Manchester City 9, Burton Albion 0 (Carabao Cup Semi Final – First Leg)
Youth and experience
Eric Garcia started the game on his 19th birthday. Captain David Silva celebrated his 33rd birthday yesterday. Silva looked in mercurial form against League One opponents while Garcia cruised through the game.
A strong rotation for Manchester City
Pep Guardiola rotated his side again and came up with a side containing 6 changes from the side that beat Rotherham but still fielded a side with 10 full internationals plus Eric Garcia.
“They don’t just beat you, they annihilate you” said Nigel Clough after the game, and Guardiola allowed himself to admit that his team were through to the Carabao Cup Final with the largest ever margin of victory in an English cup semi final game.
Burton fans miss out after police incident on the M6
A police incident on the M6 led to huge delays for dozens of coach loads of Burton Albion fans travelling up on the day.
The ‘lucky’ ones who made it to the game of a lifetime for their club saw a City side that didn’t give up once the game was won and didn’t waste time, showboat, or spoil the final half hour with a training exhibition.
Unfortunately, some fans never made it to the game but will get a chance to watch their team at home – albeit against a probably weaker City side as Pep Guardiola admitted during his post-match press conference.
Ilkay Gundogan
He provided 4 assists on Sunday, and also 3 second assists (the assist before the assist) in the first half alone for City. Ran the game. An excellent understudy for Fernandinho albeit in a low pressure game.
Gabriel Jesus
A morale boosting night for Gabriel Jesus who scored four goals in a game for the first time in his career. The Brazilian front-man has looked low on confidence, only scoring once in the 7-0 win over Rotherham, but tonight will have given him a big boost.
VAR
Checking the validity of Gabriel Jesus’ second goal and a possible penalty call after the Brazilian striker may to have been fouled late in the first half.
The big screen notifications helped with the delays and there was sufficient added time to compensate.
“We want ten!” – Man City chase record win
Calls from the City crowd for ten goals went from fun to serious very quickly in the second half after they topped seven goals without reply against Championship Rotherham to reach nine goals without reply against League One Burton.
City beat Huddersfield Town 10-1 in November 1987 and that record was in danger until the end of the game as Guardiola’s team ruthlessly put the Brewers to the sword.
With Burton demoralised and unwilling to overcommit to attack later on it was down to City to get that record and many of the crowd were willing to stay to see if they could do it.
PLAYER RATINGS – Manchester City 9, Burton Albion 0 (Carabao Cup Semi Final – First Leg)
Aro Muric: 7. As bored as Ederson usually is. Had just one shot to save.
Kyle Walker: 7. Could have assisted a second goal for City with a cut back from the right. Did’t have much defending to do.
Eric Garcia: 7. Not afraid of the physical side of the game and can carry the ball out of defence confidently but wasn’t challenged as Burton crumbled in the second half.
Nicolas Otamendi: 7. Headers at both ends of the park, dominant in his own area. Could have scored City’s tenth of the night with a late header.
Oleksandr Zinchenko: 8. Spent a lot of time in midfield, was missing when Marcus Myers-Harness got a free shot in the first half and blazed over. Saw Collins off his line and chipped him from 24 yards out and put some good crosses in during the second half as City pummelled Burton.
Ilkay Gundogan: 9. Sprayed free kicks and passes from deep with aplomb, found Leroy Sane for his first half shot from which Gabriel headed home City’s second goal. Vital contributions to the build-up.
Kevin De Bruyne: 8. Great header after just 5 minutes – perfect start for City – and did his defensive job too.
David Silva: 8. Crosses in from the left caused problems for the Burton defence. One such cross allowed Kevin De Bruyne to head City into the lead after just 5 minutes. Set Mahrez free to cross Gabriel Jesus’ hat trick and should have scored himself in the second half but blazed over. Hit the post late on after a spate of goals by City.
Riyad Mahrez: 8. Picking holes in the deep Burton defence. He strayed offside after Gundogan found him – his delicate volleyed goal after 19 minutes was ruled out. He saw less of the ball because most of City’s attacks came down their left flank but still could have had City’s 5th after but Collins tipped his effort over and Buxton blocked a shot which could have been City’s 9th goal before the Algerian finally netted a deserved strike.
Gabriel Jesus: 10. Amazing work rate again for the Brazilian who was everywhere. Saw a shot bobble wide of the far post on a City break but was freed after a four goal burst either side of half time and his blocked shot fell kindly for Foden to snap up a goal for himself.
Leroy Sane: 8. Terrorising the Burton defence, hit the side netting early on. Crosses from the left caused mayhem.
Phil Foden (for Kevin De Bruyne, 58): 7. Tap in after City overloaded Burton and Jesus’ shot was blocked. Had a shot blocked late on.
Bernardo Silva (on for Leroy Sane, 67): 7. Giving the German winger a rest, he laid on City’s 9th goal for Riyad Mahrez.
Danilo (on for Kyle Walker, 74): 6. Not much defending to do so he put one or two crosses in.
GOALS – Manchester City 9, Burton Albion 0 (Carabao Cup Semi Final – First Leg)
Man City 1, Burton Albion 0: 5. Kevin De Bruyne heads home from 9 yards out after a sumptuous cross from deep on the left by David Silva.
Man City 2, Burton Albion 0: 30. Gabriel Jesus reacted first with a header from 3 yards out after Leroy Sane’s initial shot looped up off Bradley Collins in the Burton goal after a great through ball by Ilkay Gundogan.
Man City 3, Burton Albion 0: 34. Gabriel Jesus scored his second after Ilkay Gundogan’s forward pass was laid off by David Silva into the path of the City striker who finished from 7 yards out. The crowd had to wait for confirmation of the goal after VAR checked for offside.
Man City 4, Burton Albion 0: 37. Oleksandr Zinchenko had a go from 24 yards after Leroy Sane laid the ball off to him and saw his shot float over Collins, who was off his line, and into the net.
Man City 5, Burton Albion 0: 57. Gabriel Jesus got his hat trick with another header after he rose above John Brayford to head home from Riyad Mahrez’ right wing cross.
Man City 6, Burton Albion 0: 62. Phil Foden snapped up the loose ball from 6 yards after Jesus’ shot was blocked following Ilkay Gundogan’s through ball.
Man City 7, Burton Albion 0: 65. Leroy Sane nutmegged John Brayford with his cross which set up Gabriel Jesus for a nonchalently flicked 7th for City
Man City 8, Burton Albion 0: 70. Kyle Walker sidefooted Riyad Mahrez’ shot in from 10 yards.
Man City 9, Burton Albion 0: 83. Riyad Mahrez scored the ninth at the second attempt following a left wing by Bernardo Silva.
MATCH STATS – Manchester City 9, Burton Albion 0 (Carabao Cup Semi Final – First Leg)
Man City: Muric, Walker (Danilo 74), Garcia, Otamendi, Zinchenko, Gundogan, De Bruyne (Foden), David Silva, Mahrez, Jesus, Sane (Bernardo Silva 66)
Man City Subs not used: Ederson, Stones, Sterling, Delph
Goals: De Bruyne 5; Jesus 30, 34, 57, 65; Zinchenko 37; Foden 62; Walker 70; Mahrez 83
Burton Albion: Collins, Brayford, Turner, Buxton, Hutchinson, Wallace, Akins, Allen (Templeton 69), Fraser (Sbarra 79), Harness, Boyce (Fox 69)
Burton Albion Subs not used: Bywater, McFadzean, McCrory, Miller