Pep Guardiola described Rayan Cherki as an “exceptional player” following Manchester City’s 2-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final victory over Brentford on Wednesday night. The French midfielder scored a stunning first-half goal, his fourth of the season, to set City on their way to a comfortable win at the Etihad Stadium.
Cherki, who joined City from Lyon for £30 million in the summer, has struggled with injuries but has recently shown his quality. His goal came after Brentford failed to clear a corner, with Cherki sidestepping Mikkel Damsgaard before unleashing a powerful shot into the top corner. Guardiola compared the strike to those of Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne.
City made seven changes from their previous league win and were fortunate not to be reduced to ten men early on when Abdukodir Khusanov fouled Kevin Schade on the edge of the box. Brentford boss Keith Andrews insisted it should have been a red card, but Guardiola jokingly invited him to discuss it over coffee at City's training ground the next day.
Savinho sealed the win with a heavily deflected second-half strike, which Guardiola praised as reward for the Brazilian's work ethic. Despite the victory, City were far from their best, but Guardiola was pleased with the result and Cherki's contribution.
