Manchester City are through to the Carabao Cup semi-finals after beating Brentford 2-0, ending a four-year wait to reach the last four of the competition.
Rayan Cherki produced the moment of magic that broke the deadlock just past the half-hour mark.
The former Lyon forward collected possession on the edge of the area, shifted onto his right foot and fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner.
Savinho then wrapped things up in the 67th minute when his effort took a deflection and looped over goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson.
Rayan Cherki scored an incredible goal to give City the lead
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REUTERS
It’s City’s first semi-final appearance since winning their fourth consecutive League Cup in 2021.
The match wasn’t without controversy, though. Brentford were left fuming when Abdukodir Khusanov escaped with just a yellow card for bringing down Kevin Schade near the box.
The Bees were adamant their striker had been clean through on goal and deserved a red card decision.
Without VAR operating at the quarter-final stage, referee Sam Barrott’s call stood firm despite protests from the visiting players and manager Keith Andrews, who made his frustrations known to the fourth official.
Savinho doubled City’s lead after the break
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REUTERS
Mathias Jensen stepped up for the resulting free-kick and struck it well, but James Trafford in the City goal pushed it away comfortably.
Pep Guardiola’s side are looking increasingly formidable, having now strung together six victories on the bounce across all competitions.
Their perfect December continued in difficult weather conditions, though there was one worry for the manager.
Oscar Bobb limped off with an injury in the first half, potentially adding to a growing list of absentees that already includes Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri at the Africa Cup of Nations, plus Jeremy Doku, John Stones and Rodri through injury.
His departure brought Phil Foden into the action, and the in-form midfielder nearly grabbed his seventh goal in six matches, only for Valdimarsson to claw away his snapshot.
That is sensational from Rayan Cherki! 😍 pic.twitter.com/h7PNtrGz9O
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) December 17, 2025
Keith Andrews will no doubt be replaying that Khusanov incident in his mind, wondering how different things might have been with a red card instead.
His Brentford side simply couldn’t find a way past Trafford, who made a brilliant full-stretch save to deny Kristoffer Ajer’s powerful drive.
It’s now five defeats in their last six encounters with City for the Bees, and they’ve fallen at the quarter-final hurdle for the second year running after losing to eventual champions Newcastle last season.
City now await the draw for the two-legged semi-final, with another Wembley trip tantalisingly close.
