No need for Haaland, Man City still marches straight into the semi-finals

The powerful long-range strike from Rayan Cherki was the key highlight, enabling Manchester City to defeat Brentford and advance to the League Cup semi-finals held in the early hours of 18/12.

Brentford started the match with great enthusiasm but failed to capitalize on their chances, relying instead on the outstanding performance of backup goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson, who timely blocked Cherki’s rising shot.

After testing the waters, the French midfielder helped Man City open the scoring just after the half-hour mark. Cherki received the ball at the edge of the box, cut inside onto his right foot, and unleashed an unstoppable shot that struck the top corner of the goal.

Before the goal was scored, Brentford showed great frustration when Abdukodir Khusanov received only a yellow card for a foul on Kevin Schade near the edge of the penalty area. The visiting players believed their striker was through on goal, but since VAR was not in use, referee Sam Barrott’s decision on the pitch remained unchanged.

In the second half, Nico O'Reilly’s long shot went straight to Valdimarsson, while on the opposite end, Kristoffer Ajer fired a precise shot that was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper James Trafford.

Manchester City then sealed their progression when Savinho’s deflected shot in the 67th minute floated over Valdimarsson and into the net, bringing the blue team just one step away from a Wembley trip.

Manchester City had not featured in the League Cup semi-finals since completing their fourth consecutive treble in 2021, and now await their opponent in the last four stage.

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