Rayan Cherki’s moment of brilliance lit up the Etihad Stadium as Manchester City booked their place in the League Cup semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Brentford on Wednesday, setting up a last-four meeting with holders Newcastle United.
With the festive Premier League schedule looming, Pep Guardiola took the opportunity to rotate heavily, leaving Erling Haaland on the bench among seven changes. The City manager said the decision was part of a broader effort to keep his squad fresh during a demanding run of fixtures.
“We have had a run of a lot of games for Erling, for example, and Ruben [Dias] and the other ones and they have to be ready,” Guardiola said. “We have to do it and we talked a lot about these days about everyone being connected today.”
Despite the changes, City dominated possession but initially struggled to break down a well-organised Brentford side. Abdukodir Khusanov, handed a rare start, was fortunate to escape with only a yellow card for bringing down Kevin Schade when the German appeared clean through on goal.
Guardiola’s plans were disrupted when Oscar Bobb was forced off injured after 20 minutes, prompting the earlier-than-expected introduction of Phil Foden.
Continue Reading on The National UAE
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.