to deal with the corner, but Billing lashed home the rebound. The flag is raised against Van la Parra, though, as he was standing right in front of Bravo for the original shot.

Another half-chance for Billing as he finds space to shoot from range, but he can only drag a rather tame effort comfortably wide of the target.

SAVE! Aguero feeds the ball into Delph, but the midfielder's first touch is awful. He still manages to keep possession in the box and lifts it back into his path only to then slice an effort straight into the arms of the keeper.

Delph is very lucky here. He goes into a tackle and wins the ball, but his follow-through saw him catch Billing very high. That was naughty from the City man and he should have been shown a card there.

CLOSE! Another shooting chance for City as Zabaleta plays a one-two with Aguero before delivering the cross to Nolito, but he scuffs his volley a little and it bobbles wide via a deflection.

UPDATE: The first goal of the 3pm FA Cup kickoffs has come from Middlesbrough, who lead Oxford through a Grant Leadbitter strike.

UPDATE: ...make that 2-0 to Middlesbrough - Rudy Gestede has just doubled the Premier League side's advantage. No upset there by the looks of things.

CHANCE! Huddersfield are very much in this game. They create another chance here as the ball is fed inside to Van La Parra, but once again Bravo is equal to his low shot from the edge of the area.

City have not been able to impose themselves on the game so far and, while they have created a few chances, Guardiola may already be thinking that an injection of pace or creativity is needed off the bench.

CHANCE! Another decent chance for the visitors as Aguero beats the offside trap with a good run into the box. Like Delph a few moments ago, though, his first touch lets him down and Coleman is able to make the save from the resulting effort.

It looks as though Huddersfield will make it to half time level here and, unless City score in the next couple of minutes, the hosts will go into the dressing room full of confidence that they can win this game. They have created chances and have looked reasonably solid at the back too.

There will be one minute of added time at the end of this first half.

HALF TIME: Huddersfield 0-0 Man City

We're all square with everything to play for at the halfway stage here at the John Smith's Stadium, then, with Huddersfield having more than held their own against Manchester City so far. Both sides have created plenty of chances, but neither have been able to find the breakthrough so far. It is very much game on in the coming 45 minutes.

Huddersfield have had the ball in the back of the net, but the goal was correctly disallowed for an offside against Van la Parra after Billing had fired home a rebound. There have also been chances for Van la Parra himself, while Payne has come close with a curling free kick that just clipped the top of the crossbar.

City have arguably enjoyed the best of the chances, but they have not been as dominant as you might expect considering their form and league position. The best chance fell to Nolito, who was thwarted by the keeper before Jesus Navas saw his rebound effort cleared off the line by Hudson. Aguero, who has been quiet for the most part, has had a couple of decent sights of goal, while Delph also failed to make the most of a good position.

KICKOFF: Manchester City get us back underway for the second half here in West Yorkshire.

SAVE! Flying start to the second half from City, and it takes a good stop from Coleman to keep the hosts level. Aguero bursts into life with a slaloming run between a couple of defenders before drilling a low shot towards the bottom corner that was pushed away.

City have begun to put a bit more pressure on the hosts in the early stages of the second half, with Aguero in particular enjoying more of an influence on the game.

More good play from Aguero as he skips past Hudson before looking to thread the ball through for Delph, but he is well marshalled by Whitehead and the keeper is able to collect.

Better from Huddersfield in the last couple of minutes. They have just begun to settle back into the game after a relatively slow start to the second half.

You couldn't really tell that there is a whole division between these two teams in the first half, but City have moved up a couple of gears since the interval and that gap in quality is beginning to become evident. Huddersfield may need to weather a bit of a storm here.

Fine challenge from Cranie as he slides in to dispossess Kolarov after an Aguero through-ball. He had to get that right, and Aguero's pass gave him just enough to make a good, clean tackle.

Good pressing from Huddersfield as they box Delph in, forcing him to pass back to Bravo, who is already under pressure. He takes no risks and clears it into the stands, though.

HUDDERSFIELD SUBS: Double change from the home side here as Lolley and Van La Parra make way to be replaced by Elias Kachunga and Nahki Wells.

It is not really a surprise to see Wagner make those changes as his side have been under pressure for almost the entire second half so far. City have been dominant since the interval.

Those changes do seem to have relieved the pressure a little, but City are still controlling possession and Huddersfield are struggling to get any rhythm to their play at the moment.

Half a shout for a penalty from the home fans as Wells runs at Stones inside the box, twisting and turning as Stones continues to back off. It is good defending from the City man, though, as he doesn't dive in and is eventually able to just let Wells run it out himself.

Concern for Coleman here as he goes down clutching his calf after rising to collect an aerial ball in the area. It would not be ideal for Wagner if he has to use his final change to bring on a sub keeper.

For all City have been on top in this second half, the only time they have really threatened Coleman's goal since the interval was in the very first minute when the keeper denied Aguero. Incidentally, Coleman looks like he will be fine to continue here.

MAN CITY SUBS: Here comes the cavalry! Man City make a double change as Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane replace Nolito and Delph.

Very good goalkeeping from Coleman as he is quick off his line to clear the danger just as it looked as though Navas was going to race on to a through-ball. That earns him a round of applause from Wagner.

UPDATE: I said it didn't look like there would be an upset at the Riverside, but it looks like I may have been doing Oxford a disservice! They have scored twice in less than two minutes to level things up at 2-2 against Middlesbrough.

HUDDERSFIELD SUB: A third and final change from the home side as Izzy Brown replaces Payne.

Navas delivers a brilliant low cross right along the six-yard box, but no City players have gambled and the ball passes through without anyone to tap it in.

Just 15 minutes remain in this one now and we're still searching for a breakthrough. It will be interesting to see how these closing stages pan out as a replay doesn't really do either club any favours.

Good pressure from Huddersfield as Wells races down the left flank and a couple of crosses arrive in the City box, one of which sees Bravo come for it and miss, but the visitors survive.

Kolarov seems to have a problem here, which brings the physios onto the pitch despite the full-back not going down. It looks like they have told him not to risk himself, though, and a sub is incoming.

MAN CITY SUB: Indeed, there is the change as Bacary Sagna replaces Kolarov.

Just 10 minutes away from Huddersfield earning a replay here, but they will know that they stand a better chance getting a winner here than they would at the Etihad Stadium. We could be in for an attacking finale.

De Bruyne is annoyed at the referee here, and rightly so. The playmaker collects the ball inside the box after Coleman has just let it slip out of his grasp, but the ref seems to rule that he kicked it out of Coleman's hands.

A Huddersfield free kick is only cleared as far as Kachunga, who shows some quick feet to skip into shooting space, but he doesn't catch hold of his effort and it trickles into the arms of the keeper.

Good play from Coleman here as Zabaleta races down the right flank and delivers a cross into the box that looked like causing a few problems, but the Huddersfield keeper takes the pressure off by plucking the ball out of the air.

Aguero is exasperated here as a heavy touch from Stankovic gives him a chance to nick the ball. However, he trips over the leg of Hudson as the two cross paths, and the referee deems it to be an accidental collision. Needless to say, Aguero does not agree.

SHOT! Huddersfield are looking for a winner here as Kachunga, who has been quite bright since coming on, cuts inside onto his left foot before curling an effort a few yards wide. He had teammates in support, though, and may have been better off looking for one of them.

There will be three minutes of added time at the end of this match.

FULL TIME: Huddersfield Town 0-0 Manchester City

Not the ideal result for either club, then, but Huddersfield have shown a level of quality which suggests they wouldn't be out of place in the Premier League if they are to be promoted this season. They matched Man City for long spells of that game and hold on for a goalless draw that earns them a replay at the Etihad Stadium. Both sides had chances in the first half but, in truth, the second period was not a thriller and there can't be too many complaints at it ending all square.

Right, that is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's game as Championship side Huddersfield hold the mighty Manchester City to a goalless draw, earning themselves a replay at the Etihad Stadium. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!

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Pep Guardiola watches on during the Premier League game between Manchester City and Burnley on January 2, 2017
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