Pep Guardiola lauded Rayan Cherki as an “exceptional player” following his pivotal first-half goal that propelled Manchester City to a 2-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final victory over Brentford. Cherki, who has overcome an injury-plagued start to his tenure at City after a £30 million transfer from Lyon, has recently found impressive form. He has contributed four assists in his last four Premier League outings and now boasts a superb strike, his fourth of the current campaign.

The decisive moment arrived when Brentford failed to adequately clear Divine Mukasa’s corner. The ball fell to Cherki at the edge of the penalty area, where he swiftly evaded Mikkel Damsgaard before unleashing a powerful shot into the top corner of the net. Guardiola’s assessment highlighted Cherki’s brilliance in advanced positions, noting his consistent threat in the opponent’s final third.

“Close to the 18-yard box of the opponent he is an exceptional player,” Guardiola stated. He further elaborated that the goal was so clear in its quality that “a blind guy, a blind woman can realise, it is not necessary to be a journalist or a manager to realise he is a fantastic, fantastic player.” Guardiola drew parallels to goals scored by Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne, expressing satisfaction that Cherki’s strike opened the scoring.

Manchester City, making seven alterations from their previous 3-0 win against Crystal Palace, appeared somewhat disjointed for periods. They could have been reduced to ten men just 16 minutes into the match when Abdukodir Khusanov’s foul on Kevin Schade denied the Brentford forward a clear shooting opportunity from the edge of the box. Despite this scare, City dominated the remainder of the first half, with Savinho’s heavily deflected effort securing the win.

Savinho’s goal, which looped over goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson after striking the retreating Kristoffer Ajer, was attributed to his persistent attacking intent. Guardiola commended the Brazilian’s mentality, particularly after he had faced criticism. “What I like is that he is always going all the time,” Guardiola remarked, acknowledging that while his final decision-making can improve, his work ethic and relentless drive are consistently rewarded.

Brentford manager Keith Andrews firmly believed Khusanov’s challenge warranted a red card, a decision he felt could have significantly altered the game’s complexion. “I’m very quick to defend officials generally, it’s such a difficult job, but that was one they didn’t get right,” Andrews commented. He expressed dissatisfaction with the explanation that the foul was too far from goal, arguing that Schade was clean through, and a dismissal would have provided a substantial advantage.

Despite the contentious officiating call, Andrews was largely pleased with his team’s performance, highlighting their courage and conviction. He noted the challenges of missing key attacking players and adapting to a new system with limited preparation time. “It’s testament to the players, how intelligent they are, how adaptable they are and how versatile they are,” he said, adding that his team had moments where they could have capitalized but ultimately restricted City to minimal chances.

In a lighthearted exchange regarding the Khusanov incident, Guardiola humorously suggested he would invite Andrews for coffee at the training ground the following day to discuss the decision. The Brentford squad was scheduled to remain in Manchester and train at City’s facility as they prepared for their next fixture.

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Keywords: Rayan Cherki, Pep Guardiola, Manchester City, Brentford, Carabao Cup, exceptional player, Kevin Schade, Savinho