Manchester City played host to Barnsley at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon with the winner guaranteeing themselves a slot in the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
As it was, the visiting Tykes were unable to cause an upset as Carlos Tevez claimed a hat-trick, while Aleksander Kolarov and David Silva also found the net.
To find out how the match unfolded, you can follow our minute-by-minute updates below.
4.31pmAfternoon all. So, after Wigan Athletic destroyed Everton at Goodison Park earlier today, the second FA Cup quarter-final of the weekend is creeping up on us. On paper, it should be a home banker as Premier League champions Manchester City play host to struggling Championship side Barnsley. However, this is the FA Cup - anything can happen.
4.33pmWe will get into all the pre-match chat and statistics soon, but for now, the team news from the Etihad Stadium has just been released. Let's start with the hosts...
4.34pmMAN CITY X1: Pantilimon; Zabaleta, Kolo Toure, Lescott, Kolarov; Yaya Toure, Barry, Silva, Nasri; Tevez, Dzeko
4.37pmNumber one - calm down! Joe Hart has not been dropped. Throughout their FA Cup campaign Mancini has given Costel Pantilimon the chance to keep goal for City and the big Romanian will feature between the posts again today. In front of him Joleon Lescott has been included in the defence, while Carlos Tevez has put his brush with the law behind him to start up front.
4.40pmBARNSLEY X1: Steele; Wiseman Cranie, Kennedy, Foster; Etuhu, Tunnicliffe, Perkins, Cywka; Dagnall, Harewood
4.44pmOne of the names that stands out in that Barnsley starting lineup is Ryan Tunnicliffe. The energetic midfielder recently joined the Tykes on a loan basis from Manchester United. He is a boyhood United supporter so would know doubt like to knock their rivals out of the competition. Elsewhere, the experienced Marlon Harewood will play up front alongside Chris Dagnall.
4.48pmOkay, let's be honest, not many people believe that Barnsley have much chance of winning today. Even the supporters that have made the trip to the Etihad are probably not holding out much hope. Having said that, if they can evoke the spirit of 2008, then you never know. During their run to the semi-finals of the competition, they beat Liverpool at Anfield and also knocked out Chelsea at Oakwell.
4.53pmOne player that was involved back then is goalkeeper Luke Steele. He joined the club on a loan basis back in 2008 from West Bromwich Albion and became a bit of a hero at Oakwell, particularly for his performance against Chelsea. Having since joined Barnsley on a permanent basis, he is now the team captain.
4.55pmStaying with that match for just one more post, here is a chance for all you Barnsley fans to remember that success:
5pmSpeaking ahead of this match, Barnsley manager David Flitcroft urged his players not to be "starstruck" by the players that they are coming up against. Here is what he had to say to BBC Radio Sheffield:
"You can get starstruck by names and we can't allow that to happen. We have quality in our group and we have demonstrated real fight.
"In any fight if you turn up and are prepared to work harder than the next man, then you have a chance.
"I hope the players don't freeze, and try to play the occasion and not the football match, because this will be a tactical battle."
5.05pmWhile Flitcroft has called for his players not to be "starstruck", it may be hard when they up against someone of David Silva's ability. The pint-sized Spaniard won the FA Cup with City back in 2011 and is keen to repeat that feat this year:
"This is another chance to get to Wembley and it is very important that we win this game. The league is very, very difficult now. But we can reach the Cup final, so we have to focus on this game," he told the club's official website.
"We are now only one game away from going back to Wembley again and on paper we should win beat Barnsley, but they are in the quarter-final because they deserve to be, so we will have to be very cautious and try to win the game.
"Wembley is an amazing place to play football and I have been lucky enough to have already played there. Now I want to get to another final."
5.10pmIf City are to grant Silva his wish, they will need to shake off a poor FA Cup quarter-final record. Perhaps Barnsley can take some confidence from the fact that the last five times Mancini's men have reached the final eight of the tournament, they have lost on four occasions. The only time they did win through was in 2011 when they went on to lift the trophy.
5.14pmAs well as Tunnicliffe, Barnsley also have another player in their ranks that may want to do extra well today. Kelvin Etuhu came through the ranks at City and was tipped to have bright future. However, having scored just one goal in 2007, he was loaned out to the likes of Cardiff City and Rochdale, before he was allowed to join Portsmouth permanently in 2012. I'm sure he'd like to show his previous employers just what he can do.
5.18pmSticking with Etuhu, here are his thoughts heading into his Etihad Stadium return:
"Yes it's a big game for me, it's my old club and every football player wants to impress when they go back to their old club. But it's a big occasion for every player in the squad and the coaching staff.
"We want to get into the next round, that's the main thing. I've got a few mates who are still there, Joleon Lescott, Joe Hart, my best friend Micah Richards, he's a very close friend of mine.
"We speak to each other most days, so it will be good to see them again. It's a shame Micah won't be playing because he's out due to an injury, but I'll be looking out for those three to say hello to.
"It would be nice to turn them over and get a result and I'm looking forward to the game."
5.22pmWith the start of this tie almost upon us, Barnsley boss Flitcroft has just been talking to ESPN:
"It is a special day for us as a football club as we have not had a lot to cheer about in the last few years. We want to get our league programme back on track by coming off this game with a bounce.
"We have spent a lot of time together, and the City players are human. I have said to the players you must touch the City players in the tunnel to show they are human."
5.26pmRight then, the players are now heading out on to the pitch. It looks extremely cold out there I have to say! Will we see another FA Cup upset? It's not long now until we have the answer.
1 minGame on! The Barnsley fans are in fine voice as City, kicking from left to right, get the second FA Cup quarter-final of the weekend started...
2 minReally good start from Barnsley as a low cross from Marlon Harewood forces Kolo Toure to clear behind for a corner. A poor shot from Tunnicliffe follows, but it's positive stuff from the Championship visitors.
4 minMeanwhile, up the other end Steele gets two firm fists behind a curling free kick by Aleksandar Kolarov, who was attempting a cross and not a shot at goal. Have to say, the home side have not had it all there own way in the opening exchanges but are beginning to dominate proceedings.
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7 minA lot of credit must go to Barnsley because although City are dominating possession, when they do manage to get hold of the ball they are not frightened to pass it around - even in and around their own penalty area.
9 minCHANCE! The first sight of the target for City and they should be a goal to the good. Samir Nasri does well on the left flank and manages to send over a cross for an unmarked Edin Dzeko. The Bosnian times his jump well, but can only guide his header well over the crossbar from close range. He should have converted that chance.
10 minGOAL! Man City 1-0 Barnsley (Tevez)
12 minAll that hard work during the opening 10 minutes from Barnsley has just been undone. Steele is not happy and you can understand why. He did well to turn Silva's flicked effort from eight yards out against the post, but the ball rebounds to Carlos Tevez for the most simple of tap-ins. The Barnsley rearguard seemed to have fallen asleep. It could be a long evening for the Tykes now.
15 minIncidentally, sensibly there was no driving celebration from Tevez this time around. The City fans have attempted to make light of the situation though by singing: "Carlos Tevez, he drives when he wants."
18 minCHANCE! The little Argentine is involved in everything City do at the moment. Despite his size, he manages to leap highest inside the Barnsley area to meet a cross from Kolarov, but fails to keep his header down. Tevez is certainly looking lively this evening though.
22 minBOOKING! What a stupid yellow card for Yaya Toure. He clearly brings down Dagnall and then opts to argue with the referee over his decision to award a free kick. Quite rightly Anthony Taylor is having none of it and books the City midfielder.
25 minCHANCE! Another headed chance for City goes a begging. On this occasion Dzeko meets a corner from Nasri, but he seems to take his eye off the ball at the last second and nods it wide of the target from eight yards out. It does seem only a matter of time before the home side notch a second goal.
26 minGOAL! Man City 2-0 Barnsley (Kolarov)
28 minYou know that goal I said was coming? Well it took just 60 seconds to arrive! Dzeko frees Tevez down the right wing with a drilled pass. Having weighed up his options, the striker sends over a low cross which an onrushing Kolarov up from full-back buries into the bottom right hand corner of the net with a powerful finish. We've only played 28 minutes, but this tie could well be over.
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30 minGOAL! Man City 3-0 Barnsley (Tevez)
32 minLovely goal from Man City, who are cruising towards the semi-finals of the FA Cup. Silva receives the ball on the byline and manages to squeeze through a pass to Tevez, who turns sharply and fires the ball beyond the reach of Steele from six yards out. There really is not much Barnsley could have done to prevent that. At this rate, it could end up being a cricket score here at the Etihad!
36 minThis tie now resembles a training match. Barnsley have reverted to sticking 11 men behind the ball in the hope that they don't get thrashed, while City knock it around and wait for a gap to appear. To be fair, when City are playing like this, it doesn't really matter what Barnsley do.
38 minSAVE! Tevez is hat-trick hunting, that's for sure. He collects the ball on the edge of the area and turns neatly to give himself a yard of space. His next touch is a rising shot, which Steele is able to push over the top for a corner.
41 minWhat an earth is Yaya Toure's problem today? Something really must have upset him. He's just been giving another talking to by referee Taylor for dissent. Captain Pablo Zabaleta was also called over the try and calm down his teammate. You get the impression that it was his final warning. What's the point? His side are winning 3-0.
45 minThere will be a minimum of two minutes of stoppage time at the Etihad.
45+2 minHALF-TIME: Man City 3-0 Barnsley
6.21pmWell, after a positive start, it's all gone downhill for Barnsley. They deserve a lot of credit because they haven't allowed their heads to drop and have tried to keep the ball on the floor when they manage to gain some possession. It could be a long second half though.
6.23pmHaving said all that, it's only been so one-sided because City have been extremely impressive. The opposition may only be a struggling Championship side, but you can only beat what is put in front of you. The home side have played some slick football and could be even further in front.
6.27pmIt's hard to predict how this will go in the second half. So often in these cases, the side that is leading will take their foot off the gas and the team that is trailing may even claim a consolation goal. However, the likes of Dzeko, Nasri and Tevez are not always automatic starters for City and may want to prove a point to Mancini with 10 Premier League matches left to play and a probable FA Cup semi-final.
6.31pmFrom a Barnsley point of view, they will just want to avoid a big hiding. To be honest, they don't deserve one either because they worked very, very hard during that opening 45 minutes. That may also play a big factor as the game goes on, with City taking advantage of their tiredness.
45 minHere we go then as Barnsley get the second half off and running.
48 minBOOKING! An early yellow card for Barnsley midfielder Tunnicliffe for a sliding challenge on Kolarov by the corner flag. Replays show that the Manchester United loanee actually got the ball so he can count himself a little unlucky to have received a caution.
49 minGOAL! Man City 4-0 Barnsley (Tevez)
51 minIt is by no means the cleanest ball that he has ever struck, but Tevez won't care one jot. Nasri does ever so well down the left and cuts inside before picking out the striker, who scuffs a left footed shot into bottom right corner of the net. That's his sixth hat-trick in English football. More misery for Barnsley.
53 minSUBSTITUTIONS: Wholesale switches from Barnsley boss Flitcroft, who uses all three of his subs. Dagnall, Etuhu and Cywka all come off and on in their places are Jacob Mellis, Jason Scotland and Jim O'Brien. City also make a switch and it is Scott Sinclar (remember him?) that takes the place of Nasri.
57 minSAVE! What a fantastic move from Barnsley's three substitutes and that deserved a goal. The trio all link smartly to find space for Mellis, who loops a volley towards goal from the edge of the area. Pantilimon is aware though and manages to get down in time to hold the ball at the second attempt. That was Barnsley's best moment in the tie.
61 minSAVE! Barnsley are now having a bit of a pop and why not? They've got nothing to lose. On this occasion Tunnicliffe shows a great turn of pace to break through the City defence, but his low shot from 10 yards out is blocked by Pantilimon's foot. The rebound finds Mellis, but his shot from the edge of the area is easily held by the Romanian goalkeeper.
64 minGOAL! Man City 5-0 Barnsley (Silva)
65 minAfter Barnsley fail to score from three chances, City go up the other end and show them how it is done. Tevez and Silva combine to free the latter, who sees his shot saved by Steele. The ball falls back to the little Spanish midfielder though and he simply walks the ball over the line.
67 minSUBSTITUTION: And that was Silva's last involvement. It's not a bad way to leave the pitch is it? On in his place is Ivorian youngster Abdul Razak.
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72 minIt's all gone a little subdued at the Etihad. City are just stroking the ball around and Barnsley do not look too bothered about trying to retrieve it. After the run around that they've had, you can understand it!
76 minSUBSTITUTION: That's your lot as far as Tevez is concerned. He leaves the field having scored three times and set up City's other two goal. That's not bad for a evening's work, is it? James Milner comes on in his place.
78 minHaving left the pitch, Tevez then appears to have an angry exchange with his manager Mancini. We've seen that before! Not quite sure what Tevez's issue is though. He's done his job and now his boss wants to give him a rest. Get on with it!
82 minThe Barnsley supporters are now cheering every pass that their players manage to complete. Fair play to them for having a sense of humour even after they have seen their team take a battering. They deserve a goal for their efforts, but it doesn't look to be coming.
86 minOFF THE POST! Substitute Milner goes ever so close to put the icing on a rather large Man City cake with a rasping strike from just outside the box. Steele is well beaten, but the Barnsley keeper gets lucky as the ball smacks against the left upright and is cleared to safety.
90 minThere will be just one minute of stoppage time here at the Etihad.
90+1 minFULL TIME: Man City 5-0 Barnsley
7.21pmWell, that was a rather comfortable for City, who have booked their place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup at Wembley. It never looked in doubt as soon as they took the lead early in the first half. Barnsley deserve some praise though because they kept going until the final whistle.
7.23pmThat is all we have time for from the Etihad. Thanks for joining us this evening and throughout the day on Sports Mole. Be sure to stick around for some analysis of this encounter, which will be with you shortly. Until next time, goodbye.
