Only two teams in England’s top four divisions have conceded more league goals than Peterborough United in 2021/22. On Saturday afternoon, Grant McCann’s side were thumped 3-0 at home by a Hull City side who had failed to win any of their previous six Championship games.
So even the most optimistic of Posh supporters would have been forgiven for assuming the FA Cup fifth-round clash with Manchester City was only going to go one way.
And, yes, Peterborough bowed out of Europe’s oldest and most iconic domestic cup competition. There were no coupons busted on Tuesday night.
But the fact that Pep Guardiola’s star-studded City slickers scored fewer goals at London Road than an out-of-sorts Hull did is a testament to how Peterborough performed on the night, stepping up to produce a performance full of discipline and determination until Riyad Mahrez broke their brave resistance on the hour mark with a sublime solo effort.
And the performance of Jeando Fuchs epitomised Peterborough as a whole.
Man of the Match
The midfielder only arrived a month ago, joining from Dundee United in the final few days of the January transfer window.
But, mustering four tackles throughout the 90 minutes, Fuchs certainly went a long way to repaying his reported £850,000 transfer fee with a Man of the Match performance against arguably the most fearsome footballing side in the whole of Europe.
“A dynamic display,” wrote Peterborough Today at full-time, handing Fuchs a star man rating of 9/10. “A superb ball-winning display. Frequently popped up in the right place at the right time in his own penalty area.”
Can Peterborough United survive in the Championship?
Speaking to FootMercato before Christmas, Fuchs admitted that both Celtic and Rangers had shown an interest in taking him away from Tannadice.
“There was contact from Celtic and Rangers,” explains 24-year-old Cameroon international. “Also, a Premier League club.”
It came as a surprise, then, to see Fuchs put pen to paper with a Peterborough side seemingly doomed to relegation and another season of third-tier football.
But if Fuchs’s masterful midfield performance in front of Pep Guardiola is anything to go by, no one should be writing off him or The Posh just yet.
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