Manchester City boss believes the quality of his side told in the end after narrow FA Cup win over Peterborough United

The reigning English champions progressed to the quarter finals of the competition, but not before having to work for their victory at the Weston Homes Stadium.

City’s multitude of international stars faced challenges from a difficult pitch, a hostile crowd and a well-organised Posh defence. It took until the 60th minute before Riyad Mahrez broke the deadlock. Jack Grealish then added a second to complete the win.

Guardiola said: “Expect for the first six minutes of the second half, when it was really, really not good and they had a clear chance, it was very good. Knowing the condition of the pitch, how aggressive they are and the pace they have upfront, it wasn’t easy. It was a deserved victory in the end though for the shots that we had.

“We are in the next round and in the end the quality of our players made the difference. They were brilliant goals. The quality of Riyad and the second goal the same. It was good.

“We created chances. All of them were brilliant.

“Riyad always had this quality in the final third - he is the best we have. He scored a fantastic goal. I am so proud of the game he played. He loves football, for him it’s not profession, it’s a joy. He would play every single day and of course he has incredible quality.

“The pass from Phil Foden (for the Grealish goal) was excellent - the control was excellent from Jack.

“He was aggressive in the final third and is back from injury and played a really good level.”

Guardiola made a double substitution at half-time, bringing on centre-backs John Stones and Aymeric Laporte in place of Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias, both because of injuries. Ake had also been booked for hauling down Ricky-Jade Jones to put a swift stop to a Posh counter attack, but also fell heavily on his back. Guardiola also praised the support given to Ukrainian international Oleksandr Zinchenko, who was made captain for the night. Posh skipper Frankie Kent and Zinchenko walked onto the field holding the Ukrainian flag.

Guardiola added: “Nathan finished bad in the action when he got the yellow card and Ruben was not feeling good in his leg, That’s why, for caution and to be alert, we made the substitutions. It was not planned but Ayme and John were excellent in the second half. I would say it was a medical decision.

He (Zinchenko) has been shown so much support , not just from our fans, but from all over the world.”