.Darren Moore praises Huddersfield Town for backs-to-wall performance in 5-0 defeat at Manchester City

Huddersfield Town’s journey in the 2023-24 FA Cup came to an early end with a 5-0 defeat, yet manager Darren Moore remained positive about his players’ performance against Manchester City. Although victory for the home team was expected, the relegation-threatened Championship side displayed significant defensive discipline and determination. They successfully held off the world’s top team until Phil Foden scored the opening goal after 33 minutes.

The subsequent slightly fortuitous goal by Julian Alvarez, just minutes later, proved decisive. Despite Town’s counter-attacks, led by Sorba Thomas, appearing capable of scoring, Manchester City’s ball possession limited their chances. Moore reflected, “We aimed to neutralize Man City’s strengths, and I believe we succeeded initially.” Despite the eventual 5-0 scoreline, Moore emphasized that his team should not feel disgraced as they managed to nullify many areas where Manchester City is particularly dangerous.

Acknowledging the game’s turning point with City’s quick goals, Moore noted, “Once their first goal went in and a quickfire second, the game runs away from you.” He added that maintaining composure after conceding the first goal could have kept them in the game until halftime. Moore praised his players, stating, “If I had one slight critique, it’s that we could have created better opportunities when we did break out, but credit is due to the players.”

Facing challenges with injuries to David Kasumu and Jonathan Hogg, Moore handed debuts to new signings Alex Matos and substitute Bojan Radulovic. Brodie Spencer, returning from a loan at Motherwell, started, and teenager Tom Iorpenda made a brief first senior appearance from the bench. Despite the defeat, Moore commended his team for their efforts in mitigating the strengths of the formidable Manchester City.