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Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling scored on the day that a new attendance record of 32,339 was set for a club game at the Cardiff City Stadium as Manchester City eased into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 victory at Cardiff.\nDe Bruyne’s eighth-minute free-kick was a candidate for the cheekiest goal of the season as he sent the ball under the Cardiff wall, while Sterling’s header gave City a two-goal cushion before half-time.
\nCardiff were committed throughout – too much at times with defender Joe Bennett sent off in stoppage time – but the gap between the top of the Premier League and third in the Sky Bet Championship never looked like being bridged.
\nCity booked their place in the final of the Carabao Cup in midweek by beating Bristol City and hopes of an unprecedented quadruple remain very much alive after this impressive showing.
\nThere was also the bonus of captain Vincent Kompany returning to action for the first time since limping off at Newcastle on December 27, and the Belgian defender completed 90 minutes for only the second time in two months.
\nThe omens were positive for Cardiff as City had lost on their previous two visits to the Welsh capital.
\nManuel Pellegrini’s side were beaten here in a Premier League fixture in August 2013 and Nathan Blake had settled a fourth-round tie when the two sides last met in the FA Cup at the old Ninian Park in 1994.
\nCardiff showed their intent when Nathaniel Mendez-Laing rounded Danilo and a more measured ball into the box might have led to a shooting opportunity.
\nBut De Bruyne silenced the feverish home crowd after Ilkay Gundogan had tested Neil Etheridge in the Cardiff goal and then been crudely upended by Joe Ralls.
\nThe Cardiff wall jumped as one, but De Bruyne took the low route and rolled the ball under the blue shirts to reach double figures for the season.
\nCardiff remained unbowed from that setback and Junior Hoilett almost equalised when Claudio Bravo made a hash of his 30-yard volley.
\nBravo spilled the shot backwards but the Chilean held it at the second attempt just as it was about to cross the goal-line.
\nBennett instantly produced a peach of a cross which proved just too high for the unmarked Callum Paterson in the middle.
\nThere was a moment of high controversy after 25 minutes when De Bruyne fed Bernardo Silva and the Portuguese’s ferocious 25-yard shot flew past Etheridge and in off the crossbar.
\nBut Leroy Sane was adjudged to be standing in an offside position and blocking Etheridge’s view of the shot.
\nTelevision replays suggested that Sane might actually have been onside, even if he was in Etheridge’s eyeline.
\nBut with the Video Assistant Referee system not in operation the goal was disallowed, much to the annoyance of City manager Pep Guardiola, who had hurled his scarf to the ground in disgust.
\nBut City did double their lead after 37 minutes when the unmarked Sterling headed home Silva’s cross from six yards for his 19th goal of the season.
\nCardiff were fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men in first-half stoppage time when Bennett scythed down Sane with a nasty-looking high tackle.
\nSane did not reappear for the second half but the arrival of Sergio Aguero hardly limited City’s attacking prowess.
\nSterling was denied his second by Sean Morrison’s last-gasp challenge but Cardiff kept going despite struggling to achieve a quarter of the game’s possession.
\nKenneth Zohore forced Bravo into a save and Hoilett’s rising 20-yard effort just cleared the crossbar, before Cardiff were reduced to 10 men in the final seconds when Bennett saw a belated red for another poor tackle on City substitute Brahim Diaz.<\/p>\n