A night that began with promise for Swansea City ended in disappointment as Manchester City came from behind to secure a 3-1 victory against the Welsh side, securing their place in the Carabao Cup quarter finals, Softfootball reports.
Goals from Jeremy Doku, Omar Marmoush, and Rayan Cherki overturned Goncalo Franco’s early stunner. After the disappointment at Villa, City were looking to reassert themselves and pick up a much-needed win.
Pep Guardiola’s significant change in the team’s starting lineup, including the absence of their star striker Erling Haaland has eventually demonstrated their resilience.
Swansea made a bright start as they played with confidence and pressed aggressively, giving the Blues no time to settle. Ayan Cherki showed glimpses of his class early, but it was the Championship side who struck first.
Swansea city stunned the visitors, taking the lead in the 12th minute. Josh found unmarked Goncalo Franco right at the edge of the box, and the Portuguese striker curled a spectacular shot into the top right corner, leaving James Trafford with no chance.
The Cityzens responded gradually, but it wasn’t until the 39th minute that they levelled. Rayan Ait-Nouri’s clever delivery found Jeremy Doku, whose shot deflected off Cameron Burgess and into the net to make it 1-1 before half time.
City’s manager Pep Guardiola made three key changes at the start of the second half, bringing on Phil Foden, John Stones, and Josko Gvardiol for Abdukodir Khusanov, Divine Mukasa, and Rayan Ait-Nouri. The substitutions allowed City to assert more control.
The breakthrough came in the 77th minute when Cherki’s clever pass reached Omar Marmoush, who thumped an angle shot into the top corner giving the Blues the lead.
In added time, Cherki capped a fine display with a precise strike into the bottom right-hand corner, finally ending Swansea’s resistance and securing a 3-1 win for Manchester City.
The club later shared the 3-1 victory on their official X handle, celebrating their comeback and place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
With this win, Guardiola’s side advance to the Carabao Cup last eight for only the second time since 2021, when they won the competition for the fourth successive year.
