Manchester City booked their place in a Carabao Cup semi-final for the first time in five years with a 2-0 victory over Brentford at the Etihad Stadium.
Rayan Cherki’s thunderbolt gave Pep Guardiola’s side the lead, before Savinho doubled their advantage in the second half. However, the Bees will look back on a controversial early challenge by Abdukodir Khusanov that could have seen City reduced to 10 men.
The Citizens now return to league action on the back of six consecutive wins in all competitions, while Keith Andrew’s side are winless in four ahead of a Premier League trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
As it happened
Both sides took more than 10 minutes to settle into the game, and it was City who tried their luck first, with Cherki firing wide from outside the box from his left foot.
Hákon Valdimarsson came into the side in place of Caoimhín Kelleher and soon got involved, as Oscar Bobb drove into the box, beat his man, and fired straight at the keeper.
To the dismay of the Citizens, Bobb played no more part in the contest, as Phil Foden had to replace the injured Norwegian.
At the same time, centre-half Khusanov was lucky to avoid a straight red card for what seemed like a denial of a goalscoring opportunity against Kevin Schade.
Mathias Jensen sent the resulting free-kick on target, but James Trafford moved across to beat the ball away and keep the deadlock sealed.
Down the other end, Guardiola’s men were back on the front foot, and Cherki tested Valdimarsson from distance, while Tijjani Reijnders soon fired over the bar with a powerful left-footed volley.
Manchester City struck first as in-form Cherki curled an unstoppable effort into the top corner from the edge of the box after a cleared corner, giving his side the lead.
There was a quiet ending to the first half, but the Citizens emerged from the interval with renewed energy, as Nico O’Reilly was the first to strike in the second half, though straight at Valdimarsson.
Brentford also searched for chances, but Trafford was determined to preserve the clean sheet as he denied Kristoffer Ajer’s long-range strike, before catching Michael Kayode’s shot from a tight angle less than a minute later.
City nearly doubled their lead shortly after the hour mark as Phil Foden fired at goal from the edge of the six-yard box, but Valdimarsson dived to his left, making a save with an outstretched arm.
However, there was nothing Brentford’s keeper could do in the 67th minute as Savinho surged down the wing and fired from the left side of the box, with his effort deflecting off a sliding Ajer and flying into the net.
Divine Mukasa was filling in for Erling Haaland and looked to join in on the act, his left-footed strike flying over the bar, while Savinho came close to a brace after driving into the box and firing a low shot straight at the keeper.
There was little Andrew’s side could do to affect the outcome, and substitute Gustavo Nunes fired straight at the keeper in stoppage time.
Manchester City advanced to a first semi-final in five years and will look to take the momentum back into the league, as they strive to hunt down Arsenal before the new year.
The line-ups:
MCI: Trafford, Lewis, Khusanov, Aké, O’Reilly; Nico, Reijnders; Bobb, Cherki, Savinho; Mukasa
BRE: Valdimarsson; Henry, Van den Berg, Ajer, Collins, Kayode; Jensen, Yarmoliuk Damsgaard; Janelt, Schade