Manchester City have progressed to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup for the first time since winning the competition back in 2021 after beating Brentford 2-0, which included a stunning opener from Rayan Cherki.

But the game was not without incident as, before Cherki’s excellent opener, Brentford felt as if Abdukodir Khusanov should have seen red for a last-ditch foul on Kevin Schade. Referee Samuel Barrott had a perfect view of the incident and only deemed it to be a yellow card offence, with VAR not in operation.

“It was poor defending from Khusanov,” said Andy Hinchcliffe on Sky Sports’ live coverage. “It was a clear foul, he was in on goal. For me, it should have been a red card.”

Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov was lucky to escape a red card for bringing down Brentford’s Kevin Schade as he raced through on goal.

Instead of being buoyed by the perceived injustice, though, the Bees fell disappointingly flat, unable to test stand-in goalkeeper James Trafford – who received a vote of confidence from Pep Guardiola before the game after becoming unsettled since losing his place to Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Rayan Cherki fired Manchester City ahead against Brentford with a powerful finish in the Carabao Cup quarter-final clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Eventually, Keith Andrews’ side woke up only to be sucker-punched by Savinho midway through the second period, linking smartly with Phil Foden before sending a looping, deflected shot over the top of a stranded Hakon Valdimarsson. What looked a tricky assignment on paper turned out to be comfortable in reality, with much-changed City joining Chelsea in the final four.

They are set to play a staggering nine matches across four different competitions during a packed January schedule, including Premier League meetings with Chelsea and Manchester United.

Man City’s January fixtures:

  • Thursday January 1: Sunderland vs Man City – Premier League, kick-off 8pm, live on Sky Sports
  • Sunday January 4: Man City vs Chelsea – Premier League, kick-off 5.30pm, live on Sky Sports
  • Wednesday January 7: Man City vs Brighton – Premier League, kick-off 7.30pm
  • Saturday January 10: Man City vs Exeter City – FA Cup third round, kick-off 3pm
  • W/c January 12: Carabao Cup semi-final first leg
  • Saturday January 17: Man Utd vs Man City – Premier League, kick-off 12.30pm, live on Sky Sports
  • Tuesday January 20: Bodo/Glimt vs Man City – Champions League, kick-off 5.45pm
  • Saturday January 24: Man City vs Wolves – Premier League, kick-off 3pm
  • Wednesday January 28: Man City vs Galatasaray – Champions League, kick-off 8pm

Story of the match in stats…

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FAQs

1. What was the final score of the match?
Manchester City won 2-0 against Brentford.
2. Who scored the goals for Manchester City?
Rayan Cherki and Savinho were the goal scorers.
3. What incident occurred with Abdukodir Khusanov?
He was involved in a last-ditch foul on Kevin Schade but received only a yellow card.
4. Who is the goalkeeper for Manchester City?
James Trafford played as the stand-in goalkeeper for this match.
5. When will Manchester City play Chelsea?
Man City will face Chelsea on January 4 in a Premier League match.
6. How many matches will Manchester City have in January?
They are set to play nine matches across four different competitions.
7. What competitions is Manchester City participating in?
They are participating in the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, and Champions League.

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Last Update: December 17, 2025