Goals from Marmoush and Cherki helps City eventually see off Swansea

Swansea City 1 - 3 Manchester City

Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki struck late on as Manchester City came from behind to defeat Swansea City and secure a place in the EFL Cup quarter-finals.

Author | Macca

Stadium | Swansea.com Stadium

Goncalo Franco’s stunning early strike had given the Championship side a shock lead, but Jeremy Doku’s deflected effort levelled for Pep Guardiola’s heavily rotated team before the interval.

City, winners of this competition on eight occasions, asserted their dominance in the second half and finally broke Swansea’s resistance when Marmoush finished emphatically from Cherki’s clever pass 13 minutes from time.

Cherki, making his return from injury alongside Marmoush, then sealed the win in stoppage time with a composed low finish into the bottom corner, his first goal since August.

Closer analysis of what happened

Swansea, 13th in the Championship, had started brightly and briefly threatened an upset. Melker Widell, one of six changes made by Michael Duff, switched play to Josh Key, whose cut-back was met superbly by Franco, the midfielder curling a fine 20-yard effort into the top corner.

A loose pass from Abdukodir Khusanov later gifted Widell another opening, only for James Trafford to get down smartly to tip the shot wide.

With Guardiola’s decision to make 10 changes appearing to misfire, City gradually found rhythm and control. Cherki struck the post midway through the half before Doku turned sharply inside Key and saw his low shot deflect in off Cameron Burgess.

From there, City rarely looked troubled. Marmoush’s powerful finish gave them the lead their dominance deserved, and Cherki’s composed strike in added time confirmed their passage to the last eight.

A great response to Villa defeat

For only the second time this season, Manchester City lined up without Erling Haaland as Pep Guardiola made sweeping changes, much as he had done in the third-round win over Huddersfield.

For a spell, City looked uncertain at the back and found it difficult to unpick Swansea’s defence, but they gradually imposed themselves, dominating territory and possession for much of the final hour.

There was an inevitability about their eventual breakthrough, and in the end the Premier League champions’ quality told as Alan Sheehan’s side began to tire.

After suffering their first defeat in 10 matches at Aston Villa on Sunday, this was the response Guardiola’s team needed as they prepare for a demanding run of league fixtures.

They can also take encouragement from reaching the quarter-finals of the competition for only the second time since 2021, the year they lifted the Carabao Cup for a fourth successive season.