Stuart Gray has claimed that Manuel Pellegrini's choice of substitutions in this afternoon's FA Cup third-round tie goes to show just how close his Sheffield Wednesday side came to pulling off an upset.
The Owls went into the interval a goal to the good at the Etihad Stadium thanks to Atdhe Nuhiu's strike, although a second-half double from James Milner helped the Premier League champions progress through in the end with a 2-1 win.
Pellegrini made six changes to his starting lineup, but with a potential shock on the cards he was forced to turn to Samir Nasri and David Silva from the bench on the hour.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the game, Gray said: "It's a sickener, once we got our noses in front we knew we could frustrate them and hit them on the break.
"They had to put David Silva and Samir Nasri on and they had to chase the game. We made a talented team play to the max. We deserved the lead and Manchester City ended up giving us the ultimate respect. I always say have a look at what players ended the game, rather than started it."
Wednesday now turn their attention back to league duties, with a a trip to face Nottingham Forest in the Championship up next.
Daniel Lewis
