London, Feb 20 (IANS) Manchester City chief coach Pep Guardiola rued the red card given to Fabian Delph and said mistakes like these can cost a team the game in matches like the FA Cup as they succumbed to a shock 0-1 loss at the hands of English third-tier football club Wigan Athletic.

In a stunning fifth round upset, Will Grigg scored a late winner in the 79th minute after a misjudgement by City substitute Kyle Walker to stymie City’s hopes of an unprecedented quadruple trophies this campaign on Monday.

“That kind of game is like a final and always the teams can punish you,” Guardiola told the BBC after the game.

“OK. So accept the defeat. Congratulations to Wigan,” added the Spaniard.

City, who enjoyed 82 per cent possession in the second half, played the entire half with ten men after midfielder Delph was given marching orders in the 45th minute for a sliding challenge on Max Power.

Wigan will host another English Premier League (EPL) team Southampton in next month’s quarter-finals having now beaten three top-flight sides in their fairytale run.

“It feels great, doesn’t it,” said their manager Paul Cook. “It’s such a severe test, they’re such a strong side… tonight we had to ride our luck at times. But that’s what makes the FA Cup so special.”

Meanwhile, Wigan said they would investigate the pitch invasion after the tie.

Chairman David Sharpe said the club will work with the Football Association (FA) and police to review the pitch invasion.

City’s Argentine striker Sergio Aguero had an altercation with a fan after the match.

Aguero alleged that he was spat at during a post-match confrontation.

All hell broke loose when sections of the supporters ripped out advertising boards and threw them towards police.

The FA will study the referee’s report and review available footage, according to a BBC report.

“Football is a family event and the disruption that players and fans alike faced will not be tolerated,” Greater Manchester police chief superintendent Stuart Ellison was quoted as saying by BBC.

“As soon as people were on the pitch, we immediately deployed our resources to the front of the stands, where they were able to keep the two groups of supporters apart and prevent any further disruption.”

–IANS
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