On March 13, in the FA Cup quarterfinal knockout round, Man City hosted Reading.
Having just made a midweek expedition to Kyiv, Ukraine, Guardiola opted for a rotated lineup in this match, which left the team unable to break the deadlock for a long time.
It was not until the seventy-sixth minute of the second half that Pepe used a corner-kick opportunity to overpower his opponent and score with a header, netting the only goal of the match for Man City and helping the team advance to the FA Cup semifinals.
After the match, the draw determined that Man City would host Arsenal in the semifinals.
It was the first meeting between Man City and the Gunners since that humiliating nine-to-one defeat.
Whether they were Man City fans or the British media, everyone lavished praise on Man City for reaching the FA Cup semifinals.
This was the first time in thirty years that Man City had reached the FA Cup semifinals. The previous occasion could be traced back to 1981.
That year, under head coach John Bond, Man City defeated Ipswich in the semifinals and advanced to the final, only to lose 2–3 to Tottenham Hotspur and miss out on the title.
This had become a source of endless regret for countless Man City fans.
In the thirty years that followed, Man City had never again reached the FA Cup semifinals. From this alone, it was easy to see how shallow the club's foundations were.
But precisely because of that, Man City's return to the FA Cup semifinals this season immediately attracted intense attention from fans and the media. Countless Man City supporters called on the team to hold on until the end and make something of the FA Cup.
Man City had gone so, so many years without tasting