Pep Guardiola has paid tribute to his "special" Manchester City side after they eased to a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Saturday evening.
Two deflected first-half goals from Bernardo Silva settled the contest as a dominant Citizens outfit secured safe passage through to a record-breaking sixth consecutive FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
Man City have extended their impressive unbeaten run in all tournaments to 22 matches and they remain firmly in the hunt to win an unprecedented double-treble.
Indeed, the reigning Premier League champions are currently in a three-way title race, sitting third in the table and just one point behind leaders Arsenal and second-placed Liverpool, while they will soon turn their attention to a Champions League quarter-final showdown with Real Madrid.
Guardiola has commended the relentless efforts of his players to perform consistently at the highest level in order to challenge on three fronts once again heading into the latter stages of the season.
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"To expect [to be] coming back from the last international break with two months left and be in contention for all the titles means a lot," Guardiola said at his post-match press conference.
"People talk about the Premier League and Champions League but when you win four Carabao Cups in a row and get to six FA Cup semi-finals in a row, this team and this club has something special.
"We want to win all of them but sometimes it is not possible because of the quality of the opponents and the schedule we have.
"I remember playing away in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and then at Wembley is so difficult. To arrive in your best condition in those situations is difficult but we were there.
"Always you can have a bad night but when you have six times in a row [FA Cup semi-finals], you have less bad nights. This is the consistency that proves people who doubt the team wrong."
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Guardiola was full of praise for Bernardo after the match, adding: "Everybody loves him, and we want him. He's really important for us.
"Kevin [De Bruyne] will be back soon, but when you see the schedule after the international break, we have Arsenal, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Madrid.
"Three days, three days, three days. Will be really tough, and we have to have everyone. I've said many times how important personally and in terms of football Bernardo is".
Man City will discover their FA Cup semi-final opponents when the draw is made after Manchester United's clash with Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.
The Citizens now have two weeks over the international break to prepare for their next Premier League fixture at home against title rivals Arsenal on March 31.
Oliver Thomas
