1Welcome back, De Bruyne
We shouldn’t need reminding of Kevin De Bruyne’s quality but after six weeks on the sidelines, the nuances of his game may have faded from memory somewhat.
After the weekend cameo in the win over Everton, it was a pleasure to see him start. He delivered a 70-minute masterclass at the King Power Stadium, opening the scoring with a brilliant 20-yard drive before showcasing his technical quality and passing ability.
What a difference he makes.
READ: KDB | Muric has veins of ice
READ: Match Report | City into semi-finals
2Young guns
It was a night to remember for Aro Muric and Eric Garcia.
Muric, 20, produced two saves in the shoot-out to help seal City’s passage into the semi-finals. His reward? A kiss on the cheek from Pep Guardiola!
And 17-year-old Garcia, making his senior debut, was outstanding. Not only did he look solid defensively, he was also incredibly comfortable on the ball. As has become abundantly clear throughout Guardiola’s management career, that is a pre-requisite for any centre-half who wants to play regularly for him.
The average age of the starting XI at Leicester was 23; a glimpse into the future and the latest evidence of our strength in depth.
Your senior debut and a 😘 for Eric Garcia! #lcfcvcity pic.twitter.com/BjrVRZWMZk
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 18, 2018
3Foden growing in stature
With Muric, Garcia and De Bruyne grabbing the majority of headlines, the performance of Phil Foden has gone somewhat under the radar.
He was excellent, particularly in the first half where he controlled the tempo and was the man kick-starting most of our best moves. A great range of passing and an ability to see the game clearly, he has everything needed to keep progressing.
He is clearly growing in stature, which is great news for City.
4Up for the cup
City are looking to win the competition for the sixth time in our history.
In fact, if we do manage to retain the trophy, it will be our fourth EFL Cup triumph in six seasons.
It’s a competition we clearly enjoy.
5Penalty precision
That’s now five successful penalty shoot-out in succession for City.
Given we won just four of our previous seven, that’s a significant – and welcome - upturn in form.