BURTON ALBION 0, MANCHESTER CITY 1 (Carabao Cup Semi-Final second leg – Manchester City win 10-0 on aggregate)
Sergio Aguero’s first half goal secured victory for a much-changed Manchester City side over Burton Albion as they qualified for the Carabao Cup Final on a freezing night in Staffordshire.
Embed from Getty ImagesA place in the Carabao Cup final for the holders was never in question, especially after Aguero made the aggregate score 10-0, but two Manchester City youngsters got their debut while Aro Muric and his youthful defence got an examination at the hands of Burton’s attack with Eric Garcia making a late goal line clearance to deny the home side a goal.
City fielded a young team with experience coming from players who hadn’t had much game time recently plus some of the EDS youngsters who were pulled out of the squad that lost 2-0 at Sunderland in yesterday’s Checkatrade Trophy.
City’s match day squad was still worth £317m against a Burton side that mustered £1m having made 6 changes following the draw with Doncaster Rovers.
Manchester City fielded Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne, Danilo and Fabian Delph, alongside a raft of youngsters with varying amounts of first team experience from Phil Foden and Oleksandr Zinchenko to Academy players Philippe Sandler and Ian Carlo Poveda-Ocampo.
They played at the frozen Pirelli Stadium which has a 6,912 capacity – less than the City Football Academy Stadium next door to the Etihad.
City’s young defence consisted of 21 year old Philippe Sandler, making his first start for City, alongside Eric Garcia, 19, flanked at full back by midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko, 22, and Danilo, 27.
Danilo spent more time in midfield when City had the ball, was a little prone to mistakes with Burton hoping to get a goal to remember their Carabao Cup experience by.
Further forward for City things looked more familiar but Pep Guardiola handed a senior debut for Ian Carlo-Poveda on the left wing.
Liam Boyce got the first shot on target with a clever flick from a free kick which Aro Muric got down to save after 14 minutes.
With De Bruyne playing deeper in midfield, City were initially pacing themselves on the cold pitch which didn’t have any undersoil heating.
Riyad Mahrez was wayward with two early chances while Aguero had a quiet start.
When Kevin De Bruyne unleashed a defence splitting pass after 26 minutes to find Mahrez up the pitch again.
Sergio Aguero on target for Manchester City at frozen Burton Albion
Rather than take another pot shot from wide on the right Mahrez unselfishly cut the ball back to Aguero who made no mistake with his shot – clinically finishing from 12 yards out after ghosting into space to score his 15th goal of the season.
Burton lost defender Ben Turner just before the break to injury but makeshift City didn’t look their fluent self.
Aro Muric, in the City goal, had some sticky moments when he was a bit casual early on against Marcus Harness, but redeemed himself by anticipating a through ball to Liam Boyce and coming out of his goal to clear up the danger in the first half.
He would continue the risky passing into the second half, sweeping up the danger when Burton won the ball.
City were not breaking a sweat, risking passes across their own area and occasionally creating chances after the break but looked a bit too casual in attack.
Danilo crossed for Delph whose first shot was blocked and his second shot was deflected and rebounded off him and out of play after 54 minutes.
Foden’s cutback on the hour mark reached Aguero but the Argentine put his shot wide for a goal that would not have stood as the Stockport-born midfielder was offside when receiving the through ball.
Guardiola made changes after that, with Gabriel Jesus coming on for Aguero while Benjamin Mendy came on for Kevin De Bruyne – allowing Zinchenko to move further into midfield.
City’s final substitution saw 18-year-old Felix Nmecha get his debut, coming on for Zinchenko after 67 minutes with the pitchside temperatures rapidly dropping below freezing.
A slip by Philippe Sandler in the icy conditions after the 70th minute saw Liam Boyce clean through on goal for an attempt that was smothered by Muric while Will Miller’s first-time shot from the rebound was blocked on the line by Garcia.
Muric came off his line to claim the ball at the feet of Harness as City continued to cruise their way though the final stages while Jesus had a late shot blocked by Bradley Collins who also tipped over an injury time free kick by Danilo at the end of a satisfying, if unexciting game.
GOALS – Burton Albion 0, Manchester City 1
Burton Albion 0, Man City 1: 26. Kevin De Bruyne released Riyad Mahrez who cut the ball back to Sergio Aguero. The Argentine’s clinical finish from 12 yards gave City the lead.
MATCH STATS – Burton Albion 0, Manchester City 1
Burton Albion: Collins, Akins, McFadzean, Turner (Hutchison 40), McCrory, Quinn (Fox 46), Wallace, Harness, Miller, Templeton, Boyce (Daniel 77)
Burton Albion subs not used: Bywater, Brayford, Buxton, Sbarra
Man City: Muric, Danilo, Sandler, Garcia, Zinchenko (Felix Nmecha 67), De Bruyne (Mendy 63), Foden, Delph, Mahrez, Poveda-Ocampo, Aguero (Jesus 63)
Man City Subs not used: Grimshaw, Stones, Bolton, Richards
Goal: Aguero 26