Manchester City win their 15th successive game in all competitions with a 3-1 win against Swansea in the FA Cup, setting a new record in English football; Pep Guardiola also wins his 200th game in charge of Man City
Thursday 11 February 2021 14:56, UK
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have broken more records as they registered a 15th successive win in all competitions against Swansea in the FA Cup - the longest run by a top-flight side in English football history.
After two defeats earlier this season, Man City have been growing into their best form and have finally hit the highs we have come to expect from them. They lead the Premier League by five points with a game in hand and, on Wednesday, cruised into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 win at Swansea.
It was a history-making 15th win in a row and their 22nd unbeaten since a 2-0 defeat by Tottenham in November.
"It is a message for ourselves - we came here to win the game and that's the most important thing," Guardiola told BT Sport when asked about the new winning record. "But we cannot deny how pleased and proud we are for our club to break the record from a long time ago.
"The records made once will be broken so the record is there for another team to come along and break it but they'll have to do well so it's not easy in the modern era to win 15 games in a row. It's good today, now onto the next once."
He later added: "It shows how special these players are... It means a lot, to do what we have done in the winter time and Christmas time is quite remarkable.
"It is the toughest time, but what is important is the way we are still playing with our consistency. We have an incredible week ahead of us and we will approach it game by game."
Their current winning run began on December 19 with a 1-0 Premier League victory at Southampton. In that run, there have been two Carabao Cup victories, sending them into the final. They are aiming to equal Liverpool's record of winning the competition four times in a row - which they managed between 1981 and 1984 - when they face Tottenham on Sunday April 25 at Wembley.
Including the win against Swansea, there have also been three FA Cup wins and 10 in the Premier League, including a 4-1 win against Liverpool on Sunday.
The previous best run of consecutive victories had been 14, achieved by Preston in 1891-92 and Arsenal in 1987. Preston's sequence, three years after their 'Invincibles' season, featured 12 league wins in succession followed by two FA Cup victories between October 1891 and January 1892. They eventually finished runners-up in the First Division to Sunderland and were beaten in the FA Cup third round - then the quarter-finals - by Nottingham Forest.
Arsenal's run came after they made an indifferent start to the 1987-88 season, winning just one of their opening five games. George Graham's side hit form in September, winning 14 in a row until mid-November. 10 of the wins came in First Division fixtures, with the other four being in the League Cup. They finished sixth in the table that season and lost to Luton in the League Cup final.
Shoring up at the back has played a key part in Man City's run. Of the 15 games played so far, they have kept 10 clean sheets and conceded just five goals. Cheltenham and Swansea both scored in their FA Cup fixtures, adding to a goal from Arsenal in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals and Premier League goals from Chelsea and Liverpool.
Although there is a condensed fixture list due to the coronavirus pandemic, Man City also won nine games in January - the most by any side in the top four tiers of English football in any single calendar month.
As pop star Yazz once sang - the only way is up. Guardiola said records are made to be broken but they can certainly hang around for a while with every game that Man City continue to win.
It's a daunting prospect for any side. They were scintillating against Liverpool and despite seven changes, produced a similar performance against Swansea. Guardiola has built an enviable squad, packed to the rafters with talent in every position that can play how he wants in most games.
But arguably Man City's greatest test is yet to come. They face Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League in a fortnight and the return of European football will truly test City's resolve.
The Champions League offers a different challenge. There can be long trips abroad - due to travel restrictions, City will face Gladbach in Budapest rather than in Germany - and two-legged ties against some of the best teams in the world, all sandwiched closely alongside other domestic commitments. Let's not forget, Man City are still involved in every competition this season.
But could Guardiola's side also have one of their own Premier League records also in their sights? Man City made history when they won 18 successive league games in the 2017/18 campaign, a feat matched by Liverpool last season. With 16 games to play this season, there is more than enough time for them to surpass this tally, with their current win count on 10 in a row.
See if they can extend this to 11 games in the Premier League - and a 16th victory overall - when they welcome Tottenham to the Etihad on Saturday evening, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 5.30pm.
And there's more. Not only did Man City win an incredible 15th successive game at Swansea, Guardiola also registered his 200th win as Man City manager.
He has hit the mark after 268 games in charge since arriving in the summer of 2016. He has drawn 31 and lost the remaining 37 of those games, with a huge 659 goals scored at a rate of 2.46 per game.
Speaking about reaching the personal landmark, Guardiola told Man City's official website: "I don't know how many games but 200 victories already, 200 good moments, and a lot of red wine afterwards!"
