Manchester City makes a miraculous comeback in the away game, and its youth team advances to the quarter-finals of the League Cup

In the early morning of October 30, 2025, the English League Cup quarter-finals began. Manchester City defeated the English Championship team Swansea 3-1 in an away game and advanced to the quarter-finals in a thrilling manner.

Facing low-level league opponents, coach Guardiola chose to rotate the main lineup, giving many young players and substitutes opportunities to play and injecting fresh blood into the first team.

Suffered a head-on blow at the opening

Swansea, sitting at home, were full of momentum and showed a strong desire to win at the beginning. In the 12th minute of the game, Portuguese midfielder Gonzalo Franco made a sudden shot from outside the penalty area. The ball drew a beautiful arc and hit the dead center, helping the home team lead 1-0. This unexpected goal caused the fans at the scene to boil and put Manchester City into a passive position.

Evened before halftime, luck helped

Manchester City, which was lagging behind, gradually controlled the rhythm of the game and continued to put pressure on its opponents. Although many attacks came to nothing, Blue Moon finally reaped rewards at the end of the first half. In the 39th minute, Jeremy Doku tried to shoot near the penalty area. The ball changed direction after hitting the defensive player. The goalkeeper was unable to save and watched the ball go into the net. With this lucky deflection ball, Manchester City evened the score to 1-1 before half-time.

An all-out counterattack in the second half, with new stars shining.

Changing sides and fighting again, Manchester City significantly strengthened their offensive and further expanded their advantage in possession of the ball. However, Swansea's defense was well-organized, making it difficult for the defending champion to find good opportunities. It wasn't until the 77th minute that the game was completely rewritten - Ryan Cherki sent a precise through ball, Omar Marmouche calmly pushed the ball into the net, and Manchester City went ahead 2-1!

The most exciting moment of the game occurred in the 3rd minute of stoppage time. Cherki, who had just returned from injury, made a personal contribution. After receiving a pass from his teammate, he broke into the penalty area and calmly pushed the shot successfully, locking the final score at 3-1! This goal was not only a key blow to seal the victory, but also a perfect declaration of his return after more than two months of injury.

Back on the winning track

This victory is of great significance to Manchester City. In the previous Premier League, they had just lost to Aston Villa with a humiliating score, and the morale of the team was dampened. This comeback in the face of adversity not only successfully advanced to the quarterfinals of the League Cup, but also injected much-needed confidence into the team.

Manchester City won the League Cup for four consecutive years from 2017/18 to 2020/21 and is one of the most successful teams in the history of the event. Now, they are trying to regain their past glory, and this reversal may be the starting point of recovery.