Manchester City take no prisoners as they batter Burton in League Cup semi

Manchester City take no prisoners as they batter Burton in League Cup semi
Manchester City made easy work of their League One opponents on Wednesday night  Credit: Getty Images

At the end Pep Guardiola shook the hand of every Burton Albion player and lingered longest to speak to goalkeeper Bradley Collins. What did he say? What could he say? Nine nil. It was a brutal demolition; a goal-lust. It was unforgiving, unrelenting and Manchester City are in the final of the Carabao Cup.

The second leg is an awkward formality, a glorified friendly, a fixture to fulfil and hopefully a big payday for League One Burton. They have earned it because this was hard going, as City celebrated every goal, even strove to reach double figures and would have done so but for a couple of fine saves by Collins and the failure to award them a clear penalty in the first half for a foul on Gabriel Jesus.

“I wanted to congratulate them for the incredible tournament,” Guardiola said. “They beat ‘mythic’ [historic] teams like Aston Villa and Middlesbrough. They deserve incredible credit. We are not a team at Manchester City that has a lot of titles in the museum, so if you have a chance to get to a final you have to take it. We are hungry. We respect the opponent.”

Respect and destroy. “They don’t beat you; they annihilate you,” said Nigel Clough, the Burton manager. “In terms of the gulf between the two teams it’s just far too much for us to comprehend and make up. Halfway down League One we had no chance.”

As for Collins, a 21-year-old former youth-team player at Chelsea, Clough added: “I actually think our goalkeeper made a couple of good saves. We’ve been beaten nine and he’s not cost us a goal.” Scarily, he was right.

Josep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City in discussion with Eric Garcia during the Carabao Cup
Credit: GETTY IMAGES

The margin of victory is the biggest ever achieved in a semi-final of a cup competition in England and the same margin as the record score achieved by City (10-1 against Huddersfield in 1987 and against Swindon in 1930). The romance of the cup? City doused that. 

They went on a rampage to destroy, dismantle and decimate. They were 8-0 up with 20 minutes to go and desperately sought to get their 10th goal in the dying minutes, pinning Burton back. Should they have shown mercy? No, it was not as if they were humiliating their opponents with unnecessary step-overs and tricks. This was about ­going to the end, so that Guardiola could declare “we are in the final” and strike out the second leg as a formality in which he can field as many kids as he can find.

Maybe even Phil Foden will get a start. He did not here – with Guardiola reasoning Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva need “minutes” – but did in last Sunday’s FA Cup win over Rotherham United. That 7-0 victory means City have scored 16 goals without reply in two successive home ties. Nine nil also equals the biggest win of Guardiola’s managerial career (Barcelona beat L’Hospitalet by the same score in the Copa del Rey in 2011).

Jesus scored four – for the first time in his career – but it was De Bruyne who struck first after five minutes, when he ghosted in to meet Silva’s cross and guide his header into the net.

Maybe that was the one goal ­Burton could have defended better but, remarkably, they should have drawn level, when Lucas Akins’s low cross ran all the way to Marcus Myers-Harness. He had time and space, but somehow side-footed high and wide. He had to score. Burton are 51 league places below City – with a team assembled for around £1 million – but that does not begin to do justice to the gulf. 

“Quite a few of the players were wide-eyed at half-time,” Clough admitted. “They had seen it on television, but they could not believe it first-hand. They said some of their lads did not even seem to be ­running, but were gliding around the pitch.”

Kyle Walker of Manchester City (2L) celebrates after scoring his team's eighth goal with team mate Phil Foden
Kyle Walker even managed to get on the scoresheet Credit: GETTY IMAGES

They had glided to a 4-0 lead by that half-time break. Leroy Sane worked his way in from the right before exchanging passes with Ilkay Gundogan. Collins blocked Sane’s toe-poked shot with a leg, but the ball rebounded up for Jesus to head home. 

Soon after Gundogan chipped the ball through to Silva, who squared it for Jesus to take his time and stroke a low shot in off a post. Then Oleksandr Zinchenko overhit a left-wing cross, but it deceived Collins and flew high into the net for the defender’s first goal for City.

That felt cruel and, into the second half, it became even crueller. Silva slid a return pass through to Riyad Mahrez, who stood up a cross that Jesus, having pulled away, headed powerfully past Collins.

It triggered the first change by Guardiola, with Foden replacing De Bruyne and he soon had his goal, too. It should have been a fourth for Jesus, but Collins blocked his shot, with the rebound also foiled, only for it to fall to Foden, who stroked it into the empty net.

Phil Foden of Manchester City (3R) scores his team's sixth goal during the Carabao Cup Semi Final First Leg match between Manchester City and Burton Albion at Etihad Stadium
Phil Foden came off the bench to score Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Jesus did score once more. Sane chested down a raking cross-field pass and centred with the outside of his boot for the striker to steal in and flick past Collins. 

Clough buried his head in his coat and did so again as Mahrez squared the ball for Kyle Walker to beat Collins with a first-time, side-footed shot. Mahrez had his goal, also, as he met a cross by substitute Bernardo Silva, only to miscue, but then poke the rebound home. 

“We want 10,” chanted the City fans and their team attempted to oblige. Thankfully Burton held out.

“We had several thousand ­supporters here celebrating the fact that we will probably never be here again,” Clough said. Despite the scoreline, they can hold their heads high.

Match details

Manchester City (4-3-3): Muric; Walker (Danilo, 74), Otamendi, Garcia, Zinchenko; De Bruyne (Foden, 58), Gundogan, D Silva; Mahrez, Jesus, Sane (B Silva, 66).
Substitutes not used: Ederson (gk), Stones, Sterling, Delph.
Burton Albion (4-1-4-1): Collins; Brayford, Buxton, Turner, Hutchinson; Wallace; Myers-Harness, Allen (Fox, 68), Fraser (Sbarra, 79), Akins; Boyce (Templeton, 68).
Substitutes not used: Bywater (gk), McFadzean, McCrory, Miller.
Referee: Mike Dean.

                                                                                                    

Opta stats to round up the night

  • Manchester City have won 13 of their last 15 League Cup matches against sides from a lower division (D2), scoring 50 goals.
  • Manchester City are the first side in the top four tiers of English football to score at least seven goals in back-to-back matches in all competitions since Leeds United did so back in October 1967 (9-0 v Spora Luxembourg in the Fairs Cup and 7-0 v Chelsea in the top-flight).
  • Manchester City have scored eight goals in a single match in any competition for the first time since November 1987, when they beat Huddersfield 10-1 in a second-tier encounter.
  • Burton Albion’s 9-0 defeat is the heaviest League Cup defeat by any side since Liverpool beat Fulham 10-0 back in September 1986, and is the largest ever margin of defeat in the semi-final of the competition.
  • Man City’s 9-0 victory is Pep Guardiola’s joint-largest margin of victory as a manager, alongside Barcelona’s 9-0 thrashing of L'Hospitalet during a Copa del Rey match in December 2011.
  • Since his League Cup debut for Manchester City in September 2015, Kevin De Bruyne has scored more goals in the competition than any other player (9).
  • Gabriel Jesus has now scored two hat-tricks at the Etihad Stadium, only Carlos Tevez (4) and Sergio Aguero (10) have netted more home trebles for Manchester City since their move away from Maine Road.
  • Gabriel Jesus (12) has reached double figures for goals scored in all competitions for the second successive season after netting 17 times in 2017-18 – only Sergio Aguero (14) have netted more than the Brazilian for Manchester City in 2018-19.

Nigel Clough has excellent patter

We didn't expect anything less. The quality and gulf between the two teams, it could have been more.

We could have been a bit better but didn't think we did too badly tonight.

When did you think things might get a bit messy?

When the draw was made and we beat Middlesbrough. 

We kept going, right at the end the crowd were shouting 'we want 10' and we stopped them. Hopefully that will give them a taste of what they can get later in their career if they keep progressing.

What did Pep say to you?

He said come in have a glass of wine... I hope it's more than a glass!

I want the lads to take out any frustration they have from tonight out on Gillingham in two days.

Guardiola reacts

The result was good and of course we are in the final but second leg we will take seriously. Burton had an incredible tournament, they beat Burnley, Aston Villa... they have to be so proud.

Strikers need goals, today the chances they had he scored. That's important.

It's not easy to play these games against lower league teams, we took it seriously, started well, the period from first goal to second goal we had problems, didn't win the second balls and were a bit passive. The big difference in these competitions is the rhythm which is why it was easier at the end.

I know how important was his father, a genius. When you realise what he achieved with Nottingham Forrest it is incredible, it will be a pleasure to share some minutes with his son. 

Breaking records everywhere

 

Jesus delighted with his Man of the Match award

 

Zinchenko is claiming that goal

"Please! A little respect!" he says.

 Jesus says he's convinced it was a cross.

Why don't more Premier League teams destroy lower league ones?

 

FULL TIME

Well, all to play for the in the second leg. Burton only need to score 10 goals against Man City to reach the final.

90 mins+2 - Man City 9 Burton 0

City are probing, passing, looking... but they're about to run out of time for the magic 10. 

90 mins - Man City 9 Burton 0

City are really trying quite hard to score a 10th now. The crowd are urging them on... but how much added time will the referee allow?

88 mins - Man City 9 Burton 0

IS THAT 10?!!! No! The header from Otamendi is headed down into the ground and the goalkeeper can dive to save it. Only minutes are left for City to make it 10.

86 mins - Man City 9 Burton 0

City have the ball, pass it around, Burton must be knackered. 

GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL

And Mahrez gets in on the fun!

It's 9-0. Can they make it 10?! Silva is wide left, hits a - you guessed it! - low cross into the box and Mahrez completely misses his first shot then pokes the loose ball past the goalkeeper.

82 mins - Man City 8 Burton 0

Buxton throws his body at the ball to stop Mahrez from scoring the ninth. The goalkeeper then has good hands to stop Phil Foden's powerful effort beating him. 

80 mins - Man City 8 Burton 0

 

78 mins - Man City 8 Burton 0

This is quite absorbing. I'm watching it and forgetting there's an actual game on, it's like when you come in hammered from a night at the pub and realise you left Pro Evo on and the games scrolling through the highlights. David Silva's just hit the post. More goals to come, I suspect.

76 mins - Man City 8 Burton 0

Walker is subbed for Danilo. That means Sterling can't come on and make things even scarier.

74 mins - Man City 8 Burton 0

It's still all City. They're not stopping and can you even imagine how utterly deflating it must feel to be one of those Burton players right now? Zinchenko overhits a cross from the left and Bernardo picks it out the air with an astonishing first touch while running. The crowd liked that one.

GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL

Kyle Walker makes it eight!

 

Great finish. Mahrez sets up Walker inside the box. That's right-back Kyle Walker scoring a striker's poacher goal.

69 mins - Man City 7 Burton 0

Boyce off, Fox on. Allen off, Templeton on. That's where David Templeton went! He used to play for Hamilton in Scotland. Ah well it's only Man City. 

67 mins -  Man City 7 Burton 0

Sane is substituted for Bernardo Silva. I wonder if that assist will save him from a talking to by Guardiola.

GOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL

And now it is seven! Oh dear oh dear.

Sane is played in on the left, controls on his chest and nutmegs the centre-back with his low cross that Jesus cannot help but turn into a goal.

65 mins - what a miss

And it should be seven. That's a dreadful miss. Silva has an open goal as Sane unselfishly sets him up inside the box with the goalie out of position. City are six up but still not clinical.

 

GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL!

PHIL FODEN SCORES!

Jesus is played in with a brilliant defence splitting pass from Gundogan but misses his one v one. The ball drops loose, Foden has a tap in as it rattles around between defenders.

63 mins - Man City 5 Burton 0

Sane plays a pass to Silva far too late and ruins another move. Offside when it should never have been. I'd imagine Guardiola is starting to get a little frustrated with him tonight.

 

62 mins - Man City 5 Burton 0

 The record in the League Cup is Liverpool 13 Fulham 2 apparently. 

59 mins - Enter Phil Foden

De Bruyne gets a rest, Phil Foden has 30 minutes to do some damage.

GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAALLLL

Well what do I know? Jesus has a hat-trick!

Mahrez creates this one with some smart play, Silva's through-pass sets him up to cross to Jesus and the movement and jump to meet that and header beyond the goalkeeper is superb.

56 mins - Man City 4 Burton 0

Sane needs to waken up a bit here. He's missed a few easy (for him) first touches and is hitting his passes short of where they need to go. It's a little bit tired from City here, even if they are 4-0 up. 

55 mins - Man City 4 Burton 0

Credit: PA

City still attacking down that left wing. Burton are doing a little better at keeping the ball and getting past the halfway line now though, City aren't closing them down with any great amount of effort.  

52 mins - Man City 4 Burton 0

CHANCE FOR BURTON! Akins gets up the left, passes inside to Allen (I think) and he tries to lift a shot to the top corner. It's over but Muric looked worried for a moment.

51 mins - Man City 4 Burton 0

It's all City. I could type out every single attacking move but basically what's happening each time is the ball goes down the left, Sane runs out of ideas, Gundogan tries to chip the ball behind the defensive line, Burton attack for about 10 seconds and City have the ball again.

48 mins - Man City 4 Burton 0

Sane is almost in for a one v one after 30 seconds. The ball is chipped over the top by Zinchenko, Sane doesn't control it how he'd like and it's a goal kick. 

KICK OFF 2

We're back! Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink says that if he were manager, he would "praise the boys at half time. Yes they're 4-0 behind but there's not a lot they've done wrong, just getting a little closer to the man on the ball."

Presumably that would be with 'calm'.

Highlight of the first half?

Credit: REUTERS

Every time Zinchenko gets the ball within about 40 yards of goal, the home crowd yells at him to shoot. Hopefully that continues for the rest of the game.

Analysis

Manchester City are much much much better at football than Burton.

HALF TIME

If Burton decide to just go home now, it'll save them letting in even more goals in the second half. 

45 mins - Man City 4 Burton 0

Jesus goes down just inside the box! Mahrez plays the one of a one-two and Jesus is kicked with a clumsy little boot into his shin. VAR reviews it... the crowd goes 'ooooooooooooooooooohhhhh' and then boos, as the referee announces no penalty. 

43 mins - Man City 4 Burton 0

Great save! De Bruyne has Jesus in space behind the defence but he's just offside so De Bruyne hangs on, keeps going, plays in Sane instead... and Sane hits a low cross in that is missed by the defender and Mahrez improvises a quick little shot at goal which the keeper acrobatically tips over. Lovely. One for the highlights reel.

40 mins - Man City 4 Burton 0

How many more goals do Man City fancy scoring? I know if I was playing I'd want a hat-trick at least. De Bruyne must be desperate to score too. They're attacking again now and win a corner.

GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!

WHAT A FINISH! If he meant it...

People around me are saying he didn't mean it, the Sky Sports commentary team are saying he didn't mean it... but I'm pretty sure Zinchenko knew he'd be able to lob the goalie if he hit this shot the way he did.

 

GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL

And that's three. Nigel Clough has just changed his settings to 'text only' and the fastest game speed he can get to be able to escape this one. 

It's a lovely little goal as well. Silva is played in over the top, cushions a nice little pass across the box for Jesus, who takes his time and finishes. 

The referee reviews it on VAR just to make sure Silva isn't offside... and he rightly awards the goal.

33 mins - Man City 2 Burton 0

Sane's back on the left now. De Bruyne looks like the player trying hardest to win the ball back.

GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL

Jesus scores City's second!

Sane switches to the right wing, dribbles past a player, passes inside and gets the reverse before shooting at the near post. The goalie saves, Jesus runs in and heads into an empty net. That's his ninth goal this season.

29 mins - Man City 1 Burton 0

Credit: GETTY IMAGES

 City win another corner, Burton have everyone behind the ball. Every now and again Burton get forward and look like they might be able to do something with the ball... but City win it back, counter at about 70 per cent speed and then pass it round the final third until they win the corner. That is the match summarised.

26 mins - Man City 1 Burton 0

Silva then Sane have low crosses (triple tap circle) cleared from four yards out by a centre-back. No striker reads the ball, certainly not Jesus anyway. Has he had a touch yet? 

Another City move breaks down in the final third. They're not quite clicking yet, nor appearing to try too hard. 

The counter-attack is on now! De Bruyne races forwards, Jesus gets his touch, dribbles inside the pitch and then hits a low, tame shot that bobbles and rolls wide of the far post. 

23 mins - Man City 1 Burton 0

Another shot on goal for Burton. This time Allen gets underneath the shot and it flies into the stand behind the goal. 

Gundogan hits a shot while off balance from 25 yards and it goes harmlessly wide. 

20 mins - Man City 1 Burton 0

GOOOOOOOAAAAA oh it's offside. What a finish from Mahrez too. He runs in behind onto a chipped pass from Gundogan and slices across the ball on the volley to swerve it into the far corner. It doesn't count though so let's forget about it.

 

18 mins - Man City 1 Burton 0

CORNER TO BURTON! Cleared at the six yard box by a header. City can break now... which might not end well for Burton. 

15 mins - Man City 1 Burton 0

Burton seem to be trying to attack a little bit more now and engage higher up the pitch. Sane sends a poor cross into the box after City win a turnover in midfield... and Burton race up the pitch again. Walker has to slide in to steal the ball from Akins, who has started really well.

12 mins - Man City 1 Burton 0

Oooohhhh that's a lovely pass from De Bruyne. He gets a theatre style ripple of applause for threading a pass between the centre-backs for Sane to run onto, but puts just a little too much sass on it. 

Walker is in behind on the right but his cut back is blocked by the million Burton players getting in the way of the ball. David Silva wins a corner as another attack opens up the defence.

Burton have bodies forward now... City have tacked them back and it's four v four... the ball comes across the box... MYERS-HARNESS SHOULD SCORE!

 He's missed! He won't get that chance again.

9 mins - Man City 1 Burton 0

Man City free-kick wide left. It's whipped in, Sane keeps it alive on the opposite wing and then complains that he's taken a whack to the mouth rather than playing to the whistle. 

City are in such control that Walker is playing as a right winger just now.

GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!

De Bruyne scores!

 The ball is crossed in, De Bruyne makes a run from deep and heads the ball past the goalkeeper.

6 mins - Man City 0 Burton 0

Sane is played in on the left wing, attacks the space and then crosses low into the box. About 20 Burton players are back defending and block the shot. Man City keep up the pressure...

5 mins - Man City 0 Burton 0

Zinchenko tries a hopeful shot from 25 yards as it drops nicely for a volley but punts the ball wide of goal. Mahrez tracks back to tackle Boyce. Burton clearing their lines well, taking their time when in possession.

3 mins - Man City 0 Burton 0

City can quickly move the ball forward through the lines to Mahrez, he cuts inside as Burton players drop off him and then Walker hits a dreadful cross off the head of a defender. And Mahrez has just been played one v one over the top of the defence! He's onside! And that might be the first time I've ever seen his first touch let him down. The ball's behind for a goal kick.

Burton have everyone behind the ball, as you'd expect.

KICK OFF

Burton get the game started and run straight at Man City... and get a shot on target! It's saved very easily.

Here come the players

Out on the pitch, plenty of empty seats. 

 

Traffic problems 

Apparently there is horrible congestion on the way to the Etihad and there's a real chance that a large part of the crowd won't be in the stadium in time for kick off.

 

These are some good stats

Man City's youth team stadium holds more fans than Burton's actual one too. 

Pep Guardiola isn't messing around

"Almost everybody's fit except some players like Sergio, Vincent, in terms of make a selection for example Kevin and David need minutes because the last weeks they didn't play too much.

"When you are almost four, five months injured you need minutes. He had 70 good minutes last game, today more minutes."

Are we writing off Burton too early?

 

Clough on tonight's match

 

Burton players inspect the pitch

Credit: PA

I have no idea how busy it'll be in the Etihad tonight. It is a semi-final but it is also Burton and a Wednesday. 

Welcome to the energy drink extravaganza!

It's the League Cup! Guzzle that energy drink. GUZZLE IT! Tonight it's Man City vs Burton, Guardiola vs Clough, money and quality and lovely football vs Burton - it's a semi-final! Luckily for Burton though, Man City won't be taking this too seriously because it's only Burton and oh my god look at that team.

 Well. I bet Burton have had fun anyway. If they can escape this one with anything under 3-0, they will have achieved something amazing. Guardiola seems to fancy getting this first leg absolutely horsed out of the way so a rested/weakened team can take care of the second leg without too much worry. De Bruyne will be keen to prove his fitness and get back in form, Jesus wants to score more goals, Mahrez is brilliant, Sane will tear the full-backs apart... this could either be a great watch, or a horrible mauling.

Burton won't give up, of course, and will be right up for this one. Sometimes all you need is desire, spirit, to outrun your opponent and defend with your lives. Wigan did it... who's to say Burton won't? Me. I say.

 There are some half decent players in that side. Liam Boyce is a tidy lower league striker anyway.

Good luck!

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