Kevin De Bruyne's Late Goal Helps Manchester City Defeat Leyton Orient In FA Cup Match

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Kevin De Bruyne came off the bench to score the decisive goal, helping Manchester City overcome a deficit to defeat Leyton Orient in the FA Cup. De Bruyne and fellow substitute Abdukodir Khusanov scored after halftime, overturning Stefan Ortega's own-goal, which followed Jamie Donley's impressive strike. This victory allowed City to advance to the next round.

Charlie Kelman had Orient's first shot on target in the 14th minute. He showed impressive speed to get past City's debutant Vitor Reis, but Ortega managed to block his attempt. Just two minutes later, Donley put Orient ahead with a spectacular long-range effort that hit the crossbar and bounced in off Ortega.

Donley also made a crucial defensive play by clearing Bernardo Silva's shot off the line after Jack Grealish's cross found him at the back post. City nearly equalised in first-half stoppage time when Omar Marmoush's volley was brilliantly saved by Josh Keeley. However, they eventually levelled 11 minutes into the second half.

Rico Lewis scored from outside the box, with Khusanov getting a touch that deflected it past Keeley. The visitors kept pressing for a winner, with James McAtee hitting the post and Ilkay Gundogan forcing another save from Keeley.

With just 11 minutes remaining, De Bruyne secured City's progression to the fifth round by scoring after receiving Grealish's pass behind Orient's defence. Orient almost forced extra time when Dan Happe fired over from Tom James' free-kick.

City's preparations for their upcoming Champions League match against Real Madrid were less than ideal. Guardiola had to rely on his bench strength to edge past Leyton Orient. De Bruyne continued his excellent FA Cup form, contributing significantly once again.

FA Cup Success

The Belgian has been involved in 25 goals in his last 24 FA Cup appearances, scoring eight and assisting 17. Despite being challenged throughout, City have won their last 18 FA Cup matches against lower-division teams, scoring 69 goals and conceding nine.

This match marked the first own-goal by a City goalkeeper since Costel Pantilimon against West Bromwich Albion in December 2013. Nonetheless, City's resilience ensured they advanced further in the competition.