Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega scored what will go down as one of the most astonishing FA Cup own goals in their fourth-round clash with Leyton Orient.
Pep Guardiola's men travelled to the Gaughan Group Stadium hoping for a straightforward route into round five, and the Citizens boss inevitably made a plethora of changes for the lunchtime kickoff.
There was a spot in the first XI for new signing Nico Gonzalez following his arrival from Porto, but the Spanish midfielder was bullied off the ball in the 16th minute by Sonny Perkins, fairly according to the referee.
As City's pleas for a foul fell on deaf ears, Jamie Donley - on loan at Richie Wellens's side from Tottenham Hotspur - let fly from close to the halfway line, and his astounding effort smacked the crossbar before bouncing in off of the back of Ortega.
JAMIE DONLEY. THAT'S INCREDIBLE. 🤯
— Emirates FA Cup (@EmiratesFACup) February 8, 2025
The @SpursOfficial loanee with an incredible effort from distance that ends up in the net to give @leytonorientfc the opening goal against Manchester City 😱#EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/bHnKg92Q2y
As the home crowd at the Gaughan Group Stadium exploded into euphoria, Man City defender Ruben Dias continued to remonstrate with referee Darren Bond, but there was no VAR in operation to review the perceived foul on Gonzalez.
To make matters worse for Guardiola and Man City, the January arrival was then forced off with an injury, seemingly still feeling the effects of the challenge from Perkins which preceded Ortega's freak own goal.
Should City fail to turn the tide, they will lose an FA Cup record; the reigning Premier League champions have won their last 17 ties against lower-league teams, the longest-ever streak for an English top-flight club.
Ben Knapton
