Manchester City advanced to the Carabao Cup semi-finals after a 2-0 victory against Brentford, thanks to Rayan Cherki's excellent first-half goal.

Cherki gave a moment to remember, rocketing a shot into the top corner after 32 minutes. Savinho then scored in the second half, with a lucky deflection, sealing City's place in the final four for the first time since they last won in 2021.

That was Cherki's fourth goal for City. The 22-year-old had a tough start to his City career due to an injury after his £30 million summer transfer from Lyon. He’s now finding his form and was the standout player until he was subbed off in the 66th minute.

City made seven changes from their 3-0 win over Crystal Palace, while Brentford made six after their 1-1 draw with Leeds. Both sides took some time to adjust to the rainy Manchester weather.

Once they settled, City began to press. Rico Henry blocked Oscar Bobb from a one-on-one chance, but on the next attack, slipped as the winger broke into the box, only to shoot straight at Hakon Valdimarsson.

That was Bobb's last action as he went down with a possible hamstring issue and was replaced by Phil Foden.

Brentford wanted a red card in the 16th minute, and they had a point. Abdukodir Khusanov's last-ditch effort brought down Kevin Schade as he was about to shoot from the edge of the box, but the referee only gave a yellow.

Because of Bobb's injury, Mathias Jensen had to wait to take a free kick that James Trafford pushed away.

Cherki was central to the city's best plays and made the game better in the 32nd minute.

Valdimarsson collided with Schade while heading away from Divine Mukasa's corner, but he only cleared it to Cherki. Cherki then stepped around Mikkel Damsgaard before firing a shot that Henry only helped into the top corner.

The Frenchman enjoyed the moment, doing Erling Haaland's robot and zen pose celebrations, earning a nod of approval from the Norwegian on the bench.

Brentford played better at the start of the second half. Kristoffer Ajer moved forward to hit a strong shot that Trafford pushed away, and from the resulting throw-in, Michael Kayode tested the goalkeeper from a difficult angle.

Schade then tried to get past Khusanov again, but this time the defender won.

Foden forced a save from Valdimarsson, but City weren't playing their best. Pep Guardiola made changes, with Bernardo Silva, Josko Gvardiol, and Matheus Nunes coming on for some players, including Cherki.

Soon after, Savinho made it 2-0, bursting forward onto Tijjani Reijnders' pass and beating Valdimarsson with a deflection off Ajer.

Mukasa and Savinho put Valdimarsson to the test again, but City had already done enough.

Manchester City aims to continue their winning streak tonight as they play Brentford in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. They are feeling good after beating Crystal Palace 3-0 on Sunday, which helped them keep up with Arsenal, who are at the top of the league.

Pep Guardiola is now turning his attention to the League Cup, a tournament he's won four times before. City will definitely be without Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri tonight, as they're getting ready to play for their countries in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Guardiola has other worries too, which might mean he has to make some changes to his team. He mentioned in a press conference before the game that the match against West Ham on Saturday is more important than this one. Since City has some players injured, it looks like Guardiola will have to rotate his squad.

StadiumNest is reporting the latest injury updates for City.

Jeremy Doku

Injury: Muscle problem

Guardiola said that Doku hurt his leg during the Champions League game against Real Madrid. Because of this, he couldn't go to Palace on Sunday.

The winger is expected to miss the holiday season while he recovers.

Possible return: January 2026

Rodri

Injury: Hamstring

City hasn't said much about Rodri's condition since he got a muscle injury in the game against Bournemouth. Guardiola and his assistant, Kolo Toure, have both said that the midfielder is getting better and is back on the field, but they're not saying exactly when he'll be back.

Possible return: December 2025/January 2026

John Stones

Injury: Thigh

Stones seemed like he might be back for the game against Palace on Sunday, after Toure gave a positive update before the game. Toure said that the defender would be back soon because his injury wasn't too bad.

Possible return: Brentford - December 17, 2025

Mateo Kovacic

Injury: Ankle

Kovacic is the only City player who isn't close to returning right now. He has an ankle problem that's taking a while to heal, and Guardiola has said that he'll be back in the last part of the season.

Possible return: February 2026