The “magic of the cup” was briefly alive at Brisbane Road on Saturday as League One Leyton Orient opened the scoring against Manchester City — and in the most spectacular fashion.
Orient midfielder Jamie Donley lobbed City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega from 35 yards as the third tier side took an unlikely lead against the eight-time Premier League champions. in the first half of their FA Cup fourth round tie
However, the remarkable piece of skill would not be credited to Donley, with the finish instead going down as an Ortega own goal. The Athletic breaks down exactly why.
What happened?
In the 16th minute, City midfielder Nico Gonzalez, making his club debut following his €60million move from Porto, was dispossessed on the halfway line by Leyton Orient forward Sonny Perkins.
The ball fell to Donley, who with his first touch floated the ball over the head of Ortega. The ball struck the bar and rebounded into the net off the back of the City goalkeeper’s leg.
It will go down as an own goal but that is some strike by Jamie Donley.
Leyton Orient lead Manchester City and what a moment.
Magic. Of. The. Cup. 🪄
📽️ @EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/ZVS8Y3JrOQ
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) February 8, 2025
“It’s unbelievable isn’t it?” Orient captain Dan Happe told BBC Sport at half-time. “You never see stuff like that, not even in our league matches. So to do it against Man City is incredible.”
The goal was initially given to Donley but was later attributed to Ortega.
Why was the goal recorded as an own goal?
An own goal is defined as: “When a player causes the ball to go into their own team’s goal, resulting in a goal being scored for the opposition.”Given Donley’s effort was not on target as the ball hit the bar, the goal was deemed to be an own goal as without the rebound off Ortega, it would not have gone in.
(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Donley did not seem to be aware that he would not be credited with the goal when interviewed by the BBC after the game, saying “Did I not get it?” when it was pointed out to him, but he was still proud of his contribution.
“I knew I hit it well and it had a good chance,” he added. “It fell for me nicely, I saw him (Ortega) off his line and luckily it went in. A very happy moment. It would have been a lot nicer if we won but it’s a good moment.”
Decades ago, the goal would likely have been awarded to Donley. In the early Premier League years, for example, when there was no agreed definition about what constituted an own goal and fewer camera angles to be sure precisely how a goal was scored, off-target shots that goalkeepers deflected in were often given to the attacker.
GO DEEPER
What it feels like to score an own goal
Was there a foul in the build up?
A handful of City players could be seen protesting the opening goal due to the manner in which Orient won possession back in the build up. The ball got stuck under the feet of Gonzalez, before he fell to the ground following Perkins’ challenge. Perkins then tripped and fell onto the City midfielder. Referee Darren Bond deemed that there was no foul and opted not to award a free kick.
There was no video assistant referee to check the decision, as VAR is not in use in the FA Cup fourth round. In December, the FA confirmed in a statement published on its website that the VAR system would only be in use from the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Justifying its decision, it said: “This decision ensures that there is a consistent refereeing approach for all clubs taking part in the same stage of the competition.”
Gonzalez appeared in discomfort following the challenge and was replaced by Bernardo Silva after 22 minutes.
Who is Jamie Donley?
Donley, 20, has spent the 2024-25 season on loan at Orient from Tottenham Hotspur.
The attacking midfielder has been with Spurs since the age of eight and was involved with the first team in pre-season alongside fellow academy prospects Mikey Moore and Will Lankshear, having been a key figure for Tottenham’s under 21s during their 2023-24 Premier League 2 title-winning campaign.
He has made four appearances for the Spurs first team since making his debut against Manchester City in December 2023.
After joining Orient on loan in the summer, he signed a new Spurs contract which runs until 2029.
Donley has featured 30 times in all competitions for Orient this season, providing five goals and six assists. After helping Orient open the scoring on Saturday, Donley was involved at the other end in the first half, clearing Bernardo Silva’s close-range effort off the line.
He has form for the kind of finish he produced on Saturday, too. A video surfaced online of him scoring a similar goal for Tottenham’s Under-18s in a game against Norwich in 2022.
🤯 OH MY WORD.
Special from Jamie Donley ✨ pic.twitter.com/TcK2WRg8A8
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 29, 2022
GO DEEPER
‘If Jamie Donley wants to play for Tottenham, this is what he needs to work on…’
How did the game finish?
Donley’s goal gave Orient a 1-0 half time lead but the City ultimately staged a second-half comeback to progress to the fifth round. Goals from Abdukodir Khusanov and Kevin De Bruyne gave Pep Guardiola’s side a 2-1 victory as Orient were eliminated.
(Top photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
