Rayan Cherki's thunderbolt strike helped Manchester City overcome Brentford 2-0 to reach the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, where they will face Newcastle in a two-legged tie with the first leg at St James' Park.
Pep Guardiola's much-changed side had not reached the last four of the competition since claiming a fourth straight triumph in 2021, but produced a professional performance on a relentless December evening at the Etihad to extend their winning run to six matches across all competitions.
Bees bristle as Khusanov escapes red
Brentford started brightly but could not capitalise, and were left incensed when Abdukodir Khusanov received only a yellow card for tripping Kevin Schade close to the edge of the box. The visiting players argued their striker was through on goal, but with no video assistant referee in operation, the on-field decision from Sam Barrott stood.