Manchester City edged past Swansea City with a stoppage time winner from Rayan Cherki as Omar Marmoush's 77th-minute strike sealed their Carabao Cup quarter-final spot.
The Citizens were finally able to break down the Swansea defence, which had been impenetrable for much of the match. Doku's pace and skill on the left flank proved to be the difference maker in the first half, with his darting run past Josh Key and Cameron Burgess ultimately leading to a Swansea goal from Gonçalo Franco.
Despite Swansea's best efforts to nullify City's attacking threat, Marmoush showed his finishing prowess by scoring his first City goal of the season. He received a pass from Cherki and swivelled on his heels before unleashing a powerful shot that soared high into the roof of the net.
The win marked a significant turnaround for City, who had been struggling to break down Swansea's defensive blockade for much of the match. The Citizens made 10 changes from their defeat at Aston Villa on Sunday, with Oscar Bobb being the only survivor from their starting lineup.
Guardiola was relieved to get the win, but acknowledged that it came against a team that had set them up for success. "I'm happy for Omar because strikers need goals for their confidence," he said. "It is not easy against that system, five at the back, central defenders around."
Swansea's head coach Alan Sheehan was more critical of his side's performance, admitting that they ran out of steam in the final stages of the match. "We went 1-0 up and had an opportunity to make it 2-0, but you have to be perfect against this kind of team," he said.
The win sets City on course for a comfortable quarter-final spot, while Swansea's run is now over without a single goal scored.
The Citizens were finally able to break down the Swansea defence, which had been impenetrable for much of the match. Doku's pace and skill on the left flank proved to be the difference maker in the first half, with his darting run past Josh Key and Cameron Burgess ultimately leading to a Swansea goal from Gonçalo Franco.
Despite Swansea's best efforts to nullify City's attacking threat, Marmoush showed his finishing prowess by scoring his first City goal of the season. He received a pass from Cherki and swivelled on his heels before unleashing a powerful shot that soared high into the roof of the net.
The win marked a significant turnaround for City, who had been struggling to break down Swansea's defensive blockade for much of the match. The Citizens made 10 changes from their defeat at Aston Villa on Sunday, with Oscar Bobb being the only survivor from their starting lineup.
Guardiola was relieved to get the win, but acknowledged that it came against a team that had set them up for success. "I'm happy for Omar because strikers need goals for their confidence," he said. "It is not easy against that system, five at the back, central defenders around."
Swansea's head coach Alan Sheehan was more critical of his side's performance, admitting that they ran out of steam in the final stages of the match. "We went 1-0 up and had an opportunity to make it 2-0, but you have to be perfect against this kind of team," he said.
The win sets City on course for a comfortable quarter-final spot, while Swansea's run is now over without a single goal scored.
Rayan Cherki's stoppage time winner was the perfect icing on the cake 
. I've gotta say, Doku's pace and skill on the left flank were the difference makers for City - his darting run past Josh Key and Cameron Burgess ultimately led to a Swansea goal from Gonçalo Franco 
. It just goes to show that even when things aren't going your way, you can always turn it around! 
️
! doku was absolute fire on the left flank 
, his pace and skill were too much for them to handle 
. marmoush's 77th-minute strike was insane 
, i don't know how he managed to score that powerful shot from where it was 
. city made some weird subs though lol, like what was going on with the 10 changes 
? anyway congrats to city on making it through to the quarter-finals 
!
, I mean, 10 changes from the starting lineup was kinda crazy lol . But seriously, it's about time we broke down those defenses 
Marmoush's finish though? 
, thought we were gonna get destroyed 
. But Cherki to Marmoush in stoppage time? Game-changer 
! City's been struggling like forever and this win is a major confidence booster for them.
, they gave it their all but just couldn't get anything going . Alan Sheehan's got some 'splainin' to do 
, but you can't win 'em all 
️. Still, City's gonna be tough to beat in the quarter finals 
. I mean, those 10 changes were huge! It shows the manager's willingness to adapt and try new things when things aren't working out. And let's be real, it's not easy playing against a team with that solid defensive setup 
. The thing that really gets me is how City's manager, Guardiola, acknowledged that it wasn't an easy win, but still managed to come out on top 
. That's leadership, you know? And Swansea's side is definitely a team to watch... even if they didn't quite get the result they wanted 
.
Rayan Cherki's stoppage time winner was insane 
but can't deny that Swansea had some major possession in the 1st half and were solid defensivley 
anyway Citys done it now and are cruising towards the quarter final spot 