The heart of the Carabao Cup quarter-final victory was Manchester City, and it was the man called Rayan Cherki who received the punchy compliment of his coach Pep Guardiola, as a result of a dramatic night against Brentford.
The moment keyword came quite early, and Rayan Cherki scored a goal in the first half, setting the mood of a dominant win and securing City’s presence in the semi-finals.
Guardiola called the 22-year-old exceptional after a strong shot at the edge of the field of play broke the score at a critical point of the match.
The City manager added that the quality of the finish was inarguable and that its brilliance could be easily seen by anybody who was watching the game.
The French raid player has suffered an injury-affected beginning since joining Olympique Lyonnais at an expensive charge in the tune of £30 million, yet has recently manifested his expanding impact.
Four scores in his final four games in the Premier League and his fourth goal of the season indicate his confidence and the growing confidence of Guardiola.
City had seven replacements following their win in the weekend league, and they were not at their fluent best, especially in a nervy opening half.
They could have been scaled down to ten men at some point in the initial stages, but after that time had elapsed, Guardiola’s side was in control of possession and territory.
The second goal by Savinho, which was greatly deflected by Kristoffer Ajer, was the final word, and the visitors would not have made a later comeback.
Guardiola has described the persistence of the Brazilia,n which has led him to high praise of his work rate and mentality, given the recent criticism of his decision-making.
Brentford head coach Keith Andrews was vocal in his criticism of the refereeing, where he felt that Abdukodir Khusanov should have been sent off for committing a foul on Kevin Schade.
He claimed that the ruling changed the flow of the game, as his team would have had a big advantage had the red card been given.
In spite of that aggravation, Andrews said he was proud of the work of Brentford, considering that they had poor preparation time and attack absences.
He emphasised the versatility and boldness of his players, who competed effectively and restricted Manchester City for long periods.
Guardiola refused to fuel the controversy and reacted to the content made by Andrews with his typical composure.
He said, jokingly, that that was the end of the discussion, and they could continue later at the training ground over coffee, indicating his willingness to get on with it.
In the case of City, development is keeping alive hopes of domestic silverware, and the keyword influence remains to increase at a decisive point of the season.
As the momentum grows and reputation is seen in Guardiola, the presence of Rayan Cherki in the mix seems to be even more valuable as City pushes in various directions.
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