The Blues trailed for much of the game after falling behind to an early Wednesday goal had stunned the Etihad crowd, but the introduction of David Silva proved the be the turning point as the Magician had a part in setting up in both Milner’s goals, the last of which came in the 91st minute.
It wasn’t pleasant viewing for much of the game, but ultimately, City did just enough.
beat Sunderland 3-2 to extend the champions unbeaten run to 12 games in all competitions.
Having dispatched Sheffield Wednesday 7-0 in the Capital One Cup earlier this season, the visitors, backed by nearly 6,000 travelling fans, arrived at the Etihad more in hope than belief that they could progress into the fourth round.
Yet it was the Owls who struck first when Steve May found space on the right, picked out Atdhe Nuhiu on the edge of the box and the tall striker buried a low shot past Willy Caballero to send the Wednesday fans wild.
Without the added creativity of Samir Nasri and Silva, the Blues looked devoid of ideas in the opening half-hour, creating little of note and failing to test veteran keeper Chris Kirkland.
Even Yaya Toure, playing his last game for City before jetting off to join the Ivory Coast squad for the next month or so, failed to find a way through the Championship side’s back four.
All in all, perhaps the most ineffective first-half of the campaign The only hope was, in the previous meeting between the two clubs, the Blues scored all seven goals against Wednesday in the second-half!
With the opening 15 minutes of the second period no better than the 45 than had gone before, Pellegrini sent on Nasri and Silva to try and unlock a defence who must have thought keeping the champions at bay was easy on this evidence.
But just four minutes of Silva was worth its weight in gold as the brilliant Spaniard received the ball on the edge of the box and played in Milner who drilled a low shot past Kirkland to finally bring the Blues level.
With 25 minutes or so remaining, surely City would now go on and win the game?
Milner and Toure fired in shots that weren’t far wide, but Wednesday had a couple of counter-attacks that needed timely challenges from Eliaquim Mangala and Jesus Navas.
In the final seconds though, the champions’ class finally just edged what had been a difficult third round tie.
Building up a head of steam and probably realising a replay wasn’t the best way forward for an already injury-hit squad, Navas was played in behind the Owls’ defence and his cross was flicked by Silva into the path of Mllner who made no mistake from a yard out.
It had been tough but the Blues persevered and eventually got their reward, even if it hadn’t been a particularly good day at the office!
