MANCHESTER City managed to win their sixth match in a row across all competitions by beating Brentford 2-0 at home, which helped them advance to the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
Image / ManCity X
Pep Guardiola made seven changes to the team that had won 3-0 against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday.
Brentford also changed six players from the team that drew 1-1 with Leeds United the same day.
Oscar Bobb was one of the new faces for Manchester City, and he had an early chance when he dribbled into the box and shot directly at Håkon Valdimarsson.
However, Bobb left the game with an injury soon after, replaced by Phil Foden. Abdukodir Khusanov almost joined him in the dressing room, but he was only booked for a tackle on Kevin Schade as the Brentford striker broke through.
Manchester City were aiming for their sixth straight home win in this competition, and they took a major step toward that goal just 13 minutes before the break.
Valdimarsson cleared a corner straight to Rayan Cherki on the edge of the area, and the midfielder took a touch before firing a powerful shot into the top corner.
This was Cherki's 11th involvement in goals this season, with four goals and seven assists.
Brentford hadn't scored an away goal from open play in any competition since their 5-0 win against Grimsby Town in October.
However, their defenders, Kristoffer Ajer and Michael Kayode, kept James Trafford busy early in the second half with some good saves.
Valdimarsson showed quick reflexes to stop Foden's shot, but he couldn't prevent City's second goal in the 67th minute.
Savinho took the ball to the left side of the box and shot, and the ball deflected off the sliding Ajer, looping over Valdimarsson and into the net. It was Savinho's second goal of the season, both coming in the Carabao Cup.
Manchester City finished the game without much trouble, keeping their hopes of winning the competition for the ninth time alive.
Brentford, on the other hand, have now lost their last five away matches, scoring in only one of them. They now face a crucial Premier League game against Wolves, who are currently at the bottom of the table.