Manchester City needed a late winner from substitute Kevin De Bruyne to beat Leyton Orient 2-1 and reach the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday (Feb 8) after the third-tier side threatened to shock the Premier League champions.
Jamie Donley's audacious long-range effort that came back off the bar and rebounded in off City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega had given Orient an early lead.
They maintained that advantage until 56 minutes when Rico Lewis' shot deflected in off Abdukodir Khusanov for his first Manchester City goal.
Pep Guardiola had to turn to his bench more than he would have liked just four days before a mammoth Champions League tie against Real Madrid. However, the introduction of De Bruyne made the difference as he scored the winner 11 minutes from time.
Guardiola's side sit fourth in the Premier League and narrowly avoided a shock early exit from the Champions League in the league phase. But they will need to be much improved when the might of Madrid come calling to the Etihad in the Champions League playoff round on Tuesday.
